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

#1 | Back to Top10-26-2006 10:42:13 AM

SleepDebtFairy
Revolutionary
From: Washington DC
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2096
Website

If you like Utena, then..

What other animes/mangas would you recommend if you like SKU? I've seen Rose of Versailles, Serial Experiments Lain, Princess Tutu, and Neon Genesis Evangelion recommended a lot. emot-keke Anyone have any good descriptions of some of your favourite animes that remind you of Utena?

I've seen Princess Tutu and Eva, and they both remind me of Utena a little. When my best friend was watching Utena she said it reminded her between a cross of Tutu and Eva, and I said that Utena was their lovechild. ..except Tutu is much newer than Utena and Eva. Oops.

http://www.anzwers.org/free/tutu/story.htm - Here's some information about the story of Princess Tutu. I got into Tutu first and then a lot of people said I would like Utena if I liked Tutu, so I checked it out. Tutu reminds me of Utena because of the use of fairytales and turning them upside down on their heads. Not to mention the random weirdness and animals and some symbolism, and the prince who lost his heart. Don't let the name fool you, because it can be pretty dark too, although admittedly not nearly as dark as Utena and it is directed at younger audiences. (thus why it's earned the new nickname here as "Utena 101" I think it fits. ;3 ) A lot of people get scared off by the name and think it's only a cutesy anime, though. emot-wink

I've really wanted to check out some anime, but I like to get recommendations first. emot-dance Especially if it's an anime that's Utena-esque.

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#2 | Back to Top10-26-2006 11:06:43 AM

G&Ysnumber1fan
Tenjou Tilter
From: On the Isle of Lesbos
Registered: 10-25-2006
Posts: 82
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Er, Strawberry Panic is a good one. Mai Hime and that something no Miko are both good ones as well.


Akio..and James Brown(R.I.P.) have two things in common:
1)They are sex machines...
2)They are the only ones that could possibly make jumping over the windshield of a car look effortless..

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#3 | Back to Top10-26-2006 03:30:58 PM

Imaginary Bad Bug
Revolutionary
From: Connecticut, USA
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2171
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

G&Ysnumber1fan wrote:

Er, Strawberry Panic is a good one. Mai Hime and that something no Miko are both good ones as well.

Kannazuki no Miko perhaps?

I did get an Utena vibe from the beginning of that series, mainly due to the setting... a european style academy.


http://lh5.ggpht.com/_HERdW38xV_c/S5xZ2QVrIwI/AAAAAAAAApg/uNpckSbLgUw/s800/utenaban.jpg

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#4 | Back to Top10-26-2006 03:39:25 PM

Hina the Prince
Friend, Perhaps
From: Israel
Registered: 10-20-2006
Posts: 320

Re: If you like Utena, then..

G&Ysnumber1fan wrote:

Er, Strawberry Panic is a good one. Mai Hime and that something no Miko are both good ones as well.

No, not really. Unless you only watch Utena for the lesbians.

I second SEL! One of my first animes, and I love it to this day. I also recommend Karin, a romantic comedy about a teenage vampire who gets nosebleeds. It may sound silly, but it's truly a great series that doesn't get enough love. It has a deeper, darker side too, and actually deals with death, jealousy, incest, etc. Go watch it already.

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#5 | Back to Top10-26-2006 04:56:28 PM

Hinotori
The Notable Death Mantis
From: Soviet Ohiostan
Registered: 10-23-2006
Posts: 1335

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Eh, if we're going the yuri route, there aren't many good ones. The only one I'd really reccomend to fans of Utena would be Simoun. (and that's because I'm recommending it to EVERYONE) The only real difference is the first half of Simoun is more slice of life than Utena, but I think they touch on some similar themes.

None of the other shoujo-ai really cut it. They're all ridiculous girl's school romances trying desparately to emulate Oniisama E.

On that note, yeah, anything by Riyoko Ikeda (Of Rose of Versailles/OE). Utena was pretty obviously based on her work. I think Utena fans might dig the manga version of Yume Tsukai (and possibly the 9th episode of the anime. The whole thing is pretty stand alone so you can easily just watch that one. It's pretty good.) And Portrait de Petite Cossette if you like SKU for the art. And as far as shoujo with a brain goes, some of you might like Natsumi Itsuki.

That's all I can really think of for now. o:

Last edited by Hinotori (10-26-2006 04:56:49 PM)


Hinotori made this post, and then went back and changed it later. Such is life.

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#6 | Back to Top10-26-2006 05:19:22 PM

Tamago
God of Comedy
From: Minami Goushuu
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 14280
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

If you liked the Filler Episodes in the S K Utena series for their silliness then I would recommend…

GALAXY ANGEL!

It has ditzy pink-haired girls dressed up in fancy garb, craziness which involves crazy transformations, animals, strange storyline twists and… and… well I just recommend it that’s all! emot-keke

Edit:I changed the link

Last edited by Tamago (10-26-2006 06:12:15 PM)

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#7 | Back to Top10-26-2006 05:56:56 PM

Perfect Verse
Wakaba Wrangler
From: Houston, Texas
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 11
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Maria-sama Ga Miteru ("The Virgin Mary Is Watching") is pretty good.  It's not fucked up like Utena in any way, and it's kind of more slice of life, but it's a good shoujo-ai type anime if you like that kind of thing.

Lillicious wrote:

Based on the novel series by Konno Oyuki. The setting is Lillian Academy, a private Catholic all-girls school where the student council is known as the Yamayurikai (Mountain Lily Council) and younger students are taken under the wing of older students through a system known as the "soeur system" ("soeur" is French for "sister"). The main character, Yumi, who is basically a nobody, suddenly finds herself interacting with the members of the Yamayurikai and their soeurs, most notably her crush, the talented, beautiful, and withdrawn Sachiko...

http://www.hactar.net/lily/projectDet.php?id=8

Last edited by Perfect Verse (10-26-2006 05:57:42 PM)

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#8 | Back to Top10-26-2006 09:19:58 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

G&Ysnumber1fan wrote:

Strawberry Panic

Lesbian parade anime, right? I hear there's an Akio and Touga in that show but they have vaginas. Also there's a shot in the opening that's almost an exact replica of a shot from the opening of SKU. (Where Utena's walking away and you see the school and ocean and Akio's coc-er tower in the background.)


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#9 | Back to Top10-26-2006 11:22:06 PM

Hina the Prince
Friend, Perhaps
From: Israel
Registered: 10-20-2006
Posts: 320

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Giovanna wrote:

G&Ysnumber1fan wrote:

Strawberry Panic

Lesbian parade anime, right? I hear there's an Akio and Touga in that show but they have vaginas. Also there's a shot in the opening that's almost an exact replica of a shot from the opening of SKU. (Where Utena's walking away and you see the school and ocean and Akio's coc-er tower in the background.)

And there's a [female, obviously] prince named Ohtori who rides a white horse. emot-biggrin

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#10 | Back to Top10-27-2006 12:27:50 AM

UtenaFanGirl
Ballgoer
From: California
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 145
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

...goddess i so wanted to strangle the scrip writters for strawberrypanic soooooooooooo badly -_-; they were messing with all of us till the last episode...ugh!emot-mad


Chu chuu CHU!!!!

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#11 | Back to Top10-27-2006 01:35:36 AM

Joku_Krypfto
Saionji Slapper
From: Finland
Registered: 10-27-2006
Posts: 21

Re: If you like Utena, then..

I'll second the recommendations on Serial Experiments Lain, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Maria-sama ga Miteru, and Simoun . . . and now that I think about it, on Strawberry Panic, too. The thing is, you'll either love it, or you'll hate it. (You might also feel indifferent towards it, but whatever.) If you love it, then all's well and good. And if you hate it, you can always point and laugh! I can honestly say that I didn't make it through a single episode of Strawberry Panic without laughing out loud. In fact, a couple of times ("You are the chosen one!") I literally Rolled On the Floor Laughing! Just grab a few alcoholic beverages, switch your brain into MST3K mode, and enjoy!

Other recommendations:

Angel's Egg
And you thought the Utena movie was weird? I mean, at least it had a plot.

Avenger
Bee Train's gorgeous animation, Ali Project's magnificent music, and an intentionally confusing sci-fi story with possible symbolism set on a post-apocalyptic Mars, featuring the most kick-ass female protagonist ever. Seriously underrated.

Noir
Yes, I am a Bee Train fan. A beautiful Corsican assassin teams up with a Japanese teenager of the same profession, on a quest to find out about their shady past and uncover an ancient conspiracy (I'm a fan of ancient conspiracies, too), and she's promised to kill her after they're done. Also, a brilliant soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura.

Madlax
Even more Bee Train! Some people complain that Madlax and Noir are too similiar, but I find the similarities to be entirely superficial. (Well, not entirely, but there are more than enough differences in the areas where itreally counts.) There's a mysterious assassin/mercenary going by the codename "Madlax", earning her living in a country engaged in a perpetual civil war; there's an evil conspiracy pulling all the strings; there's a young amnesiac girl with a mysterious connection to Madlax; there's magical books that drive people insane; and there's another brilliant soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura. Good stuff, good stuff.

Haibane Renmei
I don't know what Yoshitoshi ABe is smoking, but I want some of it. The series starts out slice-of-lifey enough, though the setting is blatantly weird (a small town enclosed by a huge wall, populated not only by normal humans but also by kids with gray wings on their backs and haloes over their heads, born from cocoons), but towards the end it gets awesomely psychological and weird. It's all probably an allegory, but good luck trying to figure out of what.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (manga)
Nothing much to do with SKU, it's just so awesome that I always recommend it when people are asking for recommendations on anything. Just how awesome is YKK? So awesome that, due to the general unfairness of the world, it'll never get licenced. Therefore, go read the scanlations at http://ykk.misago.org and http://www.cafealpha.org. Set in a post-apocalyptic Japan, the main character is a green-haired android who... keeps a café. Not many customers pass by, though. And occasionally she goes to Yokohama to buy more coffee beans. That's about all that ever happens. And it's the bestest manga ever!

Edit: I can't believe I forgot this...

Ouran High School Host Club
A perpetual Nanami filler episode! Well, except for the few moments when it gets melodramatic, which is when it kinda sucks. But most of the time it's some grade A hilarity and weirdness. The usage of visual metaphors really reminds me of SKU, except that here they're used mostly for jokes. No surfing elephants, but plenty of apes and banana peels, high-power motors, lightbulbs, and Mikage-esque flickering arrows that go "beep! beep! beep!" The themes of gender-bending and shoujo clichés are also slightly similiar to SKU.

EditEdit: And another one I forgot...

Mushishi
Mushi are strange little beings, invisible to most human eyes. Not quite bacteria, not quite insects, not quite spirits, not quite plants, not quite animals... The thing is, some of them can cause trouble to humans. One might latch inside your ear and eat all the sound you hear. One might make you grow old and then young again on a daily basis. One might live in your eyes and make you see really far, then through things, then to the future... Ginko, the Mushishi, travels around the world (which consists mostly of forests and mountains), helping people out with their Mushi problems. All the episodes are one-shots, detailing a bizarre, atmospheric, often quite morbid tale of a mushi and the troubles it causes.

Last edited by Joku_Krypfto (10-27-2006 01:55:20 AM)


Originality is nothing.
Hypertextuality is everything.
Obey your hypertextuality.
☞ MOKUSHIKUSHIMOSHIMOKUKUMOSHIMOSHIKUSHIKUMO ☜

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#12 | Back to Top10-27-2006 06:32:54 AM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Hina the Prince wrote:

And there's a [female, obviously] prince named Ohtori who rides a white horse. emot-biggrin

Are...are you serious? Christ I almost have to watch this now. It's like a celebrity sighting when my dearest favoritist show gets referenced (raped).


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#13 | Back to Top10-27-2006 07:25:05 AM

Imaginary Bad Bug
Revolutionary
From: Connecticut, USA
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2171
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Joku_Krypfto wrote:

Haibane Renmei
I don't know what Yoshitoshi ABe is smoking, but I want some of it. The series starts out slice-of-lifey enough, though the setting is blatantly weird (a small town enclosed by a huge wall, populated not only by normal humans but also by kids with gray wings on their backs and haloes over their heads, born from cocoons), but towards the end it gets awesomely psychological and weird. It's all probably an allegory, but good luck trying to figure out of what.

Haibane Renmei is a straight narrative compared to Lain. emot-biggrin  Both are, of course, phenomenal series and desert island picks any day.  Haibane Renmei is a wonderful philosophical piece that really pulls you in.  Rakka's ( etc-love ) journey of self-discovery is a great story.  She's so innocent and just wants to know why things are the way they are, without realizing how radical a line of thought this is in Glie.


http://lh5.ggpht.com/_HERdW38xV_c/S5xZ2QVrIwI/AAAAAAAAApg/uNpckSbLgUw/s800/utenaban.jpg

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#14 | Back to Top10-27-2006 08:10:44 AM

Joku_Krypfto
Saionji Slapper
From: Finland
Registered: 10-27-2006
Posts: 21

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Imaginary Bad Bug wrote:

Haibane Renmei is a straight narrative compared to Lain. emot-biggrin

So true! Back when I first watched Lain I somehow managed to watch a few episodes out of order - something like 5, 8, 7, 6, 9, if I remember correctly. And the thing is, I didn't notice this until after having watched episode 9!


Originality is nothing.
Hypertextuality is everything.
Obey your hypertextuality.
☞ MOKUSHIKUSHIMOSHIMOKUKUMOSHIMOSHIKUSHIKUMO ☜

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#15 | Back to Top10-27-2006 08:10:56 AM

Lightice
Azure Paleontologist
From: Finland
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 1255

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Texhnolyze. Another great work by ABe and Ueda, although rather different from Lain or Haibane Renmei, at least on the surface. Lots of middle aged men and very few bishies or even teenagers. Some angry young men, though. emot-wink
Psychological and philosophical to the extremes, like all their previous works save for NieA_7. And an opening episode with about ten lines of dialogue, done almost completely with emotional visuals.


Hei! Aa-Shanta 'Nygh!

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#16 | Back to Top10-27-2006 11:18:37 AM

Mylene
Fighting Evil By Moonlight
From: Next to Paradox
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 3704

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Giovanna wrote:

Hina the Prince wrote:

And there's a [female, obviously] prince named Ohtori who rides a white horse. emot-biggrin

Are...are you serious? Christ I almost have to watch this now. It's like a celebrity sighting when my dearest favoritist show gets referenced (raped).

I never noticed that Amane's last name was Ohtori.  That explains why she was the only character I liked (and I sick of her by the end too...stupid 'plot twist' crap) aside from Chikara who was just weird (think of her as a shadow girl, perhaps).  ^_- SP! was one of the worst anime series I've watched.  I'd say it was obviously made for men to etc-wankdude to (god, I never thought I'd use that emoticon), but there wasn't anything particularly 'sexy' about it either (or at least not to this yuri-loving female viewer).  Maybe male Japanese otaku just get off to girls saying they want to clean their "Onee-sama's" room while wearing a frilly apron, I just don't know.

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#17 | Back to Top10-27-2006 12:06:06 PM

SleepDebtFairy
Revolutionary
From: Washington DC
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2096
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Wewt, lots of recommendations. emot-keke Okay, what can anyone tell me about Serial Experiments Lain? :3

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#18 | Back to Top10-27-2006 12:38:13 PM

Joku_Krypfto
Saionji Slapper
From: Finland
Registered: 10-27-2006
Posts: 21

Re: If you like Utena, then..

SleepDebtFairy wrote:

Wewt, lots of recommendations. emot-keke Okay, what can anyone tell me about Serial Experiments Lain? :3

PRESENT DAY

PRESENT TIME

HA HA HA HA HA

Erm, that wasn't very helpful, was it? Anyways. It's set somewhere in the near future, and the main character is a girl called Lain who, one day, receives an e-mail from her classmate who committed suicide not long ago. And compared to the conspiracy theory red herrings and creepy, creepy plot twists that are to follow, communicating with the dead feels downright normal. Basically, it's about the nature of reality and the reality of cyberspace and the direction all this evolving technology is taking us and other such Profoundly Philosophical Matters. It's good. Watch it.


Originality is nothing.
Hypertextuality is everything.
Obey your hypertextuality.
☞ MOKUSHIKUSHIMOSHIMOKUKUMOSHIMOSHIKUSHIKUMO ☜

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#19 | Back to Top10-27-2006 01:08:47 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Cerise wrote:

I never noticed that Amane's last name was Ohtori.  That explains why she was the only character I liked (and I sick of her by the end too...stupid 'plot twist' crap) aside from Chikara who was just weird (think of her as a shadow girl, perhaps).  ^_- SP! was one of the worst anime series I've watched.  I'd say it was obviously made for men to etc-wankdude

Yeah it's definitely marketed to males in Japan, Marimite is apparently the yuri show this season meant for the actual yuri girls. emot-keke

Also whatevering Lain, god Lain rocked. The mood, style, and just about everything else is completely different from SKU, but if you love SKU for the way it gets in your head and then stomps your brains out of your nose like an old school wine pressing, then Lain should also hold your attention for the same reason.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#20 | Back to Top10-27-2006 01:29:09 PM

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

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Gio wrote:

The mood, style, and just about everything else is completely different from SKU, but if you love SKU for the way it gets in your head and then stomps your brains out of your nose like an old school wine pressing, then Lain should also hold your attention for the same reason.

Seconded.  I think many of us like Utena for the noirness as much as the shoujo-ai (though how I love the shoujo-ai).  I've never seen another series blend those themes well, but you can also find noir with strong characterization in Boogiepop Phantom, my gateway drug.  (Supernatural thriller full of plot twists, very atmospheric; most of the episodes are basically character portraits suggesting a broad and very eerie city around them.)

Also on the noir side is Kino no Tabi, another of my faves.  If you like trying to puzzle out the personalities of Utena characters, I guarantee you'll love doing the same with Kino, a traveler through the "beautiful world" (the ironic title of the ending song).  Each episode takes Kino to a new dysfunctional country.  I love watching how Kino responds to what's there.

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#21 | Back to Top10-27-2006 02:34:29 PM

Ger
Rose Smilee
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 139
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

satyreyes wrote:

Also on the noir side is Kino no Tabi, another of my faves.  If you like trying to puzzle out the personalities of Utena characters, I guarantee you'll love doing the same with Kino, a traveler through the "beautiful world" (the ironic title of the ending song).  Each episode takes Kino to a new dysfunctional country.  I love watching how Kino responds to what's there.

Oh yes! I highly recommend Kino to Utena fans. The series' premise is simple enough, but like Utena, things are not ever what they seem in any of the places Kino visits.

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#22 | Back to Top10-27-2006 03:15:34 PM

Mylene
Fighting Evil By Moonlight
From: Next to Paradox
Registered: 10-19-2006
Posts: 3704

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Ger wrote:

satyreyes wrote:

Also on the noir side is Kino no Tabi, another of my faves.  If you like trying to puzzle out the personalities of Utena characters, I guarantee you'll love doing the same with Kino, a traveler through the "beautiful world" (the ironic title of the ending song).  Each episode takes Kino to a new dysfunctional country.  I love watching how Kino responds to what's there.

Oh yes! I highly recommend Kino to Utena fans. The series' premise is simple enough, but like Utena, things are not ever what they seem in any of the places Kino visits.

I haven't seen the anime yet, but I'm currently reading the first novel, and I must say I find it very entrancing.  Thus far it reminds of the short stories we would read in middle and high school that I always loved.   In a way it's depressing, but it's also very interesting to see ideals being shown for what they are.  Quite Utena-ish in that regard.

Giovanna wrote:

Yeah it's definitely marketed to males in Japan, Marimite is apparently the yuri show this season meant for the actual yuri girls.

I've started Marimite, and though it hasn't actually drawn me in at all (give it time, Shinohara Emi voices a major role, so I must make myself like it in some way), it's still immensely better than SP!  Oh how I loathed that show...

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#23 | Back to Top10-27-2006 09:59:58 PM

Rebel Prince
Mikage Mistruster
Registered: 10-24-2006
Posts: 61

Re: If you like Utena, then..

Utena first caught my attention on an aesthetic level (I'm a very basic person that way): It. Has. Pretty. People.

If you're into pretty people, and lovely design elements, I'd check out Paradise Kiss.

It's not even in the same hemisphere as SKU if you're looking for depth, but if you are looking for: attractive characters, interesting clothes, buildings, interior design etc + interesting/unconventional pairings and a lot of sexuality + high-school settings with snotty rich kids + ass-hole-ish bisexual cads/dandies/playboys that dress sharp and manipulate   This may be of interest to you. Akio and George tie for first in my heart as the sexiest characters ever. And be sure to take note of the butterfly themes in ParaKiss, in rings, clothes, patterns, and there's even a framed butterfly in George's room. Mikage elevator/Chida residence parallel anyone? emot-tongue

Even though I was drawn into SKU because of its pretty style, the sociological aspects really stole my heart. The relations between the characters in ParaKiss are fun to observe as well, with its various love/lust conflicts and love triangles.

[Edit]: And I -do- mean the manga, of which there are five beautiful volumes (Ai Yazawa's style is very fresh and contemporary). The anime was stylish, but the animation lacked the sharpness of the manga and that of the SKU character designs. The manga, in my opinion, is much more worth your time. However, the entire anime is viewable for free at YouTube.com emot-smile If you're interested.

Last edited by Rebel Prince (10-27-2006 10:03:48 PM)

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#24 | Back to Top10-28-2006 05:10:46 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

satyreyes wrote:

Also on the noir side is Kino no Tabi, another of my faves.  If you like trying to puzzle out the personalities of Utena characters, I guarantee you'll love doing the same with Kino, a traveler through the "beautiful world" (the ironic title of the ending song).  Each episode takes Kino to a new dysfunctional country.  I love watching how Kino responds to what's there.

Wikipedia:
A phrase repeated in the anime and novels is "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is."

Okay, you sold me. emot-smile I'm definitely checking this out, thank you!!

Rebel Prince wrote:

Utena first caught my attention on an aesthetic level (I'm a very basic person that way): It. Has. Pretty. People.

To be honest, that's what got me to buy it, too. For like a year every time I glanced at the boxes I thought 'Oh god that looks so neat but but but the BLUE AND PINKU (do any of you remember how terrifying the VHS boxes were??? emot-gonk) and 'From the director of Sailor Moon' turned me off. (Sorry, not a fan of SM.) Finally I couldn't resist the character designs anymore and the absolute bizarre outline on the back (it read so vaguely, like the guy who wrote it just couldn't figure out how to summarize the show in so short a space) and gave it a whirl, and when I saw Saionji belt Anthy right in the mouth, I knew I was home. This was not cutesy shoujo genki.

Rebel Prince wrote:

If you're into pretty people, and lovely design elements, I'd check out Paradise Kiss.

It's not even in the same hemisphere as SKU if you're looking for depth, but if you are looking for: attractive characters, interesting clothes, buildings, interior design etc + interesting/unconventional pairings and a lot of sexuality + high-school settings with snotty rich kids + ass-hole-ish bisexual cads/dandies/playboys that dress sharp and manipulate   This may be of interest to you. Akio and George tie for first in my heart as the sexiest characters ever. And be sure to take note of the butterfly themes in ParaKiss, in rings, clothes, patterns, and there's even a framed butterfly in George's room. Mikage elevator/Chida residence parallel anyone? emot-tongue

The George = Akio got me to watch the anime. (Shallow, huh? Naturally I quite liked George...) I definitely know it's not as good as the manga would be, but I did enjoy it, it looked cool and was refreshingly mature shoujo. And I downloaded 'Do You Wanna?' like ten seconds after I heard it. emot-dance I've heard her latest offering, Nana, I think, is equally good. I'm always in the market for shoujo anime that's mature, my beef with most of it is that it's so aimed at little kids and OMG BISHONEN, I really liked in PK that the characters were older.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#25 | Back to Top10-28-2006 07:53:39 PM

skewed_tartan
Touga Topper
From: El Terra De Richard Nixon
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 55
Website

Re: If you like Utena, then..

I'll admit I don't watch a lot of anime and of the other three shows I'm into to, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rose of Versailles, and Wolf's Rain the first two seem to be regular favorites around here.

I'll admit while Wolf's Rain works on the same basic concept as Utena (Destroy the world through a major event) it is very different in plot. However it does have beautiful animation and a great english dub and it is a short series, I think it has twenty-six episodes, so it can be enjoyed in a decent amount of time.

The basic plot line is that in the future (probably in America) there is a myth circulating that Wolves came from Paradise, and taught humans how to be civilized. These wolves can trick the human mind into seeing them as human though they never assume human forms. The wolves are hunted down by the aristocrats of the future simply called "Nobles". One wolf named Kiba had his entire pack killed by Nobles and was saved by a human. Later when he is an adult he sets out on a journey to find the "Lunar Flower" which will open paradise to Wolves and they can finally live in peace though this will destroy the world of the humans.

The main conflict in the story is the Lunar Flower is actually a young girl grown through alchemy from lunar flowers by a noble and a noble named Darcia wants her to create his own Paradise to save his dying wife while the wolves need her to open their Paradise and fullfill the world's destiny.

Its not nearly as surreal as Utena but it touches on many of the same topics; peace of mind, peace with the past, and the end of the world. Of course it lacks almost any sexual content but it features plenty of gory fight scenes near the end. And like I said its pretty to look at character wise and back ground wise and manages to carry an eloquent plot well.

Will you like it for sure if you liked Utena? Off hand I say it depends on the person, it has the same ultimate goals for the characters invovled but it gets there in a very different way.

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