Staging The Story: The Visual Theater of Revue Starlight

[@cicadasunflower6234]

One hidden detail I just noticed is that Mahiru's weapon is the only blunt one in the series, therefore the only one theoretically incapable of detaching the pin that would make an opponent's jacket fall, representing how she had no strive to get to the top and was focused only on Karen and not winning the actual Revues

[@Linbranke]

remember just saying the medallion is very loose so she can knock it off and her weapon is sharp at some points so she can in fact win the revues if she wishes

[@x-49nightraven]

Welp, Nana is also not striving for the top, she only wants to loop forever.

[@rokirokuroru]

@@x-49nightraven but she needs top be at the top in order to get the time loop

[@BirdBoxAdobo]

Still that Morningstar can break a skull like an egg

[@BirdBoxAdobo]

@@x-49nightraven i mean that fucker used dual swords

[@lol80626]

The swan symbolism is very much a reference to Swan Lake, which is further supported by the fact that Maya's weapon is literally called Odette the Mavericks. Maya's character has attributes of both Odette and Odile, both of which are generally played by the same dancer in the ballet.

[@Kaimax61]

Why is this anime so underrated...people need to watch this.

[@LuckyHamburger]

I think it's because it was on hidive instead of a more mainstream streaming service e.g. Netflix or Crunchyroll.

[@eggtart4740]

Yesss I just discovered this anime now and it looks really interesting I wanna give it a watch!😍💕

[@veelor4632]

Considering it came out in 2018 which has one of the greatest year of anime that it was easy to get lost I didn’t even heard about it until 2020 but yeah truly underrated

[@iseetheendisnear2416]

@@psych1206 Rarely noticed by I find it hard to imagine an all-girls, yuri-focused show getting mainstream. Even Utena wasn’t terribly mainstream despite its status as a classic

[@dracocrusher]

Well, there's a few problems... 1. It's hosted on HiDive, which isn't as popular of a service 2. The English dub swaps from the English voice actors to the Japanese VA's for the insert songs, which means you're constantly getting whiplash and being confused at who is singing what when the music starts. That's a problem. Especially when the English version doesn't have subtitles for the songs, which are arguably the most important bits of dialogue in the series. 3. Speaking of subtitles, the HiDive Sub version's subs are apparently actively awful, like they just get a ton of things wrong. And this is a pretty big issue because the show's relying a lot on metaphorical language and very specific visuals. Like if someone says, say, 'I will be the best' instead of 'I will reach the top', then that makes the dialogue miss the tower imagery, which is extremely important. Also, if memory serves, I don't think the HiDive version subbed the insert song lyrics, either? Which is... not great.... 4. I feel like at this point a pattern should be forming here. Turns out, a lot of pirate sites ALSO just didn't bother to sub the songs, which is not great! Sure, the first episode or two has them, based on where you go, but I went through hell exploring every option I could and I kept running into this problem. I had to actively look up KZbin Uploads of the songs, themselves, with the lyrics included, just to finally understand what they were actually singing. I literally didn't know what Kaoruko and Futaba's song was even really trying to get at until I looked into it because without that context, Kaoroku just comes across like a selfish mooch who gets her way instead of being this friend with a very nuanced and personal conflict over wanting to follow her dreams without leaving Futaba behind. (sorry if that's not an accurate summary, it's been a while) 5. A lot of this has come back to fully understanding the material. And that leads into the other problem, which is that this show is SUPER steeped in metaphor and symbolism. Now, of course, that's not a bad thing, I like shows that make you do a bit of the legwork to really figure out what things mean. But that's poison to a mainstream audience. There are exceptions, sure, but generally people just want to know what's happening in very clear, grounded, terms. Revue Starlight is ANYTHING but clear and grounded with its subject matter. I remember when TFS was covering seasonal anime and Ben HATED this show because it was so artsy and indirect. And I remember seeing this sentiment around a lot. People didn't really want to follow Karen's journey and learn about the characters, they just wanted to know what any of the supernatural elements actually were. And if you're just watching to understand what the Giraffe is about then having him just say he's "The Audience" is going to leave you pretty disappointed. It's an explanation that fits the story but also doesn't really explain anything at all about why this system exists or how any of it works. 6. I feel like this is probably the last big thing to get to, which is that, even as a story accepting the metaphors ane everything, it's pretty inevitable that this show wastes a TON of time on little character moments that feel like filler. I mean, sure, it's kind-of cute that Banana's shirt keeps riding up in her sleep, but do we really need that when there's all this other stuff going on? I don't think it's a stretch to say the writing and pacing in this show is very imperfect. Which makes sense, doing all these big crazy action scenes that are sync'd up to original insert songs is hard, apparently, the production was an absolute hell and being able to just put a few girls in a bathtub to burn 5 minutes probably saved the animators A LOT of pain overall. There are stories about songs like Star Divine Finale having the lyrics finished 30 minutes before the sheets had to go out to keep from halting production, and that doesn't sound normal at all. --- Honestly, I feel like Rondo Rondo, the movie re-telling of the anime, has been way more accepted overall. Like if you look through what it does, it tightens up the script and removes all the filler, you get proper subtitles for the songs, there's new scenes added that give a bit more context behind what's happening to help with the problem of the show being hard to understand a bit, and swapping Junna and Maya Tendo's Revues genuinely helps make the message in Junna's song work better. Hopefully more people discover the series through this because it really does deserve more attention than it gets.

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

This video was a long time in the making, so I’m glad to finally have it out-on the week of the fourth anniversary of Under The Scope no less. I just want to thank everyone who has followed me up to this point! It’s been an incredible experience I wouldn’t trade for anything-here’s to four more!~

[@Enby]

hey Jack have you checked out the starlight relive mobile game ? global release was a couple days ago

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

I have! Haven’t had a chance to play it much yet because I was busy with this video, but I did make sure to get my 4-star Junna haha

[@cureice]

this video made me apreciate this show so much more. i have to rewatch it

[@kcsupersonic1]

Many who watched Revue Starlight either did not understand or did not care about how deeply meta its message was. It was both a critique and celebration of theater, especially focused on the theater popularized by the Takarazuka Revue. This was a solid overall summary of some of Starlight's main themes, but each episode honestly goes way deeper and way more meta than what could be said in just this one video. Nearly On Red did a long form analysis of the series as it was airing and the things we noticed and discussed were pretty ridiculous at points. We talked about how the Giraffe works as the audience surrogate, about the nature of what it means to be a "stage girl," about how one can capture the essence of what it means to be Top Star without being "the" Top Star, and the Inception level amounts of "play within a play" implications you can draw from the series.

[@sylvierose2799]

I can't really blame people, fully understanding the anime require having a decent amount of knowledge about theather, including Revue

[@truegamerking]

Ok...but why is it a giraffe. I get the rest of the show. That's my only hang up

[@lonelycomet5161]

I feel like some audiences today are not patient enough as they couldn't sit down and quietly watch a series if they do not see anything that's iconic or dramatic, even if they do, if they do not catch up with what's going on immediately, they still critic that as the show fails to deliver the message. Revue Starlight is the star at the tower top, the treasure hidden inside a chest. People who looked for entertainment only finds it far too abstract and stopped as soon as they couldn't understand what is going on. But if you stayed and wished to see more about it, you will have your own understandings and shout out "I UNDERSTAND" no matter what that its. There are no rights or wrongs for your own understanding of the stage and the stage girls, but that wholesome experience is what you couldn't get from any other anime, and in other words, is the true shine/radiance of the show.

[@cebolla3922]

wow your comment is really good, loved those references. i honestly thought ''what the f is this??'' and almost closed it right shortly after i started watching the first episode but i'm a huge fan of Utena and i felt that same energy so i decided to give it a chance and i'm SOOOOOOOOOOO glad i did!!! everything really make sense as you watch the anime. I'm ashamed that i almost fell into that same kind of audience even tho i normally watch the entire thing before making an opinion >.

[@evaunit0014]

I love how the movie goes so far over the top with this

[@electromika]

I've only recently watched this anime for the first time this year, I regret not watching it sooner. Great analysis!

[@arturyeon]

I think a word that captures the theatre Karen represents very well is emancipatory. At its heart, Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight is a show about emancipating yourself as an actor from a constraining stage (in this case the expectations of the audience, but it could just as well be theatre tradition, self-doubt, a management's financial decision making, gender constraints, any number of things). The thing I took out of this show, for my personal life, was the question of radiance / wanting to do something larger than life. I've always been an ambitious person, but never in the sense that I wanted to stand above others, so I sometimes talked down my ambitions and dreams because what's the point of writing if it puts you on a pedastle and the social conditions around you keep people down? Revue Starlight portrays a way to shine that's co-operative and inspiring, which has in turn rekindled my dreams of having an impact on my stage (literature and politics). I may be wrong, but looking at the outstanding quality and direction of this essay, I'd say it has inspired you to make a great piece of analysis!

[@natchu96]

...shit I never noticed the red/purple glow in the background all those times.

[@justanunluckyirishmaninabl5178]

natc me neither. But once he pointed it out, I couldn’t *not* see it. Like holy shit, there it is in the window frame! And again reflecting off the curve of the page, and the jaw bone of the giraffe skeleton!

[@enyalim1535]

For me I always noticed it, but I cannot figure out why it's there until the KZbinr pointed it out

[@gabetalks9275]

I just want to add one thing to the Revue of Pride. Throughout the Revue, not only is there intense verticality and distance that separates her and Maya, but whenever she does confront Maya, she's pushed more and more onto the defensive from Maya's attacks.

[@terrencekuruma3224]

When I first watched Revue Starlight I really enjoyed it but wasn't 1100% sure of the meaning. Thank you for clearing things up and explaining the beauty that is the Stage

[@Azrael_Terminus]

This was beautiful. First, please, stop making me cry with your videos. Second, keep making me cry with your videos. Anyway, the video sums up a lot of my feelings about Starlight and why to me it was not only the greatest anime of 2018, but became one of my favorites. I appreciate the effort.

[@torutsuki9850]

And did you play the game? If you're not it is Non non dayo~

[@AnimeTopScholar]

Absolutely amazing video. Revue Starlight was a show that really seperated itself from the other anime in it's season and one I enjoyed a lot, so I enjoyed this video quite a lot

[@levitatingoctahedron922]

too bad it was boring shite after the spectacular first episode

[@sylvierose2799]

@@levitatingoctahedron922 work better on your bait, is too obvious

[@levitatingoctahedron922]

@@sylvierose2799 >anyone that disagrees with me is baiting what a simple world you live in. I watched twelve series in summer 2018, revue starlight was the one I was looking forward to the most. by the end of it I was enjoying almost every single other series I was watching more. the banana arc was retarded and boring. what it really comes down to is the characters. there just aren't really any good ones. compare it to another cult series like flip flappers with incredible characterization. I stopped giving a fuck about anything that was happening because who cares about these boring girls and their robot interactions. sure it had some pretty animation sometimes. literally the only redeeming quality the series has other than "LEL SO RANDUMB XXDDXDXDXX"

[@Zoroasto1]

-Revue Starlight is cool and a really bananice anime, don't you think Maya? -THIS IS TENDOU MAYA!

[@WillowEpp]

Dammit, Re:Create never fails to make me tear up a bit. Thank you for talking about the best anime of the last few years.

[@TunesByAI2024]

That shot of the fight between Karen and Maya with the camera circling around them was really awesome.

[@SecretIdentityStudio]

This is really good! Thank you! And I agree with you: symbolism doesn't automatically equal pretentious or fake-deep, and subtext and context are just as important as text.

[@hifumindesu6784]

Armchair critic reviewers. If it has something they can't see without reading between the lines, expect it to be criticized for pretentiousness and rated a 3/10 on MAL.

[@alster.sylrion]

Now that I watched this again... Especially the Act III explanation, I kinda understand more about the few minutes of the last part of Rondo Rondo Rondo... And this video was uploaded 2 years ago. My mind is blown.

[@crycrycry3985]

That’s one of the greatest analysis of Revue Starlight I’ve ever seen! Thank you so much

[@carvedyournameinsnow]

“what are you always thinking about?” me: *in a constant state of analysing this anime*

[@AlexKensington]

Shakespeare would be proud.

[@TheDrTwist]

Damn jack. This is easily one of the best Anime Videos on youtube now.

[@awesomemilkshake6612]

Have you seen the movie yet? It's so amazing and imo shows their growth through being reborn from their past mistakes.

[@nerdpiggy]

Hey, Jack? This is the most beautiful video I have ever seen in my life. I felt like I was watching a high-budget movie. The symbolism you mention in it are things that I never even noticed before and it makes me love this show even more than I already did, which I didn't think was possible. Thank you thank you thank you for putting something so magnificent into the world, about my favorite show of 2018 no less.

[@hatsikujimayonez]

I think you and kamimashita might be my favorite youtubers right now. Keep up the good work and I think even more people will come and notice your dedication and passion for this kind of media.

[@TheMultiCasterV2]

It is honestly a crime how little views this video has. I'm not even a big fan of theatre, let along the show itself, but yet I was glued to my screen for almost 30 minutes. Brilliant work once again 👍👍

[@bananarailgun9000]

Thank you so much for this video! Your analysis gave me a new understanding of Revue Starlight, and now I can see it in a new persepective^_^ Revue Starlight really is a stage that I will never get tired of rewatching, because every time I discover something new^_^ Keep up the good work!

[@ProtomonDB]

I haven't seen this anime so I was really confused when you put it as your personal anime of the year in the 2018 Anime Awards. This gives me a good understanding of why you felt as passionately as you did.

[@lasersharks2786]

You’ve made me love this show more than I already did. I didn’t think that was possible. I’m holding back tears right now. This is perfect from start to finish.

[@Riaronren]

Impressive audiovisual essay as ever. Bravo.

[@madokakaname471]

i cried with this anime, i found it so beautiful ,the abstract meaning of everything was so powerful and awesome , reasons like this is why i love anime so much

[@enyalim1535]

Spectacularly done. It pains me that this show is so underrated because many dismissed as they think its another Love Live. But it isn't, and I hope that with this video, people will learn to appreciate anime like this, and see beyond the front cover.

[@LarsisLP]

I already loved this Anime. But this video just made me appreciate it even more. Awesome Video about an awesome anime. I really think more people should see it (both the Anime and this)

[@famguy2]

This is a criminally underrated series that people didn't take the time to understand. And while I wish you did more of the songs and even more if I got my wish your video would likely be 4 hours long. ALSO YOU RELEASED THIS ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! Im so sad I couldn't watch it the day it came out but I'm so glad to have watched it now.

[@Lemoon27]

If you catch a small star You've obtained a small bit of happiness

[@aLv5Dunsparce]

Beautiful video, Jack. I already loved Revue Starlight, but felt I only understood about 80% of what was going on. This and Subtitled Anime's videos have helped to clear some things up! Congratulations on your 4 year anniversary.

[@chaiwatk1836]

Watching this till the end left me speechless. Love every bit of this, especially at the end. Great job editing!!

[@Ushiwakamaru_BAU_BAU]

this anime reminds a lot Shoujo kakumei Utena and Madoka magica it's beatiful and visually gorgeous. My favourite duo is Claudine and Maya but Nana is best girl.

[@LemmaEOF]

Yeah, I watched Utena for the first time recently and was stricken by how similar it and Revue Starlight are. I personally think I like Revue Starlight better, though, because I feel like Utena kinda falls apart in the third act and ends up undercutting the themes it builds to throughout the rest of the show. Starlight manages to not lose sight of its goals and ends up being, from my perspective, a ton more enjoyable for it.

[@Ushiwakamaru_BAU_BAU]

@@LemmaEOF exactly Revue Starlight is more consistent every act is just to improve and makes things evolve

[@lol80626]

@@LemmaEOF The director of Revue Starlight worked under the director of Utena.

[@HadeaRin]

@@lol80626 Now that makes a lot of sense. No wonder I felt resemblance. But I feel Revue Starlight kinda end with lesser impact compared to the previous Revue before it.

[@thatmtrx1421]

what a masterful video, literally made me cry and it's not even like I had underestimated all this anime had to offer, but seeing all the simbolism so raw like this makes me realize what a masterpiece it truly is, such a passionate work of art edit: even had to pause for a bit before continuing and took the time to write this comment, but now that I finished you most definetly earned yourself a new sub thank you very much for this video

[@mranimetalks8168]

How do your videos not get more views you deserve much more attention.

[@mranimetalks8168]

MrNiesGuy one person sharing a vid ain’t gonna do much 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Katt1721]

I loved this show (even if I thought the ending wasn't as solid as the rest of the series), and it totally went under the radar. Glad to see you giving it so much love and attention, its a beautiful video!

[@Rodney0920]

This is an absolutely masterful analysis of Revue Starlight and all of its intricacies. Honestly when I started watching the show, I thought it was haughty and arrogant with its theatrics but as I dove more into the show and started looking for the details, I’ve found myself falling in love with the show and even more for its characters. I hope you bring more of videos like this because I’m looking forward to them.

[@iidsch]

This video is amazing! I missed so many details of the symbolism in the anime on my first watch, and videos like yours definitely help to understand how complex and incredible this Revue Starlight

[@BillErak]

god, what a beautiful video. Made me remember why I absolutely loved this anime.

[@ShadowMellowK]

im so happy you put all my reasons for loving this show into words! i love revue starlight and im so happy to see someone love it as much if not more!

[@arimamary92]

This was a mind blowing analysis. I was interested in this anime because it seemed like mahou shoujo but the theater as the center of the show is so interesting as well. Thank you for taking your time to analyze this gem. I'm sure I'll love when I watch it.

[@malorichan1634]

I don't get why this anime is not popular cuz it is one of the best anime that's gets you pumpin and it is very interesting especially when they change their outfits to go on the stage

[@vollied4865]

13minutes into the video and I'm 100% sold to watch this show now

[@Caliko]

I absolutely love how you used the revue music in here, makes me want to rewatch the entire show right now immediately~ Beautiful video! Revue Starlight definitely deserves all the praise!

[@Skjoldmc]

Absolutely loved this video

[@Brix_H]

I was a tad lost when I watched the series but I went on with it. It's really beautiful. This video was helpful to understanding the series.

[@redhairedchai3437]

I've watched this anime 9 times. This is an incredible watch. Good job.

[@joemama-pn7jr]

It took me a lot of rewatches of the anime to really appreciate this underrated work of art it is so beautiful and the animation is so GOOD also the osts are composed so well.

[@kumuhammadkamalhaadi3723]

just when i thought i couldnt love this anime more, this video made me love the anime wayyyy more than i should

[@PersonWMA]

How convenient. I just finished marathoning Starlight. It's not a straightforward work, so I knew would need unpacking, so I appreciate the half hour you made to help, plus the extra suggestions you've linked.

[@fruitloops224]

I believe you just explained the reason why I love the stair scene from episode 11 so much. Thank you.

[@Chryen50]

holyfck i now have newfound love for this franchise, this explanations and ofc the one who made this anime is amazing

[@adam9279]

I already loved the series so much and this video only made it so much more meaningful. You sir deserve a like.

[@Tyler-dp9dv]

Really glad this popped up in my recommendations. Loved this video and the series itself. It deserves all the praise it gets. If I ever get to Japan, I hope the series is still performing, because I'd love to catch the stage play version live.

[@conchetubreakfast]

I love this anime so much. I was at the edge of tears watching this video so thank you for making this, I love it.

[@KitwaIker]

Easily in my top 3 for 2018

[@gentlecard_tom]

REVUE STARLIGHT!!! I love this story so much! All the songs are so nice!

[@LutraLovegood]

Guess I'm watching Review Starlight once I finally finish Utena and Tutu...

[@majesdane]

Tenchi Revue Starlight was directed by Ikuhara’s (the man responsible for Utena) protege, so another fun layer of Revue Starlight is seeing the visual nods to Utena.

[@Shiroi0moi]

Thanks a lot for this video, Jack. Your passion and very personal method of presentation makes me remember why I have an immense appreciation for the medium of animation. You keep making me very emotional, you're a damn wizard, my dude.

[@claresaprama499]

Glad i watched this anime right when i was at the drama class of my campus.

[@dash648]

I was due for a reminder of why I loved this show. Great video!

[@soulrecords857]

Man this show...I didn’t like it at first but after getting a few episodes in I couldn’t stop watching it and I cried at the end. Hikari, Karen, Junna and Nana were my favorite characters

[@sgtghost1418]

Would you be analyzing the movie? Really enjoyed this video and the other one (behind the scene video)

[@גיללוי-ר2ב]

That was an amazing opening scene! Keep up the good work!

[@Rhyinn]

Good god I love your content. It's incredible.

[@Laura-fl1rp]

Excellent video. This anime needs more love.

[@shadowcurtain]

my god every time UTS just delivers

[@ishomarymuzaki2]

When the first time i come to watch this show. I only come for the seiyuu, but when the impact of revue play hit me hard, i love this series as whole and quite catch minir simbilization back than. Dug to the manga for better understanding and i feel enough for that But when i watch this video, it made me fallen love to this show even deeper. Thank you sir for this epic break through video

[@felipiushaft5586]

This youtuber,is the best channel, audiovisual that I have known(obviously leaving aside the channel of Deimoss that is better)for me

[@nightcrow33]

Just another reason to watch Revue Starlight from the beginning 10 more times.

[@eggtart4740]

This anime really is interesting! I haven't watch it yet and looking at this video I'm already in love with he themes, art and story! Thank u!🥺💕

[@gideoncheung8731]

Chills. I got chills from watching this video. Well done!

[@Harley9212]

The first time you watch it, you'll find it very enjoyable but nothing else. The second time you watch it, it'll become one of the greatest anime ever made.

[@lylynguyen798]

Your videos are so well edited and written. Love your channel so much, keep up the great work man!!

[@Flugmorph]

not even linking nearly on reds glorious videos on revue starlight tse tse tse not to deminish the work you put into this video of course, cause its pretty amazing!

[@muhwyndham]

TBH I can't find much fun in the non-stage part, but maaaaan, the stage part is reaaaallyyy awesome. It even gives summaries of the topics in the episode in it too, so even if you skipped the non-stage part IMO you don't skip much.

[@hugo3258]

Another fantastic video, keep up the good work. This makes me want to rewatch Starlight again

[@kyuisuu]

WAKARIMASU BANANAISU!

[@SaraBethCox]

I also noticed Maya's sword also has a swan on its base. I never noticed! Amazing video to watch. :)

[@professionalmagician6793]

A truly amazing analysis and video in general! Thank you for making this!

[@dandanny6545]

Revue of Solitude is the best.

[@AzureHarume]

Mhm. Revue Starlight was dropped too easily for some others and it’s sad to that it’s so underrated. But hopefully this video will help some understand the show. Revue Starlight truly was one of the most impactful anime that I saw. The meanings of each revue and it’s actors were just so cool and fascinating.

[@thelegokillers]

Amazign gonna have to watch it a couple times as I was blow away again and again by the imagary and the beautiful words breakdowns ❤️ but congrats on 4 years! I hope there are many more to come!

[@uhusal]

maybe the real top star was the friends we made along the way

[@ABonYT]

Huge Congrats on this real achievement of a video. I didn't come off of watching Starlight thinking particularly highly of it now I know there is a lot more to it than I first thought and I know why I didn't realise it as well. I have very little experience with theatre so I had no idea about the complex symbolism and referencing that was happening. I came into Starlight with the entirely wrong set of expectations so I was super bummed to see that it wasn't what I thought of at all and just ended up kinda having a pretty similar story to quite a few other character study anime not to mention the drop in visual quality towards the middle-end of the series and the lack of yuri skinship I was hoping for. I will have to go back and re-watch it with my new perspective and not hoping for a crazy, out of the box and wild show with spectacularly insane fight scenes and mad yuri instead an exploration of the characters with their own ideas of theatre and each other. Please keep making amazing videos like this and here's to many more years of Under the Scope

[@BrotherSham]

I'll be honest I didn't understand the series as much as I think others did but I still really enjoyed it especially the audition scenes as they were grand and really entertaining and it did present an interesting premise with these auditions and how were carried out

[@luckygardenfrog]

I loved this video so much and I wish this anime got more recogonition, its so underated !!

[@akatsuki3126]

YES you are talking about revue starlight

[@TheFlygoniq]

This video was eye opening even as a huge fan of the anime! Awesome analysis.

[@gmkgoat]

I LOVE the Revue of Pride. It's so good.

[@Ashifili]

This is excellent stuff. Well done dude, seriously. Gonna bug my friends to watch this now.

[@AlterEgo-kun]

Beautiful.

[@stardustnothing6115]

Really good video!

[@sorkai2]

Great video only watched half, but it has made me move revue from watch list to watch next