"Shôjo kakumei Utena" (1997) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Kunihiko Ikuhara

Writers:

Yoji Enokido (writer)
Kunihiko Ikuhara (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 April 1997 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A tomboyish schoolgirl finds herself forced into repeated duels for another girl who has a role in a world revolution.

Plot Keywords:

Duel | Girl | Revolution | School | Prince

Cast

Leah Applebaum	...	Nanami Kiryuu (1 episode)
Sharon Becker	...	Anthy Himemiya (1 episode)
Roxanne Beck	...	Wakaba Shinohara (1 episode)
Mandy Bonhomme	...	Female Teacher / ... (1 episode)
Crispin Freeman	...	Dios / ... (1 episode)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	...	Anthy Himemiya (1 episode)
Aya Hisakawa	...	Miki Kaoru (1 episode)
Yuka Imai	...	Touga's mother / ... (1 episode)
Tomoko Kawakami	...	Utena Tenjô (1 episode)
Satomi Koorogi	...	Chuchu / ... (1 episode)
Takehito Koyasu	...	Touga Kiryuu (1 episode)
Takeshi Kusao	...	Kyôichi Saionji (1 episode)
Rachael Lillis	...	Chu-Chu / ... (1 episode)
Kotono Mitsuishi	...	Jury Arisugawa (1 episode)
Yuri Shiratori	...	Nanami Kiryû (1 episode)
Jack Taylor	...	Kyôichi Saionji (1 episode)
Jimmy Zoppi	...	Miki Kaoru (1 episode)

(more)

Series Directed by
Kunihiko Ikuhara		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Yoji Enokido		(unknown episodes)
Kunihiko Ikuhara		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Shin'ichi Ikeda	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Kyôko Kobayashi	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Shinkichi Mitsumune		(unknown episodes)
J.A. Seazer		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Shichirô Kobayashi		(unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shingo Kaneko	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Tooru Takahashi	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Hiromi Kato	....	key animator (1 episode, 1997)
Shinya Hasegawa	....	character designer (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

"Girl Revolution Utena" (USA)
"Revolutionary Girl Utena"
"Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection" (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

24 min (39 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Trivia:

The Student Council's oath, more commonly known as "the chick speech", is a variation of, "The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born first must destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas" from Herman Hesse's Demian. It is a direct tie into the multiple Gnostic themes of the show.

Goofs:

Continuity: In episode 8, the thick white stripe on the bottom of Nanami's skirt disappears when she is hugging Touga. It re-appears in the other scenes.

Quotes:

Anthy Himemiya: [after Utena wins her hand] Cheer up, Saionji, my schoolmate.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Die Another Day (2002)

One of my favorite series/films of all-time.

A unique and dynamic series, absolutely unlike anything you've ever seen. One of the most amazing stories I've ever seen put to screen, and so much more than the bubbly, vapid romance series I was expecting. Heavy themes from both Christian stories and Greek mythology, but a lot of it masked by symbolism and implication. an incredible story, but you have to watch ALL 39 episodes to get the full-impact. Not really a show you can watch out of order. I'm personally not a fan of the dub, but dubs have to be pretty impressive to compare to the original Japanese actors, in my opinion. There's so much subtext and raw emotion in their voices that they create the characters more than the pictures. And these characters are so complex it's a shame to not experience them at their full potential. This is a series where you can watch it over and catch new thing every time. WELL worth your money and time.