Over the course of this semester, my roommate, Mahal, and I have taken the free time we’ve had together to watch a 90’s anime called “Revolutionary Girl Utena.” Utena, the main character, is a classic example of a magical girl, and the anime has had lasting influences in the world of animated tv. One of the most notable affected shows (and the reason Mahal and I decided to watch the anime) is Steven Universe. From the rose motifs through both series to characters with mirroring personalities, Steven Universe’s references to Revolutionary Girl Utena are well known. Knowing the effect of Revolutionary Girl Utena on one of my current favorite animated shows, I thought that it must be an amazing show and was very excited to watch it. It wasn’t quite what I expected.
Revolutionary Girl Utena follows the story of Utena Tenjou, a princely young woman with a personality as flashy as her bright pink hair. As a child, she was very depressed about her parents’ death in an accident. However, she was given purpose by a mysterious prince that visited her and made her promise to never lose her nobility. When we meet her she is a middle school student with a gift for all things athletic who is adored by all the students in her school. When she sees Anthy Himemiya, another student at the school, being bullied by a high schooler who appears to be dating her, Utena decides to intervene and ultimately challenges the high schooler to a duel. Utena thus enters the complicated world of the rose duels and has to fight a series of students who want to power to revolutionize the world.
After each episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena Mahal and I have had to take the time to analyze what we watched, as the show overall is very odd. There are clear references to homosexual relationships, especially between the two main female characters, but the rug is always pulled away at the last moment. There is also an absurd amount of sibling incest, both implicit and uncomfortably explicit. The show simultaneously argues against gender norms with Utena wearing a boy’s uniform and fighting duels to protect and act in a princely manner, and never really addresses the toxicity of relationships between its male and female characters. Symbolism also runs rampant in the show, to the point where Mahal and I decided to google what the creator said about some specific issues, and found an article where the director said he wished to leave interpretation to the viewer. This lead to Mahal turning to me and saying “so basically, this show is fake deep.” The creators also very clearly pasted different scenes together, reusing a few choice scenes almost every episode. It often seems like the show is trying too hard to be flashy and dramatic, and there is little meaning to the motifs and relationships.
Yet somehow, with as much as the show’s content and style irked me, I love it. Perhaps because Mahal and I have bonded through this emotional trial, or perhaps because of the deeper insight I have for Steven Universe, Revolutionary Girl Utena was a compelling story for me and I wish there were more seasons. I’ll just have to content myself, for now, with the manga and movie. I do recommend this show to anyone with a friend that will heckle it with them and fans of weird cult shows.