Rating: 
Summary: Watch before you review...
Review: ...Utena_ is a fantastic, symbolic, and serious anime that is NOT targeted at girls who have just outgrown Sailor Moon. Please, know the WHOLE series before you make sweeping generalizations about it.First off, this is one of my all-time favorie anime series; it is NOT a typical shoujo anime by any stretch of the imagination. It does not, for example, revolve around a bubble-headed girl whose primary talents are crying and eating. Second, it is EXTREMELY dark. Starts out just sort of cheerful and pink, but, boy, the places it goes. Finally, while it's not explicit sexually (yet), it deals with some very twisted people and some subjects which most people wouldn't be real happy with their little four-year-olds watching--incest, for example. Domestic violence for another. And animal abuse. Boy, would the SPCA have a field day with this one. _Utena_ is a fascinatingly beautiful ANTI-fairy tale. Sailor Moon is just a fairy tale. My only objection to this DVD is those obnoxious hard subtitles over the songs in the battle scenes, which you unfortunately can't turn off.
Rating:
Summary: More than it appears...
Review: A lot of the other reviewers seem to have missed a great deal of the subtlety to Utena. It's a very abstract series, with non-linear storytelling and numerous references to Gnostic mythology and other philosophies. It's a very engaging series, but not one for first-time Anime viewers. I doubt that adolescent girls in general would understand the motivations of the duelists, who fight to bring about the end of the world. They portray poignant heartbreak as a result of living in a world that seems unfair. They fight for the power to control the world around them, while Utena fights to be true to her ideals. As for the 'rose editing' that appears in the duels, it makes more sense if you view the duels abstractly. The one whose ideals are true wins the duels -- they're battles of ideology, not swordfights. The rose symbol in specific appears over Utena when she merges with Dios's spirit and attains harmony with the embodiment of her ideals. The rose blocks this from view because this is too abstract and too intimate to portray, and also because Utena herself does not understand the phenomenon.
Rating: 
Summary: "Shouju" anime defined...
Review: A slightly painful lesson for me, but one which I learned after buying both of the Utena videos at the same time was that "Shouju anime" means "anime targetted at girls". This anime shares creative heritage with Sailor Moon, and appears to be address issues that would engage teenagers that have outgrown Sailor Moon. Although not for me, I do think that the target audience would be delighted by the ominous tones and social counterplay in the movie.
Rating:
Summary: right.
Review: After reading all of the preceeding reviews, I was surprised to find that Sailor Moon and even Fushigi Yugi come up. What animes HAVE they been watching? Any way, Utena is abstract, it is dark, it is interesting. It's also not complicated (abstract does not equate to complicated, nor intellectual. Look at X/1999 to get that one). Now, I'm a Moonie, which is why someone lent me this series. I also love Fushigi Yugi. But Utena is darker than Sailor Moon and has this irritating repetation with the duels. Not the duels themselves, but the lead up (Can we say BAD music?) is just tedious. The music in general for this series is one of the most offputting aspects of it. Otherwise, the characters are fun, the reasons why Utena wants to be a prince is interesting and the female characters are great. I liked most of them for their spirit and the fact that the writer gave each and everyone of them a dark aspect. That's pretty impressive for shojo.
Rating: 
Summary: who needs the editing? (why the rose over the action?)
Review: Although I surprised myself when I actually liked this movie, the rose "edit" over many of the sword fights is rather silly. For this reason only, it gets 3 stars (why the sloppy censor I will never be able to figure out?). Other than that stupid attempt to mask the end of a SWORD fight, I liked these episodes, when will they releasse more (and can I actually get them NOT CENSORED ?)
Rating:
Summary: Second volume is a charm!
Review: Although some of the fans who watched the first DVD Volume may have felt a little overwhelmed or confused to the point of not giving the series as much credit as it deserves, the second volume will definitly charm you! These episodes move at a much faster speed, and the viewer feels much more at home with the characters and the storyline. Utena has a feel about it that takes getting used to before you can freely enjoy the series. In this second volume I promise you will be laughing, crying, and just plain enjoying. They open off with one of the funniest (and weirdest ^_-) episodes, and keep heading off the deep end. As we get more and more involved in the plot it seems everything might be spinning out of control! Connections between characters everywhere, and hidden lives that are finally coming to light. Just when you think it can't get any more complicated everything fits together beautifully in the final episodes of the Student Council Saga. Fans are already on the edge of their seats awaiting the Black Rose saga, and following the Ohtori Academy saga. Plus the release of the Utena movie (which pushes the boundries even more as you enter Utena's dreamworld) Stay tuned Utena fangirls and fanboys too!
Rating:
Summary: An essential adult anime series
Review: Don't be fooled by that "shoujo" or all the pretty flowers; Utena, followed all the way through, is a very disturbing series full of captivating imagery and memorable characters. Beware this show if you can't handle: incest, stabbings, betrayal, malice, abstract theatre, and some of the strangest scenes ever to come off a DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Funny and Surprisingly Intense
Review: Having only heard of Utena, I decided to check it out. The first dvd (rose collection 1) got me hooked. And this dvd is even better. It's a rather complex plot and very interesting character development throughout the episodes. One episode you see a silly Nanami character and a few episodes later you get insight into her psyche that would make any sane person steer clear of this disturbed girl. One minute you're laughing the next you're rather sad and sympathetic to all the characters including Utena Tenjou herself. Get all the dvds to this one. It's worth the money. I can't wait until the rest of them come out because dangit I wank to know what happens next!
Rating:
Summary: Great Series
Review: I bought the Utena DVDs on a whim, after hearing good reviews on the many anime sites that I frequent, and I was not disappointed. This is a cute anime that also makes you think. Its become one of my favorites! I recommend this series to any anime lover! However, there are some SLIGHT lesbian undertones, although not as many as in the movie, so homophobs should beware.
Rating: 
Summary: CAUTION: May not work on your DVD player!
Review: I don't know if anyone else has encountered this, but this DVD will not play on my JVC 501BK DVD player. The player's a region 1 player, but the DVD is labelled "ALL". It *should* play okay...but won't play at all. Utena Volume 1 (and dozens of other DVDs) work just fine. I know the DVD can't be entirely busted because it DOES play on my Apple PowerBook. As you might expect, I'm not too thrilled about this. However, as usual actual the Utena story is wonderful...I just wish I could watch it on my TV! I just wanted to mention this in case anyone else had this DVD player...or a similar JVC model.
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