*blinks* Tentacles???

Oh wait...I think I might know what your'e taliing about...maybe... damn i need to rewatch the show.

Also, Touga/whasserface (his sister) incest.

And ZOMG LOVE TRIANGLES.

It's about as confusing as my love life really.

And all the utena characters are regular consumers of spice. /nodnod. Just note the blue in all their eyes, all blue...

Last edited by alirias (07-19-2007 01:32:37 PM)

God, my first time through I was 11 years old... Jesus.

I remember watching episode 7 and just oozing with love for Juri. I had seen an AMV about Juri and Shiori and Ruka, and I still remember making up my own little story as to what was going on, since I hadn't seen the actual episodes yet. I thought that Juri and Shiori were dating and in love, but Shiori was cheating on her with Ruka, and that's why Ruka and Juri hate each other [well, I thought that they hated each other]. Ruka loves Shiori, too, and they duel over who will keep her... as a child, I liked to keep things in neat little packages. [/offtopic]

I recall thinking something along the same lines as Mocha. Everything about Nanami was less than astounding to me, until I got a good hard looking at her. Now, quite frankly, I don't think her outfit is really as awful as everyong says it is.

I also hated Touga with a passion. He was worse than Ruka to me. After a few times around, I liked him more, and now I can safely say I'm not holding any grudges. Hmm, what else was there... I really thought Utena was nosy. I still kinda think that, but not so much in a bad way anymore. Crazy as it might seem, getting a chance to see that Utena has flaws really makes her so much better in my book. I really get sick of all these perfect main characters. Even in things like Ouran, where Haruhi might act very "different" and not like your common anime girl, she's still portrayed in too much of a good light for me to really care about her. While Utena is never made into a villain, they make a hell of a lot more effort to give her depth than most anime girls.

First reactions:

OMGOMGOMG!!! I WANNA BE JUST LIKE UTENA!!!!!!!

OMGOMGOMG!!! I WANNA BE JUST LIKE NANAMI!!!!!!!

SHIORI IS EVIL!!!!!

Akio is alright.  But he's sketchy.

(Note: I started watching from the Black Rose Arc...)

Thankfully my opinions have changed...

Now I'm like Nanami because I can't help it.

I'm up to episode six.

Nanami is an IDIOT.

Edit: The hell? Ohtori Academy has a farm?

...and this show gets wierder, and wierder, and more random shit happens...

More edits:

Found middle bits. Touga's screwing Miki's sister? Shattered's right, there's lots of sex in this.

Last edited by alirias (07-19-2007 05:11:42 PM)

Well, I just started watching Utena recently, but... I think some of my thoughts went like this:

Um, what's with random roses popping up everywhere?

Why do they show Utena going into the duel arena OVER and OVER? I get it already!

Wow, Nanami's on crack.

WTF, why is shirtless Touga boxing with a kangaroo? And how the heck did a horse and a kangaroo get in the school anyway?

But I realize the anime's true genius now, of course.

Thanks for spoiling the episode I'm just watching

Kidding.

The repetitive duel scenes are actually starting to grow on me. I like rituals.

Has anyone done symbolism analysis of that stopwatch, yet? It's EVERYWHERE (and it's Miki's?)

alirias wrote:

Thanks for spoiling the episode I'm just watching

Kidding.

Yeah... sorry, but the Utena forum is not the place to complain about Utena spoilers

ali wrote:

Has anyone done symbolism analysis of that stopwatch, yet? It's EVERYWHERE (and it's Miki's?)

Everyone has done symbolism analysis of the stopwatch, and no one has done it convincingly.  My favorite theory is that Miki has the vague sense that time does not quite flow normally at Ohtori, and while he may not be consciously aware of this, he uses the stopwatch as a subconscious defense mechanism.

The thing I remember most strongly from my first exposure to Utena (I was 18, in my freshman year of college) is rewatching the duel about ten times trying to pull more and more symbolism out of Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku and When, Where, Who, Which.  I... don't think I did very well. 

Last edited by satyreyes (07-19-2007 06:45:21 PM)

The first time I watched Utena was in 1999, not long after the fansubs were made available. My anime dealer stuck it in the VCR and told me that I'd like it without telling me anything about it.

No, seriously...I was told n.o.t.h.i.n.g.

Some of the first thought I remember having were:

"Hey, that girl has green eyes and purple hair. I love her already."
"I wish Anthy would take her hair down. I bet it's hot."
"OMG, Saionji is such a tool!"
"GASP! He slapped her? I would have kicked his ass."
"Oh, look, another brown-haired sidekick. As if there aren't enough of those already."

After that there were a whole bunch of comparisons to other anime I've watched, but I won't go into that.

Shiva Indis wrote:

Wasn't the readout on Miki's stopwatch the length of the line of dialog immediately prior? Or am I falling prey to a myth?

Ikuhara said this during the DVD commentary. Since it's Ikuhara, who has said several things which are not true, it isn't proof enough on its own for most people. And even though I think he was being honest, I wouldn't assume that was its only purpose or that it couldn't have an in-show meaning (or several) as well.

Tamago wrote:

Concerning Miki's stopwatch, I have the times that were shown whenever he stopped it and I wond back the DVD the same amount of time and discovered that was when the beginnings of the scene started or when people/things/events started to change direction. 

I wish I could word it better but if you do rewatch Utena and you come across Miki's stopwatch, wind back the time it states on his stopwatch and you will see what I mean.

If the watch says 37.98sec then go back 38-40 seconds and see what was happening then.

That's actually an interesting possibility. I will have to try it some time.

And, hmm... first impressions... I think my first impression was noting how different it was from the manga, because my exposure was the first two volumes of the manga, then I watched the series and then I skimmed the rest of the manga after that.

I can actually rather specifically remember a few thoughts at several key moments. These are definitely the less serious bunch of my responses, but the others would fill up several rather dull pages.

I wish I smoked. This would be even more awesome.

(after the appearance of Chuchu) What the holy effing hell is that? Is it edible, like the dog in Excel Saga?

(seeing the Chairman's Tower) The owner must have the weenie of a needlepoint. (This was before Akio XD )

(seeing it again) Someone should write a porno about that tower and the Washington memorial. Yeah, building sex. Wait, what?

(Saionji slapping Anthy around) This is sort of racist, isn't it? Change my pitch up....smack my bitch up...

(Anthy/Akio sex) Their personalities + incest = REALLY effed up children. Could you imagine Anthio, the creepy hybrid of Akio and Anthy?

(Second Touga duel) If I were Utena, I'd have photos taken of this, then force him to turn over the Rose Bride in exchange for not being arrested for sexual harassment.

(Akio-revealed-as-asshole moment) I'd have birds poop on his car. Not sure how I'd arrange it, but I would.

(Mikage elevator) *imitates "The Shining" theme*