My favorite meaning of the word “revolution” in regards to the title is how it breaks down societal heteronormativity. It calls Utena a revolutionary girl not just because she experiences cycles or is trying to break Anthy out of one, but because she defies gender norms. More so, it’s the fact that she is herself, and comfortable with who she is despite the pushback that allows her to win in the end. In the beginning of the show, she was comfortable because she had the label of prince, and her promise to keep. By the end of the show, she is fully herself because she wants to, and not because she is trying to fit into a role that exists in society. When she finally remembers the whole reason she got into this was to save someone else from the system, she is able to step back and REALLY relinquish that grip society has, thus freeing her from the world. And that’s what it really means for her to be revolutionary. (Also, if you count the movie as simply the next revolution, they get their happy, if not still ambiguous, ending :))
Another thing is how at the end of the black rose duels, they forget about what happened leading up to the duel. In fact, at the end of the complete saga, even Utena seems unaware of all that transpired. Like a reboot after a reboot of the same story. We're back at square one for the final arc.
the title cards from 6:24 on had me cackling lmao "atonement of the wakaba" hhh would love a video on the black rose saga btw, it's my favorite arc for sure
Thank you very much for your Utena video essays. I think you're the first youtuber I've watched that analyzes Japanese in Utena at length, which I found very refreshing. As a linguist, I appreciated that and I'm looking forward to more. I really liked your two video essays so far. I hope you check out BeraBara (Rose of Versailles) that you mentioned before, as well as other works of Ryoko Ikeda (to name another anime which was based on Ryoko Ikeda's manga, I recommend Oniisama e.); I also appreciate other visual references you make in your videos, even the joke ones. I myself am obsessed with symbolism in Utena, even the symbolic significance of the names of the characters. An obvious example would be Utena and Anthy which I like to read as 'Calyx' and 'Flower', which supports the idea that Utena ('Calyx') is the person who helped Anthy grow up and overcome her abuse, among other things. I also like the symbolism present in the names of Kaoru siblings, with Miki meaning 'tree stump' and Kozue 'tree top', which is explored visually in episode 26 which focuses on Kaoru siblings and features a tree being cut down. I have to point out I don't have much knowledge of Japanese though, so I might be mistaken. I'm interested what are your thoughts on the names of the characters. I liked how you touched on Buddhism. I'm also interested what are your thougths about the suggested Indian background of Akio and Anthy. You might be interested in Ryan Haecker's essay (ohtori.nu/analysis/01_ryan_haecker_idealist_1.htm#part1), which provides Utena analysis through the of philosophy of Idealism. I also hosted an Utena discussion with Ryan three months ago (vk.com/wall-210514254_37 [the annotation is in Russian because my anime club is Russian; the discussion was conducted in English]) for my anime club and for Empty Movement, the biggest community in Utena fandom to my knowledge. If you're interested, I can share with you the recording of that discussion. You can contact me in Telegram, my handle is nivache. I also highly recommend you to check out Empty Movement website (ohtori.nu) and join the Empty Movement server in Discord (we can chat there as well, my handle on that server is Vicomte Goring).
i am so glad i found your videos. they are so wonderful and inspiring. i had initially dismissed the idea that the name of the show referenced the many cyclical revolutions that take place within it, because i was like "well the japanese word for revolution doesn't also mean "to revolve," but of course the people who made this were like. aware of words.
Well you sure had a lot to say about the word "kakumei" here, love the pedantry, but as a pedant geek myself I think you missed to include something - the french title card! Sure french is the language of romance and an obvious choice for many a shoujo work, but here specifically it is a language that shares english's dual meaning for the word révolution! Furthermore, the phrase used is "La fillette révolutionnaire", fille meaning girl or daughter and ultimately originating from the latin filius meaning son, filia being derived from it. And Rose of Versailles has so much drama, how can you miss it? The manga is more nonconforming than the anime but that is hardly surprising, yet both are so well made, the classical music soundtrack really gives the emotions depth, and it makes a neat line of iterations if you start from Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight - that was inspired by Takarazuka for Versailles and Utena to get their own Takarazuka adaptations, how is that for cycles within cycles lol
Thanks for mentioning the French, I should have made a mention of that considering I have a poster with that subtitle staring at me constantly! And yes, I'm not trying to be annoying, but I do like to be a pedant on every small detail for these videos haha. I really need to check out the Rose of Versailles as well as those other works you mentioned, just one of those things that's been on the backlog for way too long (even though I own the first five volumes of the manga)
First! Please keep em coming! I'm currently rewatching for the third time and being able to discover more about the show through these analysis vids is such a treat.
Great video! You covered a lot here. I particularly liked your analysis of the etymology of the Japanese title, as I initially dismissed the connection between "cycle" and "revolution" as a translation accident. I wanna share my own thoughts on cycles in Utena too, as I am tragically in love with this anime. One thing you didn't mention is the cyclicality implied by the existence of the other pink haired student in the Black rose arc as a character foil for Utena. The shared coloration and connection to the bride implies the existence on several cycles of alternate universes with different revolutionary princes. I also think it is interesting to note that Akio was not the first chairman. His position in the academy is one that he is marrying into. A friend and I were talking yesterday about race in Utena, how Akio and Anthy are noticeably othered from the rest of the cast and the European architectural styles. The writers are clearly capable of using motifs from multiple cultures (see Anthy's red wedding dress versus Utena's white one), so the cultural dissonance between the two siblings and the academy itself is almost certainly intentional. While yes, Akio is currently running the system of abuse, he did not create the system. This could imply that Ohtori also cycles through chairmen: the cyclicality of abusers. The repetition with variations between the manga, show, and movie also denotes the cyclical nature of telling and retelling a story. This is helped by the story's status as a fairytale. Retelling is the basis for any folk story. It is how folk stories form, being passed down from generation to generation, often in an oral tradition. By using fairytale archetypes such as princes, princesses, and witches, Utena is placing itself within the cycle of fiction developed over centuries.
Another great analysis vid! Hoping you'll make more of these! I wonder if there could be a another reading of the revolving rose symbols to being like the turning of cogs in a machine.
I also hope to make more of these and I'm really glad people are finding and enjoying them through the youtube algorithm or whatever That's also another reading of the rose which I think is definitely worth exploring. I guess from the perspective of Akio basically everything is under control through the course of the first arc, so to him everything that happens is just the standard workings of the reality he has created--he doesn't see Utena as a threat yet, just someone to help operate a machine
My favorite meaning of the word “revolution” in regards to the title is how it breaks down societal heteronormativity. It calls Utena a revolutionary girl not just because she experiences cycles or is trying to break Anthy out of one, but because she defies gender norms. More so, it’s the fact that she is herself, and comfortable with who she is despite the pushback that allows her to win in the end. In the beginning of the show, she was comfortable because she had the label of prince, and her promise to keep. By the end of the show, she is fully herself because she wants to, and not because she is trying to fit into a role that exists in society. When she finally remembers the whole reason she got into this was to save someone else from the system, she is able to step back and REALLY relinquish that grip society has, thus freeing her from the world. And that’s what it really means for her to be revolutionary. (Also, if you count the movie as simply the next revolution, they get their happy, if not still ambiguous, ending :))
Another thing is how at the end of the black rose duels, they forget about what happened leading up to the duel. In fact, at the end of the complete saga, even Utena seems unaware of all that transpired. Like a reboot after a reboot of the same story. We're back at square one for the final arc.
the title cards from 6:24 on had me cackling lmao
"atonement of the wakaba" hhh
would love a video on the black rose saga btw, it's my favorite arc for sure
yes!! need to watch through the black rose saga again to refresh my memory but definitely at some point
Thank you very much for your Utena video essays. I think you're the first youtuber I've watched that analyzes Japanese in Utena at length, which I found very refreshing. As a linguist, I appreciated that and I'm looking forward to more. I really liked your two video essays so far. I hope you check out BeraBara (Rose of Versailles) that you mentioned before, as well as other works of Ryoko Ikeda (to name another anime which was based on Ryoko Ikeda's manga, I recommend Oniisama e.); I also appreciate other visual references you make in your videos, even the joke ones.
I myself am obsessed with symbolism in Utena, even the symbolic significance of the names of the characters. An obvious example would be Utena and Anthy which I like to read as 'Calyx' and 'Flower', which supports the idea that Utena ('Calyx') is the person who helped Anthy grow up and overcome her abuse, among other things. I also like the symbolism present in the names of Kaoru siblings, with Miki meaning 'tree stump' and Kozue 'tree top', which is explored visually in episode 26 which focuses on Kaoru siblings and features a tree being cut down. I have to point out I don't have much knowledge of Japanese though, so I might be mistaken. I'm interested what are your thoughts on the names of the characters.
I liked how you touched on Buddhism. I'm also interested what are your thougths about the suggested Indian background of Akio and Anthy. You might be interested in Ryan Haecker's essay (ohtori.nu/analysis/01_ryan_haecker_idealist_1.htm#part1), which provides Utena analysis through the of philosophy of Idealism. I also hosted an Utena discussion with Ryan three months ago (vk.com/wall-210514254_37 [the annotation is in Russian because my anime club is Russian; the discussion was conducted in English]) for my anime club and for Empty Movement, the biggest community in Utena fandom to my knowledge. If you're interested, I can share with you the recording of that discussion. You can contact me in Telegram, my handle is nivache. I also highly recommend you to check out Empty Movement website (ohtori.nu) and join the Empty Movement server in Discord (we can chat there as well, my handle on that server is Vicomte Goring).
i am so glad i found your videos. they are so wonderful and inspiring. i had initially dismissed the idea that the name of the show referenced the many cyclical revolutions that take place within it, because i was like "well the japanese word for revolution doesn't also mean "to revolve," but of course the people who made this were like. aware of words.
Well you sure had a lot to say about the word "kakumei" here, love the pedantry, but as a pedant geek myself I think you missed to include something - the french title card! Sure french is the language of romance and an obvious choice for many a shoujo work, but here specifically it is a language that shares english's dual meaning for the word révolution! Furthermore, the phrase used is "La fillette révolutionnaire", fille meaning girl or daughter and ultimately originating from the latin filius meaning son, filia being derived from it. And Rose of Versailles has so much drama, how can you miss it? The manga is more nonconforming than the anime but that is hardly surprising, yet both are so well made, the classical music soundtrack really gives the emotions depth, and it makes a neat line of iterations if you start from Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight - that was inspired by Takarazuka for Versailles and Utena to get their own Takarazuka adaptations, how is that for cycles within cycles lol
Thanks for mentioning the French, I should have made a mention of that considering I have a poster with that subtitle staring at me constantly! And yes, I'm not trying to be annoying, but I do like to be a pedant on every small detail for these videos haha. I really need to check out the Rose of Versailles as well as those other works you mentioned, just one of those things that's been on the backlog for way too long (even though I own the first five volumes of the manga)
First! Please keep em coming! I'm currently rewatching for the third time and being able to discover more about the show through these analysis vids is such a treat.
awesome!!! glad you're enjoying, stay tuned for more
Same. Thanks so much
Another awesome analysis. I love what you have to say about this show.
Great video! You covered a lot here. I particularly liked your analysis of the etymology of the Japanese title, as I initially dismissed the connection between "cycle" and "revolution" as a translation accident.
I wanna share my own thoughts on cycles in Utena too, as I am tragically in love with this anime.
One thing you didn't mention is the cyclicality implied by the existence of the other pink haired student in the Black rose arc as a character foil for Utena. The shared coloration and connection to the bride implies the existence on several cycles of alternate universes with different revolutionary princes.
I also think it is interesting to note that Akio was not the first chairman. His position in the academy is one that he is marrying into. A friend and I were talking yesterday about race in Utena, how Akio and Anthy are noticeably othered from the rest of the cast and the European architectural styles. The writers are clearly capable of using motifs from multiple cultures (see Anthy's red wedding dress versus Utena's white one), so the cultural dissonance between the two siblings and the academy itself is almost certainly intentional. While yes, Akio is currently running the system of abuse, he did not create the system. This could imply that Ohtori also cycles through chairmen: the cyclicality of abusers.
The repetition with variations between the manga, show, and movie also denotes the cyclical nature of telling and retelling a story. This is helped by the story's status as a fairytale. Retelling is the basis for any folk story. It is how folk stories form, being passed down from generation to generation, often in an oral tradition. By using fairytale archetypes such as princes, princesses, and witches, Utena is placing itself within the cycle of fiction developed over centuries.
Another great analysis vid! Hoping you'll make more of these!
I wonder if there could be a another reading of the revolving rose symbols to being like the turning of cogs in a machine.
I also hope to make more of these and I'm really glad people are finding and enjoying them through the youtube algorithm or whatever
That's also another reading of the rose which I think is definitely worth exploring. I guess from the perspective of Akio basically everything is under control through the course of the first arc, so to him everything that happens is just the standard workings of the reality he has created--he doesn't see Utena as a threat yet, just someone to help operate a machine