{"id":6341,"date":"2025-02-21T02:23:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T02:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/utena-a-lynchian-shojo-anime\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T02:23:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T02:23:21","slug":"utena-a-lynchian-shojo-anime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/utena-a-lynchian-shojo-anime\/","title":{"rendered":"Utena: A Lynchian Shojo Anime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/p>\n
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Over the years, both critics and the general public have come to recognize a distinct style in media, often referred to as “Lynchian,” in homage to the way video games<\/a>, movies<\/a>, and TV shows<\/a> evoke the dream-like atmosphere of the late auteur David Lynch<\/a>. Although most media described as Lynchian draws inspiration from seminal works like Twin Peaks<\/em><\/a> through referential nods, no show embodies the ephemeral vibe of Lynch’s opaque-yet-piercing style of storytelling quite like the influential shojo anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Narrative<\/h2>\n

Revolutionary Girl Utena,<\/i> animated by J.C. Staff, is a 1997 anime adaptation of Be-Pas and Chiho Saito’s manga series of the same name. The narrative follows a tomboy princess named Utena Tenjo who, after the death of her parents, encounters a prince who gifts her a rose ring and promises to meet her again in the future. Rather than resign herself to being a princess, Utena decides to live up to the idea of being like the prince who saved her.<\/p>\n

This inevitably leads Utena to become involved in a series of duels with student council members at her school for the right to the Rose Bride, a girl named Anthy Himemiya. While her classmates squabble over ownership of Anthy to gain the power she wields to achieve some ambiguous notion of world revolution (objectifying and abusing her in the process), Utena takes up arms (by drawing a sword from Anthy’s chest) to liberate the Rose Bride from her cruel destiny.<\/p>\n

\"Revolutionary
J.C. Staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At first glance, Revolutionary Girl Utena<\/em> appears to be a flowery fantasy series, with much of the rhythm in the first half of its season devoted to repetitive weekly battles. Without fail, each episode features her adversaries grappling with a vice emblematic of a deadly sin before challenging Utena to a duel. Utena, in a similar manner, ascends a lavish spiral staircase to a caucus anthem with lyrics proclaiming birthrights and destiny; undergoes a fantastical, magical girl transformation; and defeats them (most of the time). Sandwiched between and behind these beats are goofy verging on absurdist anime-isms: eating spicy curry results in a Freaky Friday<\/em> body-swapping; Utena dunks on the boys in basketball as onlookers judge her for being a boy-girl; and the student council schemes while glamorously exposing their peacock chests to the heavens while ghost-riding the whip to the tune of sensual jazz.<\/p>\n

Like Twin Peaks<\/em>, Utena <\/em>establishes a comforting yet off-kilter rhythm that threatens to become aimless. Its overarching mysteries give way to non-sequitur antics, removing any sense that the show is pressed for time to answer anywhere it\u2019s going. When Utena<\/em> really starts feeling like it\u2019s one of those \u201cIt\u2019s about the journey and not the destination\u201d romps, it cranks things up to 11 with a genuinely revolutionary final stretch of episodes.<\/p>\n

\"Revolutionary
J.C. Staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Discovering Meaning in the Absurd<\/h2>\n

Similar to Agent Dale Cooper\u2019s arrival in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks <\/em>as it grapples with the mysterious death of Laura Palmer, Utena\u2019s volley of duels serves a double meaning. Each duel is a character study unto itself where the students of Ootori Academy, including Utena herself, are stuck in time and forced to adapt or die. Not in the literal sense (mostly), but in the metaphorical way of letting go of idolized memories of people and the past they wished would last forever and move forward. Everyone has rose-tinted glasses, preventing them from confronting the illusions proliferating their nostalgia-rich school terrarium. Rather than have Utena play prince by saving Anthy and her adversaries, she pushes them to save themselves.<\/p>\n

Going from a fluttering shojo fantasy series to an existential meditation on par with Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/em> is no small feat, but Utena<\/em> does so gracefully. How it achieves this feat comes from the anime, in true Lynchian fashion, relaying its themes in an evident and roundabout fashion. Much of the former occurs in repetitive line deliveries accompanied by a YouTuber-esque red arrow pointing or dinging at objects the show wants audiences to focus on in a given scene. The latter goes full theater through a play-within-play interlude where silhouettes of two ladies act out seemingly tangential asides that tie directly back into the anime\u2019s themes of love and revolution. While the show gives viewers much to chew on with its heavy-symbolism approach to doling out information, it is also heady with its interpersonal dialogue.<\/p>\n

\"Revolutionary
J.C. Staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whenever characters in Utena feel some way, they express it aggressively. They\u2019ll shout all the air out of their lungs, callously jab at each other\u2019s insecurities, or hold their tongue in such an obvious way that their silence speaks volumes. Although the English dub can easily be accused of being as wooden and awkward as the actors in Twin Peaks<\/em>, you\u2019re never confused by the truths and motivations that drive its characters to achieve their goals. Everything is laid bare for all to see, even if the players don\u2019t realize the truths staring them in the face. As the series treks out of its mid-season lull and barrels toward its \u201cWho Killed Laura Palmer\u201d arc in its Black Rose arc, the show pulls off an astounding feat: transforming irritable and bratty characters like Nanami into some of the series\u2019 strongest characters, making them complex voices of reason.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sunrise\/Crunchyroll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Timeless Influence<\/h2>\n

Visually, Utena<\/em> has been referenced in anime, Western cartoons<\/a>, and comic books like Sailor Moon<\/em>, One Piece<\/em>, Code Geass<\/em>, Fullmetal Alchemist<\/em>, She-Ra, Steven Universe, <\/em>and Scott Pilgrim. <\/em>The series also served as the core premise of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury<\/em><\/a>, which is evident when you consider that anime writer Ichiro Okuouchi contributed to both anime (and Code Geass).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Utena<\/em>\u2018s unassuming character design and premise are one of anime\u2019s best honey traps. Despite its modest appearance, Utena is a shojo series that stands shoulder to shoulder with prominent josei and seinen series like Nana<\/em> <\/a>and Berserk<\/em><\/a>. Similar to the aforementioned titles, Utena<\/em> does not shy away from exploring abusive relationships, struggles for autonomy, and the non-linear steps toward recovery. Its relationships, even those between Utena and Anthy, are messier than they appear. Its sibling relationships, many of which are rife with brother-sister complexes, are even more disturbing. The entire series is overwhelmingly captivating and teeming with gripping twists and revelations.<\/p>\n

While many Utena<\/em> fans will attest to the necessity of multiple rewatches and supplemental YouTube video essays to digest the series\u2019 depth of metaphors, foreshadowing, subtle visual clues that hint at characterization, and where its sequel film (Adolescence of Utena) <\/em>falls in the equation, like any Lynchian work, seeking concrete and clinical intent behind the \u201cwhy\u201d to its artistic and narrative choices matters far less than the gut feeling you have as you walk away from the show\u2019s 39th episode. You can glean any array of meanings from the anime, be it butting against the patriarchy, not-so-subtle queer representation, or how seeking comfort in nostalgia will stifle revolutions of the heart. No matter how you look at it, Revolutionary Girl Utena<\/em><\/a> is a Lynchian anime that was both ahead of its time and timeless.<\/p>\n

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Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n
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