~THE CHIBI QUARTET'S REVIEWS~
Revolutionary Girl
Utena
Review by
Morgaine
Well, I am very not tired tonight, so I decided to review something. I’m currently trying to decide what that’s going to be... ^^Okay, here we go with my review on one of my most favoritest anime ever: Revolutionary Girl Utena!!!!
Whee! Okay, you probably don’t even need to read the rest of this review considering that last sentence, but who cares? C’mon, admit that I’m mildly entertaining! Admit it!
Heheh, okay, maybe not. Anyways, on with the review.
I waited VERY IMPATIENTLY for the first disc to arrive for about a week and a half. So, when it finally came, I rushed home, popped it into the DVD player and ignored my school work for three glorious hours!
As the introduction to a series that I had heard talked about so much for its intensity, the first disc is a liiiiiitle disappointing. No, I DO NOT mean that it’s bad, just that I was expecting something much darker and more emotional. However, that was only my first impression. I have watched this disc many, many times since then, and my opinion has improved immensely. True, this series really doesn’t start to get intense until the 7th episode on the disc, but it’s still a gorgeous anime.
Basic plot rundown: Utena wants to be a prince who saves princesses because she was so impressed by the prince who helped her as a child. When one of her friends is hurt, she gets the chance, but a simple challenge to settle a score earns her much more than she intended... like a fiancée... (To anyone who knows anything about French and nothing about this anime, no, that wasn't a typo. Utena gets a fiancée.) The story itself starts off directly enough, with the first episode setting up the beginnings of the plot and introducing, in some way or another, many of the main characters. From there, the plot begins to unfold episode by episode in all of its gender-bending glory with excellent character development and some truly surprising revelations. Without being formulaic or ignoring the rest of the cast, the story manages to introduce the duelists and develop them very well in each of their episodes. In half-hour installments, that’s an achievement that deserves a round of applause.
Exhibited well by good animation, the visual style of Utena is amazing After watching three hours of this, I feel like I’ve visited another, more surreal world and then been jolted back into the dull, three-dimensional reality of earth. It’s a bit… unsettling. The anime has gorgeous, vibrant colors, but it’s sooo… flat! Yet, conversely, the flatness of the visuals draws you into the world of Utena to the point where, when you hit the “stop” button and look away from the television screen, you wonder why everything is so rounded. This is definitely a departure from a typical shoujo style, and it is a very, very good one that is pulled off very, very well.
The voice acting in this series is great, too! Utena has an original voice that I like very much. It reflects her character well: she’s feminine without being shoujo-heroine-ish, yet she’s also strong and masculine. Anthy’s voice is also good, and Koyasu Takehito is (typically, of him) a standout as Touga. (You have to see the first episode just for the line where he says “baby” in english, if nothing else! It’s absolutely hilarious!)
I would guess that anyone with an internet connection has heard the music from Utena, but, if you haven’t, GO DOWNLOAD SOME!! What are you waiting for? This is some of the best, most original music that you’ll hear in any recent anime! The opening theme is typical (but excellent!) jpop by one of my favorite singers, Masami Okui, but the rest of the music is nothing of the sort. The duel songs are amazing pieces sung by A CHORUS with some of the strangest lyrics you’ll ever hear. In particular, I HIGHLY recommend “Spira Mirabillis” and one whose title I can’t remember in Japanese called “Angelic Creation, Namely, Light.” But, if you’re on a modem and you only want to download one song, get “Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku” (“The Absolute Destiny Apocalypse”). I think that song alone convinced me to finally just go for it and buy Utena. Now I’m just waiting on a job and a credit card so I can get the OSTs! You will never hear such driving, forceful music in any other anime.
The first disc of Utena is awesome, and definitely worth the $40 list price, in my opinion. ::drops down to a whisper:: Plus, if you decide that you like this series, you can still get episodes 26 – 49 and the movie fansubbed! ::Goes back to a normal voice:: However, with the popularity of the series, I’m going to bet that the rest of the series is licensed soon, and this is such a good title that I think I would rather have the high-quality commercial release. (Especially the movie! Would one of you anime companies hurry up and license that already?! ::glares::). In my opinion, for a title of this quality, it’s worth the money, especially considering the rewatch value. Out of all the anime I own, I probably rewatch this one the most, even if only to just pop it into my DVD-ROM drive and skip to the duels.
Okay, if shoujo anime is your thing, you don’t mind some interesting gender and sexuality issues (Keep in mind that your dear reviewer here is a very open-minded supporter of both yaoi and yuri!!) and you’re looking for a great anime to watch, I would highly recommend Revolutionary Girl Utena. However, as always, I encourage you to read other reviews and preview before buying if possible. Oh! One thing though: I thought that the dub of this was unbearable, particulary Utena’s voice. Although most of the cast did improve as the show moved along, the dub just never gained the snap of the Japanese track. Because of this, GET THE DVD!! However, if you don’t have that option, I would recommend that you wait, because I’ve read that the moratorium on the subtitled VHS tapes is going to be temporarily lifted when the next episodes are released sometime next year. This is a great anime, and the sub is essential to the experience. Now, go buy it! ^_^ ::skips off to order disc 2::
Guess where the pic came from? Heh heh. Our thanks to AnimeNation.
DISCLAIMER:
All series and related items (e.g. pictures) mentioned in these pages belong to their respective owners, none of whom are any of the members of the Chibi Quartet (Jayd, Morgaine, Poundcake, Utako). All copyrighted images are used without permission for no profit. Our use of these images in the reviews is legal under fair use cases in copyright law, which gives permission for use of copyrighted materials for such purposes. If, despite our research, we are in error, please notify Poundcake immediately and we will quickly fix any mistakes. Thank you.
UPDATES REVIEWS WRITINGS FANART IMAGES CONTACT JAPANESE FUN LINKS MESSAGE BOARD
