“If you won’t defend your precious things, people will take them from you.”
'
*I will sometimes refer to the full name of the anime as "RGU" for simplicity ALSO THIS IS SPOILER-FREE! : )*
Revolutionary Girl Utena, to be summarized into a singular collection of words, is what many would refer to as a bait-and-switich. On the outside, it presents itself as a typical Shoujo (perhaps magical girl) anime that is catered towards a younger female audience and one would definitely fall under this presumption before watching. The premise, a young girl aspiring to be like her childhood prince and following his path to Ohtori Academy, seems
...
to promise, if anything, no more than what many shows of this era would've promised younger Japanese girls. A few petty romances, a few dramatic moments, slice of life elements, the usual shoujo BS, right?
Well, RGU does contain slice-of-life elements, there is romance, and there are shoujo elements, so what am I getting at here? To help my point, if you asked ANYONE who finished RGU they would tell you the following:
This is a surreal and defiant anime which very quickly turns the conventional "shoujo" narrative structure completely upright on its head. Utena, our main lead, almost serves as a literal symbol for the defiant nature of this anime and its messages. The very aspirations of Utena to become a prince, a hero and protecter which should be reserved to a male in accordance with societal logic, prove to be rather challenging to uphhold in the midst of a problematic and conflict-ridden setting. Our main antagonists we get to know, The other Duelists, all have rather unique in their resolves and goals, all share one trait in common and that is their desire to stand in Utena's way of protecting the rose bride from the unfair and limiting duels which contain and constrain Anthy Himemiya, a girl who Utena will grow attached to and wish the best for. Beyond the duelists, however, one could argue that there are dozens of other conflictory forces which stand in the way of Utena, Himemiya, and even perhaps the Duelists themmselves (I can't get into this too much for spoilers sake :/)
The visual nature of RGU is something I must emphasize is surreal; there is frequently surreal imagery and bizarre literal situations which, even under a fantasy lense, seem out of place and quite ridiculous when one truly questions what is occuring. These elements also tie into RGU's other shoujo elements (remember, I said this anime still contained slice of life, comedy, and shoujo styles I never said these were not present though they are not all this show has to offer). This ties in a way to the direct plot of the anime, which is very entertaining IMO and warrants the relatively longer episode count; without giving too much away, there is a formating of episode behavior that the viewer will sorta pick up on overtime. Repetition is a key device used in this anime and I find that compared to certain other shows that use it to simplify the storytelling process, RGU uses it to help entrance the viewer into a truly new experience and solidify the uniqueness of the shows more bizarre and surreal moments.
The actual content of this anime is definitely not exactly something that is in my opinion for a younger audience, or arguably the shoujo demographic if we apply it to today from a mature standpoint however in this way it is also somewhat powerful when it is viewed by both younger and older audiences. This show is, at times, downright painful in what the viewer is presented with and these darker undertones juxtapose with the more slice-of-life aspects which are also engaged fruitfully and freely over the course of the anime. The content of what is occuring, ESPECIALLY WHEN ANALYZED, can be gruesome and telling of a more dark plotline and purpose; viewers will definitely find as they uncover more of RGU's story that Ikuhara's anime isn't some filler based anime or just some cheesy rom com type shoujo, this show leaves even far older audiences feeling nasty and uncomftorable as they see what various characters endure and battle with. This is, though, what makes RGU all the more powerful as a bait and switch anime as the true purposes and aims of the show really pierce a viewer in a natural and gradual manner while the viewer isnt left feeling overloaded with darkness all at once, though as you keep watching you will be left questioning what is truly occuring and how "kid-like" this material really is that is being presented.
Furthermore, without giving too much away, most would agree after finishing RGU that RGU can be well understood from an allegorical standpoint; there is BOATLOADS of symbolism present in practically every surreal scene and these seemingly bizzare images and the general artistic nature of this anime tie into deeper meanings that the anime may be grasping or arguments the anime is advocating for and these go beyond basic ideas of gender equality: ideas such as nihilism, consent, hope, corruption, gender roles, and more are all arguably present. Arguably because RGU is, at its heart, heavily down to the viewers respective interpretations though nearly all viewers come to the same crossroad belief that this anime is, despite seeming to be a shoujo anime targeted towards young pre-teen girls, contains deeper sub argumetents regarding society, humanity, social structures, and other complex, mature, and extraordinarily controversial topics of debate regarding the human condition.
Thus, I will remodify my summarization with this noted information (which, I should note, practically contains a mere fraction of what I could inform a prospective watcher):
RGU is, summarized, a bait-and-switch anime: while on the surface it seems like a typical subpar shoujo anime, it is a surreal and allegorical work of fiction that is sure to entertain watchers with comedy, slice of life elements, and great characters while also juggling complex and mature themes, problems, and conflicts to generate a beautifully crafted work of art even with the limitations of old-school animation.
Dec 28, 2021
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
(Anime)
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“If you won’t defend your precious things, people will take them from you.”
' *I will sometimes refer to the full name of the anime as "RGU" for simplicity ALSO THIS IS SPOILER-FREE! : )* Revolutionary Girl Utena, to be summarized into a singular collection of words, is what many would refer to as a bait-and-switich. On the outside, it presents itself as a typical Shoujo (perhaps magical girl) anime that is catered towards a younger female audience and one would definitely fall under this presumption before watching. The premise, a young girl aspiring to be like her childhood prince and following his path to Ohtori Academy, seems ... Apr 13, 2020
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