Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku

There's one thing you should keep in mind when watching Adolescence Apocalypse: absolutely EVERYTHING is a metaphor, usually for some part of adolescence. This is a movie that was made to be analyzed. Usually I don't analyze the symbolism of anything I watch, but Adolescence Apocalypse makes analyzing symbolism fun, crazy as that may sound. As for as anime symbolism goes, Adolescence Apocalypse can't be beat, even by the series. That's not to say the symbolism's the only thing worth watching the movie for. Every moment of screentime is purely entertaining, whether symbolism is the focus or not. The only real complaint I had with theTV series was that some episodes felt repetitive and didn't seem to contribute much to the main characters' development or the overall plot. Here, however, every fight scene, every conversation, everything really matters. The movie is not content to simply have a fight: at the same time the fight is going on, there is development for Utena, Anthy, whoever she's fighting with, and even background characters. The backgrounds themselves also deserve a mention. The school puts Hogwarts to shame, as it's constantly in motion, and there's always something interesting to look at. Everything is constantly in motion, and while this is partially for symbolism, it helps to make the series very pretty. Though some of the reviews complain about the music, I had no problems here. Absolute Destiny Apocalypse is as awesome as ever, and the rest of the music is also great. Perhaps not as wonderful as in the series, but still very fitting. Other than the symbolism, the main draw of the movie is the characters. Utena herself is even more magnificent than in the series, simultaneously vulnerable and strong. And not vulnerable in the way typical strong anime females are often vulnerable, but in the way you'd expect any middle school girl to be. That vulnerability causes problems for her at times, but she deals with it in an appropriate and realistic way, as it contributes nicely to her development. Utena's relationships, especially with Touga and Anthy, are all interesting as well, as they help her grow in interesting ways throughout the movie, and their interactions are always clever and witty. As a final note, I should add that this movie works best when you've seen the series first. Almost nothing is the same as it was in the series, but a lot of the minor characters are better understood with the series' development behind them. If you've watched the series, the movie is a splendid treat.

Knowing the TV series isn't required to watch this movie, but it definitely helps a lot to catch some references and to understand part of the relationships better, even though, there are lots of changes in characteristics. If you haven't seen the series, be prepared to be blown away by some of the most bizarre moments in anime history. The basic storyline doesn't give too much hints of what tragedies will be revealed. Utena is at first believed to be a boy, a little glimpse on the problematic gender roles. Don't just watch this, because somebody told you there'd be girl kissage, there's so much moreto Utena and Anthy. As opposed to the more devote Rose Bride in the series this Anthy has a mind of her own and doesn't act like a mere puppet. She and Utena are equal central characters and the audience gets as little information as necessary about everybody else. That's why characterwise I give 'only' a 9 instead of the full 10. Still, you can hardly put any more depth to the heroines of this piece, because their fates are similar and yet work on very different levels. Comparing the animation, the design, the colors of the movie and the series almost hurts my eyes. Where the series seems to favor pastel shades the movie shows everything in full bloom. An ocean of red roses, hair colors bathed in warm light, the building moving around as if it's breathing and rich backgrounds full of detail. Smooth movements of the characters, wether they wield a sword or just touch glass, you can almost feel it yourself. The heavy symbolism makes it hard to follow at times (and yes, there is relevance and even a certain amount of logic to the infamous car chase), but at least the art should satisfy your senses. Okay, a minor deduction regarding the sound. Even though the songs "Rinbu Revolution" and "Zettai Unmei Mokoshiroku" are there and there's a really beautiful dance sequence with a wonderful ballad ("Toki ni ai wa"), I really miss the powerful atmosphere of music overall. Most important word of this movie has to be "oji-sama" - the Prince and his many incarnations. Everybody is linked to a prince and realizing who this prince is and why this link has to be broken is essentially the growing up process the title refers to. Watching this movie for the first time was highly confusing, but this turned into pure enjoyment for me. For about an hour and a half I can dive into a fascinating world of high goals and two girls struggling for freedom and peace.

As someone who finds it fun to read books and explore their themes and symbols, I love this movie. It's probably my favourite movie of all time. This movie is a perfect example of how to do symbolism so that it's rich and complex but isn't inaccessible and doesn't make the audience do all the work. The story revolves around the protagonist, Utena, entering a High school where she inadvertently finds herself involved in duels to become engaged to the rose bride, Anthy, which will grant her the power to revolutionise the world. So if you've seen the anime the basic plot is the same. Thedifference is that the movie is set in a more surrealistic world where just about everything is symbolic. You might ask, what is the symbolism about, what does it all mean? Well, I can't answer that. Like all the best stories that use symbolism heavily it's open to interpretation. Some people say it's a summary of the events of the anime, which I consider lazy, since it requires very little thought, but it is a valid interpretation. Some say it's about going through adolescence. Some say it's about overcoming tragedy and moving forward and there are many other valid interpretations. If you've seen the movie and want to discuss interpretations I would be open for that. Now, the movie does help the audience. About half of the movie uses "light" symbolism with mainly realistic elements so that you can watch it without really thinking about the symbolism. Then the second half opens and the symbolism takes over, forcing the audience to use their brains to figure out what it all means. I think that's what I love about this movie. It's intellectually stimulating and entertaining. I could spend hours discussing the rich symbolism, but I don't want the review to be too long so I'll move on. The artwork is good for the time period, although it's admittedly a little dated now. The imagery is amazing. It adds to the symbolism and works with the music to make the atmosphere stellar. Some scenes are bright and vibrant, others are darker and more piercing. In either case the atmosphere is well thought out and achieved perfectly. The voice acting is great. Kawakami Tomoko and Fuchizaki Yuriko just do a perfect job in the main roles. The supporting roles are all very capably done. Koyasu Takehito and Mitsuishi Kotono especially do a good job. The fight scenes are vivid, dynamic and very graceful. They're a real treat to watch. It's a very emotional movie that elicits emotional responses ranging from rage to despair to happiness to "oh my Gods that is so cute!" How could it possibly be better? The romantic scenes. Adolescence of Utena may very well have inspired some of the most common scenes in shoujo ai/yuri anime that came afterwards. The surprising and awkward but adorable first kiss, the dramatic moment where they almost kiss seriously for the first time, the scene in which one girl paints a nude portrait of the other, the elegant dance scene and the moment where they gaze into each other's eyes and share a squee inducing kiss. Do I even have to mention that the yuri factor is a 10/10? Adolescence of Utena is very complex without moving into the territory of being convoluted. It's intellectually stimulating and entertaining The atmosphere could not be better. The voice acting is awesome. It's also very good at getting an emotional response. My final rating is a 10/10. If you haven't seen it, do so.

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