Archive for the Revolutionary Girl Utena Category


Revolutionary Girl Utena Anime, Volume 3, Disk 2 (English)

May 10th, 2012

This is where the “Apocalypse Arc” of Revolutionary Girl Utena starts to get rough.

First, we have to watch Juri being run roughshod over; offered every single possible outcome except the two in which she can be happy.

Then there’s Akio’s seduction of Utena which, no matter how you slice it, is repulsive.

And last, while there had been a distinct hint of incest about Akio and Anthy since the beginning of this arc, in this disk it is made plain, not so much to shock us (speaking for myself, there is little else Akio can do to make himself more repulsive than he already is) but to shock Nanami. Which leads us to one of the most amazing things in the entirety of this series…when Nanami calls Utena dense.

Think about it.

Nanami has been presented to us, from the very beginning, as naive, selfish and quite dense. For her to stare at Utena in disbelief and scream “Are you dense?” is a pretty amazing moment. In three words, Nanami says, “I’m not perceptive and I just came to this place and I can see what is really going on , but you – you who have been here for a while – you’re blind and deaf and since even *I* can see what is going on you must be denser than a bag of doorknobs.”

I consider this to be one of the most profound moments in this arc.

Terrible things await, and we can feel it. Everything is contracting around Utena, like spiders just about to pull their silk tight. We can feel it, but we can’t predict it. When it comes, it’s going to hurt like no one’s business.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 5

Overall – 10

I have two disks left to watch and I fear them. Only one thing drives me forward into the next disk…I’ll tell you what it is when I get there.

Quick reminder, the third Utena box set contest is still ongoing and will be until I make myself watch those last two disks. Send in your entry for a chance to win the third set plus smexy Duelist Ring!





Revolutionary Girl Utena Anime, Volume 3, Disk 1 (English)

April 27th, 2012

The difference in tone between the first disk of the third box set, the “Apocalypse Arc” and first disk of the “Student Council Arc” of Revolutionary Girl Utena is so profound, the gap so enormous, that I’m having trouble finding words to express my thoughts on it.

The Student Council themselves are different. They have faced their darkest thoughts and are no longer terrified by them. It almost comes as a surprise to them that still they have weak spots to be be exploited. And yet, there they are, on the dueling ground, for reasons that they themselves don’t really understand, fighting.

The End of the World shows himself to us, and in many ways, he is aptly named. Akio, the Morning Star, Lucifer, the fallen angel…the End of the World, in the sense of a border or a boundary outside which is…what?

There are significant changes in the dynamic between the characters. Everything is fraught with sexual energy, even relationships we desperately wish were not. (How many of us grit our teeth when Akio put his hand on Utena and pulls her closer?) Kozue and Shiori attempt to embrace their own sexuality, only to find themselves left as wreckage on the side of the road. Nanami is made fun of, brutally, blatantly, so we must see her as a buffoon, naive and soft. This will lead to one of the most mind blowingly profound moments in the series.

But of all the changes, the most fraught, the most profound is the change that has come over Anthy. In the beginning of the series she was (apparently) a passive player in the game. Now Utena and she share a room – to some extent, a bed – and in the transformation and subsequent duels, Anthy plays a more active role. It’s impossible to ignore her or write her off as a victim with a nasty sense of humor. There is something very important going on in regards to her, although we do not yet know the full story. Watching this disk, I am reminded of the concept of shakti and suddenly, Anthy’s physical appearance makes sense on a deeper level than it ever has before. Is she the divine feminine power, the agent of change that charges the male manifestation of divinity’s power and makes him “able to do”? I think so.

In the beginning, Utena was the Prince who longed to save Anthy, the Princess. Now Anthy appears more as a goddess, giving Utena the power to…what, revolutionize the world? Really? Does that mean anything? With each episode, the tension around that phrase and around the phrase “The End of the World” becomes thicker. To see what it all means, we must simply keep watching.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 4

Overall – 10

I don’t want to look, but I can’t stop watching.





Win a Copy of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Apocalypse Saga Box Set!

April 8th, 2012

Once more, thanks to the continuing generosity and support from Nozomi/RightStuf, Yuricon is pleased to offer a chance to win a copy of the  Revolutionary Girl Utena, Apocalypse Saga Box Set!

Please email us with your answer to this questions:

What would you consider your personal “holy grail” series or film for Right Stuf to license, via either its anime (Nozomi) or live-action (5 Points) labels?

For sanity’s sake, please limit your answer to no more than two anime and two live-action movies. Do not feel obliged to include both anime and movie choices…only send what you really, really want more than anything.^_^

Because Nozomi/RightStuf loves their fans, and because they love the Yuri audience, they have even made sure that the contest prize include that extra of extras – a Duelists’ Ring.

To be eligible you need to email us at [email protected] with your answer. The contest will be over when Erica has completed her review of the Apocalyspe Saga on Okazu. You must be over 13 to enter. Winner will be informed by email, so make sure you use an email that you check regularly!





Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie Anime Dub Review (English)

March 23rd, 2012

Happy Guest Review Day! I know I have not yet reviewed the third box set of Revolutionary Girl Utena, much less the movie, but I will. I’ve just been a tad busy. In the meantime, here is a special Guest Review from Okazu Superhero Eric P. on, specifically, the dub of the Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie, since as you know, I do not watch dubs.

I hope you’ll all extend a welcoming hand to Eric, as always. Enjoy the review!

In my review for the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series’ dub, I pretty much summed it up as a dated mixed bag at best. I would so far as say that Nozomi/RightStuf should’ve made the 5.1 Japanese the DVD’s default language, as they’ve done with most of their bilingual releases, rather than having to go to ‘Setup’ to make it so. However, and most fortunately, the same would not be said for the movie’s dub. Even though it is the exact same cast as the TV series, the Revolutionary Girl Utena The Moviedub production is a considerably vast improvement.

A variety of reasons comes into play here. It may have had to do with the animation having more vibrant life to it, and thus there’s more vibrant life to the acting since there was more to play off of. They had an ADR director for the movie who was not the same as the guy who did the TV series, so no doubt that was a huge help. Perhaps it  helped even more that Kunihiko Ikuhara himself came to the studio and offered his feedback and personal direction on some key scenes.

One of the key reasons was that all the weak-link actors trimmed either to just a brief few lines or just brief mute appearances. For instance, the flat-voiced English Nanami just cameos as a short-lived moo-ing cow, so nothing grating there. But for those with high expectations, there can still be some nitpicks. Saionji’s voice can be considered the least good performance. And Miki still sounds older for his age for anyone who finds that bothersome, but the acting itself still isn’t bad and, since he’s supposed to be mature for his age it still works in its own way.

In the end, for all the TV series dub’s weaknesses, by comparison the dub for the movie is a much more solid effort. The overall cast complements and adds to the surrealistic atmosphere of the story, and the actors convey all the necessary feelings through their characters as much as they should. One of the best examples is the scene where Utena and Anthy are in bed together—I thought the mood was really right for that moment, and it’s consistently reflected in all their scenes together. All things considered, it still stands well today, and I would so far as believe it’s interchangeable with the Japanese track; I can watch this amazing and excellent movie in either language and still appreciate it on the same level. So, if you’re a dub fan or are at least open to dubs but shied away from watching the movie in English due to the TV dub’s mediocrity, there’s nothing to be afraid of here. Give it a try if you’re inclined.

Ratings:

Overall – Well done if not so far as being totally perfect. To heck with it, I give it a 9.5

Thank you Eric for the review. Well folks who’ve seen both -what do you think? Does the dub hold up as well as the original track? All opinions welcome in the comments.





Utena Black Rose Box Set Winner!

January 15th, 2012

Thanks to everyone who entered the Revolutionary Girl Utena Black Rose Box Set contest.

The winner this time around is Jeri Mitchell. Congrats!