Rating: 
Summary: The next logical step..
Review: Shoujo Kakumei Utena, known in the United States as Revolutionary Girl Utena, is probably the next logical step for those who have outgrown Sailormoon, Dragonball, or any of the other mass-hyped dubbed anime. Not to say that these aren't quality shows, I enjoy Sailormoon myself. However..
Utena blurs the lines of friendship, trust, admiration, jealousy, hate, revenge, control, power, and lust all into one giant blender and then hits puree.The second volume (and the most recent release of the series to date, not counting the FREAKISH parallel-world movie), delves a little deeper into the mysterious world of the exclusive Ohtori Academy. We learn just how possesive Kiryuu Nanmi is..a little more about the recurring theme of the Prince and the origin of Utena's rose signet, and we get a sense of the things to come..
The visuals are, as usual in Utena, superb..from flashbacks of Nanami as a little girl, to the shadowy young Utena in a coffin...and the duels become a little more dramatic, especially the final duels of the disc.
The music is, as usual, repetitive, but with beautiful themes like Scarlet of the Campus(Utena's Theme) and The Sunlit Garden, who can complain? I must admit, however, even I find myself fast forwarding through Absolute Destiny Apocalypse, Truth, and Revolution (though if they ever release it stateside..you will NOT find yourself doing it after episode 25...) The duel choruses, if you think about them, probe deeply into the nature of each character..Last Evolution speaks of Nanami's belief in her destiny beside her brother, while No One Has Anything to Tell calls upon the mystery of the Rose Bride and the power of Utena's will...these choruses are meaningful music that is often overlooked.
The main character development, as it probably should be for a show entiled 'Utena' centers around the main character, though we see a little deeper into the Kiryuu family in this disc. Curried High Trip is the comedic episode of the disc, and as in Be Careful, Nanami-sama, Miss Kiryuu seems to take the brunt of punishment. The cheerful Wakaba makes another grand appearance.
In all, the series is reccomended for teenagers and adults..this is definitely not a children's show due to it's complex nature. Trust me, the first two discs only scratch the surface of Utena's complexity.. to really understand the metaphors and symbolism in the duel choruses alone takes quite a bit of thinking. Just "three of the seven Ancient wonders"?
Definitely reccomended for those who have seen the first seven episodes.
Rating: 
Summary: Sailor Geeks on Prozac with major mental issues?
Review: This DVD needs to be rated with a negative number. While there are certainly some entertaining
and beautiful sequences, the vast, overwhelming majority of this series is almost indescribable.
This is a disturbing series set in a dream, fantasy atmosphere with a complicated, chaotic, and
pointless plot.
While it is true that I have not seen the first rose collection, I am confident that this series is not
supposed to make sense. The Sailor Moon series is far superior in every way, except for some
of the artistic sequences (much of which make no sense, are repeated over and over, or are
more aggravating rather than necessary for the story line).
A note on the characters, essentially there are no real characters except for Utena. All of the
others are shadowy, shallow and most certainly in some kind of daze. At least all of the
characters, including Utena, have some kind of heavy mental defect which makes them appear
more alive, albeit disturbing.
There is nothing real to grab on to in these stories. It's impossible to identify with the characters
or to tie any thing in the stories to the real world. On most levels, the school appears to be
completely in a fantasy dream world, but in one story, they go across our earth in search of
magic spice.
The first story is the best. The animation is poor, the editing is the worst I have seen, but it does
have insane elephants trying to stop the Sailor Geeks from reaching their magic spice, which
they are obsessed with finding to the point of risking their lives for no apparent reason. That part
was pretty funny and completely out of step with the rest of the series. It is very hard to
appreciate this due to the very choppy, nasty editing though.
All of the characters are very self-centered, except possibly for the Rose Bride. It is hard to
describe how psychotic they all are. The Rose Bride seems to be merely the sword sheath
brought to life and has the personality of a flower. Its purpose (as gender in this series is often
undefined, bent, smashed, blurred, etc) is to be totally mentally controlled by its owner. This
might be for good or evil, or for a bride or a friend, or to simply take sword wacks. The songs are
chaotic, disturbing, sometimes pretty evil, and certainly ominous.
Although I am sure some might think that these stories have serious lesbian overtones, it
appears that Utena is not really a lesbian, but is instead demented, and thinks she can be a real
prince. Towards the end, when this illusion is shattered, she gets confused, depressed, and I
think it's pretty clear that she decides that it is better to be a lesbian than a woman. Why did the
series feel it necessary to do that?
Some say that this series supports woman empowerment, but to me it just says that if you are a
woman, you are not as good as a man, so if you don't like it, be your own man. Is that woman
empowerment?
At the end we have a kind of revue of what is going on. Utena appears to be a tool in the conflict
of opposing sides (everything set against everything else). The dream world that they are in is a
type of hell trying to break through at the end the world to become the Apocalypse. In the
Apocalypse, evil will be defeated by good, and this appears to be the evil side living in an
insane, fearful dream world. This point is religiously repeated over and over again and sung in
songs as if they were the hymns of hell (literally). Of course this is a confused series, so it was
the pretty part of hell maybe...if that makes any sense!
My daughter, who is 14 thought it was very weird, strange, and even though she is an A student,
she could not figure it out. She lost all interest even though she loves cartoons and anime. I am
so glad that I decided to watch it with her, as I think it was necessary to explain and I believe that
this series is dangerous to a young mind (which I did not know at first). If she had beeninterested in it, I would have quickly not allowed her to watch the rest. As it turned out, I would
not be able to force her to watch it.
Overall I would have to say that the series is confused, and very much like a pretty, but very
poisonous cake, without a reason or a point. This is for a mature audience, but is obviously
geared to young women. I cannot imagine any of the women I know, or who I have ever known,
liking these stories and letting their daughters watch it. I used to know of some guys who like this
type of anime and they scare me.
Amazon has much better anime to buy. If you like gender bending, get Ranma 1/2, if you like
fluff, get Sailor Moon, if you like action get Dragonball, if you like warm characters with crazy
ones, get Maison Ikkoku or Tenchi.
Rating:
Summary: Sailor Geeks on Prozac with major mental issues?
Review: This DVD needs to be rated with a negative number. While there are certainly some entertaining
and beautiful sequences, the vast, overwhelming majority of this series is almost indescribable.
This is a disturbing series set in a dream, fantasy atmosphere with a complicated, chaotic, and
pointless plot.
While it is true that I have not seen the first rose collection, I am confident that this series is not
supposed to make sense. The Sailor Moon series is far superior in every way, except for some
of the artistic sequences (much of which make no sense, are repeated over and over, or are
more aggravating rather than necessary for the story line).
A note on the characters, essentially there are no real characters except for Utena. All of the
others are shadowy, shallow and most certainly in some kind of daze. At least all of the
characters, including Utena, have some kind of heavy mental defect which makes them appear
more alive, albeit disturbing.
There is nothing real to grab on to in these stories. It's impossible to identify with the characters
or to tie any thing in the stories to the real world. On most levels, the school appears to be
completely in a fantasy dream world, but in one story, they go across our earth in search of
magic spice.
The first story is the best. The animation is poor, the editing is the worst I have seen, but it does
have insane elephants trying to stop the Sailor Geeks from reaching their magic spice, which
they are obsessed with finding to the point of risking their lives for no apparent reason. That part
was pretty funny and completely out of step with the rest of the series. It is very hard to
appreciate this due to the very choppy, nasty editing though.
All of the characters are very self-centered, except possibly for the Rose Bride. It is hard to
describe how psychotic they all are. The Rose Bride seems to be merely the sword sheath
brought to life and has the personality of a flower. Its purpose (as gender in this series is often
undefined, bent, smashed, blurred, etc) is to be totally mentally controlled by its owner. This
might be for good or evil, or for a bride or a friend, or to simply take sword wacks. The songs are
chaotic, disturbing, sometimes pretty evil, and certainly ominous.
Although I am sure some might think that these stories have serious lesbian overtones, it
appears that Utena is not really a lesbian, but is instead demented, and thinks she can be a real
prince. Towards the end, when this illusion is shattered, she gets confused, depressed, and I
think it's pretty clear that she decides that it is better to be a lesbian than a woman. Why did the
series feel it necessary to do that?
Some say that this series supports woman empowerment, but to me it just says that if you are a
woman, you are not as good as a man, so if you don't like it, be your own man. Is that woman
empowerment?
At the end we have a kind of revue of what is going on. Utena appears to be a tool in the conflict
of opposing sides (everything set against everything else). The dream world that they are in is a
type of hell trying to break through at the end the world to become the Apocalypse. In the
Apocalypse, evil will be defeated by good, and this appears to be the evil side living in an
insane, fearful dream world. This point is religiously repeated over and over again and sung in
songs as if they were the hymns of hell (literally). Of course this is a confused series, so it was
the pretty part of hell maybe...if that makes any sense!
My daughter, who is 14 thought it was very weird, strange, and even though she is an A student,
she could not figure it out. She lost all interest even though she loves cartoons and anime. I am
so glad that I decided to watch it with her, as I think it was necessary to explain and I believe that
this series is dangerous to a young mind (which I did not know at first). If she had been interested in it, I would have quickly not allowed her to watch the rest. As it turned out, I would
not be able to force her to watch it.
Overall I would have to say that the series is confused, and very much like a pretty, but very
poisonous cake, without a reason or a point. This is for a mature audience, but is obviously
geared to young women. I cannot imagine any of the women I know, or who I have ever known,
liking these stories and letting their daughters watch it. I used to know of some guys who like this
type of anime and they scare me.
Amazon has much better anime to buy. If you like gender bending, get Ranma 1/2, if you like
fluff, get Sailor Moon, if you like action get Dragonball, if you like warm characters with crazy
ones, get Maison Ikkoku or Tenchi.
Rating:
Summary: the absolute destiny apocolypse
Review: This is a great girl's anime/comic that will get you hooked. It is filled with tears, humor, love, and hope. The thing is that the boys in this series are all fighting to BRING ON THE APOCOLYPSE! They are not fighting it, the reverse of evangelion. I would only show this to teenagers, because little children might be hurt by the statements said in this DVD, but it is very deep. The Heroine is great in this series. It is better than any American celebrity or pop star. One of major points in the series, is that a hero does not need to be a big strong muscular man, or a really smart girl (even though utena is good at math ^_^), She puts people over herelf. She shows that everyone can be a hero(ine), even when he/she does not want to be one. Who needs sleeping beauty when you have utena!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent anime: Everyone should see this
Review: This is the second of two DVD's in the collection. The first DVD was good. This is brilliant. To start with, Revolutionary Girl Utena has some of the greatest characterization that I've seen in any anime. Each character is powerfully sculpted through their past experiences, actions and emotions. You really care about them.
The plot is good if not great, and the characters really bring it to life. The dueling scenes are also pretty well done, and as usual the show's music is top notch.
While Utena is still light-hearted and humorous in places, some of these episodes take on a darker tone, and a few are bitterly tragic. (though extremely well done) One of the things I love about this show is that it seems to cover the whole range of human emotion.
The DVD is also well done, with fine picture quality and some worthwhile extra features. I like the Japanese voice acting, but if you prefer dubbed, Utena has good English voice acting as well. On a final note, if you're interested in this then you've probably seen the first DVD (as you should) but I still ought to mention that if the word shojo turns you off because you associate it with shows like Sailor Moon, you still should try this. Revolutionary Girl Utena couldn't be more different, and while it was marketed toward girls, it can really be enjoyed by anyone. Bottom line, this is an excellent anime that is definitely worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal, mysterious, and often hilarious
Review: This is the second Utena DVD, containing 6 episodes (for a total of 13 episodes available in the US, with 26 more not translated as of November, 2000). If you haven't seen the first DVD, don't start here--it won't make the slightest bit of sense. If you have seen it, you know this is a strange, surreal, series. The qualities of the first volume remain here: interesting characters, mysteries, and some hilarity at Nanami's expense. The shadowplay girls have some particularly odd bits in these episodes, too. (Again, if you haven't seen it, this won't make any sense!) In general, Nanami has a stronger presence in these 6 episodes than she did in the first 7; if you like what she brings to the show, you should like this set. Utena's friend Wakaba also shines in episode 12. Although this brings the story only to episode 13 out of 39, the initial plot involving the Student Council, and in particular, Touga's machinations, is largely resolved here. There is some closure to the story, but episode 13, which is unfortunately a clips episode constructed largely out of the duels in the first 12 episodes, presents new mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping the Excellence Going
Review: This second disc of the Shoujo Kakumei Utena series is equally as fantastic as the first. In this collection, some questions asked in the first are answered, and a ton more are asked. Prepare yourself for this collection, where we learn much about Utena's history and the strength she possesses, as well as the cold she must endure sometimes. There are more dark moments in this collection, then the first :cough cough: Nanami, Saionji: cough cough:, but they all help to set the story. Before the last episode on the disc, you may think that you have Utena and Anthy finally figured out, but don't count on it! The final episode opens up a whole new dimension for the both of them, thanks to the mysterious Akio Ohtori, and his designs for the Prince! If you want to see a truly unique anime, which avoids many of the usual anime clichés, definitely check out Utena. Once again, sub only! For the revolution of the world!
Rating:
Summary: Utena! Utena! Watch it!
Review: This show absolutely rules!!!! Why won't Central Park reliece the rest of the series?! A fair warning on the dubbed version: the voices are flat in areas and they tried to mix in a bunch of American jokes to dumb down the culture shock. All in all an EXCELLENT show. Buy it. Watch it. Worship it. If you thought this was weird, just wait until the Akio-car...
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Story Line - A true anime jewel!
Review: To date, there are few anime series that even compare to Utena. The storylines are intriguing and deep, the imagery facinating. It is impossible to watch any volume of this series once and be able to say you'd actually seen it. There's something new to see every viewing! As for this volume, the charachters develop much more fully and the duels are just awesome! It's a Must See!
Rating:
Summary: Sugoi ne!
Review: Utena is awesome! It has it all, conspiracy, sword play, a complex plot, and an excelent story to boot. Chiho Saito and Ikuhara are awesome on this. Shojo Kakumei Utena is mentally distrubing at times, especially the episode: Tracing the Path. Oh yeah, make sure you get a copy of Adolescene Mokuroshiku sometime if you like Utena, cause the movie rules.
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