What makes Utena Revolutionary?

I know it's been a minute since the last video, college sucks. Thanks again for all the words of encouragement.
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[@NeoNovastar]

Another point, that one of the old review blogs made on Anthy's growth, that I appreciate is how Anthy does rubber band a lot. She's a victim of centuries of intense abuse and gaslighting, and that's not going to change in one day, or over a magical school year. To win, not even Utena can save her. She can open the way for Anthy to begin anew, but Anthy has to be the one to take her first steps out into the sun. Whew man.

[@DacLMK]

So basically your last statement is similar to Morpheus's statement to Neo: "I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it."

[@XHeartCriztalx]

5:14 when you said "drama of the love triangle" sorry, but, there is no love triangle. Utena is a 14-year-old girl being groomed and abused by Akio, an adult man. Everything he does is to strip away her sense of who she is and control her like he does Anthy! Had to say that. I hate when people think "love" is involved anywhere when it comes to Akio.

[@utena10joe]

period!!!!!!

[@999kafka]

I was waiting for this comment

[@cherrycordiaI]

I always found it funny (funny hmm not funny haha) how lesbianism is fine when it's framed as an otaku fantasy (yuri), but not otherwise.

[@beeblesheep]

That is something I’ve found odd for years as a lesbian myself. I think the reason yuri is more accepted than real life lesbianism is simply a fetish thing. Men find it “hot” when girls are together. In society, however, lesbians are seen as a threat. We’re not typically as traditionally feminine in real life as in fantasy. We’re not constantly accomodating men and their pleasures. When it’s seen as beneficial to society, that’s when yuri comes in. It has no place in society to threaten traditions and norms and can then be boxed into a neat package for men to enjoy. I have a lot of problems with the industry, if you couldn’t tell. Lol

[@beeblesheep]

I didn’t phrase this well, but I hope it means something.

[@Jekyl99999]

honk of despair Some men or majority of men not all of them, I just don't give a fuck about lesbianism or yuri for that matter, just totally not interested and you have reverse of this when heterosexual women are imagining gay scenarios, cause they fetishize male homosexuality

[@lian7092]

honk of despair wierd , when the majority of people that enjoy and create yuri genre manga/anime are women

[@NeoNovastar]

@@lian7092 lmao thats a lie for fucking sure

[@stratovolcano7813]

god, this gave me slight chills remembering how deep and beautiful anthy and utenas relationship is ;^; great video!

[@citycrusher9308]

They seem more like best friends than love interests to one another. The ambiguity of their relationship is more appealing than a straight up homosexual romance. That's what I enjoyed about earlier anime.

[@duncanarielgomezbadillo2452]

@@citycrusher9308 in the movie they are confirmed as a couple

[@lian7092]

Trevor Cormier they kiss while in nude

[@sturmdrache87]

@@citycrusher9308 The director says they're a couple and he was inspired to make the show after working on the episodes in Sailor Moon featuring Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune (an overtly lesbian couple).

[@Lnpitalo]

This actually gave me a new way to Look at Utena. I have watched this series so many times that I have lost count. With every viewing I notice small details that I hadn't before. To think all that imagery of circles was right in front of me and I never got it until watching your video. Thank you so much for this insight. I will always love Juri. You could almost do separate videos for each character.

[@ShadowErus]

i've watched a bunch of utena analysis videos the past few days, and yours is the only one which hasnt missed some of the major points of the show. even more than that, you have a bunch of interesting and well spoken ideas that really made me think, which is the best thing an analysis can do, in my opinion. also, you didnt awkwardly try to avoid talking about utena and anthy's relationship which is refreshing

[@gethin1638]

Really great stuff. Wish this had more views! I could feel the passion you put into this and have for the series. I feel like Utena and Anthy's dialogue about elephants also greatly foreshadows the end of the series--how Utena goes off alone to duel Akio, and "dies" without anyone else in the school knowing. I think Anthy brings this idea of reincarnation up for two reasons: 1) She wants to believe some part of the prince Dios was reincarnated in Utena, and 2) She hopes, maybe, that Utena will be reincarnated into the next cycle, after the revolution duel and perhaps, Utena's death/graduation from Ohtori. And the fact that this scene is accompanied by a song about two lovers under a starry sky can't be accidental. ;)

[@les_edc]

This is such an excellent and beautifully thoughtout video! Thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. I think one of the interesting things regarding the use of repetition in the show (most notably the retelling of Utena’s Prince “memory” and the repetitive narration of the dueling game) is in it’s deconstruction of narratives and discourse. The use of repetition (the retelling of stories and the hamster wheel way in which objects spin) is quite literally the way in which the social and material world is produced. The retelling of narratives actively produces the world around us-and us in turn. These stories and the feelings they illicit (be they nationalism or the not-so-simple thrill of recognizing heteropatriarchal “rightness” in fairytales) become the truth in which we base our entire lives. But most importantly, these narratives actively engage us in unequal reproductions of power, implicate us in allowing violence to occur and indeed in enacting violence onto others. I think the repetition in the show is a brilliant analysis of the ways in which discourses effect our lives and the political and structural implications therein. It is in the moments in which these narratives are interrupted (moments that I like to think of as the skipping of a record, signaling the unnaturalness of something seemingly so seamless) that the essential nature they have conjured is broken. The coercive spell of repetitive discourses that uphold hegemonic power structures crumbles (much like the castle of eternity in episode 38), leaving us to witness the cruelty under the surface, leaving us with our own dawning discomfort and indeed with the potential of changing the very world itself.

[@iceluvndiva21]

I noticed that saionji was the only character that didn't really change. He did a little bit only to steps several steps back.

[@lewa3910]

abusers hardly change

[@SSJKamui]

One aspect you apparently did not mention: THe Term Samsara as a spinning wheel of Suffering, which is the state of the world according to Buddhism. This fits your desciption perfectly well. And due to that, according to asian religions, time turns in a cycle between a good state (satya yuga) and a hellish world age called Kali Yuga. (There is an infamous book called Revolution against the modern world which premises is based on that yuga cycle and which actually used the term Revolution in a strikingly similar way as it is meant in Utena, by the way. And that book in turn inspired some analyses of Rosicrucianism. According to these analyses, the Rose is often also a symbol of a sacred prince who appears, disappears, reappears and causes the "final part of the Revolution" and starts a new cycle. SOunds familiar.)

[@bacchiguu86]

This video gave me chills remembering how amazing Utena was on my first viewing. I saw it in the late 90s/early 2000s as a middle schooler and it changed everything. Also the ending STILL makes me cry like a baby. I know you haven't uploaded in awhile but I would love to hear what you said about the final episode and maybe the movie. Do you think the movie is a "sequel" to the series like some people believe? (I'm on the fence about that.)

[@bacchiguu86]

Thanks for the insight. I feel the same way - I feel like the movie was a retelling and a way for the director to do a lot of things a tv series would not let them do. Kind-of like how fairy tales are retold and changed. And yeah I get that finding a job thing, trust me. Good luck, I hope you find something soon.

[@alphonse50000]

Yeah, is a retelling same story but with some changes like Utena's love is Touga and not Akio, because Saito requested Ikuhara for do it

[@roccobot]

9:08 fun little fact: the label on the record says 'I grandi musicisti', which is Italian for (very literally) 'The Great Musicians'.

[@gabip8549]

u write exactly how i feel about utena. i really appreciate your videos and they really helped me in understanding the genius of the show!

[@notoriousjob1836]

This is a great and insightful video, but I'm not sure that the japanese word kakumei has the same double meaning that revolution has in english.

[@CrabeVideos]

I had to move the channel recently so all my old comments were deleted. I figured I'd go back and re-reply to this one though since I think it brings up an important point and people watching the video now might be interested in my response. I definitely should have mentioned the translation issue in the video, that was a bad oversight. I don't think that kakumei has the same double meaning that revolution does in English and French, so my comments about when the duelists say it could be incorrect. However the fact that revolution appears in French during the title card and during the final duel with Akio makes me think that the word "revolution" was chosen deliberately. The consistent use of circle imagery also makes me think that it was intentional. Thanks for the comment.

[@comradefreedom8275]

I actually recently watched Revolutionary Girl Utena last year, and I fell quite in love with the series.

[@5zakuro]

i absolutely love the series and this video is really good!!!!! i can't believe youtube didnt recommend it to me sooner since i searched for just about every variation of 'utena analysis' when i finished the anime lol

[@oliviahinkel3695]

I love your Utena videos! I hope you do more of them in the future. I'll be subscribing in the hopes that you do! :)

[@saludsinfiltros6854]

Plz keep videos coming, specially the black rose saga. The mins ok Mikage and time freezing is superb

[@hearhurgle]

This is such a good video! I'm amazed it doesn't have more views

[@lian7092]

how many seasons are there omg ? 😢😢😢 i can't ... i love them , i mean Utena and Anthy ❤️💜, i didn't manage to finish the show yet , thank you for this video ❤️❤️❤️💜💜💜 you revolutionized my mind 👍👍👍👏✌️❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜

[@joelbedulla4]

3 seasons

[@archiehreen5561]

You have become one of my favourite youtubers and I love your videos, I can't wait to see what more you have to say about this show

[@squidonglitter2320]

THIS VIDEO DESERVES MORE LIKES

[@hannahkelsay178]

These videos are great, I hope you keep doing them.

[@rainbowfury1019]

Steven Universe has taken a lot from this

[@julesenby9286]

Amazing!!! Thank you so much for this video

[@nonyabuswich4327]

Just reminding, the black rose arch actually reveals that Anthy has been reincarnated many times, and is most likely a god

[@Monoaux]

OHHHHHHH, it's a literal spinning XD

[@atlas569]

Great content and presentation

[@amorapologist]

4:30 fuck you that scene contrast made me burst out in tears

[@mgraced]

You just made me cry for some reason haha excellent explanation congrats. Also I’d like to know if Touga is actually alive? Since he seemed to be the prince to save Utena from drowning.. also why the hell Anthy stabbed Utena from the back?? Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon!

[@CrabeVideos]

I hope it was a good cry not a bad one haha. I'm glad it made you feel something, all credit to the show for that in my opinion. Touga is different in the movie than in the show. He is alive in the series but not the movie. Some speculate that his childhood abuse did happen in the series too which is a theory I like. As far as Anthy's betrayal, I think there is a lot you could draw from it. To give the shortest answer possible I would say Anthy was frightened of change and locked into her negative mindset. Sometimes people who are abused do seemingly irrational things because of the way abuse has changed them. If Utena defeated Akio in that moment it would mean Anthy's entire worldview way of living would have been unnecessary and incorrect. In the moment that was very frightening and she fell back on the pattern of behavior which has let her survive up to this point: rejecting everyone but her brother. There's more you could draw from that and the whole ending in general but that is my basic view of why Anthy did what she did. One of these days I'll make a video about the ending but it's gonna have to be a longer one. Thank you so much for the comments! They are very encouraging and make all the effort seem more worthwhile. I'm working on another video now which I hope to have finished next week, I hope you enjoy that one as well!

[@McDudes]

Really good video!

[@pancakebob553]

8:12 the movie has them kiss on screen at least twice

[@pancakebob553]

@keanna J the movie is 1999...

[@janayshajones2887]

If they ever make it a reboot please make a new story for them that makes sense and somebody explain the plug points of the story of Revolution girl so it makes sense at some point otherwise it's just going to make it weird I mean I still love the original series but I just wish someone to explain more about what this about like tell a story about Anty as the rose bride let keep the the Original Stories cool but make it a little upgrade version and follow the story that makes sense I love it though. Also have a nice happily-ever-after for those two female lead characters.

[@hoothoot3339]

It is Utena. Uuuuu teeeee naaaaa. Not ootna.

[@BlackKara]

Watching this in 2020 GIRLS CAN KISS NOW :D !!

[@Malik-yp7bj]

I have not watchen this anime

[@Jekyl99999]

"What makes Utena Revolutionary?" it gave me urge to know more about sexuality of women but it was pretty reactionary for my standarts nonetheless(countless repetitions and constant bombardment with allegories and symbols was nauseating to me), liked it surrealism(although Oshii Mamoru does surreal themes better in my opinion, e.g. Angel's Egg or Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!), voice acting and music was phenomenal, also humour was not that good and I cannot take Akio seriously as a villain, because he was so cliche, his riding on the mask of his car was laughable(it was so exaggerated, so forced, so spoon- feeded, I felt assaulted and I'm cis/hetero or whatever male) and his fucking mullet was just icing on the cake. All in All it was way better and more mature as a Shojo show, than Sailor Moon which i despise despite watching it in glowing eyes as preschooler and elementary schooler in the 90s