Adolecence of Utena

Alternate/Japanese Titles: Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie, Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku

Original Japanese Release Date: 1999

Episode Length/Run-time: 80 minutes

Summary:

A condensed summary of the original series: Revolutionary Girl Utena, The Adolescence of Utena retells the tale of Utena Tenjou, a young girl who dresses as a man in order to be a prince and save princesses.  She is roped into a secret society at her school via a rose crest ring who duels for the hand of Anthy Himemiya, the rose bride, on a rooftop garden.  Utena must uncover the secrets of the school and these duels to save herself and Anthy.

Review:

This movie is a beautiful whirlwind.  The production values are amazing and the product is visually astounding.  Even if you’re not a fan of the series, or know nothing about Utena it will be really easy to sit for a short 80 minutes and gaze on going, “oooh, shiny.”

However, a whirlwind it is none the less.  If you haven’t seen the original series you’re likely to be left feeling dazed and confused.  The movie moves at a breakneck pace, spending little time to stop and explain things for the unfamiliar viewer.  It’s also steeped in symbolism, with often times a single scene or image representing a whole period of time in the series.  You’re left to your own devices far too much if you’ve never seen the series, and even the Utena veteran may find themselves at times going “what just happened?”

A must-see for Utena fans, a good watch for shojo or stellar animation fans, but beyond that this may not be a movie worth your Sunday afternoon.

[starrater]