Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Software Sculptures
• VHS Release Date: July 23, 2002
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1578002389
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,029 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Creators of Sailor Moon. Utena never wanted to become a Duelist. She came to the Ohtori Academy to search for her mysterious prince--not to battle for possession of the Rose Bride. The President of the Student Council is her next opponent, and his strategy is simple: He's convinced Utena that HE is her long, lost prince! How can she possibly fight the one person she most longs to find? For the first time, Utena's confidence is stripped away, and she may never be the same. The outcome of this final duel is to determine who Utena really is!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The more I think about this series, the more impressed I am., March 1, 2000

By 

Irina Greenman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revolutionary Girl Utena - Power of Dios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of those series which must be watched more than once. As more is revealed about the characters and the mysterious world in which they live, the earlier parts of the series become more impressive. The detail work in this series is second to none. Only the first four tapes are currently available in the USA, but as one who has seen the whole series (39 episodes) I can say with confidence that this is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, anime series ever made. This is the volume in which the series starts to become dark. It is also the volume in which the series starts to become upsetting, though it becomes both darker and more upsetting throughout the remainder. It is also the volume in which Revolutionary Girl Utena truly shows itself to be unconventional and unpredictable, with characters who are fallible human beings. This tape concludes the Student Council Saga in an intelligent and emotionally moving fashion, which allows you to empathize with all the characters. The last episode on this tape is comprised mainly of a sequence of flashbacks. However, watch carefully; the juxtapositions of the duel song lyrics with the images is what makes this episode important. This episode emphasizes the superiority of the subtitled version over the dub, which, while the story and characters are the same, could and should have been far better than it is. Unfortunately, this is the latest of the tapes to be released in the USA. The ending leaves the viewer intrigued and wishing for more. I can't recommend the series highly enough.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Finish to the Student Council Saga, January 21, 2000

By 

Devin de Gruyl (Grove City, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolutionary Girl Utena - Power of Dios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The first thing a new Utena fan might notice about this volume - the final chapter of the Student Council storyline, BTW - is what Utena's wearing on the cover. Instead of her usual "guy's" uniform, she's wearing the female version of the Ohtori Academy dress code - WAY out of character for her! The reason for this switch is an important plot point for these three episodes.

In the first, "Gracefully Cruel (The One Who Picks That Flower)", Student Council leader Touga has Utena convinced that *he* is the mysterious prince from her past... then challenges her to a Duel at her most indecisive moment - and *beats* her, thus winning Anthy away from her. Powerful moment here, as Utena learns the "truth" about the Rose Bride and her total(?) lack of free will. The next episode, "For Friendship, Perhaps", finds Utena still in numb shock over her loss, to the point where she's just decided to become a normal girl! It takes the unintentional prodding of her friend Wakaba for Utena to regain her lost confidence, and thus, she demands a rematch against Touga - not for Anthy this time, but for herself, to reclaim what she once was.

The third and final episode on this tape, "Tracing a Path", is kind of a letdown, as it's really just a "clip show" showcasing Utena's seven Duels to date. However, these clips reveal the themes *behind* each Duel, and introduces a character that will play a key role in episodes yet to be brought over...

This anime is *strongly* recommended to anyone who enjoys strong characters, a gripping storyline that just gets better eith each passing episode, and anyone with an interest in shoujo anime. Sailor Moon fans, especially, should get a kick out of this, even though - despite sharing a director - the two series are *completely* different.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your everyday anime., March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Revolutionary Girl Utena - Power of Dios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of the most subtle, intricate, and intreging shows that I have ever seen. So do *not* let the first episode temp you into thinking that this show is *fluffy*.

The story pivots around an incident that happened to Utena when she was young. She doesn't remember what really happened, but other characters have varying amounts of information about it, and use that to try to manipulate the outcome of the show. (Reading the true motives of the characters in this setting is next to impossible, and an almost demonic sense of manipulation and paranoia descends upon the cast as the show progresses.)

Friends who have seen the show in it's entirety tell me that everything clicks into a frightenly clear and desperate endgame when the show actually does tell the audience what the backstory is about. They also tell me that all of the clues needed to solve the mystery are there in the first episodes, but the odds of figuring it out ahead of time are next to nothing. Good luck. :)

Add to that a gorgeous art style, and deep character development, and mix well for an incredible series.