Yes, well, I've experimented with how to teach Utena in different environments. In essence, the more time I have to go into the topic, the more sensible it becomes to talk about it in the first place. In one of my first lectures at the college, I chose to introduce the series and show its general structure through the Juri arc in two sessions. Unbeknownst to me the Chancellor planned to sit in to one of my lectures to see what I was doing and what the course was about. He sat in just as I was going into the Mikage arc episode, talking about the confessional elevator and its relation to therapy and the Shadow archetype in general, and then going into whichever song is in that episode. The Chancellor got up and left without a word, with a fellow teacher coming in to tell me I would be summoned to the Chancellor's office after class, at which point I remarked to my students that this is probably the last time I would be allowed to set foot in this institution. Quite the contrary, the Chancellor was highly excited and told me how he now understood the depths of these kinds of works through how I talked about them. So, a highly positive experience there.
I also tried pulling the first episode out in introductory lectures at animecons and such, it works less many times than it does not, due to the nature of not being able to go in-depth into stuff in these kinds of spaces with limited timeframes and with a much more general audience. One time though, when I was invited to a high school to discuss how anime portrays high schools, I put Utena in as the last example, and the episode ran up to the start of the first duel. I was narrating what was going on as the sword came out of Anthy and two about 13 year-old girls screamed out in unison WHAT IS GOING ON, and a minute later, as I ran out of time and announced that I had to stop the video just as the duel was starting, the same two girls screamed out NOOOOOOO, either sparking great interest or scarring them emotionally for the rest of their lives. (Hoping it's the former.)

Greetings, everyone!
I have finally decided to join the forum after about three years of lurking (terrible, I know). I've been a SKU fan for four years, checked it out for the pretty visuals and kinda got hooked. My favorite character, if I had to choose,would be Mikage/Nemuro, though I like nearly all of them for one reason or another.

In life, I am a soon-to-be-twenty architecture student, I love anime and manga, videogames, reading (hardcore ASOIAF fan) and thinking too much into things (I blame SKU for that particular habit of mine ). My favorite colour is blue, I'm a Capricorn, I have a weird habit of calling inanimate objects sexy, and my guilty pleasures are Bollywood and K-pop. I also have a bit of a uniform fetish

English is my second language, so please forgive occasional mistakes and typos. I also know a bit of french, and I dream of studying japanese or korean (or both).

Pretty much all I can think of at the moment. I have been a HUGE fan of this site since I first laid eyes on it, and I'm very happy to be a even a teeny-tiny part of it's awesomeness.

Sending love and cupcakes your way!
Snow

Thank you very much for welcoming me BioKraze

As for reading too much into stuff, it makes life more fun most of the time

Welcome, to all the new posters! Don't be shy about posting.

Hi! I just joined because I recently saw the Utena anime for the first time and loved it (and already rank it among my top five anime), and I'll probably just lurk for a while until I feel more comfortable discussing it, but I wanted to post so my account wouldn't be deleted!

I'm Rose, I'm 23 and a grad student studying musicology. I live in Boston. I'm also a writer and I compose music as well (I mean I got my undergrad degree in it so I try to keep it up?). I don't know what else there is to say about me...

Well, I hope I'm doing this right....

Hi, nice to meet you!  I only watched Utena recently, though I tried when I was younger and just could not get into it.  However, this go-around I really loved it and was surprised at how dense the story is.  I mostly joined this forum to read about what other people think about the series and its various themes. 

I suppose for personal information I'll say that I'm a twenty-something female from Florida.  I'm looking forward to exploring this community!

It looks like a few weeks since anyone else new joined up.

I have been a huge fan of SKU for many years. My boyfriend and I just bought the 3 new boxed sets, so I was able to see the Apocalypse Arc clearly for the first time. My brain is a little fried because we first got the set last Thursday and finished it sometime on Sunday.

I'm a little scared of the fans of this show, so I'll likely be very quiet. This is a beautiful site, and I think it's probably fans like the people who built this place that kept the buzz of the show high enough that there was a new release.

Now I just have to save up for Rose of Versailles.

Just a reminder to the newer people, thread necros are appreciated here! You never know when someone has a new spin on something we've discussed.

And welcome!

I miss TS2 -- I had it installed on my ancient PC, but with space at a premium, I couldn't really justify having it on here.

But since I plan on getting a newish laptop in February anyway, I can wait a few months longer... as long as I can downgrade to Win7, that is.

(okay, I could use 8 if I absolutely HAD to, but...)

Hi guys. I really like SKU. I have watched the show in its entirety twice now within six months. Both times I finished it, the ending filled me with a euphoric sense of having witnessed a masterpiece, and a desire to run around outside screaming, "Himemiyaaa!!! Utena-samaaaaaa!!!! Himemiyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Utena-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" until I collapse. God the ending is beautiful. Seriously if you ever want to dissolve me into a puddle of tears, just mention something that vaguely reminds me of Ep. 39.

I'm not a huge anime fan in general, but I do enjoy some of the more "artsy" stuff, like Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei. I would like to find more shows in that vein. And . . . that's pretty much me. I'm boring.

Oh yeah I really dig these smilies

Orphic Okapi wrote:

I'm not a huge anime fan in general, but I do enjoy some of the more "artsy" stuff, like Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei. I would like to find more shows in that vein.

Check out Eat-Man. The second season (Eat-Man 98) was considerably more mainstream (though still decent enough), but that first season goes out of its way to be intensely paced and articulate, while refusing to explain itself or make any kind of explicit judgment of its characters' behavior. People chasing success, people manufacturing new lives for themselves, seeking answers in analysis or in conflict, people living to support others or dying to defend people who've already betrayed them.

Hello!  I hail from sunny Florida and when I'm not doing tutoring, I sell crafts and buttons at conventions.  If you attend conventions in Orlando or Tampa you may have seen me.

I've been registered here before, but that was in college, and those e-mails got shut down after a while.  I have no idea what my username used to be.  So here I am!  I kind of got reminded that this fandom is a deep and abiding thing in one's soul because Utena turned up on Hulu and.. just wow.  Rewatching at the moment.

Hey there.
I've just recently rewatched Utena after a bunch of years and felt the urge to find more interpretations of its symbolism.
Other than that, I am not very talkative person and yet, you can be sure I'll read as many threads here as my busy timetable allows me to.
Greetings from central Europe!