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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
[Read this as part of Buzzwordathon '18]
Holy crap is this box set gorgeous! I've had this on my shelf for way too long and I'm finally glad to read this classic.
As always the art is fantastic and characters are just wow! I'll admit I've yet to see the anime so I feel a little behind on that but it definetly is something I want to see in the future. Probably because I haven't seen it I think the story got confusing for me in bits, but I still love this series so much.
Holy crap is this box set gorgeous! I've had this on my shelf for way too long and I'm finally glad to read this classic.
As always the art is fantastic and characters are just wow! I'll admit I've yet to see the anime so I feel a little behind on that but it definetly is something I want to see in the future. Probably because I haven't seen it I think the story got confusing for me in bits, but I still love this series so much.
this is possibly the weirdest manga I've ever read, like a surrealist, Exquisite-Corpse mash-up of (barely) a boarding school Bildungsroman and fairy tales. I don't remember ever lowering a book in order to just exclaim wtf! What is happening?! so many times ever. So, obvs it's amazing. Sexuality and gender: so weird. Narrative: so weird. There are four bonus pieces, two side stories and a 2-part apparent remix of the original story, as if someone was given a one line description of the Utena story and a list of characters and then just retold the story with everything else different. !!!??? I love this, but I can't believe it was popular. Proof that masses can adore the avant-garde.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Okay, so, mixed feelings a tad bit!
This will be my thoughts on both of the books, not just the second one.
I am not going to write too much about it since i could spend an hour writing a review and i just dont really want to right now, but all in all it was different but enjoayable! There were a few things i disliked (most of them can be attributed to the fact Chiho Saito, the creator of the manga, was not actually the biggest fan of utena and anthy becoming a romantic couple. While, as you know, that is quite different in Kunihiko Ikuhara's version.)
The art is very gorgeous. I would tell people who loved the anime to read this, but don't expect it to be the same as the anime, or else you may be disappointed.
This will be my thoughts on both of the books, not just the second one.
I am not going to write too much about it since i could spend an hour writing a review and i just dont really want to right now, but all in all it was different but enjoayable! There were a few things i disliked (most of them can be attributed to the fact Chiho Saito, the creator of the manga, was not actually the biggest fan of utena and anthy becoming a romantic couple. While, as you know, that is quite different in Kunihiko Ikuhara's version.)
The art is very gorgeous. I would tell people who loved the anime to read this, but don't expect it to be the same as the anime, or else you may be disappointed.
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First volume: I wanted to read more classic manga and this didn’t disappoint! It is definitely an older series, but for what it is I really enjoy it.
Final thoughts: the main story was great. It was wonderfully woven together and the emotion got hard. The rest of it, the side stories, the adolescence of Utena felt a little dragged out to me.
The set itself it gorgeous and the art throughout the manga is beautiful.
Final thoughts: the main story was great. It was wonderfully woven together and the emotion got hard. The rest of it, the side stories, the adolescence of Utena felt a little dragged out to me.
The set itself it gorgeous and the art throughout the manga is beautiful.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Based on a 1997 anime that is almost impossible to do justice here. This is going to be more about the show than the book, because that came first and made me say "I must own this in any & all mediums!"
WARNING: It contains same-gender intimacy (not R-rated, but not "just friends"), abuse, heavily implied incest, pretty wide age gap. Essentially, this is NOT a Saturday morning cartoon. Like...this was created right on the heels of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball-Z being big in the US (the creator, Kunihiko Ikuhara, actually used to work on Sailor Moon, but left midway through the series to spread his weird behind wings. I say that with love) but I can totally see why this NEVER would've made it to America at the time.
DISCLAIMER: It's bizarre and it's very stylized and an exercise in looking things up...A LOT. It was clearly right up my alley, but if you're not in the mood for something that requires college credit level work to understand, turn back now.
Utena, a young girl mourning the death of her parents, encounters a traveling prince who consoles her and inspires her to become a prince herself (not a princess, mind you). Years later she's enrolled in a prestigious academy and has become the so-called "prince" of the school, ever popular and chivalrous. She soon finds herself caught up in a secret society of "duelists" who fight each other for power to revolutionize the world, which takes the form of a female student named Anthy. Utena takes up the noble task of saving Anthy from her plight, discovering as she goes there's a lot more shenanigans going on than she signed up for. Simple enough, right? For the 1/3 of the storyline, sure.
Do not be fooled! Just when you think you've got a run-of-the-mill-villain-of-the-week heroic tale (albeit gender bent...and that's important), a layer gets peeled back and you realize there's more to it. The character's become more developed. Visuals and phrases that seemed thrown in ad nauseam begin to mean...something. What was once mundane becomes critical. You begin to realize absolutely NOTHING is as it seems in this world and that everyone in it is long overdue for a therapist. At risk of sounding pedantic...it is abundant in allegory, symbolism, surrealism, metaphysics, subversion, and shin-kicking fairy tale archetypes. Major themes are identity, childhood and the innocence associated with it, adulthood and the loss of said innocence, abuse, power dynamics, and figuring it all the heck out.
And I only realized this after completing the series. I sat in silence for who knows how long after the end credits and asked myself aloud, "what in eternity did I just witness?". It turned over in my mind for DAYS until I shook myself and decided to make it my personal mission to really understand it. I thought I got it when I first finished, but I *GET* it. So I hopped on Al Gore's internet looking for discussions on this show. And what a world I found. I mean, scholarly papers were written about this dang show! An entire site was created for the sole purpose of analyzing the series and it's characters. Perspectives were opened to my wee-mind that I was not prepared for.
So I re-watched with a "spot the symbolism/catch that reference" mindset. 4 re-watches later and I still find something new or fascinating to explore. There's just so much!
In all, check this (the show) out. So at the very least I can have another excuse to re-watch it and talk about it with someone. Like I said, the book (and manga) was based off of the show. So consider the show the source material and start there.
WARNING: It contains same-gender intimacy (not R-rated, but not "just friends"), abuse, heavily implied incest, pretty wide age gap. Essentially, this is NOT a Saturday morning cartoon. Like...this was created right on the heels of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball-Z being big in the US (the creator, Kunihiko Ikuhara, actually used to work on Sailor Moon, but left midway through the series to spread his weird behind wings. I say that with love) but I can totally see why this NEVER would've made it to America at the time.
DISCLAIMER: It's bizarre and it's very stylized and an exercise in looking things up...A LOT. It was clearly right up my alley, but if you're not in the mood for something that requires college credit level work to understand, turn back now.
Utena, a young girl mourning the death of her parents, encounters a traveling prince who consoles her and inspires her to become a prince herself (not a princess, mind you). Years later she's enrolled in a prestigious academy and has become the so-called "prince" of the school, ever popular and chivalrous. She soon finds herself caught up in a secret society of "duelists" who fight each other for power to revolutionize the world, which takes the form of a female student named Anthy. Utena takes up the noble task of saving Anthy from her plight, discovering as she goes there's a lot more shenanigans going on than she signed up for. Simple enough, right? For the 1/3 of the storyline, sure.
Do not be fooled! Just when you think you've got a run-of-the-mill-villain-of-the-week heroic tale (albeit gender bent...and that's important), a layer gets peeled back and you realize there's more to it. The character's become more developed. Visuals and phrases that seemed thrown in ad nauseam begin to mean...something. What was once mundane becomes critical. You begin to realize absolutely NOTHING is as it seems in this world and that everyone in it is long overdue for a therapist. At risk of sounding pedantic...it is abundant in allegory, symbolism, surrealism, metaphysics, subversion, and shin-kicking fairy tale archetypes. Major themes are identity, childhood and the innocence associated with it, adulthood and the loss of said innocence, abuse, power dynamics, and figuring it all the heck out.
And I only realized this after completing the series. I sat in silence for who knows how long after the end credits and asked myself aloud, "what in eternity did I just witness?". It turned over in my mind for DAYS until I shook myself and decided to make it my personal mission to really understand it. I thought I got it when I first finished, but I *GET* it. So I hopped on Al Gore's internet looking for discussions on this show. And what a world I found. I mean, scholarly papers were written about this dang show! An entire site was created for the sole purpose of analyzing the series and it's characters. Perspectives were opened to my wee-mind that I was not prepared for.
So I re-watched with a "spot the symbolism/catch that reference" mindset. 4 re-watches later and I still find something new or fascinating to explore. There's just so much!
In all, check this (the show) out. So at the very least I can have another excuse to re-watch it and talk about it with someone. Like I said, the book (and manga) was based off of the show. So consider the show the source material and start there.
Soooooo, yeah. Utena the anime is such an iconic queer staple for baby me, and I knew the manga was problematic. That being said, the presentation of the comic is stellar. Beautiful production, obviously a labor of love and respect.