Symbolisms Behind "Revolutionary Girl Utena".

“The Ohtori Academy. It's like a beautiful, prison isn't it? Students obey insignificant rules and yet they are surrounded by luxury. A cage worthy of a king. It's easy to forget the real world, the one that awaits us just behind the prison's gates.”

      -- Akio Ohtori

     Revolutionary Girl Utena is, at simple glance, a Japanese animation about Utena Tenjou; a tomboyish teenage girl who after meeting a prince as a child, swore to become a prince herself (in manner of dressing and personality) in order to save princesses. Guided by his promise to meet again using a ring he gave her, she arrived at Ohtori Academy where she meets a girl named Anthy Himemiya who is involved in an abusive relationship. Utena fights in Anthy's behalf and gets pulled into a series of sword duels against the members of the student council, who are also involved in this dueling game. Anthy, known as the “Rose Bride”, becomes engaged to the winner of each duel and is thought to be the key of “bringing the world revolution” since she is said to be capable of granting any wish when the game is defeated; so the champion of the last duel gets challenged constantly.
     This story about a “prince” saving a princess is told in its own unique way using elaborate metaphysical, surreal and allegorical symbolisms. However, all of these elements combined explain implicitly that this story is not just about a mere duel championship. Revolutionary Girl Utena is really about adolescence, it's scars and the process that every teenager must go through in order to mature.

     One of the biggest (and yet hardest to find) metaphysical symbols, is the high school campus itself. For instance, in the television series, the school represents that stage of the immature teenager who thinks he or she can live in his or her comfort zone; whether it is a psychological self-defense mechanism or an actual physical place that the teenager is scared to leave. In Anthy's case, for example, once she becomes conscious the awful position she's in by witnessing Utena's sacrifice, she decides not to continue being the Rose Bride, her comfort zone, any longer; leaving everything behind and implicitly telling us she does not have the need to be part of these duels any longer (Ep. 39); whereas in the movie, the school is physically her comfort zone. This symbolism is taken to another point of view throughout the film: the walls, stairs and blackboards move constantly; representing Utena's confusion or state of mind in a current situation. However, once she decides she does not want to dwell any longer in her self-pity and decides to take Anthy with her to “the outside world”, the campus' walls stop moving and become firm. In the movie, “the outside world” is a metaphysical metaphor of “maturity”; school life is considered immaturity and fantasies, compared to “the real world”.

     A great example of the use of allegorical metaphors in the television series, happens with Nanami Kiryuu, the most childish and immature character as she goes through her menarche during the series. This is represented in such a subtle way that this goes unnoticed until the episode is seen at least two times. One day, Nanami wakes up noticing she has lain an egg and, this being anything but normal, keeps it a secret. As the episode progresses, she suspects she may be the last person on campus to actually lay an egg. Embarrassed, she seeks the advice of the beautiful and wise Juri Arisugawa, the president of the fencing club. Hilarity ensues when Nanami is talking to her about an “egg” and Juri about a “ball” that she has had since she was younger which got bigger and heavier as she got older. Nanami thinks Juri is very experienced and feeling humiliated that it has taken her so long to lay an egg, runs away. Eventually, we realize it's a huge misunderstanding as we are shown that Juri was referring to a bowling ball. At the end of the episode, Nanami wakes up thinking it was all a dream, but when she looks under her covers, we see that very same egg, only broken.

     Akio Ohtori, Anthy's older brother and acting headmaster by marriage of Ohtori high school is the hugest allegorical symbol yet. He represents the adult world and all its components: lust, money, power, greed, politics, corruption and much more; he is the devil himself. Akio is the only character who physically resembles an adult, meaning, his dreams and nobility have been corrupted and perverted by power. He seduces Utena (and everyone else in the story for that matter) to do as he pleases, and just like irony and consequence should have it, uses it against her. He also enslaves his own sister for his very dark and sinister purposes.

     The movie offers more surreal metaphors than its counterpart, one of these examples is the beautiful dance scene between Utena and Anthy. In the film, these girls apparently switch personalities intermittently, creating some conflict that they need to solve in order to move on. This happens when they decide to get to know each other by dancing on the flooded rose garden. Not only the visual elements of this scene are breathtaking, but the fact that their reflection on water is different from what they really look like, makes you think if that is what they are to become. Or better yet: when the scene is turned upside down and their reflections have now become the real persons, tells you Utena's insecurities are being replaced by her true feelings about herself; and both Anthy and Utena are speaking now with their hearts.

     Also in the film, Utena has managed to overcome the majority of her obstacles except one. Enter Touga Kiryuu. Utena's (unrequited) love interest and ex-boyfriend who no one knows and no one can see but her alone. She harbors resentment towards him and it is incredibly hard for her to get over him as she feels abandoned unjustly by him. Eventually, she feels brave enough to confront him and we realize that Touga is dead and is a figment of her imagination. Soon we learn that he drowned when she was younger as he tried to save a little girl in a river. As soon as Utena comes to peace with this and is able to say her goodbyes to him, she is ready and confident to bring forth revolution and save Anthy, taking her in her ride to “the outside world.”

     There are so many symbolisms in both the movie and the television series that it is impossible to explain them clearly and see how important they are, given the fact that both animations are a metaphor inside a metaphor that, at the same time, is also inside another metaphor.
     Everything becomes a symbol in Revolutionary Girl Utena: colors, clothing, props, sounds, background music and the epic choruses that take part before every duel just to name a few. However, no matter how you look at it, once you get past the “where the creators on acid when they wrote this” phase, you can witness that the story is much deeper than it says it is, realize how great these animations are; and witness that apocalyptic battle of adolescence portrayed beautifully with all kinds of symbolisms. Or even better: you are left with a feeling that, when you conquer your adolescence, victory, does in fact, feels like you have just obtained revolution.

--------- 

Copyright © 2010, MadderSky.