"Utena" is a radically styled series with a unique story. In a strange, fantastical high school academy, the individualistic girl Utena discovers a strange series of duels - competitions to claim her classmate Himemiya Anthy as the prized "Rose Bride". When Utena agrees to a duel, intending to free Anthy from her obligations, she finds herself inexorably drawn into a complex web of power struggles, lust, and jealousy.
"Be Pappas" is a group that was formed by animation director Kunihiko Ikuhara (perhaps best known for his work on Sailor Moon). Their first story, Shoujo Kakumei Utena, was a huge success both artistically and comercially. The overall story was written by Ikuhara, while the character designs and manga version were created by Chiho Saito, a well known author of romance-drama manga for adult women. However, Utena was originally commissioned as a series for younger women and girls.
The Shoujo Kakumei Utena film,
"The Adolescence of Utena" (the original title Adolescence
Mokushiroku means "Adolescence Apocalypse") is an alternate
version of the Utena story. The film is very stylized
and unconventional, but as a work of animation art, "Adolescence of
Utena" is sheer brilliance. The dance in the flooded rose
garden to the music "Toki Ni Ai Wa" is surely one of the
greatest animated movie scenes ever. It is safe to watch the movie
without seeing the entire TV series, as the endings are different in each
version. The movie and TV versions of the story complement each
other well. However, I would recommend watching some of the TV
series or reading some of the manga before seeing the movie in order to
familiarize yourself with the main characters.
Data
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Book - Revolutionary Girl Utena (Manga)
DVD - Revolutionary Girl Utena (TV 1997)
DVD - Revolutionary Girl Utena (Movie 1999)