In the Rose Garden / Is Utena your favorite anime? And what more do you like?

Louchan · Back to Top

Personally, Utena is my top favorite anime, and it's kept on being unrivaled since I first watched it in 2002 or something. Everyone here are obviously fans of the series in one way or another, but how many of you have it as your favorite anime? Or perhaps it's one favorite among many that you may have? If not, then what anime is your favorite? What more do you like? Do you see any kind of connection between them? Discuss away, I'm quite curious! school-sherlock

The Revolutionist · Back to Top

Yes, Utena is my favorite anime series currently, and I don't see that changing. However, if you were to include anime movies as well, it would be a toss up between Utena and Spirited Away. It's kind of hard for a movie to compete against a whole series, so I usually separate the two when I'm asked. emot-keke

I haven't quite found an anime series as good as Utena, although I have a few series on my plan-to-watch list that were recommended.

Some of my other favorites are The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Code Geass, and Clannad. Many of those I listed don't have the same depth as Utena, so I've been searching for shows that have a similar depth. emot-tongue

Louchan · Back to Top

The Revolutionist wrote:
Yes, Utena is my favorite anime series currently, and I don't see that changing. However, if you were to include anime movies as well, it would be a toss up between Utena and Spirited Away. It's kind of hard for a movie to compete against a whole series, so I usually separate the two when I'm asked.

I haven't quite found an anime series as good as Utena, although I have a few series on my plan-to-watch list that were recommended.

Some of my other favorites are The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Code Geass, and Clannad. Many of those I listed don't have the same depth as Utena, so I've been searching for shows that have a similar depth.

That's funny, Spirited Away, Madoka Magica, Code Geass and the second season of Clannad are also some of my favorite anime. emot-dance Do Utena fans just have similar taste or something?

The Revolutionist · Back to Top

It's probable! emot-biggrin I have found myself sharing a lot of similarities with Utena fans as well. I want to see what other shows Utena fans like, and then maybe we could find a commonality.

I sort of found a similarity between Madoka, Haruhi, and Utena. All 3 shows started out as something that would seem generic, but then totally flipped that over later. Madoka, in the beginning, seemed like it would be a typical Magical Girl show. Then it became disturbing and psychological. Haruhi seemed to be a generic comedy/harem, but it became something totally different. And Utena, with Bishounens, roses, and typical Shoujo art became something completely different, though it took longer to do so. Just a thought. emot-smile

dirufacade · Back to Top

Utena has definitely survived as my favorite anime for more than ten years now, although I wonder if Penguindrum can knock it out. Even when I fell out of "anime" fandom, it retained its influence on me by sending me down the road to reading Hermann Hesse and forcing my literary interests out of the sci-fi/fantasy ghetto and "mainstream" western lit into more psychological, experimental and foreign literature. And of course, the way forward often leads back to the beginning, so by the time I started reading Haruki Murakami I started to re-watch Utena and anime again.

Other shows that would have rivalled Utena for the top spot, though, had it never existed: Lain, Evangelion, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (amazingly underrated. Shocked it isn't more popular.) Cowboy Bebop would have probably taken that spot, though, because its unique tone, style and maturity make it one of the few anime that really break out of the conventions of the genre.

KaleMarsh · Back to Top

I'm a pretty die-hard BERSERK fan. I'd also say that Monster beats Utena in my estimations. Gungrave is close.

Utena is pretty awkward in my list of favorites. The closest is likely Evangelion. It's incredibly difficult for me to rank it because it's just so different from everything else I like (well, it is pretty unique, even among similar shows), but it's definitely up there.

Oh, I also really enjoy Simoun. That's another strange one in a similar vein. SKU wins pretty handily though.

I'd be surprised if there was a huge consensus in this thread, but then maybe I just expect SKU to have wider appeal than it actually does emot-tongue .

Last edited by KaleMarsh (08-14-2011 12:48:52 AM)

PrettyPeopleWithSwords · Back to Top

Yep, Utena is totally my favorite. I remember hearing about it online around when it came out and developing a strong interest in it, even before I had the means to watch it (this was in the dial-up days). Watching it years later was even better than reading transcriptions online of course . . . yes, I was that desperate, haha.

I think the only series that really comes close for me is Haibane Renmei. I also really liked Vision of Escaflowne. I just ordered a copy of Princess Tutu and I'm hoping that that will become a favorite but we shall see. Other than that, I really just need to watch more shows, I'm waaaaaaaaaay behind most of you guys.

dirufacade · Back to Top

I've never made it through Haibane Renmei. Every time I try, the pacing puts me to sleep. :/ This bugs me because it seems like the sort of thing I'd like. Does it pick up at all later on?

Also, I'm watching "Angel Beats" right now. I'd describe it as a mix of Utena -- with the sort of closed-world "God is in this school" theme -- and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya in tone. I'm *really* enjoying it. Someone else mentioned Magica Madoka and I'm going to endorse that one, too. I'm going to end up re-watching it, but it looks like it'll go on the favorites lists with Utena.

Last edited by dirufacade (08-14-2011 07:45:35 AM)

Louchan · Back to Top

I found both Simoun and Princess Tutu to be very similar to Utena.
Simoun is similar because it has a great focus on it's characters, and they all go through a lot of development. It also has some gorgeous music. Oh, and lots of lesbians and even some incest.
Princess Tutu is no surprise, people always compare it with Utena, and the reasons are obvious. It deals with a similar sort of "modern fairy tale" theme, prince and princess figures are in focus, and it starts out very cute but gets increasingly darker as it carries on. The main character, Ahiru, is extremely naive but determined, much like Utena. And just like her she also gets to face issues regarding who she really is and if she can really be who she's trying to be.

Oh, and while I'm at it I might as well put my own list of favorite anime here. etc-love

Revolutionary Girl Utena (D'uh. )
Slayers Next
Simoun
Sailor Moon
Clannad: After Story
Code Geass (First season only. Didn't really like the second.)
Wolf's Rain
Candy Boy
ef - a tale of Memories
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Rozen maiden (Again, first season only)

Might as well add manga while I'm at it.

Angel Sanctuary (Top favorite. )
Berserk
Boys Next Door
Ludwig Revolution
Gyo
Shibuya District, Maruyama Neighborhood: After School
Yotsuba&!
Chi's Sweet Home
Ranma 1/2
Mermaid Saga
Great Teacher Onizuka
Vampire Knight (A very guilty pleasure.)

KaleMarsh · Back to Top

I'm glad to find another Simoun fan. I figure they'd be here, if anywhere. I oddly really prefer the BERSERK anime to the manga. I still down every page Miura puts out, but the entire anime, in fact because of the abrupt ending, seems to have a focus and an idea. It's a disturbing idea, but it has legs, and I'm mostly just really confused by everywhere Miura went since Golden Age. Sure, I love Farnese and Serpico, but I don't understand the other half of the new cast on Gutts' team, and the religious criticisms lack depth and originality. Plus, random as hell.

I like Claymore both as an anime and a manga. I don't honestly read much manga because I find I enjoy violence and action/adventure, which translate better on screen, but Naoki Urasawa may as well be god, so I've tried to read as much of his work as I can get my hands on. I highly recommend 20th Century Boys (my favorite anything that has come out of Japan) and, of course, Monster.

I can see some similarities between SKU and 20th Century Boys if I think about it.

D. Gray Man's manga is fast changing from guilty pleasure to dark mind-fuckery, so I'll put it up as well.

RhythmFusion · Back to Top

The Utena series is one of many on my perpetually growing and unending list of favorite anime.

PrettyPeopleWithSwords · Back to Top

dirufacade wrote:
I've never made it through Haibane Renmei. Every time I try, the pacing puts me to sleep. :/ This bugs me because it seems like the sort of thing I'd like. Does it pick up at all later on?

I'm not sure how far you got but it gets away from the "slice of life" stuff later on and dives more into a real story. If you like Utena then I'm sure you'd like it when it gets going as it really gets more into the background and development of the key characters.

satyreyes · Back to Top

I used to say things like "I love SKU, but I'm not really familiar with anime as a genre." But by my count I've seen all of thirty-six series and a lot of ten more, so I think my normal-person cred may be blown at this point. Here are some of my favorites.

My Favorite Anime Besides Utena That Remind Me Of Utena
1. Oniisama e
2. Ima Soko ni Iru Boku / Now and Then, Here and There
3. Versailles no Bara / Rose of Versailles
4. Tenkuu no Escaflowne / Vision of Escaflowne

My Favorite Anime Besides Utena That Make Me Go "Hell Yeah!"
1. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
2. Hikaru no Go
3. Death Note
4. Yakitate!! Japan

My Favorite Anime Besides Utena That Give Me a Tingly Feeling Up My Spine
1. Monster
2. Boogiepop Phantom
3. Paranoia Agent
4. Alien9 / Alien Nine

My Favorite Anime Besides Utena That Make Me Cry
1. Kino no Tabi / Kino's Journey
2. Eve no Jikan / Time of Eve
3. Angel Beats!
4. Haibane Renmei

Fourteen Theme Songs I Love, Unranked
My Soul, Your Beats, Angel Beats!
Raspberry Heaven, Azumanga Daioh
Life Is Like a Boat, Bleach
Driver's High, GTO
Blue Flow, Haibane Renmei
Days, Hikaru no Go
Every Heart, Inu Yasha
All the Way, Kino no Tabi
Sentimental, Midori no Hibi
Give a Reason, Slayers
Hare Hare Yukai, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
Yakusoku wa Iranai, Tenkuu no Escaflowne
Oratorio, The World God Only Knows
To All tha Dreamers, Yakitate!! Japan

Last edited by satyreyes (08-18-2011 11:39:58 AM)

Android raptor · Back to Top

Gundam. Specifically of the Universal Century timeline (though I love G as well). It's been my true fandom love for almost ten years now and I doubt that's going to end soon.

I still need to write some essays on how Utena mens help analyze certain Gundam villains way more than they should.

yuzukelly · Back to Top

i have two top anime series i love, utena and tenchi muyo emot-biggrin ryoko is my all time favorite character. movies, however, i love millennium actress, and...ah anything by miyazaki xD (i love anime, these are just my tops,...for me it's hard to choose between miyazaki movies because i love them all so much and i get on the verge of tears through most of them...not because of sadness they just make me so happy, you know?)

poetoffire · Back to Top

I discovered Utena through a combination of Princess Tutu and TV Tropes. If not for PT, SKU would be my favorite, and I rank it as my second favorite. But Princess Tutu is so perfect, literally getting better with every single episode, and crafting characters who are complex and tragic and yet good people at heart. There is something complete about Princess Tutu that I think Utena has a bit of a problem with...smooth transitions, the filler episodes fit within the narrative in a more cohesive way, etc.

Maya-chan · Back to Top

Utena may be not on my top 3 favorites, so close; it's in no.4 place. cool

Calamity · Back to Top

If I had to sit down and do a top three I would probably say they are, but the number ranking has no meaning:

1) Utena
2) Boogiepop Phantom
3) Noir

There are many other series I do love, Utena and Boogiepop hit me on a personal emotional level so they get pushed up to the top. While Noir doesn't quite get all that personal for me, I positively adore it. I kind of fell into a slump of not really watching anime for a good chunk of my 20s. I'm finally getting back into it and there are so many series, old and newer, that I really need to invest some time in. Funny enough, this place has given me quite a few series to put on my "find this!" list in the year that I've been here. :3

CausalityStar · Back to Top

Yes, I think that Utena is probably my favorite anime. My absolute favorite used to be Sailor Moon, but I have to say that I like Utena more. I guess it's because Utena is deep and has all the fun physiological mind-fuckery. But, Sailor Moon is still one of my favorites, especially the third season. I think that my second favorite season is Sailor Stars (the final season.)

I've also gotten into the Dragon Ball series-es thanks to Team Four Star's Dragon Ball Z abridged videos. I watched DBZ sometimes when I was a kid because it was on around the same time as Sailor Moon, but I think I like it more now. I really like Dragon Ball, which occurs before DBZ. It's nice that in this series that even the characters that aren't on steroids get to be important. I like Lunch a lot too; it's a shame that she disappeared before DBZ and was never heard from again. I don't know if I'll watch all of DBZ because there is so much filler, but I did see all the fansubbed episodes of Kai. It was pretty good. I know that they dubbed that series and while some of it is better than the DBZ dub that is around when I was a kid, it's still pretty stupid that no one is allowed to say, "Yeah, he's dead." when one of the characters has just been brutally murdered.

I also like YuGiOh, especially season 0. There's good fansubs of that floating around and some fansubs for the Duelist Kingdom series. Since it was dubbed by 4kids, the Japanese version is much better. I know 4kids went out of business, so maybe Funimation will get the rights to the series and give us the uncut DVDs.

As for other anime, I liked Strawberry Panic too. I like Avatar the Last Airbender, but I don't think that it really counts since it's an American cartoon, even though the animation is heavily influenced by anime. Either way, it's still a good show.

gumi · Back to Top

Utena, Tenshi ni Narumon and Princess Tutu are three of my most beloved shows (all heavily laden with symbolic imagery), although I think Tenshi ni Narumon would take the cake.

HonorableShadow · Back to Top

Utena, Tenchi and Princess Tutu are my all time favorites. But even among those top three, I think Utena is my favorite of the favorites. Utena is just such a special series to me - it's the only anime that I think about on a regular basis.

Davine Lu Linvega · Back to Top

Utena is by far my favorite, never seen another TV series that measures up to it. I got into anime during the 90s, so most of the other stuff I like is of that era. Irresponsible Captain Tylor and Key the Metal Idol were very good, FLCL was good, and Paranoia Agent is a newer series I like. I watched Princess Tutu after hearing about its similarity to SKU and liked it pretty well, the meta-storytelling and the shifting roles of the characters were very good, but it can't match SKU when it comes to deep characters and an interesting plot, I thought the PT plot was a little too padded out with "monster of the week" scenarios.

I tend to like manga more than anime, since it's easier for artists to experiment and do niche concepts in manga. Berserk is my all-time favorite manga, both for the story and the art. Its focus has drifted somewhat in the latest volumes, but the Golden Age arc is one of the best stories of all time in the comics format. Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) is another favorite, I also like Junji Ito's horror manga, Blame!, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Hunter X Hunter, Lone Wolf and Cub and Dr. Black Jack, among lots of others.

One of my favorite mangaka who's little known in the West is Wada Shinji, and he unfortunately passed away last month. He did some of the most popular 70s and 80s shoujo manga, including Sukeban Deka (some of whose plot elements I compared to SKU in a previous post) and Pygmalio, which despite being shoujo is an action story that puts Dragon Ball and most other shounen manga to shame, with some of the coolest fantasy artwork ever.

Randamonian · Back to Top

Utena is rather unique in that I can rewatch it rather frequently and not get bored. It has pretty imagery and and interesting plotlines. Not to mention I find older anime to be better in general. So it's pretty high in my list.

As for what else I like:

Macross, Macross 7, Macross Frontier
Gundam. MSG, MSZG, MSZZG - not so much
Code Geass
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Versailes no Bara
Cowboy Bebop
Ruruoni Kenshin

It's hard to say all time favourites because I tend to like things for a while, but move on. Currently I kinda like, but subject to change: Gokusen, Emma a Victorian Romance, Hetalia & MariaHolic.

PrettyPeopleWithSwords · Back to Top

I finished Princess Tutu . . . It was really good but the ending left a sour taste in my mouth. That and Rue is f'ing annoying. Maybe a rewatch later on will change my mind but right now thinking about it just makes me kinda mad, haha.

I tried to watch Rose of Versailles once and I thought it was just too boring and slow. Does it get better later on?

Randamonian · Back to Top

eh... generally the pace of the show doesn't change.
The ending is tragic. You know Marie Antoinette is just going to get worse as the show goes on, so you have to watch Oscar as she patiently stays by her side. If you aren't interested in any of the happenings around Marie, or are interested in Oscar and André, nay, anything at the start, I don't think you'll like it. Admittably, the conversations aren't deep, the animation is very basic and it can be very slow. But I liked it. I could stand the slower parts and got invested in the characters. I was interested in the history behind it and watching the show introduced me to some key players and some of the happenings. Not to mention, I wanted to see if André and Oscar ever got together.

If you only watched 1 episode, give it more of a try. I reckon a try to 15-6 when Rosalie starts playing a bigger role.

#1 | Back to Top08-13-2011 01:17:26 PM

Is Utena your favorite anime? And what more do you like?

#2 | Back to Top08-13-2011 02:31:26 PM

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#3 | Back to Top08-13-2011 02:43:59 PM

Re: Is Utena your favorite anime? And what more do you like?

The Revolutionist wrote:

#4 | Back to Top08-13-2011 03:09:41 PM

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#5 | Back to Top08-13-2011 09:48:20 PM

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#6 | Back to Top08-14-2011 12:45:59 AM

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#7 | Back to Top08-14-2011 03:38:45 AM

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#8 | Back to Top08-14-2011 07:43:22 AM

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#9 | Back to Top08-14-2011 09:15:27 AM

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#10 | Back to Top08-14-2011 10:35:24 AM

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#11 | Back to Top08-17-2011 10:37:02 PM

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#12 | Back to Top08-17-2011 11:06:34 PM

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dirufacade wrote:

#13 | Back to Top08-17-2011 11:11:07 PM

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#14 | Back to Top08-19-2011 01:53:43 PM

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#15 | Back to Top08-19-2011 02:31:57 PM

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#16 | Back to Top08-22-2011 05:45:33 AM

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#17 | Back to Top08-22-2011 09:18:40 AM

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#18 | Back to Top08-22-2011 09:48:55 AM

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#19 | Back to Top08-22-2011 11:12:10 AM

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#20 | Back to Top08-28-2011 03:45:36 AM

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#21 | Back to Top08-28-2011 09:19:58 AM

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#22 | Back to Top08-28-2011 05:29:47 PM

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#23 | Back to Top08-29-2011 01:45:29 AM

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#24 | Back to Top08-29-2011 09:43:40 PM

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#25 | Back to Top08-30-2011 02:31:49 AM

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