Revolutionary Girl Utena analysis

少女革命ウテナ

I discovered a driving need to understand the classic 1997 anime Revolutionary Girl Utena, and these pages are the result, or as Lemony Snicket would say, the unfortunate result. Spoilers are a matter of course; this is an after-the-fact analysis. There is a lot to it. Call it Involutionary Series Utena.

It took me weeks to feel that I could grasp the main storyline with Utena, Anthy and Akio. Most of it is written up by now. The many contributing stories are important but don’t interest me as much. I expect to cover them at a lower level of detail. I’ve rewritten finished pages as I learned more, and will do it again when I discover how much I missed or misunderstood. Utena is designed to make you wrong the first time.

Click to expand small screenshots, like the ones here. Large images are already at their original size.

• Introduction <- most people can read this and then just stop • The big idea <- dropping the major conclusions from orbit • Glossary of the few jargon terms I made up. • Topic index for certain topics that are scattered through other analysis. • Episode titles, many with analysis. • Credit sequences - opening - first ending - second ending. • Character arcs - Aiko - Akio - Anthy - Chu-Chu - Dios - Juri - Kanae - Keiko - Mikage - Miki - Mrs. Ohtori - Nanami - nerd boys - Ruka - Saionji - shadow girls - Shiori - Touga - Utena - Yuuko. • Story arcs - Student Council - Black Rose (in progress) - Apocalypse. • The final showdown - the epilog (in progress). • Afterstories can be extrapolated for some characters. • The power of miracles. • The web of characters and paired character comparisons. • Duels - symbols - combat - handedness - swords - songs - Touga-Saionji. • Shadow plays, analysis for every episode.

Foundational symbols and large collections. • Names Ohtori - Utena and Anthy - Dios and Akio - others. • Character designs - costumes - epaulets - shoes. • The rose emblems representing Ohtori Academy. • Coffins and kofuns for the dead. • The myth of Ganymede outlines the story for us. • Meaningful images - sex symbols - other symbols are many and subtle - obscure symbols. • Themes - dreams - insults - rescue - sacrifice - specialness - tropes. • Colors - animals - flowers and their meanings, when I can tell. • Student Council backdrops and platforms. Other unstable locations. • References to Lost Highway - Nadia - Onii-sama e - The Rose of Versailles - Sailor Moon • Takarazuka • art - fairy tales - myths - religion - others. • Catalogs of blood - books - cakes - candles - car rides - cookies - crowds - down - feet - hands - halos - jewelry - kisses - meals - neckwear - phones - photos - red - reflections - spinning roses - tears • suns - moons - wind. • Collections of comparisons - cool stuff - mysteries - Utena’s unfinished thoughts. • Notes on characters - translation - other.

Utena and Anthy, the ups and downs of their relationship. • Overview of Anthy and Utena’s relationship. • In the Student Council arc they get to know each other. • During the Black Rose they become closer. • In the early part of the Apocalypse Saga they’re in love. • The earrings that Touga gives to Utena in episode 35. • Where were you last night? from episode 36. • Episode 37: After the Routine Date, Utena and Anthy talk. • Episode 37: Utena’s resolution after the stormy events. • Episode 37: Anthy rides in Akio’s car and what happens there. • Episode 37: The conversation about poisoning each other. • Episode 37: Anthy’s suicide attempt. • Anthy backstabs Utena, the event considered from every angle. • Wait for me... Utena when Anthy leaves the Academy. • Their speech patterns and social status decisions. • Scenes with Anthy and Utena that reveal their feelings. • Anthy’s glasses shine at times, reversing a trope. • The S-shaped bed in Akio’s tower.

Utena and Akio, the downs and downs of their relationship. • An overview of their relationship across the series. • During the Black Rose arc, Akio grooms Utena. • First attraction from episode 25. Akio starts his corruption plan. • The three candles blown out in episode 30 are a symbolic key to the story structure. • The First Seduction in episode 33, with the nonsensical othello game. • Backlash against the First Seduction, episode 34. • Suppressing Utena’s memory in episodes 34 and 35. • The Second Seduction, her horse ride with Akio in episode 36. • Breaking Utena away from Anthy at the end of episode 36. • The Routine Date, episode 37. • The final showdown winds up their relationship. • Parallels between Akio and Utena’s three dates. • Akio plans to kill Utena when done with her.

Jay Scott <jay@satirist.org>
First posted 14 November 2021. Since then I have written more every day without fail. Still at it after three years!
28 April Akio is Queen Nehalennia
23 April little Anthy’s arm and ankle rings, my first plausible theory
17 April Anthy is the goddess Nehalennia
30 March Claudine is a minor influence on Utena
29 March Aoi Hana refers to Utena
26 March references to Kimagure Orange Road
22 March Miki’s arc
12 February Gnosticism
5 February regression to childhood