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sub_dividedWatching Revolutionary Girl Utena, ten years after the rest of the world. I'm on episode 16. The style really changes after the recap episode (13), which is a shame. I mean, it's nice that the animation gets better, and it's...sort of...nice the directors decided to actively foreground the twistedness, but it's missing the special atmosphere of, I dunno, PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE BITTERNESS AND OPPRESSION from the first twelve episodes.
Though judging from youtube comments, no one was getting it. ^^; Well. Maybe you have to be looking. There have been dissertations written on this show so I won't really bother. Quick list of things that stood out:
1. According to the peanut gallery, what makes Anthy attractive is her femininity, and when I say femininity, I mean total passiveness.
2. And yet she clearly HAS a personality, making her creepy robot-like acquiescence still more baffling and creepy.
3. Miki looks cute and harmless, but doesn't think his sister deserves to be her own person. He similarly presumes Anthy's best interests (conveniently, they match up with his own).
4. Juri's episode: raise your hands if you didn't see THAT coming. Though her anger at Utena's cluelessness is understandable, she doesn't EXPLAIN why she's angry because she is too busy being passive-aggressive. Which was also her problem in the friend/rival/lover triangle.
5. Couldn't watch the first Touga-is-evil episode because youtube wasn't cooperating, grrr. That aside, not much to say about him other than he's sleazy and manipulative. As far as I'm concerned these are neutral personality traits, what makes him horrible is that he's also very cruel.
6. When the most likable characters outside of the heroine and mundanes are psychotics like Saionji and Nanami, it says something. (At least they're honest!!!)
7. It's a great moment when Touga laughs at Utena for believing Anthy parroting her own lines back at her, though.
8. On that subject I winced at Utena's "protect you" speech. Not to worry Anthy! I won't allow Touga to have you! Because I know what's best for you! Not only does she fall into the same trap EVERY OTHER DUELIST AND MALE ADMIRER (except Touga, to whom all people are pawns) has fallen into, this speech is the total opposite of the speech that made me like her in the first place -- the one when she planned to lose the duel to Sanonji because after all, Anthy is her own person so dueling for her is meaningless.
9. Mopey!Utena, ugh. She wears a skirt and her fans instantly all agree that she looks so much better that way.
10. Winning Anthy back. For once we find out what she's thinking, turns out she's largely disinterested. I buy her vague fondness and preference for Utena but I don't buy the shounen triumph conclusion.
I'm going to pretend the thing with Kazue didn't happen. (Is this a phase the anime is going through? Can I skip it? Which episode should I come back in on?)
In summary: remember kids, too much passive-aggression is bad for you!
EDIT: I did like it. ^^; Sometimes I forget to mention these things. I liked the insidiousness of it all -- something is wrong, but since it's not an external wrongness it's hard to pinpoint what exactly. The characters who are able to pinpoint it would rather rage in silence/contemplate destructive revolution than inform the rest of the world. The repression bubbles over into creative, absurd visuals. Etc.
***
drabble_trade drabbles!
Mushishi, gen
Naruto, Shikamaru/Temari
Yukikaze, Rei/plane
I plan to re-write these (the Rei/plane at least) but it might be a while before I get around to that, so in the meantime here are the comment versions.
Though judging from youtube comments, no one was getting it. ^^; Well. Maybe you have to be looking. There have been dissertations written on this show so I won't really bother. Quick list of things that stood out:
1. According to the peanut gallery, what makes Anthy attractive is her femininity, and when I say femininity, I mean total passiveness.
2. And yet she clearly HAS a personality, making her creepy robot-like acquiescence still more baffling and creepy.
3. Miki looks cute and harmless, but doesn't think his sister deserves to be her own person. He similarly presumes Anthy's best interests (conveniently, they match up with his own).
4. Juri's episode: raise your hands if you didn't see THAT coming. Though her anger at Utena's cluelessness is understandable, she doesn't EXPLAIN why she's angry because she is too busy being passive-aggressive. Which was also her problem in the friend/rival/lover triangle.
5. Couldn't watch the first Touga-is-evil episode because youtube wasn't cooperating, grrr. That aside, not much to say about him other than he's sleazy and manipulative. As far as I'm concerned these are neutral personality traits, what makes him horrible is that he's also very cruel.
6. When the most likable characters outside of the heroine and mundanes are psychotics like Saionji and Nanami, it says something. (At least they're honest!!!)
7. It's a great moment when Touga laughs at Utena for believing Anthy parroting her own lines back at her, though.
8. On that subject I winced at Utena's "protect you" speech. Not to worry Anthy! I won't allow Touga to have you! Because I know what's best for you! Not only does she fall into the same trap EVERY OTHER DUELIST AND MALE ADMIRER (except Touga, to whom all people are pawns) has fallen into, this speech is the total opposite of the speech that made me like her in the first place -- the one when she planned to lose the duel to Sanonji because after all, Anthy is her own person so dueling for her is meaningless.
9. Mopey!Utena, ugh. She wears a skirt and her fans instantly all agree that she looks so much better that way.
10. Winning Anthy back. For once we find out what she's thinking, turns out she's largely disinterested. I buy her vague fondness and preference for Utena but I don't buy the shounen triumph conclusion.
I'm going to pretend the thing with Kazue didn't happen. (Is this a phase the anime is going through? Can I skip it? Which episode should I come back in on?)
In summary: remember kids, too much passive-aggression is bad for you!
EDIT: I did like it. ^^; Sometimes I forget to mention these things. I liked the insidiousness of it all -- something is wrong, but since it's not an external wrongness it's hard to pinpoint what exactly. The characters who are able to pinpoint it would rather rage in silence/contemplate destructive revolution than inform the rest of the world. The repression bubbles over into creative, absurd visuals. Etc.
***
drabble_trade drabbles!
Mushishi, gen
Naruto, Shikamaru/Temari
Yukikaze, Rei/plane
I plan to re-write these (the Rei/plane at least) but it might be a while before I get around to that, so in the meantime here are the comment versions.