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Does anyone remember Utena?

julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,273
Look at this... so fucking cool...... this is COOLEST show ever.



The symbolism! The stairs!! The cars!!!

Listen to this!!



it's so fucking badass!! how is this possible
 
UnluckyKate

UnluckyKate

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,545
I tried to watch it last year, it has way to much filler episodes and reused portions. I gave up halfway through I think ? It went nowhere. You could skip 5 minutes in each episodes because of reused sequences.

I know people love it and I really dig the chara design but it didn't click with me.
 
Small Red Boy

Small Red Boy

▲ Legend ▲
Member
May 9, 2019
2,678
I wanted to watch it becasue lesbians but I lost interest on anime as a whole and never watched it. But I defiently will, looks interesting.
 
Conkersbadfurday

Conkersbadfurday

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,298
Minnesota
OH fuck yeah! Watched this for the first time this year, and it's fantastic. I love how goofy it starts and how goddamn dark it ends up, and the progression feels so fucking slick you don't realize you're in for some shit until it's there.

The villain is amazing.
 
wolfshirt

wolfshirt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,160
Los Angeles
I remember seeing the first US screening for the movie at an Anime Expo in the year 2000.

She could turn into a car or something, right?
 
SigmasonicX

SigmasonicX

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,499
I watched it about two years ago. Good show, though I personally think the movie is better. The movie does require you having watched the show first, though.
 
ironjoe

ironjoe

Member
Jan 26, 2018
702
NYC
Been thinking of watching this with my youngest. She's enjoyed Jojo, Full metal and Mob Psycho, but I'm not sure if this is worth a shot for her.

Hmmm.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
50,036
I watched most of it, but for some reason it hits my mind in a bad place and I couldn't finish.

I feel like I've heard it mentioned a lot by trans and nimby people on Era.
 
Prophane33

Prophane33

Member
Oct 25, 2017
820
尾張国
Heck yeah. It came out shortly after Evangelion and basically was for Shoujo what Eva was for Mecha; coincidentally, both had games on Saturn as Sega had merchandising rights for both properties. It was also pretty much a proto-Shaft anime. Will always have a strong place in my top 10.
 
MonadL

MonadL

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,888
I watched the movie in a film class once in undergrad and it was kinda nuts. Haven't seen the show.
 
androvsky

androvsky

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,507
Love the show, I've been trying to justify the blu-ray version after having gotten the DVD remaster from Right Stuf just before the blu-ray was announced. And I still haven't re-watched even that version, so my memories are of just the original CPM release.

Messofanego said:
Ok I'm in.

It's on Prime, cool.
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The movie is both less interesting and way more interesting than what you're probably imagining.
 
NESpowerhouse

NESpowerhouse

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,675
Virginia
The ultimate way to discover Utena back in the day was to be a kid who was only vaguely familiar with anime through the likes of DBZ, Yugioh, etc and stumble upon a VHS tape in the bargain bin at Kroger. It was arguably the first ANIME I watched ever and is still my favorite of all time.
 
Kapryov

Kapryov

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,139
Australia
I saw it for the first time last year, all of it, movie included.

It's great, filler episodes and all.

Don't @ me but the best version of Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku is the "musical" version. Those harmonies.



edit: the entire series (sourced from the Blu-ray) is up on Funimation, including the movie
 

Deleted member 18021

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,000
i have seen an utena in my time, yes


buying the big manga boxset and getting the poster out in front of my mom was

interesting
 
Messofanego

Messofanego

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,176
UK
"One day, the princess wants to become a prince" - narration

"A girl wearing boy clothes?!" - teacher

"Is that a boy with long hair?" - my wife

Ok this first episode is going all in haha
 
Dice

Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,322
Canada
SigmasonicX said:
I watched it about two years ago. Good show, though I personally think the movie is better. The movie does require you having watched the show first, though.
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IT ENDS WITH A CAR TRANSFORMATION AND NAKED GETAWAY KISS. It's honestly really cool and probably represents the actual absurdity of the world they're in better.

The movie might actually be magic because I was literally watching it the same night the US legalizaed gay marriage. ✨

MonadL said:
I watched the movie in a film class once in undergrad and it was kinda nuts. Haven't seen the show.
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What assignment led to a class watching this particular movie? o_O
 
JPLC

JPLC

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
184
Canada
I saw Utena for the first time relatively recently (series and film). The series started out interesting, then started to lose my interest a bit, but ended on such a high note that it redeemed any slog I had to go through (and the series is only 39 episodes anyway, so the low points aren't too extensive). And the film was super stylish. I think I prefer the series most, but yeah, I'd say it's definitely worth seeing until the end to make a true judgement on it.
 
NESpowerhouse

NESpowerhouse

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,675
Virginia
Dice said:
IT ENDS WITH A CAR TRANSFORMATION AND NAKED GETAWAY KISS. It's honestly really cool and probably represents the actual absurdity of the world they're in better.

The movie might actually be magic because I was literally watching it the same night the US legalizaed gay marriage. ✨
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I claim to be the final person in the world to watch the movie last decade (live in the US on the east coast). I finished it 10 minutes before midnight. Can anyone beat that?
 
Princess Viola

Princess Viola

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,098
Florida
John Kowalski said:
Please show it
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well since you said 'please'
S6302946.jpg
 
Hasseigaku

Hasseigaku

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,541
What's that? Is it a Japanimation or something?

This is my second username based around Utena, coming from here
 
Larrikin

Larrikin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,739
My partner and I just started watching this for the first time. I'm sure a lot of the symbolism is going over our heads but it's an enjoyable enough show, if a bit dated. The tower-climbing is a bit weird and long for a transformation sequence and we usually skip it. At least the canned elevator scene is short enough and amusing though.
 
GlassEmpires

GlassEmpires

Member
Dec 10, 2018
1,132
UnluckyKate said:
I tried to watch it last year, it has way to much filler episodes and reused portions. I gave up halfway through I think ? It went nowhere. You could skip 5 minutes in each episodes because of reused sequences.

I know people love it and I really dig the chara design but it didn't click with me.
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There's almost no filler tho. Even the recap episodes can have important scenes. And the canned animation is often used to elaborate on and reiterate themes and narrative developments.
 

Deleted member 11008

User requested account closure
Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
6,627
Watched Utena 10 years ago, more or less. I like Penguindrum more, but Utena is Ikuhara's masterpiece.

IMG-20201106-182423.jpg


I got this thanks to the manga and put it in my bookshelf, I'm waiting if someday my parents are going to ask me about it lmao
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,417
I love like half of Utena. It would be sooooo much better if it was like only ~20 episodes instead of 39.
 
RecRoulette

RecRoulette

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,044
I watched it for the first time this year, absolutely loved it, even the Black Rose arc. (ESPECIALLY the Black Rose arc)

This show should've been the one that stuck in everyone's mind for 30 years instead of Evangelion lol
 
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