View source for Revolutionary Girl Utena

{{Short description|Japanese anime series}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name = Revolutionary Girl Utena
| image = Revolutionary Girl Utena logo 20170127.svg
| caption = 
| ja_kanji = 少女革命ウテナ
| ja_romaji = Shōjo Kakumei Utena
| alt = Series logo, depicting the words 少女革命ウテナ ("Shōjo Kakumei Utena") in stylized text
| genre = {{ubl|[[Magical girl]]{{sfn|Friedman|2022|p=107}}|[[Surrealism|Surrealist]]{{sfn|Thew|2018|loc=''Revolutionary Girl Utena''}}|[[Romanticism|Romance]]{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}}}
| creator = [[Be-Papas]]
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type = tv series
| director = [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]]
| producer = {{ubl|Noriko Kobayashi (TV Tokyo)|Shinichi Ikeda (Yomiko Advertising)}}
| writer = [[Yōji Enokido]]
| music = [[Shinkichi Mitsumune]]
| studio = [[J.C.Staff]]
| licensee = {{English anime licensee|AUS=Hanabee|NA=[[Crunchyroll]]{{efn|Through [[Right Stuf Inc.|Nozomi Entertainment]].}}|UK=[[Anime Limited]]}}
| network = [[TX Network|TXN]] ([[TV Tokyo]])
| network_en = {{English anime network
|US=[[Anime Network]], [[Funimation Channel]], [[Neon Alley]]
}}
| first  = April 2, 1997
| last = December 24, 1997
| episodes = 39
| episode_list = List of Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type = manga
| author = {{ubl|[[Chiho Saito]] (author)|Be-Papas (original story)}}
| illustrator = Chiho Saito
| publisher = [[Shogakukan]]
| publisher_en = {{English manga publisher|NA=[[Viz Media]]}}
| demographic = {{transliteration|ja|[[Shōjo manga|Shōjo]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|[[Josei manga|josei]]}}
| imprint = Flower Comics
| magazine = [[Ciao (magazine)|Ciao]], [[Betsucomi|Bessatsu Shōjo Comic Special]], [[Flowers (magazine)|Flowers]]
| magazine_en = [[Animerica Extra]]
| first = '''Initial run'''<br/>May 2, 1996  –<br/>March 20, 1998<br/>'''''Adolescence of Utena'''''<br/>May 5, 1999 –<br />September 5, 1999<br/>'''''After the Revolution'''''<br/> July 28, 2017
| last = March 28, 2018
| volumes = 7
| volume_list = List of Revolutionary Girl Utena chapters
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
|title           = Film
|content         = * ''[[Adolescence of Utena]]'' (1999)
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer|portal=yes}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Revolutionary Girl Utena'''''|少女革命ウテナ|Shōjo Kakumei Utena|lead=yes}}{{Efn|Also stylized as '''''Utena la Fillette Révolutionnaire''''' ({{trans}} 'Utena the Revolutionary Girl')}} is a Japanese [[anime]] television series created by [[Be-Papas]], a production group formed by director [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]] and composed of himself, [[Chiho Saito]], [[Shinya Hasegawa]], [[Yōji Enokido]] and [[Yūichirō Oguro]]. The series was produced by [[J.C.Staff]] and originally aired on [[TV Tokyo]] from April to December 1997. ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' follows Utena Tenjou, a teenaged girl who is drawn into a [[Duel|sword dueling]] tournament to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a mysterious girl known as the "Rose Bride" who possesses the "power to revolutionize the world".

Ikuhara was a director on [[Sailor Moon (TV series)|the television anime adaptation]] of ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' at [[Toei Animation]] in the 1990s; after growing frustrated by the lack of creative control in directing an adapted work, he departed the company in 1996 to create an original series. While he initially conceived of ''Utena'' as a mainstream [[Shōjo manga|{{transliteration|ja|shōjo}}]] (girls' anime and [[manga]]) series aimed at capitalizing on the commercial success of ''Sailor Moon'', the direction of the series shifted dramatically during production towards an [[avant-garde]] and [[Surrealism|surrealist]] tone. The series has been described as a deconstruction and subversion of [[fairy tales]] and the [[magical girl]] genre of {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, making heavy use of allegory and symbolism to comment on themes of gender, sexuality, and coming-of-age. Its visual and narrative style is characterized by a sense of theatrical presentation and staging, drawing inspiration from the all-female Japanese theater troupe the [[Takarazuka Revue]], as well as the [[experimental theater]] of [[Shūji Terayama]], whose frequent collaborator [[J. A. Seazer]] created the songs featured in the series.

''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' has been the subject of both domestic and international critical acclaim, and has received many accolades. It has been praised for its treatment of [[LGBT]] themes and subject material, and has influenced subsequent animated works. A manga adaptation of ''Utena'' written and illustrated by Saito was developed contemporaneously with the anime series, and was serialized in the manga magazine ''[[Ciao (magazine)|Ciao]]'' beginning in 1996. In 1999, Be-Papas produced the film ''[[Adolescence of Utena]]'' as a follow-up to the television anime series. The series has had several iterations of physical release, including a remaster overseen by Ikuhara in 2008. In North America, ''Utena'' was initially distributed by [[Central Park Media]] starting in 1998; the license for the series has been held by [[Crunchyroll]] since its 2023 acquisition of [[Right Stuf]] and its subsidiary Nozomi Entertainment, which acquired the license for ''Utena'' in 2010.

==Plot==
{{see also|List of Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes|l1=List of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' episodes}}
''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' is divided into three [[story arcs]]: the "Student Council Saga" (episodes 1–12), the "Black Rose Saga" (episodes 13–24), and the "Apocalypse Saga" (episodes 25–39).{{sfn|Minami|1997|pp=4–8}}{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=120–121|loc="Ending Animation: The Making Of"}}

As a child, Utena Tenjou was given a rose-engraved [[Seal (emblem)#Signet rings|signet ring]] by a traveling prince, who promised her that they would one day meet again. Inspired by the encounter, Utena vowed to one day "become a prince" herself. Years later, a teenaged Utena is a student at Ohtori Academy, an exclusive [[boarding school]]. She finds herself drawn into a [[Duel|sword dueling]] tournament with the school's Student Council, whose members wear signet rings identical to her own. The duelists compete to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a mysterious student known as the "Rose Bride" who is said to possess the "power to revolutionize the world". Utena emerges victorious in her first duel; obliged to defend her position as the Rose Bride's fiancée, she decides to remain in the tournament to protect Anthy from those who seek the power of the Rose Bride for themselves.

After dueling and achieving victory over the council, Utena is confronted by Souji Mikage, a student prodigy who uses his powers of persuasion and knowledge of psychology to manipulate others into becoming duelists. Mikage aims to kill Anthy to install Mamiya Chida, a terminally ill boy, as the Rose Bride. Utena defeats each of Mikage's duelists, and ultimately Mikage himself. Following his defeat, Mikage vanishes from Ohtori Academy, and the denizens of the school seemingly forget that he ever existed. It transpires that Akio Ohtori, the school's chairman and Anthy's brother, was using Mikage as part of a plot to obtain the "power of eternity". Mamiya was in truth a disguised Anthy, who assisted Akio in his manipulation of Mikage.

Akio appears before each of the Student Council members, and takes them to a place he refers to as "the end of the world". Following their encounters with Akio, each of the Council members face Utena in rematches. Utena defeats the Council members once more, and is called to the dueling arena to meet the prince from her past. She discovers that the prince was Akio, and that he intends to use her and Anthy to gain the power of eternity for himself. Utena duels Akio to free Anthy from his influence; Anthy, complicit in her brother's scheme, intervenes and stabs Utena through the back. Akio attempts and fails to open the sealed gate that holds the power; a gravely injured Utena pries the gate open, where she discovers Anthy inside. Utena reaches out to her, and they briefly join hands as the dueling arena crumbles around them.

Utena vanishes from Ohtori Academy, and all save for Akio and Anthy begin to forget her existence. Akio comments that Utena failed to bring about a revolution, and that he intends to begin a new attempt to attain the power of eternity; Anthy responds that Utena has merely left Ohtori Academy, and that she intends to do the same. Anthy solemnly vows to find Utena, and departs from Akio and the school.

==Characters==
{{Main|List of Revolutionary Girl Utena characters|l1=List of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' characters}}
[[File:Characters of Revolutionary Girl Utena.png|thumb|upright=1.1|The primary cast of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', illustrated by Shinya Hasegawa based on designs by Chiho Saito|alt=A collaged image of nine anime anime figures]]
The majority of the characters in ''Utena'' are school-aged adolescents whose character arcs focus on their psychological and moral growth into adulthood, in the tradition of a ''[[bildungsroman]]'' or [[coming-of-age story]].{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=208}} Series writer [[Yōji Enokido]] identified characters who reckon with the transition from youth to maturity by attempting to regress and "take back what they can't ever return" as a major theme for the series,{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} and director [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]] stated that he developed the cast of ''Utena'' using the self-described rule to "never give a character only one personality".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}}

The character designs for the series were created by [[Chiho Saito]] based on direction from Ikuhara,{{efn|Ikuhara rejected Saito's earliest designs because he felt the costumes were too reminiscent of the [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]] genres, prompting Saito to adopt the military-style uniforms that ultimately appear in the series.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/>}} which were then adapted for use in the television [[anime]] series by [[Shinya Hasegawa]].{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=14–15}} Hasegawa stated that he was attracted to ''Utena'' as a project because of Saito's art style, distinguished by characters with slender bodies, long limbs, pointed chins, and large eyes,{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=307}} as well as by a stylized focus on the dramatized body movement of characters.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=16–17}} He commented that Saito's style deviated from the "anime-like" art that was popular in [[manga]] of the era, and thus presented a compelling challenge to adapt into anime.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=14–15}}

The title character of the series is Utena Tenjou, a middle school-aged girl who seeks to emulate the noble disposition of the prince she encountered in her youth. She is courageous, forthright, and kind, if somewhat naïve and impulsive. Utena is distinguished by her [[tomboy]]ish demeanor and manner of dress, particularly her insistence on wearing a boys' [[School uniforms in Japan|school uniform]].{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=306}} Ikuhara has characterized Utena as embodying the traits of both a [[Romance fiction|romance]] heroine and a [[romanticism|romanticist]] hero, describing her in this regard as someone "who has at the same time both the romance of a girl and the romance of a boy."{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} Utena is voiced by [[Tomoko Kawakami]] in Japanese; the magazine ''[[Animage]]'' noted the role as playing against type for the actress, having made a career voicing "boisterous {{transliteration|ja|[[gyaru]]}}-type characters".{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=30}} She secured the role in part because she did not read the character description before auditioning and thus spoke naturally, contrasting other actresses who put on a masculine voice.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=30}} Kawakami stated that she wished to communicate Utena's "friendly, good nature and how admirable she is to everyone, while not overdoing the boyishness" in her performance.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997a|pp=20–21}}

After Utena is drawn into the dueling tournament with the school's Student Council – president Touga Kiryuu, his sister Nanami Kiryuu, vice president Kyouichi Saionji, fencing team captain Juri Arisugawa, and boy genius Miki Kaoru – she is introduced to Anthy Himemiya, the mysterious "Rose Bride" at the center of the duels. As the Rose Bride, Anthy is submissive to the personality and disposition of whomever is the current champion of the tournament, and possesses seemingly no free will or independent identity of her own.{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=173}} Though at first glance Anthy resembles a stereotypical [[damsel in distress]] defined by her passivity and demureness, as the series progresses, she is revealed to occupy a central role in controlling the duels and the school itself with her brother Akio Ohtori.{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|pp=175–176}} In early development, Ikuhara conceived of Utena and Anthy as a single character: a girl "who wants to be a prince, but at the same time also wanted to remain a princess".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}} He ultimately split the character in two, Anthy becoming "another Utena" who by contrast wishes to "remain a princess".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}} Ikuhara stated that he consciously crafted the plot and visuals of ''Utena'' to create a strong impression on the viewer that the series would climax with Utena saving Anthy, but the lingering question of "but what does she save Anthy ''from''?" becomes, per Ikuhara, the "central issue" of the series.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}}

==Development==
===Context===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = "There's this sort of element of robot wrestling that started with ''[[Mazinger Z]]'', and from that trend sprang forth ''[[Gundam]]''. ''Gundam'' is an anime made for those who grew up watching [[Mecha anime and manga|robot anime]]. You could say that I created ''Utena'' because I thought that some viewers had been trained by watching ''Sailor Moon'' and the like."
 |author = – Kunihiko Ikuhara{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=22–23}}
 |width  = 30%
 |align = left
 |border   = none
}}
[[Kunihiko Ikuhara]] was a director at [[Toei Animation]] on the television anime series ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]]'' in the 1990s, co-directing [[Sailor Moon R|its second season]] with [[Junichi Sato]], and serving as the sole director of its [[Sailor Moon S|third season]], [[Sailor Moon SuperS|fourth season]], and the animated film ''[[Sailor Moon R: The Movie]]''.{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=10}} Frustrated by the lack of creative control in producing a series adapted from [[Sailor Moon (manga)|an existing work]], Ikuhara departed Toei in 1996 to create an original series.{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=172}} To this end, Ikuhara assembled [[Be-Papas]], a group of creative professionals from the anime and manga industry. Its membership consisted of Ikuhara, manga artist [[Chiho Saito]], animator and character designer [[Shinya Hasegawa]], scriptwriter [[Yōji Enokido]], and planner [[Yūichirō Oguro]].{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=5}}

Several of the members of Be-Papas had previously worked together: Hasegawa and Enokido had previously worked with Ikuhara on ''Sailor Moon'', where Enokido wrote many of the episodes featuring [[Sailor Uranus]] and [[Sailor Neptune]];{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} Hasegawa and Enokido had also both worked on the anime series ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=14–15}} Saito was an established manga artist who had not previously worked with the members of Be-Papas, or in anime; Ikuhara decided to base the visuals of the series on her artwork and recruited her to Be-Papas after seeing an illustration from her manga series ''[[Waltz in a White Dress|Magnolia Waltz]]'' on the cover of a magazine.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=14–15}}<ref name="ep37-commentary"/>

===Planning===
[[File:1954-11 Takarazuka-Revue Kimi-no-Na-ha.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Takarazuka Revue]] (pictured 1954), an all-female Japanese theater troupe, was a major influence on ''Revolutionary Girl Utena''.|alt=A historical photograph of a stage performance; all of the actors are women, some of whom are cross-dressing]]
Initially, Ikuhara envisioned ''Utena'' as a mainstream [[Shōjo manga|{{transliteration|ja|shōjo}}]] (girls' anime and manga) series aimed at capitalizing on the commercial success of ''Sailor Moon''; Saito characterized the earliest discussions on ''Utena'' as focused on creating a series "that people will like and [will] be profitable".<ref name="ep37-commentary"/> The earliest concepts for ''Utena'' deviated significantly from what became the final series: an initial pitch to project financers was titled ''Revolutionary Girl Utena Kiss'', and focused on a group of female warriors called the "Neo Elegansar" who battled "the end of the world".<ref name="ANN2"/>{{efn|This plot was based on a concept for a scrapped ''[[Sailor Moon SuperS]]'' film Ikuhara had been slated to direct, which would have involved Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and the concept of "the end of the world".<ref name="IRC"/>}} Per Oguro, a basic series concept of "a romantic action show starring a pretty girl who wears boys' clothes" that had a "[[Takarazuka Revue|Takarazuka]] style" was eventually settled on.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} A school setting was also determined in this early concept phase, though other concepts such as the duels and the "Rose Bride" would not be formulated until later in development.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}

Although the concept for ''Utena'' originated from Ikuhara, the series as a whole was developed collectively by Be-Papas.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=5}} The group entered a six-month planning period after Saito joined Be-Papas,<ref name="ep37-commentary"/> which focused on fleshing out the story and setting, as well as determining how Saito's visual style could best be imported into anime.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} Saito also began to contemporaneously write and illustrate a manga adaptation of ''Utena'' while contributing to the development of the anime series.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=5}}

''Utena'' draws inspiration from several sources – ''Animage'' described the series as "influenced by [Ikuhara's] idiosyncrasies"{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=5}} – including the Takarazuka Revue,<ref name="ep38-commentary"/> the artwork of [[Jun'ichi Nakahara]],<ref name="ActualSexuality"/> [[Hermann Hesse]]'s novel ''[[Demian]]'',{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}} and the experimental theater of [[Shūji Terayama]].<ref name="ActualSexuality"/> Saito cited the manga series {{transliteration|ja|[[Kaze to Ki no Uta]]}}{{sfn|Saito|2016}} and [[The Three Musketeers (1973 live-action film)|the 1973 film adaptation]] of ''[[The Three Musketeers]]''{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} as among the influences that informed her contributions to ''Utena''. Ikuhara has stated that although he "wouldn't be able to avoid it being said" that ''Utena'' was influenced by ''[[Princess Knight]]'' and ''[[The Rose of Versailles]]'' – two {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga series famous for their cross-dressing, sword-fighting heroines – throughout the development of ''Utena'', he was possessed of an "immense fear" that the series would be seen merely as a parody of those works.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/> Saito stated that she was hired to join the otherwise all-male Be-Papas in part because they were concerned that without a female perspective they would create a parody of {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, which was not their intention.{{sfn|Saito|2016}}

===Production===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = "The project went in an entirely different direction without my knowledge. Maybe the revolution had already completed itself inside Mr. Ikuhara's head, and maybe that's why it ended up like this? [...] I don't think of it as I was tricked, but I watched in amazement how [Ikuhara] went ahead with it without ever turning back."
 |author = – Chiho Saito<ref name="ep37-commentary"/>
 |width  = 30%
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Shortly after Saito's manga adaptation of ''Utena'' began serialization in 1996, negotiations for the broadcast of the ''Utena'' television anime were settled, and production began.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} Be-Papas served as the primary production staff for ''Utena'', with animation production completed by the animation studio [[J.C.Staff]].{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=5}}

Ikuhara's ambitions for ''Utena'' shifted dramatically after the series commenced production. Believing that the series required "a unique individuality"{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} if it was to find an audience, he abandoned his previous goal of a mass-market hit in favor of more non-commercial aspirations.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}}{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=11:55}} To this end, he began to incorporate a variety of avant-garde elements into the series, such as theatrical-inspired layouts, a recurring [[shadow play]] segment that allegorically comments on the events of each episode, and the experimental [[choral]] music of composer [[J. A. Seazer]].{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}

Enokido characterized the production of ''Utena'' as marked by "an agreeable sense of tension" between the members of Be-Papas.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} As the direction of the series shifted away from its original commercial focus, production became what Oguro described as a "tug-of-war" between Saito and Ikuhara, as Saito advocated for the original romantic concept for the series over Ikuhara's new, more esoteric vision.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}} Ikuhara and Saito particularly quarreled over whether the series should depict the relationship between Utena and Anthy as a romance, and at one point during production did not speak to each other for a period of three months.{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=19:35}} Saito was initially opposed, not out of an ideological opposition to depicting a same-sex romance, but because she believed the mainstream {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} audience the series was ostensibly attempting to court would respond poorly to anything other than a male-female romance.{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=19:56}} Ikuhara would conceal the extent to which he intended to present Utena and Anthy's relationship as a romance from Saito throughout production;<ref name="ep37-commentary"/> Saito ultimately expressed support for how the series presented the relationship between the characters.{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=19:35}}

Key individuals involved in the production of ''Utena'' beyond the membership of Be-Papas included Shingo Kaneko and Tōru Takahashi, who served under Ikuhara as [[assistant director]]s. Kaneko described incorporating a "cinematic sensibility" for ''Utena'' that actively incorporated twists and tricks; Takahashi was initially recruited to the project as an animator by Hasegawa, as they were attending the same vocational school, but was made a director after he expressed his aspiration to do so to Ikuhara.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|pp=12-13}} [[Hiroshi Nagahama]] was the conceptual designer for the series, designing the dueling area and the Ohtori Academy school buildings.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997a|p=20-21}} Nagahama compared the design process for ''Utena'' to creating a [[Scenic design|stage set]], with a focus only on what is seen by the audience.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=21}} [[Background artist|Background art]] was created by {{ill|Shichirō Kobayashi|ja|小林七郎}}, based on initial designs by Nagahama,{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=27}} and [[Mamoru Hosoda]] and [[Takuya Igarashi]] were among the [[storyboard artist]]s for the series.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=29}}

===Style===
[[File:Revolutionary Girl Utena Animation frame.png|thumb|upright=1.1|The series makes use of various stylistic flourishes, including the marking of character introductions and significant plot moments with a decorative frame.|alt=A screencap of Utena with her hands on her hips, surrounded by a decorative black frame anchored by illustrations of roses]]
''Utena'' is characterized by a high degree of stylization that integrates [[Surrealism|surrealist]] and [[expressionism|expressionist]] elements to communicate mood and convey allegorical meaning.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/>{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=307}} Enokido described a sense of "theatrical staging and presentation" as one of the core elements of ''Utena'', while Ikuhara has stated that he wanted from the early stages of development for the series to be "operatic".{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997a|p=16}} The series makes use of multiple stylistic flourishes, including the marking of character introductions and other significant plot moments with a decorative black frame anchored by spinning roses, which staff on the series referred to as an "attention mark".{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=307}}{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=19}} Certain recurring segments such as Utena's entry to the dueling arena make use of long segments of animation and music that are identical (or nearly identical) from episode to episode,{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=307}}{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=181}} as analogous to the recurring [[transformation scene]]s from ''Sailor Moon''.{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=181}} The duels are themselves heavily stylized, in a manner that scholar and critic [[Susan J. Napier]] notes is reminiscent of the ritualized performance style of [[Noh]] theater.{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=173}}{{efn|Ikuhara described directing the duel segments as "such a pain", as there is "a limit to the visual variations" that can be expressed in a standard sword duel. According to Ikuhara, Enokido enthusiastically advocated early in development for the characters to duel with guns rather than swords, which Ikuhara vetoed.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/>}}

Narratively, the series has been described by critics as a deconstruction of [[fairy tale]] narratives and a subversion of the [[magical girl]] genre of {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga.<ref>Described as such by: {{harvnb|Thew|2018|loc=''Revolutionary Girl Utena''}}; {{harvnb|Camp|Davis|2007|p=306}}; {{harvnb|Napier|2005|p=173}}; and {{harvnb|Kotani|2006|p=165}}.</ref> Napier notes how the series uses the narrative and visual aesthetics of these categories, such as princes, castles, romance, [[Bishōnen|beautiful boys]], and [[Bishōjo|beautiful girls]], to "critique the illusions they offer".{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=175–176}} Ikuhara has described directing certain early episodes of the series such as "On the Night of the Ball" specifically to be "uncomfortably stereotypical[ly] {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}}" to "strongly impress upon the audience that this was a '{{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga anime{{'"}} and establish the tropes that the series intended to subvert.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}} In discussing his aspirations for ''Utena'' in regards to {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, Ikuhara stated that he wished to create the series as a {{nihongo||総括して|soukatsu shite|'summarization' or 'sum up'}}, an "anime that rounded up all the {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga into one" and which expressed all of the broader themes of the genre in a single work.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/>

==Releases==
''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' was originally broadcast weekly on [[TV Tokyo]] from April 2 to December 24, 1997.{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=164}}{{sfn|Kotani|2006|p=162}} The series consists of two seasons, respectively composed of episodes 1 to 24 and episodes 25 to 39,{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=120–121|loc="Ending Animation: The Making Of"}} and was originally produced on [[16 mm film]].{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=111–115|loc="HD Video Remastering: Interview With The Staff"}} The series has had several iterations of physical releases in Japan, including a VHS and [[LaserDisc]] release beginning in 1997,<ref name="JPVHS"/> and a DVD release beginning in 1999.<ref name="JPDVD"/> A remastering of the series overseen by Ikuhara{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=111–115|loc="HD Video Remastering: Interview With The Staff"}} was published as two boxed DVD sets released in 2008 and 2009,<ref name="JPRemasteredDVD"/> and as two boxed Blu-Ray sets released in 2013.<ref name="JPRemasteredBD"/> A limited edition boxed set collecting the entire series on Blu-Ray was released in 2017 in commemoration of the series' 20th anniversary.<ref name="JPRemasteredBDBox"/>

In North America, licensing for ''Utena'' was overseen by [[Enoki Films USA]]; the company produced a [[proof of concept]] for potential distributors that localized ''Utena'' for Western audiences, giving the characters English names and re-titling the series ''Ursula's Kiss''.<ref name="UrsulasKiss"/> North American distribution rights were first acquired by [[Central Park Media]], which released both English [[Dubbing|dubbed]] and subtitled editions of the series that preserved the original series title and character names.<ref name="CPMAoA"/> Central Park released the first thirteen episodes of the series on VHS beginning in 1998; due to licensing issues, the company did not release the series in full until its DVD release beginning in 2002.<ref name="CPVHSDVD"/><ref name="CentralParkVHS"/> Central Park's licenses were [[Liquidation|liquidated]] after the company declared bankruptcy in 2009,<ref name="CPBankruptcy"/> and the North American license to ''Utena'' was acquired by [[Right Stuf]] under its Nozomi Entertainment label in 2010.<ref name="RightStuf0"/><ref name="RightStuf1"/><ref name="RightStuf2"/> The company released the series on DVD in 2011,<ref name="EngDVD"/> the remastered edition of the series on Blu-Ray in 2017,<ref name="NozomiBluray"/> and its own 20th anniversary series boxed set in 2018.<ref name="NozomiBoxSet"/> Right Stuf and its subsidiaries were acquired by [[Crunchyroll LLC|Crunchyroll]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mateo |first1=Alex |title=Right Stuf Phases Out, Migrates All Products to Crunchyroll Store on October 10 (Updated) |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-09-22/right-stuf-phases-out-migrates-all-products-to-crunchyroll-store-on-october-10/.202711 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=November 11, 2023 |date=September 22, 2023 |archive-date=September 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922190351/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-09-22/right-stuf-phases-out-migrates-all-products-to-crunchyroll-store-on-october-10/.202711 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Outside of North America, ''Utena'' is licensed by [[Anime Limited]] in the United Kingdom<ref name="AnimeLimited"/> and Hanabee in Australia.<ref name="Hanabee"/> International broadcast and streaming rights for ''Utena'' have alternately been acquired by a variety of channels and streaming services, including [[FUNimation Channel]] in 2007,<ref name="FunimationChannel"/> [[Anime Network]] in 2009,<ref name="AnimeNetwork"/> [[Neon Alley]] in 2013,<ref name="NeonAlley"/> [[Funimation]] in 2020,<ref name="FuniStreaming"/> and [[Crunchyroll]] in 2021.<ref name="Crunchyroll"/>

==Related media==
===Manga===
{{see also|List of Revolutionary Girl Utena chapters|l1=List of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' chapters}}

Contemporaneous with the development of the anime series, Chiho Saito wrote and illustrated a manga adaptation of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', which was serialized in the manga magazine ''[[Ciao (magazine)|Ciao]]'' beginning in 1996.{{sfn|Minami|1997|p=48}} Saito also published a [[One-shot (comics)|one-shot]] in ''Ciao'' titled ''The Rose Seal'' which depicts Utena before to her transfer to Ohtori Academy,{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=19}} as well as a manga adaptation of the film ''Adolescence of Utena'' in ''[[Betsucomi|Bessatsu Shōjo Comic Special]]''.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=11}} An English-language translation of the manga has been published by [[Viz Media]],<ref name="EngManga"/> which also serialized the ''Utena'' manga in its manga magazine ''[[Animerica Extra]]''.<ref name="AnimericaExtra"/>

Unlike the majority of manga series that are adapted either into or from an anime, the plots of the ''Utena'' manga and anime deviate significantly from each other.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=6}} These differences in plot, such as the manga's increased focus on the relationship between Utena and Touga,{{sfn|Minami|1997|p=48}} were in part a function of the fact that Saito began to write and illustrate the manga before the anime series went into production.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=6}} She attempted to incorporate as much material as possible from the scripts Enokido had completed,{{Sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1999|p=9}} but was frequently required to use her own judgement in rendering aspects of the story that the anime would ultimately depict in an entirely different manner.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=6}} ''[[Animerica]]'' described the production of the manga adaptation as "one that got its inspiration largely through [Saito's] own confusion about what exactly she was supposed to show, and Ikuhara's own vague answers to her questions."{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=6}} Saito changed editors five times during the manga's year-and-a-half long serialization as a result of the confusion around its production.<ref name="ep37-commentary"/>

A sequel to the ''Utena'' manga series, ''Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution'', was announced in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series.<ref name="ATR1"/> Written and illustrated by Saito, the three-chapter series depicts the lives of the primary cast following their departure from Ohtori Academy, and was serialized in the manga magazine ''[[Flowers (magazine)|Flowers]]'' from July 2017 to March 2018.<ref name="ATR2"/><ref name="ATR3"/><ref name="ATR4"/>

===Soundtrack and music===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = "J.A. Seazer was a charismatic idol of the [[1968–1969 Japanese university protests|student activists in the late 1960s]]. I found about J.A. Seazer when the student movement in Japan was over. But his music still carried all the energy from the times of the student movement. And that was the scream wanting to change the world."
 |author = – Kunihiko Ikuhara<ref name="IRC"/>
 |width  = 30%
 |border  = none
}}
[[Shinkichi Mitsumune]] scored ''Utena'', and the songs in the series are Mitsumune's rearrangements of songs by composer [[J. A. Seazer]].{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} Each episode typically features two songs that play as [[incidental music]]: "{{transliteration|ja|Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku}}" ({{trans}} "Absolute Destiny Apocalypse"), which appears as a recurring theme as Utena enters the dueling arena, and a song unique to each episode that plays during the duel itself. The duel songs function similarly to a [[Greek chorus]], commenting on the motivations of the duelists through allegorical lyrics that feature references to religious, scientific, and arcane subjects.{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=17}} The songs are performed by a choir; Ikuhara and Mitsumune participate on some choruses.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=19}}

Seazer originally produced the songs featured in the series as part of his experimental theater company {{ill|Engeki Jikken-Shitsu: Banyu Inryoku|ja|演劇実験室◎万有引力|lt={{transliteration|ja|Engeki Jikken-Shitsu: Banyu Inryoku}}}} ({{lit}} 'Experimental Laboratory of Theatre: Universal Gravitation').{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=9}} Ikuhara was significantly influenced by Seazer and {{transliteration|ja|[[Tenjō Sajiki]]}}, an experimental theater company established by dramatist [[Shūji Terayama]] where Seazer served as co-director and composer; following Terayama's death, Seazer founded {{transliteration|ja|Banyu Inryoku}} as its successor.{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997a|pp=20–21}} Ikuhara had long sought to work with Seazer, describing the experience as "fulfill[ing] the dream I had from my teenage years",<ref name="IRC"/> but noted that the financers for ''Utena'' were strongly opposed to using Seazer's music, owing to its highly avant-garde style.<ref name="ep38-commentary"/> Seazer agreed to participate in ''Utena'' in part because he was a fan of ''Sailor Moon''.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}

The series' [[Theme music|theme song]] is "[[Rondo-Revolution]]", written and performed by [[Masami Okui]], and composed and arranged by [[Toshiro Yabuki]].{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=34}} Ikuhara told Okui to "think of this as a song that will play during the story's last scene" when writing "Rondo-Revolution", though at the time he had not yet decided what the last scene would be beyond a vague concept of two people parting from each other.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=118–119|loc="Rondo Revolution: Kunihiko Ikuhara's Thoughts"}} Ikuhara sent several key phrases to Okui use as lyrics, including "sunlit garden", "revolutionize", "lose everything", "strip down to nothing at all", and "change the world".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=118–119|loc="Rondo Revolution: Kunihiko Ikuhara's Thoughts"}} The series uses two ending themes: episodes 1 to 24 use "Truth", performed by {{ill|Luca Yumi|ja|裕未瑠華}} with lyrics by [[Shoko Fujibayashi]];{{sfn|Animage Editorial Department|1997b|p=34}} episodes 25 to 38 use "Virtual Star Embryology", performed by Maki Kamiya with lyrics by Seazer.{{sfn|Minami|1997|p=48}} The final episode uses a [[Scat singing|scat]] version of "Rondo-Revolution" performed by Okui as its ending theme.<ref name="ep39-commentary"/>

===Film===
{{Main|Adolescence of Utena|l1=''Adolescence of Utena''}}
Shortly after the conclusion of the ''Utena'' anime television series, Be-Papas announced plans to release a feature film follow-up to the series.<ref name="ep39-commentary"/> The film, titled ''[[Adolescence of Utena]]'', was released in theaters in Japan on August 14, 1999.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=11}} The film occupies an ambiguous place in the broader ''Utena'' canon, and has been alternately interpreted as a stand-alone adaptation that exists in its own continuity, and as a sequel that is contiguous with the events of the anime series.{{sfn|Davis|Flanagan|2001|p=11}}<ref name="AoUReview"/>

===Stage musicals===
Several musical adaptations of ''Utena'' have been produced, beginning with ''Comedie Musicale Utena: La Fillette Révolutionnaire'' in December 1997. The musical was directed by [[Yūji Mitsuya]], staged at the Hakuhinkan Theater in Tokyo, and featured an all-female Takarazuka-inspired cast.{{sfn|Rotondi|2011|p=619}} This was followed by ''Revolutionary Girl Utena Hell Rebirth Apocalypse: Advent of the Nirvanic Beauty'' in 1999 by director Ei Takatori, and ''Revolutionary Girl Utena: Choros Imaginary Living Body'' in 2000, which starred [[AKB48]] member Mayu Watari as Utena.<ref name="CBRMusical1"/>

A series of [[2.5D musical]] adaptations were announced in 2017 as part of a commemoration project to mark the 20th anniversary of the ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' anime.<ref name="CBRMusical2"/> The first musical, ''Revolutionary Girl Utena: Bud of the White Rose'', was staged in 2018 and adapts the [[List of Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes#Student Council Saga|Student Council Saga]] from the original anime.<ref name="BUDWHITE"/> A sequel adapting the [[List of Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes#Black Rose Saga|Black Rose Saga]], ''Revolutionary Girl Utena: Blooming Rose of Deepest Black'', was staged in 2019, with the cast and director of ''Bud of the White Rose'' reprising their roles.<ref name="DEEPESTBLACK"/>

Ikuhara has discussed the early stage adaptations of ''Utena'' in ambivalent terms, stating that "it looks extremely cheesy" when the theatrical visuals of ''Utena'' are rendered as literal theater.<ref name="ep39-commentary"/> He served as a supervisor on the 2018 and 2019 musicals,<ref name="BUDWHITE"/> noting that he had previously refused multiple offers to adapt ''Utena'' into a 2.5D musical, but relented after a producer convinced him that it would be a good way to introduce the series to a younger generation.<ref name="SpecialConversation"/>

===Other media===
Two [[light novels]] written by [[Ichirō Ōkouchi]] with illustrations by Chiho Saito, titled {{nihongo|''Shōjo Kakumei Utena: Aoi no Futaki''|少女革命ウテナ – 蒼の双樹||{{lit}} 'Revolutionary Girl Utena: Twin Saplings'}} and {{nihongo|''Shōjo Kakumei Utena: Midori no Omoi''|少女革命ウテナ – 翠の思い||{{lit}} 'Revolutionary Girl Utena: Verdant Hopes'}}, were published by [[Shogakukan]] in 1997 and 1998, respectively.<ref>{{cite book |script-title=ja:少女革命ウテナ〈1〉蒼の双樹 (パレット文庫) |trans-title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: Twin Saplings |publisher=Shogakukan |year=1997 |id={{ASIN|4094202439|country=jp}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |script-title=ja:少女革命ウテナ〈2〉翠の想い (パレット文庫) |trans-title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: Verdant Hopes |publisher=Shogakukan |year=1998 |id = {{ASIN|4094202447|country=jp}}}}</ref> A [[video game]], {{nihongo|''Shōjo Kakumei Utena: Itsuka Kakumeisareru Monogatari''|少女革命ウテナ いつか革命される物語||{{lit}} 'Revolutionary Girl Utena: Story of the Someday Revolution'}}, was developed and published by [[Sega]] for the [[Sega Saturn]] in 1998.<ref name="VideoGame"/> A [[visual novel]] with [[dating sim]] elements, the game tells an original story about the player character (voiced by [[Kaoru Fujino]]), a transfer student at Ohtori Academy. The voice cast of the anime series reprise their roles for the game.{{sfn|Softbank Creative Editorial Department|1998|p=8}}

==Themes and analysis==
===Gender===
Utena's desire to "become a prince" does not refer to a literal desire to become royalty or change her gender, but rather to her desire to exhibit qualities of courage, compassion, and strength that represent an ideal of princeliness.{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=212}}{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=174}} "Being a prince" thus constitutes a body of ideas connoting a sense of heroic agency, rather than a reflection of Utena's gender identity or presentation.{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=212}}{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=175}} The series contrasts the notion of the "prince" to that of the "princess", represented by the passive, helpless, and objectified Anthy.{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=212}}

Although the simple juxtaposition of prince and princess archetypes could suggest that ''Utena'' is a straightforward "feminist fairy tale",{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=178}} Napier argues that the series "is not simply a work of female empowerment".{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=172}} Napier and other critics argue that ''Utena'' uses the prince/princess dichotomy to examine how gender roles restrict the development of both women and men, how the victims of this system come to enforce these restrictions on other victims, and ultimately suggests that being a "prince" is as limiting as being a "princess", as both originate from the same restrictive system.{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=172}}{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=310}}{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=13}} This expression reaches its apex at the climax of the series, when Utena loses her final duel against Akio; though Utena ostensibly fails in her princely attempt to "save" Anthy, her actions cause Anthy to "question the rules governing her own performance as princess", and provokes her departure from Ohtori to a world where "the categories of prince and princess have been deconstructed and do not matter".{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=183}}

In considering depictions of gender in ''Utena'', critic [[Mari Kotani]] cites the character of Utena as an example of a {{transliteration|ja|sentô bishōjo}} ({{lit}} 'battling beauty'), a character archetype originated by psychologist and critic [[Tamaki Saitō]].{{sfn|Kotani|2006|p=166}} Kotani argues that Utena is a {{transliteration|ja|[[bishōjo]]}} as her character design "satisfies the lustful eyes of the male voyeur who reads manga for eroticized images of girls", but that any efforts to objectify Utena are complicated by her crossdressing and role as an active protagonist. She argues that the success of ''Utena'' lies in its blending of elements of {{transliteration|ja|[[Shōnen manga|shōnen]]}} (through its focus on combat) and {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} (through its focus on romance) vis-à-vis the character of Utena, and how this blending "deftly exposes the structure of sexuality implicit in manga for girls".{{sfn|Kotani|2006|p=167}}

===Coming-of-age===
[[File:Demian Erstausgabe.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The Student Council's mantra is a modified passage from [[Hermann Hesse]]'s 1919 ''[[bildungsroman]]'' novel ''[[Demian]]''.|alt=The cover to Demian by Hermann Hesse]]
Adolescence and its attendant struggles of personal growth and development are a common theme in Ikuhara's works, with a frequent focus on teenaged characters who seek personal change yet are bound to their pasts in ways they are not consciously aware of.{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=13}} This focus on the transition from adolescence implicates ''Utena'' in the ''[[bildungsroman]]'' genre;{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=208}} the Student Council's repeated mantra in which they entreat each other to "crack the world's shell" is a modified passage from [[Hermann Hesse]]'s 1919 novel ''[[Demian]]'', a major work of the ''bildungsroman'' genre.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}}{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=311}} Typically, characters in Ikuhara's works seek a [[MacGuffin]]-like device that purports to solve their struggles by accelerating the process of change; in ''Utena'', this is represented as the "end of the world".{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=14}}{{efn|This device also appears in Ikuhara's ''[[Penguindrum]]'' as the titular Penguin Drum, and in ''[[Sarazanmai]]'' as the Dishes of Hope.{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=14}}}} The device is ultimately revealed to be either unreal or lacking the power that is ascribed to it, but serves to symbolically represent how the characters are constrained by broader systems of power and coercion.{{sfn|Bridges|2021|p=14}}

The actual meaning of the "end of the world" is never strictly defined by the series itself, though Ikuhara has discussed the concept in terms of [[adolescent psychology]], connoting the sense of despair one feels upon reaching adulthood and becoming aware of social realities that disillusion an idealized child-like conception of the world.<ref name="ActualSexuality"/> The "end of the world" is contrasted against the "power to revolutionize the world" and the "power of eternity", also defined only in vague terms within the series,{{sfn|Lezubski|2014|p=184}} though Ikuhara has described "revolution" in the context of the series as connoting "the power to imagine the future", and "eternity" as "the power to create an enjoyable future".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=7–25|loc="Director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Episode Commentary"}} Enokido has noted how each of the characters in ''Utena'' seek their own version of "eternity", which he describes as representing the "desire to vicariously re-experience times past", but which ultimately symbolizes the danger of humans being "ruled by sentimentality".{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}

===Sexuality===
''Utena'' depicts multiple gay and lesbian couplings, all of which are treated as legitimate and normal within the world of the series itself.{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=212}} Ikuhara has stated that he wished for the series to have "a sense of diversity" in this regard, and that the series' normalized depiction of same-sex couples serves to reinforce the core series message of freedom of the self.{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=21:58}} The series' depiction of sexuality has been considered in relation to its subversion of fairy tale and magical girl tropes, as the trials Utena faces often occur in the context of efforts to pressure her into the "heroic heterosexuality and monogamy"{{sfn|Kotani|2006|p=165}} typical of those genres.{{sfn|Bailey|2012|p=213–214}}

Napier argues that although ''Utena''{{'}}s depiction of same-sex couplings can be interpreted as indicating that "homoerotic relationships can be part of liberation", the relationship between Utena and Anthy can also be interpreted as a metaphor for "the need for integration of two sides of the self".{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=176}} Utena's chivalrous desire to "save" Anthy gives her a blinkered perspective that is only resolved through an archetypically feminine understanding of and empathy for Anthy's situation; Anthy's regressive domesticity is ameliorated after she gains "a dose of masculine assertiveness".{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=176}} Napier notes that while Akio's relationship with Anthy is clearly toxic, the series depicts Utena's overt effort to "save" Anthy as itself cloying and overwhelming, and that it is only when Anthy makes the choice herself to leave Ohtori Academy that she begins on the path to develop "a more integrated personality".{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=176}}

==Reception and influence==
{{Quote box
 |quote  = "At the simplest, ''Utena'' describes how two women find their own identities. But ''Utena'' is no bourgeois ''bildungsroman'' of finding one's place in the world. Nor is ''Utena'' a linear narrative of events apocalyptic and otherwise. Instead, ''Utena'' delves into the nature of the past and its karmic hold on people, into the nature of corruption and sexuality, and into revolution."
 |author = – Timothy Perper & Martha Cornog, ''[[Mechademia]]'' (2006){{sfn|Perper|Cornog|2006|p=186}}
 |width  = 30%
 |border = none
}}

''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' has been the subject of both domestic and international praise, and has received many accolades. In 1997, the series won the [[Animation Kobe]] award in the "Best Television" category.<ref name="Kobe"/> In 2017, Japanese broadcaster [[NHK]] conducted a national poll to determine the one hundred greatest anime in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the medium, in which ''Utena'' placed 30th.<ref name="NHK"/> ''Utena'' was listed as one of the ten "best anime ever" by ''[[Anime Insider]]''<ref name="EngDVD"/> and ranked fourth on ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''{{'}}s list of the best anime of all time.<ref name="Paste"/> ''[[Anime News Network]]''{{'}}s ranking of the 100 greatest anime films of all time placed ''Adolescence of Utena'' in eighth; in his review, writer Mike Toole called the television series "the most important anime of the 1990s".<ref name="ANN1"/>

The series has received particular praise for its treatment of [[LGBT]] themes and subject material;<ref name="LGBT1"/><ref name="LGBT2"/><ref name="LGBT3"/> reflecting on the series in this regard in 2020, Ikuhara stated that there "are a lot of anime that deal superficially with female-female or male-male relationships, but I think the sense of freedom and of diversity that ''Utena'' had is one of the reasons that it has such a big fan base even now."{{sfn|Saito|Ikuhara|2020|loc=21:58}} Critics and creators have cited ''Utena'''s influence on subsequent animated works, including ''[[Revue Starlight]]'', ''[[Princess Tutu]]'',<ref name="Collider"/> ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'',<ref name="Madoka"/> ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury]]'',<ref name="WfM"/> ''[[Steven Universe]]'',<ref name="StevenUniverse"/> and ''[[She-Ra and the Princesses of Power]]''.<ref name="LGBT2"/> The series has also been credited with prompting a revival in popularity for the music of J. A. Seazer.{{sfn|Olsen|Cooper|2018|pp=76–105|loc="Laserdisc Liner Notes: From The Japanese Archives"}}<ref name="IRC"/>

Anime and manga scholar [[Susan J. Napier]] notes that Japanese critics frequently compared ''Utena'' to the 1996 anime series ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', given their similar focus on themes of coming-of-age and apocalypse;{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=172}} ''Adolescence of Utena'' is sometimes referred to by fans as ''The End of Utena'', referencing the 1997 film ''[[The End of Evangelion]]''.<ref name="RightStuf0"/> Although Napier considers that ''Evangelion'' depicts a "pathological apocalypse" where the stakes are the entire world, she characterizes ''Utena'' as a "[[baroque]] apocalypse, one of adolescent emotion where everything is larger than life, identity is at its most problematic, and life itself is lived in the extremes."{{sfn|Napier|2005|p=172}} Critic [[Mari Kotani]] notes the common comparison of ''Utena'' to ''Evangelion'', but states that she regards ''Utena'' as more directly comparable to early {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} manga, specifically citing the works of [[Jun'ichi Nakahara]] and [[Macoto Takahashi]] published in the magazine ''{{ill|Soleil (magazine){{!}}Soleil|ja|それいゆ}}''.<ref name="ActualSexuality"/>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="ActualSexuality">{{cite journal |last1=Kotani |first1=Mari |author1-link=Mari Kotani |last2=Ikuhara |first2=Kunihiko |title=Disturbing, Traversing, Borderless, Shaking Sexuality: The Place where ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' was Born |journal=Actual Sexuality |date=January 15, 2000 |issue=115 |publisher=[[Musashino University]] |url=http://ohtori.nu/creators/actualsexuality/index.html |access-date=October 10, 2019 |archive-date=October 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018201928/http://ohtori.nu/creators/actualsexuality/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="AnimeLimited">{{cite web |last1=Osmond |first1=Andrew |title=Anime Limited to Release ''Utena'' TV Series |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-10-29/anime-limited-to-release-utena-tv-series/.123356 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=October 29, 2017 |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215045636/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-10-29/anime-limited-to-release-utena-tv-series/.123356 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="AnimeNetwork">{{cite web |last1=Loo |first1=Egan |title=Anime Network Streams ''GetBackers'', ''Pet Shop of Horrors'' |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-18/anime-network-streams-getbackers-pet-shop-of-horrors |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=April 18, 2009 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212004608/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-18/anime-network-streams-getbackers-pet-shop-of-horrors |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ANN1">{{cite web |last1=Toole |first1=Mike |title=The Other 100 Best Anime Movies of All Time, Part 4 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2017-04-30/.115495 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=November 24, 2019 |date=April 30, 2017 |archive-date=April 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430232435/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2017-04-30/.115495 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ANN2">{{cite web |last1=Morrissy |first1=Kim |title=''Utena'', ''Sarazanmai'' Director Ikuhara's Exhibit Reveals His Works in Its Earliest Forms |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-05-20/utena-sarazanmai-director-ikuhara-exhibit-reveals-his-works-in-its-earliest-forms/.146803 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 12, 2023 |date=May 20, 2019 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212034928/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-05-20/utena-sarazanmai-director-ikuhara-exhibit-reveals-his-works-in-its-earliest-forms/.146803 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ATR1">{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-05-26/revolutionary-girl-utena-gets-new-manga-chapter-in-july/.116631 |last1=Ressler |first1=Karen |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Gets New Manga Chapter in July |date=May 26, 2017 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |language=en |access-date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=May 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527023207/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-05-26/revolutionary-girl-utena-gets-new-manga-chapter-in-july/.116631 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ATR2">{{cite web |last1=Ressler |first1=Karen |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Gets Another New Manga Chapter This Winter |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-07-27/revolutionary-girl-utena-gets-another-new-manga-chapter-this-winter/.119386 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=November 23, 2019 |date=July 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218043748/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-07-27/revolutionary-girl-utena-gets-another-new-manga-chapter-this-winter/.119386 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ATR3">{{cite web |last1=Loo |first1=Egan |title=New ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Manga Chapter's Story, Date Revealed |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-12-28/new-revolutionary-girl-utena-manga-chapter-story-date-revealed/.125818 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=November 23, 2019 |date=December 28, 2017 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218043752/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-12-28/new-revolutionary-girl-utena-manga-chapter-story-date-revealed/.125818 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ATR4">{{cite web |last1=Pineda |first1=Rafael Antonio |title=''Utena'' Manga Gets 3rd New Chapter in March |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-01-26/utena-manga-gets-3rd-new-chapter-in-march/.126956 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=November 23, 2019 |date=January 26, 2018 |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629084051/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-01-26/utena-manga-gets-3rd-new-chapter-in-march/.126956 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="AoUReview">{{cite journal |last1=Charlton |first1=Sabdha |title=''Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku'' (''The Adolescence of Utena'') |journal=Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context |date=May 2001 |issue=5 |url=http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue5/charlton_review.html |access-date=October 11, 2019 |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929220312/http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue5/charlton_review.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="AnimericaExtra">{{cite web |last1=Mays |first1=Jonathan |title=''Animerica Extra'' to become shojo-only |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-07-16/animerica-extra-to-become-shojo-only |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=July 16, 2003 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212004258/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-07-16/animerica-extra-to-become-shojo-only |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="BUDWHITE">{{cite web |last1=Loo |first1=Egan |title=''Utena'' Gets Stage Musical Supervised by Anime's Director Ikuhara |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-11-16/utena-gets-stage-musical-supervised-by-anime-director-ikuhara/.124106 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 14, 2023 |date=November 16, 2017 |archive-date=February 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214233922/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-11-16/utena-gets-stage-musical-supervised-by-anime-director-ikuhara/.124106 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CBRMusical1">{{cite web |last1=Greenall |first1=Jonathon |title=Revolutionize the Stage! - The History of ''Utena''{{'}}s Many Stage Adaptations |url=https://www.cbr.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-stage-adaptations-history/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=February 14, 2023 |date=October 10, 2020 |archive-date=February 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214233633/https://www.cbr.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-stage-adaptations-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CBRMusical2">{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Paul |title="Revolutionary Girl Utena" Musical Conquers the Stage in March |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2017/11/16/revolutionary-girl-utena-musical-conquers-the-stage-in-march |website=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=November 25, 2019 |date=November 16, 2017 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510034808/https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2017/11/16/revolutionary-girl-utena-musical-conquers-the-stage-in-march |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Collider">{{cite web |last1=Guimarães |first1=Elsa |title=Why ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Is a Must Watch for Lovers of Magical Girl Anime |url=https://collider.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-magical-girl-anime-why-its-good/ |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |access-date=February 11, 2023 |date=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211082415/https://collider.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-magical-girl-anime-why-its-good/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CentralParkVHS">{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Scott |title=This Week's Anime and Manga Releases |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-10-24/this-week%27s-anime-and-manga-releases |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=October 24, 2001 |archive-date=November 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104201627/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-10-24/this-week%27s-anime-and-manga-releases |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CPBankruptcy">{{cite web |last1=Loo |first1=Egan |title=Central Park Media's Licenses Offered by Liquidator |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-08/central-park-media-licenses-offered-by-liquidator |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=June 8, 2009 |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209063759/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-08/central-park-media-licenses-offered-by-liquidator |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CPMAoA">{{cite web |title=CPM {{as written|Aq|uires [sic]}} ''Utena'' Movie |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-31/cpm-aquires-utena-movie |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=January 31, 2001 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212004304/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-31/cpm-aquires-utena-movie |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="CPVHSDVD">{{cite web |title=Central Park Media Shopping Cart |url=http://www.centralparkmedia.com/cpmdb/cpm.cfm?section=cpm&series=utena |website=[[Central Park Media]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030220014155/http://www.centralparkmedia.com/cpmdb/cpm.cfm?section=cpm&series=utena |archive-date=February 20, 2003}}</ref>

<ref name="Crunchyroll">{{cite web |last1=Luster |first1=Joseph |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Joins Crunchyroll's Anime Catalog Today! |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/03-1/revolutionary-girl-utena-joins-crunchyrolls-anime-catalog-today |website=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=November 3, 2021 |archive-date=September 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930022220/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/03-1/revolutionary-girl-utena-joins-crunchyrolls-anime-catalog-today |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="DEEPESTBLACK">{{cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Jennifer |title=New ''Utena'' Stage Musical Covers Black Rose Arc |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-05-15/new-utena-stage-musical-covers-black-rose-arc/.146725 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 14, 2023 |date=May 15, 2019 |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116191832/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-05-15/new-utena-stage-musical-covers-black-rose-arc/.146725 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="EngDVD">{{cite web |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'': The Student Council Saga L.E. |url=http://utena.rightstuf.com/ |website=[[Right Stuf Inc.]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209160712/http://utena.rightstuf.com/ |archive-date=December 9, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="EngManga">{{cite web |title=Feature: Anime Expo Days 2 and 3 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-07-02/feature-anime-expo-days-2-and-3 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=July 3, 2000 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212003954/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-07-02/feature-anime-expo-days-2-and-3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="ep37-commentary">{{cite video | people=Mori, Hideki (interviewer); Ikuhara, Kunihiko; Saito, Chiho  |title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Apocalypse Saga Collection|medium=Episode 37 DVD commentary track|publisher=[[Central Park Media]]}}</ref>

<ref name="ep38-commentary">{{cite video | people=Mori, Hideki (interviewer); Ikuhara, Kunihiko; Saito, Chiho  |title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Apocalypse Saga Collection|medium=Episode 38 DVD commentary track|publisher=Central Park Media}}</ref>

<ref name="ep39-commentary">{{cite video | people=Mori, Hideki (interviewer); Ikuhara, Kunihiko; Saito, Chiho  |title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Apocalypse Saga Collection|medium=Episode 39 DVD commentary track|publisher=Central Park Media}}</ref>

<ref name="FunimationChannel">{{cite web |title=Funimation to air Enoki Films series |url=https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/9665/funimation-air-enoki-films-series |website=[[ICv2]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=November 20, 2006 |archive-date=July 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706101307/https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/9665/funimation-air-enoki-films-series |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="FuniStreaming">{{cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Nicholas |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', ''Astro Boy'' and More Legendary Nozomi Classics Come to Funimation |url=https://blog.funimation.com/2020/02/17/revolutionary-girl-utena-astro-boy-and-more-legendary-nozomi-classics-come-to-funimation/ |website=[[Funimation]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=February 17, 2020 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212003129/https://blog.funimation.com/2020/02/17/revolutionary-girl-utena-astro-boy-and-more-legendary-nozomi-classics-come-to-funimation/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=org-social&utm_campaign=nozomi-ent&utm_content=astro-boy-utena&utm_term= |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Hanabee">{{cite web |last1=Halliday |first1=Luke |title=Hanabee licenses ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |url=https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2013/06/hanabee-licenses-revolutionary-girl-utena/ |website=Capsule Computers |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=June 22, 2013 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216042742/https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2013/06/hanabee-licenses-revolutionary-girl-utena/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="IRC">{{cite web |title=Kunihiko Ikuhara IRC Chat Interview |url=http://uranime.nekomusume.net/misc/ikuhara_interview.iphtml#selection-287.97-291.184 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715071012/http://uranime.nekomusume.net/misc/ikuhara_interview.iphtml#selection-287.97-291.184 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |website=[[Syfy|scifi.com]] |publisher=Empty Movement |access-date=February 7, 2023 |date=October 8, 2000}}</ref>

<ref name="JPVHS">{{cite web |title=少女革命ウテナ L'Apocalypse:1 [VHS] |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/%E5%B7%9D%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A8%E3%82%82%E5%AD%90/dp/B00005F9N5/ |website=[[Amazon (company)|Amazon Japan]] |date=September 3, 1997 |access-date=February 16, 2023 |language=ja |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216045722/https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/%E5%B7%9D%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A8%E3%82%82%E5%AD%90/dp/B00005F9N5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="JPDVD">{{cite web |title=少女革命ウテナ L'Apocalypse:1 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/132402/products/348630/1/ |website=[[Oricon]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |language=ja |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216045344/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/132402/products/348630/1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="JPRemasteredBD">{{cite web |title=少女革命ウテナ BD-Box |url=http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/bd.html |website=King Records |access-date=February 16, 2023 |language=ja |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005145703/http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/bd.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="JPRemasteredBDBox">{{cite web |title=「少女革命ウテナ」Complete Blu-ray Box|url=http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/complete-bd.html |website=King Records |access-date=February 16, 2023 |language=ja |archive-date=October 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030044038/http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/complete-bd.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="JPRemasteredDVD">{{cite web |title=少女革命ウテナ DVD-Box |url=http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/dvd.html |website=[[King Records (Japan)|King Records]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |language=ja |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005154230/http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/dvd.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Kobe">{{cite web |title=これまでの記録 1 |url=http://anime-kobe.jp/archive/ |website=[[Animation Kobe]] |access-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416105847/http://anime-kobe.jp/archive/ |archive-date=April 16, 2011 |language=ja}}</ref>

<ref name="LGBT1">{{cite web |last1=Bridges |first1=Rose |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' Transgresses Gender and Sexuality |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-transgresses-gender-and-sexuality-204505/ |website=[[Autostraddle]] |access-date=February 17, 2023 |date=November 15, 2013 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008020659/https://www.autostraddle.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-transgresses-gender-and-sexuality-204505/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="LGBT2">{{cite web |last1=Gramuglia |first1=Anthony |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena''{{'}}s Lasting Impact on Queer, Female-Led Storytelling |url=https://www.cbr.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-influence-steven-universe-she-ra/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=February 17, 2023 |date=October 6, 2020 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128221924/https://www.cbr.com/revolutionary-girl-utena-influence-steven-universe-she-ra/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="LGBT3">{{cite web |last1=Remington |first1=Miranda |title=The Queer Cult-Status of ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |url=https://pen-online.com/culture/the-queer-cult-status-of-revolutionary-girl-utena/ |website=Pen-Online |access-date=February 17, 2023 |date=May 28, 2021 |archive-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217042030/https://pen-online.com/culture/the-queer-cult-status-of-revolutionary-girl-utena/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
	
<ref name="Madoka">{{cite web |last1=Silverman |first1=Rebecca |title=Review: ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica: the Movie Trilogy'' 10th Anniversary Blu-ray Box Set |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/puella-magi-madoka-magica/the-movie-trilogy-10th-anniversary-blu-ray-box-set/.186544 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 11, 2023 |date=June 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211081722/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/puella-magi-madoka-magica/the-movie-trilogy-10th-anniversary-blu-ray-box-set/.186544 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="NeonAlley">{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Lynzee |title=Neon Alley to Stream ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' This Fall |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-09-14/neon-alley-to-stream-revolutionary-girl-utena-this-fall |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=September 14, 2013 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216042359/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-09-14/neon-alley-to-stream-revolutionary-girl-utena-this-fall |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="NHK">{{cite web |title=Anime 100 Announcement |url=http://www.nhk.or.jp/anime/anime100/ani_report/index.html#rank_11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505105921/http://www.nhk.or.jp/anime/anime100/ani_report/index.html#rank_11 |archive-date=May 5, 2017 |website=[[NHK]] |access-date=December 4, 2023 |language=ja |date=2017}}</ref>

<ref name="NozomiBluray">{{cite web |last1=Mateo |first1=Alex |title=Nozomi Entertainment Plans ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' BD Release for 2017 |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2017-01-05/nozomi-entertainment-plans-revolutionary-girl-utena-bd-release-for-2017/.110597 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=January 5, 2017 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112011109/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2017-01-05/nozomi-entertainment-plans-revolutionary-girl-utena-bd-release-for-2017/.110597 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="NozomiBoxSet">{{cite web |title=''Revolutionary Girl Utena - 20th Anniversary Ultra Edition'' |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/releases.php?id=35135 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216051406/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/releases.php?id=35135 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Paste">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Austin |title=The 30 Best Anime Series of All Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/list/best-anime-of-all-time/ |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=February 7, 2023 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216114404/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/list/best-anime-of-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="RightStuf0">{{cite web |title=Right Stuf Rescues ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/17830/right-stuf-rescues-revolutionary-girl-utena |website=[[ICv2]] |access-date=February 16, 2023 |date=July 4, 2010 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216053739/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/17830/right-stuf-rescues-revolutionary-girl-utena |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="RightStuf1">{{cite web |last1=Loo |first1=Egan |title=Right Stuf's Nozomi Adds ''So-ra-no-Wo-to'', ''Utena'' TV |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-02/right-stuf-nozomi-adds-so-ra-no-wo-to-utena-tv |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=July 2, 2010 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212004615/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-02/right-stuf-nozomi-adds-so-ra-no-wo-to-utena-tv |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="RightStuf2">{{cite web |last1=Manry |first1=Gia |title=I.G: Right Stuf Has ''Utena'' Movie License (Updated) |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-03/i.g-announces-right-stuf-utena-movie-license |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 15, 2023 |date=July 3, 2010 |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212004301/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-03/i.g-announces-right-stuf-utena-movie-license |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="SpecialConversation">{{cite book |title=Musical Utena: Bud of the White Rose |type=Program book |date=2018 |chapter=Commemorating the 20th Anniversary with A Special Conversation": Supervisor Kunihiko Ikuhara X Director & Scriptwriter Kotaro Yoshitani |language=ja}}</ref>

<ref name="StevenUniverse">{{cite web |last1=Blumenfeld |first1=Zach |title=Comic-Con: Rebecca Sugar on ''Steven Universe''{{'}}s Emmy Nomination and Rejecting Gendered TV for Kids |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/steven-universe/comic-con-rebecca-sugar-on-steven-universes-emmy-n/ |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=February 5, 2023 |date=July 25, 2017 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205011738/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/steven-universe/comic-con-rebecca-sugar-on-steven-universes-emmy-n/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="UrsulasKiss">{{cite web |url=http://www.enokifilmsusa.com/library/ursula.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050112091033/http://www.enokifilmsusa.com/library/ursula.htm|archive-date=January 12, 2005 |title=''Ursula's Kiss''|publisher=[[Enoki Films]]|date=1997 |access-date=August 25, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="VideoGame">{{cite web |last1=Crimmins |first1=Brian |title=''Shoujo Kakumei Utena'' |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/shoujo-kakumei-utena-itsuka-kakumeisareru-monogatari/ |website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]] |access-date=November 25, 2019 |date=July 28, 2017 |archive-date=November 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129045527/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/shoujo-kakumei-utena-itsuka-kakumeisareru-monogatari/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="WfM">{{cite web |last1=Wescott |first1=Adam |title=''Gundam: The Witch From Mercury'' Borrows From An Anime Classic |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1037045/gundam-the-witch-from-mercury-borrows-from-an-anime-classic/ |website=[[SlashFilm]] |access-date=February 11, 2023 |date=October 7, 2022 |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211081048/https://www.slashfilm.com/1037045/gundam-the-witch-from-mercury-borrows-from-an-anime-classic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite magazine |author1=Animage Editorial Department |title=Absolute Destiny Apocalypse |journal=[[Animage]] |date=May 1997a |pages=12–21 |language=ja}}
*{{cite magazine|author=Animage Editorial Department |title=ウテナ白書 |trans-title=Utena Dossier |journal=[[Animage|Animage Extra]] |date=June 1997b |volume=6 |language=ja}}
*{{cite magazine |author=Animage Editorial Department |title=Let's Go To 'The End of the World'!  |journal=[[Animage]] |date=November 1999 |pages=4–13 |language=ja}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=Catherine |title=Prince Charming by Day, Superheroine by Night?: Subversive Sexualities and Gender Fluidity in 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' and 'Sailor Moon' |journal=Colloquy |date=2012 |issue=24 |pages=207–222 |publisher=[[Monash University Publishing|Monash University Press]]}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Bridges |first1=Rose |title='The Sound That Races Through the End of the World': Musical Moments as Refrain and Revolution in the Anime of Ikuhara Kunihiko |journal=[[Mechademia]] |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |date=Spring 2021 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=9–25 |doi=10.5749/mech.13.2.0009 |s2cid=234164694 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/783794/summary |url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite book |last1=Camp |first1=Brian |last2=Davis |first2=Julie |title=Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces |date=2007 |publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]] |isbn=978-1-933330-22-8 |pages=306–311 |chapter=Revolutionary Girl Utena}}
*{{cite magazine |last1=Davis |first1=Julie |last2=Flanagan |first2=Bill |title=Chiho Saito and Kunihiko Ikuhara |journal=[[Animerica]] |date=2001 |volume=8 |issue=12 |pages=6–11}}
*{{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Erica |title=By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga |date=2022 |publisher=Journey Press |isbn=978-1-951320-20-1}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Kotani |first1=Mari |author-link1=Mari Kotani |title=Metamorphosis of the Japanese Girl: The Girl, the Hyper-Girl, and the Battling Beauty |journal=[[Mechademia]] |date=2006 |volume=1 |pages=162–169 |doi=10.1353/mec.0.0090 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |s2cid=120446598 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Lezubski |first1=Kirstian |editor1-last=Greenhill |editor1-first=Pauline |editor2-last=Rudy |editor2-first=Jill Terry |chapter=The Power to Revolutionize the World, or Absolute Gender Apocalypse?: Queering the New Fairy-Tale Feminine in ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |title=Channeling Wonder: Fairy Tales on Television |date=2014 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8143-3922-0 |pages=163–186}}
* {{cite magazine |editor1-last=Minami |editor1-first=Nonaka |title=ウテナ?はてなUTENA! |trans-title=Utena? Oh My Utena! |volume=13 |issue=11 |date=November 1997 |journal=Newtype (Supplemental Issue) |language=ja}}
*{{cite book |last1=Napier |first1=Susan J. |author1-link=Susan J. Napier |title=Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation |date=2005 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |isbn=978-1-4039-7052-7}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Olsen |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Cooper |editor2-first=Lisa |title=Revolutionary Girl Utena: 20th Anniversary Ultra Edition  |type=Boxed set companion book |date=2018 |publisher=[[Nozomi Entertainment]]}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Perper |first1=Timothy |last2=Cornog |first2=Martha |title=In the Sound of the Bells: Freedom and Revolution in ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |journal=[[Mechademia]] |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |date=2006 |volume=1 |pages=183–186 |doi=10.1353/mec.0.0098|s2cid=122164430 }}
*{{cite journal |last1=Rotondi |first1=Armando |title='Manga Musicals': Comics and Serialized Theatre |journal=[[International Journal of Comic Art]] |date=Spring 2011 |volume=13|issue=1 |pages=617–632 |issn=1531-6793}}
* {{cite book |last1=Takemiya |first1=Keiko |author-link1=Keiko Takemiya |script-title=ja:竹宮惠子 カレイドスコープ |trans-title=Keiko Takemiya: Kaleidoscope |date=September 16, 2016 |publisher=[[Shinchosha]] |contributor-last=Saito |contributor-first=Chiho |contributor-link=Chiho Saito |pages=98–99 |contribution=私にとっての竹宮惠子 (Keiko Takemiya, for me)|language=ja |isbn=978-4-10-602269-2}}
* {{cite conference |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFcdKTVRzRA |title=Revolutionary Girl Utena Manga Celebration with Chiho Saito and Kunihiko Ikuhara |last1=Saito |first1=Chiho |last2=Ikuhara |first2=Kunihiko |translator-last=Jones |translator-first=Bethan |date=October 10, 2020 |publisher=[[RELX|Popverse]] |conference=[[New York Comic Con]] |access-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205012537/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFcdKTVRzRA |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |author=Softbank Creative Editorial Department |script-title=ja:鳳学園指定図書 少女革命ウテナ: いつか革命される物語 オフィシャルガイドブック |trans-title=Ohtori Academy Appointment Book – Revolutionary Girl Utena: Someday, My Revolution Will Come Official Game Guide Book |date=June 19, 1998 |publisher=Softbank Creative |isbn=4-79-730669-6 |language=ja}}
* {{cite book |last1=Thew |first1=Geoffrey W. |editor1-last=Stuckmann |editor1-first=Chris |editor1-link=Chris Stuckmann |title=Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation |date=2018 |publisher=Mango Media |isbn=978-1-63353-733-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFxZDwAAQBAJ |access-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-date=February 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222175331/https://books.google.com/books?id=dFxZDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&source=newbks_fb |url-status=live |edition=eBook}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |last1=Kincaid |first1=Chris |title=The ''Evangelion'' of Shojo: ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'' |url=https://www.japanpowered.com/anime-articles/the-evangelion-of-shojo-revolutionary-girl-utena |website=Japan Powered |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807134018/https://www.japanpowered.com/anime-articles/the-evangelion-of-shojo-revolutionary-girl-utena |archive-date=August 7, 2021 |date=June 6, 2015}}
*{{cite web |last1=Townsend |first1=Kathleen |title=Royalty and Revolutionaries: ''Revolutionary Girl Utena'', Explained |url=https://blog.funimation.com/2020/04/01/revolutionary-girl-utena-explained-themes-of-a-timeless-classics-funimation/ |website=[[Funimation]] |date=April 1, 2020}}
*{{cite web |last1=Upatkoon |first1=Ivevei |title=Review:'' Shōjo Kakumei Utena – Adolsescence Mokushiroku'' |url=http://www.ex.org/5.4/32-manga_utena.html |website=[[Anime Expo|Ex]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010711100531/http://www.ex.org/5.4/32-manga_utena.html |archive-date=July 11, 2001 |access-date=February 21, 2023 |url-status=live }}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q696377|c=Category:Revolutionary_Girl_Utena|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no|display=''Revolutionary Girl Utena''}}

===Official websites===
* [http://jcstaff.co.jp/sakuhin/nenpyo/1997/03_utenaTV/utenaTV.htm ''Revolutionary Girl Utena''] — J.C.Staff official ''Utena'' page {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://king-cr.jp/special/utena/ ''Revolutionary Girl Utena''] — King Records official ''Utena'' page {{in lang|ja}}
* [http://musical-utena.com/ ''Revolutionary Girl Utena''] — 2018 stage musical official website {{in lang|ja}}

===Articles and information===
* {{IMDb title|0205410|Revolutionary Girl Utena}}
* {{anime News Network|anime|207}}
* {{anime News Network|manga|1543}}
* [https://ohtori.nu/ ''Empty Movement''] – a comprehensive fan website

{{Revolutionary Girl Utena}}
{{Kunihiko Ikuhara}}
{{J.C.Staff}}
{{Ciao}}
{{Monthly Flowers}}
{{Authority control}}

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