It took me a while to warm up to the entire 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' manga. Much like I did with the anime.
I started watching RVU as a teenager, which really wasn't the right age stage to see much less understand such a complex and symbolic series in order to "get it". It wasn't until years later - as an adult whose worldviews have changed significantly, and who has reached a realization about and a respect for the line between childhood illusions and reality - that I finally rewatched and finished the anime properly, so I could fully appreciate it for the work of art that it is. Now 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' is one of my favourite anime of all time. To this day, twenty years after it first aired, there has been nothing else like it. An early, refined shoujo and Magical Girl anomaly (it barely fits into those genres, it is that unique), it cannot and should not be compared to anything else. It is a feat in visual and structural storytelling, fairy tale deconstruction, and feminist narratives. Weird, harrowing, uncomfortable, but necessary; full of heart and genius for an allegorical coming-of-age story. What does it mean to be revolutionary? Indeed, there are fine bursts of ways RVU is revolutionary. I could go on and on about its countless themes, symbols and metaphors throughout its 39-episode run (seriously, each is like a painting; not a single dud (bad bud?) among them, they blossom fully in potential), but that's for another time and place.
After that unplanned long praise, here is a review of the manga series.
It is a condensed adaptation of the anime, by the original creators, Be-Papas, and Chiho Saitō, with mixed results. The characters are fine and easy to connect to, especially Utena Tenjou, who is a badass youth, and the story takes a slightly different yet interesting approach to the fairy tale and growing-up themes from the anime. Uena asks a lot of questions and is much more suspicious of the Ohtori Academy student council and its duels and the Rose Bride/Dios/World's End cult than in the anime, by and large making her a stronger, more relatable main character. The whole box set makes for an entertaining read.
But on the other hand, it is much less subtle than the anime, which respects its audience's intelligence enough not to overtly reveal too much too soon, and it almost never uses dialogue for exposition dumps. The manga does explain more about the plot and characters, notably towards the end, which can hinder it a bit.
There are major character changes: Miki is in love with Utena here, not Anthy, thus depriving Utena of a good male friend who isn't a love interest; Touga is given way too much sympathy and panel time with Utena, in my opinion; but worst of all, in the absence of Shiori, Juri is made to be in love with Touga, and another male character. Yeah, she's heterosexual now. And she is easily manipulated by both men. This is the only change which seriously angered me, and it is not the only "straight-washed" aspect of the manga, which I'll refer to in a bit. Another disappointment is that Nanami literally only appears in a photograph in one panel. Out of the entire manga collection. She ends up being utterly pointless. Poor girl, she can never catch a break, can she?
Utena, Anthy and Akio are treated well, at least - the closest to staying true to their characters. There is less of an indication of a romance between Utena and Anthy, however - it's barely even subtext in the manga - and their relationship doesn't pick up in development until the last few volumes, in time for when its needed resolution reaches the climax; the story's epic peak. By all accounts the girls are just friends. What a slap in the face to the anime and its director's intentions.
The manga also has questionable moments for its "feminism" and subverting traditional and dangerously limited gender roles, which the anime manages beautifully, especially for its time. In some parts the manga seems smart, nonconforming and self-aware, but there are others that left me with one eyebrow raised (a figure of speech, since I sadly can't actually do this proper). One example is Utena forgiving the boys in the Ohtori student council too easily for abhorrent acts, such as kissing her when she's asleep (Miki), and never leaving her alone no matter how many times she tells him to bugger off (Touga). She's a great swordswoman, a lovely friend, and possesses a caring heart - embracing her feminine as well as her masculine personality traits - but she still falters sometimes as a heroine who rejects fairy tale conventions and roles for females; being too much obsessed with finding her "prince" (whom she calls "Mr Licky-Lick". Ew), who saved her life as a tragic, recently-orphaned child. This takes precedence over spending time with her "princess", Anthy.
The artwork is wonderful and fits the anime series magnificently. I will leave off by mentioning that the side story of one of the volumes, where Anthy's monkey Chu-Chu accidentally causes Utena and Anthy to switch bodies, is one of the funniest things I've ever read in any manga. 'The Adolescence of Utena', based on the anime movie, is also included in this box set. It is... okay. In a number of ways it is better than the film, in fact, except there is no overt lesbianism (can Touga just go away, already?). Plus I can't decide whether I'm relieved or disappointed that Utena doesn't turn into a car at the end...
So the 'Revolutionary Girl Utena Complete Deluxe Box Set' is a decent if disadvantageously-truncated retelling for any RGU fan to check out and own. If this review reads as being vague and confusing, well, the anime can be like that too, though I am nowhere near as smart. I'm rambling, really. What a muddle.
I'll end it all with: Consider this revolutionary product reviewed. And recommended. In order for other, various interesting conclusions to be reached, like the stars.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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