Revolutionary Girl Utena Manga

So first in my series on Revolutionary Girl Utena, I will be discussing the manga version of the story. In my last post, I forgot to mention why there are four different versions of the story. The story was created by a group called Be-papas, consisting of the anime director Kunihiko Ikuhara (known for Sailor Moon), animator Yoji Enokido, screenwriter Shinya Hasegawa, planner Yuichiro Oguro, and the mangaka Chiho Saito. The manga and the series were produced at the same time, so each has a similar plot line and similar events. However, the manga is Saito-san’s vision of the story, so the main characters and the ending differ greatly. Saito-san is known for her shoujo (manga aimed at girls) romances, many focusing on specific historical periods (Kaken no Madonna, Waltz no Shiori Dress De, Bronze no Tenshi) or ballet/figure-skating/theatre/music/other performing arts (Kanon). Besides her work with Be-papas, Saito-san has not been published in the U.S. From what I have been able to read of her works, many of her heroines are strong and independent and her stories bring up the question about the secondary role women are forced to play within society (for example Bronze no Tenshi focuses on a beautiful debutant who is being forced to marry and Basilis no Musume back story is about a servant who is forced to perform sexual favors for her master). I don’t mean to go off on a Chiho Saito love-fest, but I love her work (okay, they are romances, but who says a girl can’t enjoy some romance here and there?). I highly recommend finding her series that have been scantlated (a list of her works and scantlation sites is available here: http://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=141)

Back to the Utena manga :D Saito’s version is more idealistic than and not nearly as dark as the series. Less allegorical than the others versions (but that doesn’t mean it lacks symbolism), I believe Saito-san’s idea of ‘revolutionizing the world’ is more female in perspective, focusing on gender equality as much as ‘breaking out of the box.’ There is a prequel to the main story that does not exist in the series that explains in detail Utena’s relationship to her ‘prince.’ This shows life before Ohtori, presenting an outside world and destroying the interesting illusion the series creates that Ohtori is its own alternate universe. The prequel further develops Utena’s character, but at the same time somewhat destroying the allegory of the world within Ohtori Academy. This prequel may be a reason for Utena not appearing as flat a character as in the series. It is also the most heterosexual of all versions. Although there are moments of homoeroticism, all the characters are definitely heterosexual, no hint of being possibly otherwise. Saito even plays up this heterosexuality in her imagery, showing instances of pseudo-fellatio. This could be considered a fault, but as stated before, it is one person’s vision of the story. Though definitely more narrow in scope when concerning sexuality, it is a nice thorough exploration of feminism and heterosexuality (which, quite honestly does not get as much attention as it deserves, except only to bash heterosexual women – just like you can’t help being a lesbian, I can’t help I’m hetero. But just because I prefer men sexually does not make me any less of a feminist. Damnit, heterosexual feminists are the ones who have to deal with them!) Sorry, another tangent (Future Warning: I do that a lot). The other versions explore homosexuality in-depth, so the manga offers s more heterosexual view. You could blame Saito-san for being narrow-minded, but personally, I think her take only adds to the dimensions and richness of Utena.

The manga is shorter than the 36 episode series, being only 5 volumes long, so less attention is paid to peripheral characters and the focus lies mostly on Utena and Anthy, with some attention to Akio and Touga. The secondary characters really standout in the series, especially Juri, Miki, and Mikage, much of the time becoming more interesting than Utena and Anthy. The manga stays focused on developing Utena, so that you can begin to understand her actions and motivations, whereas in the series, she remains a flat character (aka a naive bimbo) for most of it, only at the end, does Utena truly blossom and grow. On the other hand, the story is much tighter (heehee, it’s impossible to write about Utena without seeing everything as a sexual innuendo) and focused. Everything aspect that is introduced, the reader’s curiosity is satisfied by the end. I get the feeling that the series was written as it went along, while Saito-san sketched out her plan for the story beforehand. I can’t give examples without giving away parts of both the series and the manga, but I can safely say that the series leaves much unexplained and unsatisfied, which is both a strength and a weakness. I guess you could say Saito-san follows a much more traditional plot structure.

Another part, which separates the manga from the other retellings, is the emphasis on the love story aspect as much as the fairytale aspect. In the manga Utena’s goal (and her main reason for becoming a prince) is so that she may become strong and noble enough to meet her prince, while in the series, Utena’s reason is to save Anthy. Although meeting her prince plays a role in the series, her romantic illusions are less developed. Manga Utena truly wants to protect Anthy at the beginning, but her focus changes as her relationship with Anthy grows. This fundamental difference explains much of the differences between the manga and the series. Her wish to meet her prince is probably what keeps the manga ‘heterosexual.’ However, the manga manages to turn the stereotypical love story on its head as well as the stereotypical fairytale. The manga does not end ‘happily ever after,’ nor does it have a tragic ‘Romeo and Juliet’ end. Instead, Utena’s love inspires her to realize her own potential and become what she can be. Maybe the beginning is a bit archaic, but the end truly declares a feminist viewpoint. Somehow, I find Utena starting out depending on a man for her identity and goals and coming into her own more empowering. This also plays into my idea of the manga being a realistic – Utena has her own personal revolution when she stops having her life revolve around her ‘prince,’ but takes control of her own destiny – something many heterosexual women struggle with. In fact, I think this conflict between one’s love and one’s self transcends sexual preference.

Japanese Publisher: Shogakkukan, Inc.
English Publisher: Viz Media
Translation: Lillian Olsen
English Adaptation: Fred Burke
Vol. 1 – To Till
Vol. 2 – To Plant
Vol. 3 – To Sprout
Vol. 4 – To Bud
Vol. 5 – To Blossom
Copies of the English Translation can be found on Amazon, E-bay, or any other online booksellers. Copies of the Japanese Edition can be found sometimes at Nippon Export, Sasuga Books, and E-bay.

Overall Review for Revolutionary Girl Utena

Oh my god! IT'S ALIVE! Heehee. Celebration of first official post- yay! I wanted to start out with Rose of Versailles, but since I haven’t finished the series yet and I need to re-watch the first half, I’m going to start with Utena, another of my all time favorites. Utena is probably the most quintessential of all feminist anime, or at least, the most recognizable. Although most shojo titles involve gender bending confusion, Utena takes the theme to a whole new level, turning the whole stereotypical idea of fairytales on its head and asking the question, ‘Why can’t a girl be a prince?’

Utena has four different versions, yet all retain the original concept at heart: the manga, the anime, the movie manga, and the movie. Since I realized I couldn’t review each individually without comparing it to the other versions, I decided to do a basic overall review of the major themes introduced by the story and then I can go into greater detail of each retelling.
The premise of Utena is this: Utena Tenjou, a tomboy who dresses “like a boy” – although I don’t think you’d find a guy wearing the hot pants she sports ;) – and does “boy” stuff like play sports. As a young girl she was inspired by her “prince,” a man who rescued her from certain death (yet the identity of the prince is different depending on the retelling). In his memory, she wishes to become ‘strong’ and ‘noble’ like him.

Circumstances bring her to Ohtori Academy, a strange isolated school with even stranger customs. Utena is an instant hit with the girls – they even develop homoerotic crushes on her. Life is relatively normal (as normal as you can get as Utena!), until Utena meets Anthy, a very emotionless and apathetic girl, who allows her ‘boyfriend,’ Saionji, a member of the mysterious student council, to (literally) slap her around. Of course Utena does not stand for Saionji’s disrespectful treatment of women and challenges Saionji to a ‘duel.’ However, Utena has bitten off more than she can chew, when she realizes that this duel involves real swords and Anthy is in fact The Rose Bride, a prize to be won and a gateway to the Power of Dios (and the power to revolutionize the world). However, Utena’s inner strength allows her to wins against Saionji. As the current champion, Anthy is now ‘engaged’ to Utena and Utena must continue fighting duels against the mysterious student council to keep Anthy safe. The winner of the duels not only ‘possesses’ Anthy, but obtains the power to “revolutionize the world” (whatever that means!).

I think I hit the basics without going too much into one or the other (if I do tend to teeter a bit, I probably lean towards the manga/series side – that’s what I know better and feel more comfortable with). Utena right off the bat is different from all the other girls at Ohtori Academy – she stands out. She wears the ‘boy’s’ uniform (or at least a modified version of it). Utena is not completely gendered male – she shows off her legs by wearing short shorts – so she still embraces her womanhood at the same time. Utena is not either ‘male’ or ‘female,’ but a hybrid of each, crossing gender lines in both directions. Utena stands on the edge as a protester against stereotypical gender roles. Compared to the other girls at the Academy who wear the most heinous school uniform I have seen and drool over the student council members, Utena stands apart. Her power comes from her individuality, not from being the average girl picked out of hundreds by some amazing guy (*cough*cough*Twilight*cough*). Maybe originally she was, but she decides to live up to the role that has been assigned to her, not just simply continue being some stupid bimbo (I really have a vendetta against the Twilight series). The only other character who is comparable to Utena is Juri, the only female student council member, who also wears a “male” uniform and fights in duels as well, but she appears more mature and cynical compared to Utena’s wide-eyed innocence and idealism. One could say Juri is a foil for Utena- an example of what happens when hope and idealism is lost. Juri is different in each adaptation and is just as fascinating a character as Utena.

Anthy stands in direct contrast to both Utena and Juri; she is merely a prize to be won within the duels and a pawn of “End of the World,” the mysterious puppet master behind Ohtori. The Rose Bride’s only duty and purpose appears to be as a servant of the current champion. Her rough treatment by Saionji and the other student council members only intensifies her submissiveness and implies sexual servitude as well. However, Anthy is the drive behind the story, the cause of all the events! Anthy’s passivity is what keeps Utena in the duels, as Utena tries to help her friend become more assertive and…well, normal.

Overall, Utena plays with the idea of the stereotypical gendered fairy-tale: in which a prince rescues the princess, his damsel-in-distress, and takes her off to marry her and produce nine million babies (or at least that’s the implication of ‘happily ever after’). But what if a girl wants to be a prince? What if she wants to do the rescuing, not wait for some guy? Utena raises these questions and more, eventually revealing the concept of ‘princehood’ is not a specifically male role, but in fact transcends gender and has to do more with the person’s honor, strength, and nobility than their sex.

Nobility is a key word in Utena, not the old-fashioned aristocratic definition, but the more modern ideological approach. What is nobility and what compromises it? – is one of the many questions asked within the story. Utena is so full of rich symbolism and beautiful images that I could go on for days! However, (since this is supposed to be a review…whoops) there are many essays written by fans about the series, some of the most insightful and best can be found at the following sites. There is also plenty of information about the different adaptations.

http://ohtori.nu/ - THE Utena site. The gallery of epic proportions is a must see. There are also analysis essays, shrines, a forum, and many more goodies!.
http://utena.alexiel.net/ - a beautiful site that is made up of shrines of all *the best* : D characters of Utena. Her wallpapers and icons are amazing.
http://www.broomstick.org/utena/ - feminist literary discussion on Utena? Hell yeah! Someone beat me to it. *pout*
http://www.ming-ling.net/utena/ - the site for information on the movie, Adolescent Apocalypse (you know a movie with that kind of title has to be awesome)

Of course there are plenty more wonderful sites, but these are good ones to get the ball rolling.

Probably as a warning I need to say that I will try not to be biased, but I do have my favorite (and least favorite) retelling. I’m probably one of the few who likes the manga the best (most likely because I can relate to Utena the best in this version) and my least favorite retelling is the movie (although I have to say, I am awed every time by how visually stunning it is, but I just can’t wrap my head around the whole ‘car’ scene at the end – it just appears…stupid and hilarious, not awe inspiring as the other ending were). I’m telling you this just in case my prejudices shine through, so you can yell at me to be more objective. Each and every version is dear to me and I love each and every one for different reasons, but I’m a human (and a very opinionated one – I am a feminist after all!), so I can’t help but have my favorites. Also, another quick note (and this goes beyond Utena), I don’t read Japanese, so for the most part I will be relying on English translations of the manga. I have started studying Japanese, so my knowledge of the spoken language is slim to none, so once again, I’ll probably rely heavily on the sub/dub. I know many things get lost in translation and translators also put their own spin on things, so I may not be entirely accurate to the Japanese original. This site is as much of a critique of the English translations as it is for the series themselves. What little I do know I will try to apply. Hopefully as I gain more knowledge of the Japanese language, I can give a more accurate review of the series itself without relying too heavily on translations. For the most part I will be using the licensed versions, unless the series themselves have not been licensed – then I will rely on fansubs and scanlations. I will provide the info for any who are interested after each post.

Manga Update: New Princess Ai Trilogy!

So I'm working on my first review (Revolutionary Girl Utena), so I'll update soon (hopefully...) but when taking a trip to the manga/anime store I found this wonderful suprise hiding in the bookshelves - a new Princess Ai trilogy! I haven't gotten to talk about Princess Ai yet (or anything else for that matter...), but I thought the original series had a spunky 'i'm a woman and I take no shit' heroine, who respected herself and her body enough not to sell herself (although some of the clothes are pretty revealing...but most of them are really cool). In this trilogy, the Second Revolution has occured in Ai-land now humans and dougen (angels) live together. However, all is not peaceful, as an energy crisis occurs and discrimination continues. When the Prism of Midnight Dawn, a powerful object that allows for connections to be made between different worlds (and who knows what other powers it posseses), disapears, Ai returns to Earth in order to find out what happened. However, music on Earth has changed...for the worse...

I don't know what to think about this series yet and I'm going to reserve my judgement until it's finished, but so far, there are some points I'm cheering Ai on and at others I'm a little disappointed... I haven't read the original series in a few years, so my opinion could possibly have changed since then, but so far my impression is that Ai is not as rebellous and independent as she was before. DJ Milky isn't the writer for this (and I don't think Courtney Love had as much say as in the last one - as crazy as she is, you have to contribute Ai's indpendence and rebellousness to her), hence why the characters seem a little different. But despite my hesitence (didn't I say I was going to save my judgement until its over?...whoops), I recomend it to anyone who was a Princess Ai fan as an awesome continuation of an awesome series. And those who haven't read any of the series yet, I hightly recommend checking out the original trilogy.

Introduction

Hi everyone! My goal is to start a list of anime/manga that feature strong heroines that are empowering to women and girls. Or perhaps on the other hand, expose sexism within society. Or maybe just includes gender bending fun! Mostly I will be reviewing various anime/manga, but I might also throw in some analysis here or there on my favorite series. I hope to get others as authors. I just have a few rules about postings

1. Only post reviews, analyses, or anything containing information to be shared that can lead to discussion or builds upon the mission of this site.
2. Please no male bashing. You may comment on how various male characters mistreat women, but don't condemn the entire sex in general. Feminism is about equality, not female supremacy.
3. No ranting. I would like to keep this as formal as possible.
4. Keep the reviews/articles clean (even though what your reviewing may not be). If you wish to submit something that is explicit, but is a legitamate question to discuss, please contact me in advance.

Wow, I sound so formal! But seriously, its really laid-back and open. Please have fun! Eventually I'll add polls, links to other sites/blogs, and maybe a news feed (if I can overcome my technologically challenged state). If you have any recommendations, objections, adulations, please comment!

Some series I'm planning on reviewing/discussing:

Rose of Versailles
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Ceres: Celestial Legend
Chobits
Sailor Moon
Le Chevalier d'Eon
Ouran High School Host Club
Planet Ladder
Princess Ai