 |
| Source |
As the current coronavirus plague rages on, keeping most of us cooped up at home, I thought it a good idea to snuggle up with a good book.
Today's subject will be the manga of Revolutionary Girl Utena. You're probably more familiar with the anime series. This is a classic shoujo (Japanese: "girl") story that, in lieu of its name, revolutionized the genre, similar to how Sailor Moon and Neon Genesis Evangelion changed the magical girl and mecha genres respectively. In fact, Utena is basically the love child of both those shows since the director is a Sailor Moon alumnus and a good portion of the staff worked on Eva. Utena went on to influence other media for years to come, some prominent ones including Scott Pilgrim and Steven Universe, the latter having recently finished.
The manga was written and illustrated by Chiho Saito, character designer on the series. Both the manga and anime were made at the same time, but the manga was released first in 1996, a year before the series. It served as promotion for the show, not unlike the manga version of Evangelion. While both versions started at relatively the same place, they each went in different directions in terms of story and characters, as I will discuss later.
 |
| Source |
The version of the manga I read is the gorgeous 20th anniversary edition from Viz Media. Released in 2017, this set includes two large omnibi. Omnibus one contains the prologue and the first three volumes, and omnibus two contains volumes 4 and 5 and the manga adaptation of the 1999 movie Adolescence of Utena. Included is a poster of Utena and Anthy. This serves as a great companion piece to the 20th anniversary Blu-ray set, which I also own. Once I figure out how to play Blu-rays and take screenshots on my MacBook, I'll review the anime.
As I work in healthcare, an essential business, I was not able to read the entire manga in one sitting, though even if I did, I probably wouldn't since I'm not the binging type.
 |
| Utena's outfit in the manga. Source |
The story begins with a prologue, which the anime lacks, that explains what leads our heroine to the main setting of Ohtori Academy. Utena Tenjou is a 14-year-old girl who dresses in a boy's uniform for school, much to the teachers' dismay. Her outfit, however, isn't what the boys wear at school: it's a rose colored jacket with pink shorts. Due to her parents passing when she was six, she is raised by her aunt Yurika.
One day, she receives a letter from an anonymous sender saying that they will meet soon. Utena has been receiving these letters for the past few years. She is convinced the letters are from a mysterious prince who rescued her from drowning in a river after her parents' deaths. The backs of the letters form a picture of Ohtori Academy, and Utena decides to enroll there in order to find her prince.
A few months after enrolling at Ohtori, Utena learns of the Student Council made up of the students Touga, Saionji, Miki, and Juri. She also meets Anthy, a girl known as the Rose Bride, a prize for those who participate in sword duels. Utena ends up dueling Saionji to avenge her friend Wakaba and wins, and Anthy ends up becoming her roommate as a result. The other council members duel Utena one after another, each wanting to own Anthy in order to obtain the Power of Dios and ascend the upside down castle above the dueling arena.
Eventually, Utena learns of Anthy's brother, Akio Ohtori, who is acting chairman of the school. She soon realizes what Akio's intentions are, and she and Anthy must work together to set things right.
 |
| Art from Adolescence of Utena. Source |
The manga edition of Adolescence of Utena is basically the same as the original story but with different looks to the characters and a different ending than the film's. It's arguably better than the movie; at least Utena doesn't turn into a freaking car.
As stated before, there are a number of differences between the anime and manga. First off, the manga has Utena wearing a rose colored jacket for the first half, and the anime has her wearing a black one. Anthy's Rose Bride outfit is white in the manga and red in the anime. The Black Rose arc is relegated to a side story in the manga. And Nanami, Touga's little sister, is completely absent, leaving Chu Chu, Anthy's pet monkey, to serve as comic relief.
Characters are also altered in the manga. Juri has feelings for Touga instead of another girl named Shiori, making that her motivation for dueling Utena. Miki likes Utena, whereas in the anime, he likes Anthy since she reminds him of his sister Kozue. Miki and Kozue's incestuous relationship is downplayed from the show. And Utena and Anthy's relationship is explicitly platonic, whereas it's ambiguous in the anime and explicitly romantic in the movie.
Overall, this manga is a must-read for fans of shoujo and fans of the Utena anime. It has an intriguing plot, strong female characters, and positive messages about female empowerment, love, and sacrifice.
Quality Rating: 9/10
Content Rating: 13+
No comments:
Post a Comment