Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)
Vintage:
April 2, 1997
Status:
Completed
Summary:
On the day she lost both her parents, a young girl is visited by a mysterious prince charming. He wiped away her tears and told her to stay strong and brave, in the hope that they would meet again one day. Before her left, the prince gave the a ring and told her it would bring them together once more. On that day, the young girl vowed to become as strong and valiant as her Prince Charming.
Now, Utena is a high school student unlike any other. She takes it upon herself to be everyone's "prince" and to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. In a confrontation with one of the school bullies, she is challenged to a Duel. She soon discovers that a group of students meet regularly and duel for possession of the Rose Bride, a young girl who becomes the property of the Champion. This Champion will also be given the power of the Sword of Dios and the ability to bring about the World Revolution. Upon seeing Utena's ring, the duelists immediately acknowledge her as a fellow Duelist, and now Utena must join the fight for the power to bring the World Revolution in the hopes of meeting her Prince once again.
I originally watched part of this when it was first released in 1997 when SailorMoon was on hiatus. I would heavily recommend this anime. I just finished watching this over 10 years later and was even more entertained then I was when I first started watching. I would have given Utena a perfect score, however the narrative structure in every episode is pretty much the same. (intro, character background/history, fight, resolution) It doesn't change up much more than that. So if you get a few episodes in and don't like it, you might as well stop there. In my opinion though 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' is on par if not better than a lot of anime that has come out after it.
