Customer Reviews

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Apocalypse Saga Collection

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The final four disc in the Utena storyline continue the unique tale of our hero Utena while further developing the other characters as well. While not containing some of the funnier moments embedded in The Black Rose Saga, the Apocalypse series focuses on bringing the viewer deeper into the history of Utena and it's deeply involved mythology. The story line can become a little confusing near the end but the series wraps up in a touching and ultimately satisfying end. The Apocalypse Saga will leave you glad for the experience and the best part, it will leave you wanting more of this excellent saga.

The roses, an excess of pink, incredibly feminine designs for all the characters (including the male ones), and its rather distinct artistic style may turn some viewers away from Utena. It almost kept me from watching it, at first. But for some reason I bought the first DVD, and I have never regretted it.

Utena is a weird show. You realize that within the first episode. It is surreal, dreamlike, and yet though it may seem random at times, there is method to the madness. It begins with a girl who met a prince when she was young. He gave her a ring that would lead her to him when she grew up. So impressed was she by him, that she decided to become a prince herself. Now that girl, Utena, dresses in a boy's uniform and attends a school where all is not what it seems.

The real strength of Utena lies in its characters. There is a large cast, and each character's motivations and emotions are explored in different episodes. These are not the cardboard cutouts you find in a lot of anime; they are complex people, and their individual tales are often poignant. Utena also boasts one of the best villains I've ever seen in anime, rivaled only by Berserk's Griffith. It is a smart show, with a lot of depth. There's also some humor in it, and for people who like battle (like me), there are duels every episode or so. Usually these fights are fairly predictable, but they're still fun to watch.

The last arc of the show has one of the best finales in any anime. It may leave the viewer a bit confused; but the dreamlike quality of the show is used to very good effect here. For anyone who likes well-developed characters, something a little different from usual, a good storyline with real substance to it, Utena is an excellent anime.

My review is not of the show. The show is spectacular. This is specifically about the DVDs.

While this Central Park Media releases were the only way to get Utena for a very long time, it's not the case anymore. Nozomi Entertainment/RightStuf has released the remastered box set for The Student Council Saga on DVD! (Revolutionary Girl Utena: Student Council Saga Limited Edition Set) And they have announced the release of The Black Rose Saga collection on DVD as well! (Revolutionary Girl Utena: Black Rose Sage Set 2 Le). The final set has yet to be announced (at the time of this review), but it is coming.

On this CPM set, the video and audio are both grainy and terrible. But the new box sets use the beautifully remastered video and audio from the Japanese release! Don't waste your money on the Central Park Media discs anymore (especially at these outrageous prices)! Get the Nozomi Entertainment discs!

These are the sets you want: Revolutionary Girl Utena: Student Council Saga Limited Edition Set and Revolutionary Girl Utena: Black Rose Sage Set 2 Le

At the time of this review, the third box set had not yet been announced. But trust me, you want that one too. The Nozomi sets are the way to get Utena!

This four-disc DVD box set contains the final thirteen episodes of Revolutionary Girl Utena. All four discs contain an Art Gallery as an extra. However, the images included go by so fast, that it can be difficult to pause on a particular image that you want to take a closer look at.

Three of the discs contain interviews with three voice actors from the English dub, talking about their characters and how they started out in the anime voice actor business. Each disc also contains a link to "Revolutionary Girl Utena Storyline." On the first disc, it recaps what happened in the episodes on the last disc of the Black Rose saga DVD set. The remaining three discs have recaps of the episodes included on the previous disc. Each disc also contains a trailer, for when the discs in the set were being sold individually.

The fourth disc includes "Chu Chu Montage," which is two-minute long montage of shots and scenes that feature the character Chu Chu. The "Ohtori Academy Scrapbook" allows you to choose a picture of a character; when a character is selected, you can see a picture of the character, and a one-line fact for the character. There is also "Fan Art Contets," which is a slideshow of fan art and cosplay contest winners.

Overall, it's a decent DVD box set, although I didn't like the episodes on the first two discs as much as I did on the final two discs. If you're a fan of Revolutionary Girl Utena, you need to find a way to acquire a copy of this DVD box set.

I really want to curse right now however I won't instead...

At first I checked out this series and was WOWED by interesting duels, the dream-like atmosphere, the seduction, and the mysterious yet realistic characters. Thus i continued to watch wanting to find answers to many of the complex themes, especially about "utena's decision/choice" (whatever). Now i have NO problem with homosexuals I quite admire Jury, and we SEE very clearly at some point WHO jury is. This is not so with the main character Utena which is why i am disappointed with her "decision;" it leaves me CONFUSED as to what was conveyed of her from the start of the series. In the beginning Utena wants to be a "prince" to "save" Anthy; she also wants to find "her prince" (bisexual?). Then around the middle she falls in love the devil_sorry Akio (straight?). Finally in the end...lets just say I wished her to "save" Touga.
This Anime WILL scare some, not in a "chucky" aspect, but in a weird psychologically freaky way. BE WARNED Utena begins innocently then becomes really intense. Definately not a "romantic" fairy tale this among other symbols is used for effect AND as a tactic to entice YOU to watch.
WHAT I DO LIKE about the series as originally stated in the beginning are the sword fights, mystery, seduction, the complex characters, and the comedy. The only drawback is the confusing ending.

I have all the Utena DVD's; all 39 episdoes and let me just say, this anime is AMAZING!! It is by-far my favorite anime... If you were debating over wheter to get this anime or not, get it. It's fabulous!! BUY IT NOW!!