This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)

#26 | Back to Top07-16-2010 12:51:31 AM

Duelist Megu
Ruthless Deflorist
From: Calgary, AB
Registered: 12-07-2007
Posts: 303
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

That's the best ending we've gotten yet.

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#27 | Back to Top07-16-2010 01:37:16 AM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
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Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Dallbun wrote:

Much as we love to blame^H^H^H^H^H praise Ikuhara for everything weird about Utena, he apparently wasn't directly involved with the game.

Haha, well, his successors carried the torch boldly!  I have no idea how much "direct involvement" Ikuni had in the series, either -- you say he chose not to direct his own show's finale, so I have to wonder -- but from what you've translated for us, this is a game worthy of the author or authors of SKU.  The main plot has themes that coherently explore ideas from the show from a new perspective and using the series' own vocabulary, and even this joke ending is obviously consistent with the first season's undertones; actually, it's a lot like that old SIL thread, The Utena RP that Points Out the Obvious.  In fact, the joke ending is my personal canon now.  You just have to end with Utena saying to Anthy, "And let us never speak of this again."  emot-rofl

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#28 | Back to Top07-16-2010 02:00:05 AM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

satyreyes wrote:

I have no idea how much "direct involvement" Ikuni had in the series, either -- you say he chose not to direct his own show's finale, so I have to wonder -

As far as I'm aware, there's always a distinction between "series director" and "episode director" in TV anime. Ikuhara was the series director for the whole thing, but he wasn't the episode director for any of the episodes. (Apparently he did do storyboards for episode 1, though.)

Anyway, agreed! I think the game is a lot of fun and has lots of interesting bits, even if characters seem to pass around the idiot ball liberally in regards to the main plot. (And there clearly needed to be more communication between the scriptwriter and character designer about the whole "Chigusa looks masculine" thing. Yeesh.)

I think my personal canon is the "Perfect Ending," actually, with D-ko having been inspired by Chigusa, and resolving to return to Ohtori to show everyone how much she's grown. (...then she can come back later, hammer-duel Utena, and spend the night playing with Anthy. emot-tongue)

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#29 | Back to Top07-16-2010 12:51:21 PM

Trench Kamen
Eternal Eschatologist
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: 12-08-2006
Posts: 903
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Dallbun wrote:

Sorry for derailing the thread away from more interesting stuff. emot-wink

In what universe is that not "interesting stuff"? school-eng101

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l26/TrenchKamen/1232517614459.jpg

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#30 | Back to Top07-16-2010 03:10:38 PM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Trench Kamen wrote:

In what universe is that not "interesting stuff"? school-eng101]

The universe where it's up against lesbian schoolgirl BDSM shower sex, of course.

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#31 | Back to Top07-17-2010 09:39:33 PM

Blowfish
Wakaba Wrangler
Registered: 05-12-2010
Posts: 13

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

LOLWUT.

Seriously though, this was definitely worth seeing.  Thanks for all the awesome LP threads, Dalbun! etc-love

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#32 | Back to Top08-29-2010 03:32:21 PM

Itsuke
Pathtracer
Registered: 12-08-2008
Posts: 341

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Is...is it possible to get an audio recording of that scene in the bathroom?

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#33 | Back to Top08-29-2010 04:10:22 PM

The_A_Man
Someday Shiner
From: Canada
Registered: 02-22-2009
Posts: 9107
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

emot-rofl That Anthy ending amuses me so much. Though it is much more amusing if you can actually see it. I work my way to this ending once, it amused me so much, even though I had no idea what they were saying. I think I did try to record it, but couldn't figure it out.

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#34 | Back to Top08-29-2010 08:26:39 PM

The_A_Man
Someday Shiner
From: Canada
Registered: 02-22-2009
Posts: 9107
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Lucky for you guys, thanks to all the LPs I've been watching, I've heard of HyperCam and got the Anthy Ending recorded and uploaded to Youtube.

So if you can't play the game for some reason, but would like to see this ending, you can. emot-biggrin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAS0v0Z1fEg

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#35 | Back to Top08-29-2010 08:31:35 PM

Yasha
Bitch Queen
From: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Registered: 10-15-2006
Posts: 6031
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

AHAHAHA, thank you honey! This is fantastic!


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#36 | Back to Top08-29-2010 11:46:46 PM

Itsuke
Pathtracer
Registered: 12-08-2008
Posts: 341

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

The_A_Man, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPLOAD!!!
Anthy sounds fantastic as always~~school-devil Even though the player's character is a girl in the game, but she sure sounds like a typical dirty old man (with a girly voice) emot-gonk

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#37 | Back to Top08-29-2010 11:52:38 PM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Nice, thanks, A_Man!

Sorry to step on your toes, but since everyone seems to be enjoying it, here's a somewhat better-quality version posted on Nico Nico Douga. If you guys are interested in Saturn game videos, Nico Nico Douga has a whole lot of them. I could post a catalogue of links.

http://polsy.org.uk/play/nico/?vidid=sm5475281

P.S.

The_A_Man's Youtube Video wrote:

What's more fun then dueling with 'squeaky' hammers and lesbian subtext?

It's not subtext if it's text. emot-wink

Last edited by Dallbun (08-29-2010 11:56:22 PM)

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#38 | Back to Top08-31-2010 02:43:54 PM

RhythmFusion
Rose Smilee
Registered: 03-18-2010
Posts: 133

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Dallbun wrote:

If you guys are interested in Saturn game videos, Nico Nico Douga has a whole lot of them. I could post a catalogue of links.

Please do.etc-love


"But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail." ~ Lady Macbeth; Macbeth - Act One, Scene 7
"Crying is such hypocrisy. How can happiness cause the same reaction as sadness? Does pleasure share the same edge of the blade of life as pain?" - What His Crimson Eyes Believe in: Ch. 2

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#39 | Back to Top09-01-2010 05:20:29 AM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Okay, I posted the links in the Nico Nico Douga thread.

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#40 | Back to Top09-01-2010 06:59:57 PM

Zabel Z
Ohtori Paramouri
From: Brazil
Registered: 05-18-2010
Posts: 91

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Thanks The_A_Man, I think I almost came. etc-love


Damm kids, get out of my lawn!!!

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#41 | Back to Top09-12-2010 08:56:32 PM

CausalityStar
Caretaker
From: Idaho
Registered: 09-12-2010
Posts: 215

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Oh my. That was disturbing but kinda sexy. Especially if you're listening to the audio while reading the translations. I also like how D-ko was too sleepy to duel because she was up all night playing with Anthy. emot-dance

Katzenklavier wrote:

    With the ways things are going, I'm surprised the ending didn't turn out more like this...

    Utena: (loud declaration) C'mooon! I'm here to duel you!
    (She draws out her sword and boldly faces off the exhausted D-ko. However, before the victory can become complete, Anthy sneaks up behind her and crushes her brain with the Squeakinator Vibrating Blast, a squeaky hammer of unmatched power.
    Anthy: Oh, Miss Utena, always so brave. Unfortunately, I've decided that I want to stay with my new master from now on.
    Utena: No...Himemiya...why?
    Anthy: Frankly, Miss Utena, you're the single biggest tease to my sword of Dios since I was engaged to the entirety of the girls' volleyball team. The sight of you prancing around in those skintight hot red panties is torturous enough for the millions of people who stabbed me to go, "Oh, that's just BITCHY." I keep putting little hints around here just bending over in front of a conveniently placed baseball bat, and YOU NEVER FUCKING PICK UP THE HINT. Holy Satan, you think I like sweeping your floors? The only reason I get off on that crap is because Saionji is usually running after me, spanking my way the whole time. I know you want to save my soul and redeem my life and you love me and blah blah blah but fuck, my privates are fossilizing here.
    D-ko: Ah shaddup beatch and make me a grits sammich. (smashes Anthy over the head with a half-empty bottle of Miller)

Oh, I have to agree. You know it's bad when the crazy townspeople think you're being a big tease and that's just bitchy. Hey I wonder if Anthy frequently converses with the people who stabbed her. Wouldn't that be an interesting sitcom. Also, I totally ship D-ko/Anthy now for the hot lesbo sex. By the way D-ko, your closet is officially gone; so you might as well come out now.

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#42 | Back to Top11-02-2010 01:57:42 PM

Tenjou_sailorsaturn
Someday Shiner
From: Floating Castle
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 2417
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Dallbun, now I officially etc-love you. poptartpoptartpoptart

Thank you so much for playing the game so many times and translate it for us, even though I wasn't there to vote, I still read all four threads with great interest and I just couldn't stop.

My personal favorite ending is Anthy. Simply hilarious, I tried very very hard not to laugh out loud so that I won't wake my husband. But seeing the perfect ending let me know the plot and make me know the charactersw even better.

Now I want to write a D-ko fanfic to see what happen when she return to Ohtori.

Once again, many thanks to you, Dallbun!


生命是奇蹟,但是為什麼生活是痛苦的?

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#43 | Back to Top01-02-2011 09:11:01 PM

Cyrias
Tenjou Tilter
From: Exploring the psyche
Registered: 10-04-2009
Posts: 83

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

I actually had to look at the pictures twice school-devil Oh D-ko kun, I liked her egostatical behavior and the part where Anthy put Squeaky hammer helmet on befuddled Utena etc-love And the part where Dko was like 'I spent all night playing with Anthy' emot-keke That was so hilarious emot-tongue


In lumine tuo, videbimus amor ('In your light, we shall love') Slippy slippery mambo~ everyone at Ohtori is in some kind of spiritual land, created by Goddess Anthy and her brother Akio?!

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#44 | Back to Top01-05-2011 05:10:17 PM

BioKraze
Faceless Master
From: Yuma, Arizona (USA)
Registered: 11-26-2006
Posts: 8282

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

I have no life and I like being totally anal about stuff like this. If any mods think this would be better off as its own thread, shoot me a quick PM and let me know. emot-keke

Based on two pieces of information provided (possibly three!) in the second Let's Play (the one for the perfect ending), I used the date/time function provided by any installation of Windows XP to track down the timeframe of when the game takes place to the very day.

I first present the first piece of information, the calendar in the fencing club's locker room:

http://ohtori.nu/galerie/d/18481-1/Game_Cap_019.jpg

As can be seen, the month has 31 days, starts on a Monday and has the date of the 25th (a Thursday) circled. Taking into account that only four days are spent during the game (and I assume that the 25th is the last day, of course), we know that our cheerful yet clueless protagonist arrived at Ohtori on the 22nd of the month (a Monday).

Now, moving on to the next piece of information, the game reveals in our second playthrough that Chigusa is examining student records from 1981 to 1983. I assume this has something to do with the way Japanese upper schools keep records in comparison to the way Western schools do (or, at least, American schools; I'm basically writing what I know here, to use a trope). We learn through the conversation with our bubbleheaded heroine's (not Utena) parents that the whole incident leading to Chigusa's death took place fifteen years ago.

With a quick bit of arithmetic, we learn that She of the Slippery Mambo is attending Ohtori between the years 1996 and 1998, barring some bizarre wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey mojo on Akio and/or Anthy's part.

Most humans I know also learn the reinforcing mnemonic (spelled right?) rhyme that "thirty days has September, April, June and November; the rest have 31 save February." Gives us seven months to work with in a year, and with three years this gives us 21 months to examine. The third possible piece of information appears to be that the season is between late spring and late summer in Ohtori. (I think, anyway. I assume that a Japanese winter in Ohtori would involve snow and changing of leaf colors.)

With that known, we can examine which months in range turn up as possible hits.

From 1996, we have January and July. In 1997, there's December. And in 1998, we have nothing that matches. This brings us down to three possible months across three years. January and December seem much too cold to wander around without warm clothing, so this leaves only July 1996 as our winner.

Now, I'm not saying that the facts of seasons turn up as I'm assuming, because I've never ever been to Japan. I also have to assume for sake of continuity that there's nothing funny about the way Akio's keeping track of time in Ohtori and Houou City. Any major change to this continuity and we throw this all out the window. I'm just presenting what I dug up today when totally bored and decided to do a bit of integrity checking.

If anybody with a greater understanding of the variables involved has a different opinion, I'd honestly welcome them onto the table, as it were.


Roses have thorns to stop those who would dare deny their right to live.
Razara's Postulate: For every lover of lesbians out there, there is an equal and opposite attraction to Dippin' Dots.

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#45 | Back to Top01-05-2011 06:03:06 PM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

The original manga was written beginning in 1996, and since Utena doesn't contain any obviously retro elements, nor any obviously futuristic elements (apart from conceits like the planetarium), it's reasonable to guess that the manga is set in 1996.  The anime aired in '97.  July 1996 seems like a perfectly reasonable date for the video game.

I don't think the other two dates are out of the question, though.  Winters in and around Tokyo are quite mild -- the city is a little closer to the equator than San Francisco -- and though Tokyo usually does get snow, the first snowfall usually isn't till January, and once in a while it doesn't snow till February.  Whether the students would be running around in short skirts in December or January I don't know, but then, maybe Akio likes using the dress code to fuck with people during winter.  emot-smile

Last edited by satyreyes (01-05-2011 06:05:21 PM)

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#46 | Back to Top01-05-2011 09:51:47 PM

Raven Nightshade
Someday Shiner
From: Louisiana
Registered: 12-17-2006
Posts: 2925

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

BioKraze wrote:


From 1996, we have January and July. In 1997, there's December. And in 1998, we have nothing that matches. This brings us down to three possible months across three years. January and December seem much too cold to wander around without warm clothing, so this leaves only July 1996 as our winner.

Now, I'm not saying that the facts of seasons turn up as I'm assuming, because I've never ever been to Japan. I also have to assume for sake of continuity that there's nothing funny about the way Akio's keeping track of time in Ohtori and Houou City. Any major change to this continuity and we throw this all out the window. I'm just presenting what I dug up today when totally bored and decided to do a bit of integrity checking.

If anybody with a greater understanding of the variables involved has a different opinion, I'd honestly welcome them onto the table, as it were.

I thought that the calendar we see in the locker room was the OLD calendar, not the current one?


Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again.
It's so far and out of sight.
I really need someone to talk to and nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight.

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#47 | Back to Top01-05-2011 10:04:18 PM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Raven Nightshade wrote:

I thought that the calendar we see in the locker room was the OLD calendar, not the current one?

Ouch. Looks like you're right. emot-frown

(From this post)

Miki:
...this calendar is pretty tasteless, huh?

Juri:
The 25th is marked.
The 25th... today's date.

D-ko:
Chigusa-san probably did it.
Look at the date on the calendar... it's from fifteen years ago.

Touga:
So it is, now that you mention it.

It's easy to miss, since the picture of the calendar quite obviously doesn't have a month or year written on it.

Anyway, thanks for the detective work, BioKraze! It's interesting. I don't suppose you'd want to do another round of deduction, with this new information...? emot-wink

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#48 | Back to Top01-05-2011 10:25:42 PM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
Website

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Aw, man, that makes things harder!  emot-frown  So we no longer know that the first day of the current game-time month is Monday.  But we still know that the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th are all school days (possibly including Saturday, which is a school day for most schools in Japan).

The calendar isn't from 1981, which had no 31-day months beginning on Mondays.

The calendar page could be March 1982.  That would set the game in 1997.  But in March 1997, the 23rd was a Sunday, not a school day, meaning that the game definitely doesn't take place in March 1997.  So if the game is set in 1997, Chigusa is using the wrong calendar month (March) to mark off the days till the 25th, which seems kind of strange (though perhaps no stranger than using the wrong calendar year).  And if Chigusa's using the wrong month, we have nothing to go on.

The calendar page could also be August 1983.  That puts the game in 1998, the not-too-distant future from the anime audience's perspective.  But here again, it turns out that the 23rd of the month was a Sunday in August 1998, so we still have Chigusa using the wrong calendar month.

1980 and 1984 turn out not to work either, for parallel reasons.  So either the game designers didn't think through what month the game was set in and what month Chigusa's calendar would reflect, or Chigusa just ripped an arbitrary month from her calendar.  I think obviously Chigusa is to blame here.  emot-rolleyes

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#49 | Back to Top01-06-2011 12:04:54 AM

Dallbun
Tour Guide to Crawling Chaos
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 719

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

satyreyes wrote:

(possibly including Saturday, which is a school day for most schools in Japan).

FYI, that hasn't been true for a while. I believe that since 2002, no public schools have had classes on Saturday (and it might have been only two Saturdays a month for a while before that?). Of course, that's irrelevant because this game is set in the mid-90s, and Ohtori is a private school and can do what it wants.

Anyway, the calendar is messed up. March doesn't seem reasonable anyway, because that would put it very, very close to the end of the Japanese school year, and we need space for another 30 or so episodes to happen after this game.

Obviously someone just didn't do the research.

...err, I mean, obviously it's metaphorical! Quick, somebody do a lengthy analytical essay on why it's important that the month is 31 days long and starts on a Monday! emot-tongue

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#50 | Back to Top01-06-2011 09:49:30 AM

BioKraze
Faceless Master
From: Yuma, Arizona (USA)
Registered: 11-26-2006
Posts: 8282

Re: Let's Play! Utena SPECIAL: For Power, Perhaps

Dallbun wrote:

stuff about the date

satyreyes wrote:

more stuff about the date

You guys are gonna laugh. I had to correct my original calculations because I was doing them fifteen years ago, game-wise.

And you know what? You're right. It's totally pointless to try and figure it out. Even if the game designers did their research and got everything lined up, and the calendar made sense both "now" and "fifteen years ago," it still wouldn't apply because of the one quality of fan-wank we all typically agree on here: Ohtori is timeless. So I'm still stabbing roses in the dark because I assumed Akio wasn't diddling around with time, and he still is! emot-mad

Buuut, it's fun to try and do this sort of thing, isn't it? emot-keke


Roses have thorns to stop those who would dare deny their right to live.
Razara's Postulate: For every lover of lesbians out there, there is an equal and opposite attraction to Dippin' Dots.

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