Frangipangie wrote:

I would:
1. Get a better english dub. With semi-famous people. I would be all over certain characters if they had the voices I wish they had.
ESPECIALLY ANTHY.

I agree.  I hate the English dub so, so much it's unwatchable to me.  Yuriko Fuchizaki, Anthy's seiyuu, has such a unique voice, so fitting to such a unique character.  Utena's English voice is very good, but the rest is just terrible.

Beat the English dub actress for Utena with oranges until she learned to stop calling Anthy Him-ey-me-a, goddamit.

Ashnod wrote:

There wasn't a point in even having duels any longer after the Student Council Arc ended. The outcome was never in question and the drama involved was almost non-existent. Having the threat of defeat be real, and tangible, is something the Student Council Arc did well.

Agree, I was really expecting Anthy to be in real danger at some point during the Black Rose Saga, but that never happened...

1. More addressing the dynamics betwen groups of friends. I love the thought of a little Wakaba, Utena, Anthy brain trust, like the Franklin, Adams, Jefferson group in 1776. More student council dynamics too.

2. A band scene. I fantasize about a battle of the bands episode.

3. New music. I know it's blasphemous, but add more variety. Though i liked pretty much everything they brought to the movie and would like to see it stay in the series, I didn't fancy the duel songs. And "She's a Handsome Woman" should be the opening theme.

4. Musicians as the voice actors. This is really just to allow for the above band episode.

5. Akio would have Makio's hair and bearing. The movie hair was smexylicious, the series hair was a fucking mullet. And I would be made more obvious that Akio is a neurotic freakshow hiding behind a veneer of princeliness. During his duel with Utena, he'd fight in that crazed way movie Saionji fights.

6. The set pieces should play with perspective more. Scene with charcters overlooking great drops and sweeping landscapes, shots that look up at imposing characters backed by imposing structures.

7. The background would be overloaded with interesting looking subtext and symbols. These would represent grand philosophical, mythological, or classical themes. I'm thinking like the Movie on crack (It was already on acid).

8. The art style would be some combo of the Movie, dark and secluded James Bond, and lofty/flowery Lord of the Rings

9. Anthy would act more aristocratic, Utena more rebellious

10. Anyone can duel anyone. I got tired of seeing utena duel everyone. Especially when the main conflict was between two characters who didn't care about Utena. My fantasy here is a Black Rose Wakaba dueling Saionji.

11. The different duelists represent the heroes of different regions. I'm not saying change the basic characterisations, just some of the details to give everyone a more regional flavor. Juri=Germanic, Miki=European, Saionji=Japanese, Nami=Arab( I don't know...she has a freaking scimitar ok!)

12. Touga is built up more as the world's hero, like he would be it's excuse for a savior if Utena wasn't there. I've always latched onto Keiko's "Can you defeat the sword of Touga, the most noble sword in the world?" line.

13. Build up an Utena Touga dichotomy. I don't no specifically which, but find a set of difference and stick to them. Show this dichotomy by cutting between scenes of Utena with Wakaba/Anthy and scenes of Touga with Saionji/Akio

14. More chill scenes. I'd like to see the characters exppress themselves more through simple conversations with each other, not having to do with developing events.

15. Architectural insanity. Crank the movie up to eleven. same Movie designs, but with sympathetic architecture that move around as events determine it. The buildings should be more diverse and prettier, with interesting shrines and other set pieces.

16. Make it obvious that Ohtori is built like a cemetary. Aerial shots that make the buildings look like tombstones. Remarks from characters on inescapability of Ohtori. Even the beach episode happens on school grounds.

17. No more school uniforms. The student cuncils movie outfits are acceptable, as are their series relaxwear. Outfits should also have meaning as to what position the characters are in at that point.

18. Change the rose bride outfit. I love the old thing but the crown needs to go. It looks like something from the little mermaid. And non Anthy brides should have their own special outfis that suit them. I was annoyed that they just got the same thing and ended up forming the Rose Bride Rangers.

19. Utena's sword needs to become badass. The dinky thing she's got going on doesn't represnt her revolutionary, anndrogynous character. How about a massive cuttlass with gold roses on the hilt and "écrasez l'infâme" engraved on the blade

20. Subtext is still subtext, but is expressed through brilliant, varied imagery

21. More sex used for other purposes. I strongly support Shiori fucking and fucking with Juri. Others should do so as well. Sex can also be used to describe relationships and as an event in itself. Utena's night with Akio waslike the rape of innocent defiance by corrupt despair. Do stuff like that more often.

22. Miki needs to crossdress.

23. More Miki/Juri. I love how they reverse gender roles.

24. The whole Mitsuru/Nanami/Touga thing needs to be treated as a series of mommy-daddy complexes. Nanami plays mother to Mitsuru and daughter to Touga

25. Varied dueling arenas. I got sick of them going to the same forest arena. I liked the movie setup, where duels changed places and each place had different significance.

26. Akio shouldn't show up till the last arc. Make him like a campus legend, and make his eventual appearance more spectacular

27.Use the Movie's art style

28. People change their har more often. Anthy should never even have had that godforsaken librarian look. I'd like to see wakaba with her hair down.

29. Appearances get augmented over time. People give others stuff that becomes important to them and they hold onto for strength. This needs not be bad. I always wished Wakaba had gotten to keep the leaf/hairpin Saionji made for her

30. Art styles need to clash between scenes. Lofty terraces vs. dark rooms.

31. No more UST for Anthy Utena. Those two need to do it,and make it early and obvious. And awesomely delicious. In fact emphasize their nature as a couple. The student council arc as their meeting and hooking up, the Akio arc as the collapse of their relationship (for a time at least).

32. More meaningful and sexy poses.

33. More Student Council ridiculousness. Have them engaged in ridiculous, awesome, and/or sadistic games at each meeting.

34. More fluid dancing and action. And said dancing and action should be more over the top. I'm thinking a dancing Utena/Anthy along the lines of the Addams family movie, Where Morticia nad Gomez are so hot the light the floor on fire.

35.More Utena/Anthy passion

36. More everyone/everyone passion

37. Anthy should be characterized as a grown up Utena who was decimated by life. Anthy should also wear a boy's uniform in one scene.

38. More people pointing out each other's quirks. I loved Nanami for calling Utena out as a "boygirl".

39. Shiori and Kozue are evil, but the good kind (think Lelouch); their respective stories should be about how one can revolutionize the world and achieve individuation through evil

40. Juri doesn't have any angst over her liking another girl. Everyone should acknowledge their bisexuality and not get flustered about it. The series just got kind of schizophrenic with it's stance on sexuality.

41. Shadow plays are now the beginnig of each episode. They should be giant and elaborate, with many shadow play girls, more obvious meanings, and a more macabre style (in the way only childish stuff can be)

42. Shiori/Kozue. All kinds of wicked witch hotness.

43. Nanami and Anthy should be engaged in a long running noblewoman-off

44. Everyone should have ahistory of when they owned the Rose Bride. How they handled her and what they did should be brought up. And it should be the sexual relationship from the movie, not the "hidden love" shit from the show.

45. Otufits and appearances change during the duels, a la the Movie

46. Utena should have more moves. Her current dive strategy, though Prince Vultan approved, gets old. I'd like her and the others to have sets of signature moves.

47. No stock footage. Now, Ilove Utena's "Chipmunk of Justice" face as much as anyone, but this frustrated the hell out of me and it wwas so obviously done as a cost cutting measure.

48. In the end, Akio shoul have a mea culpa. Once consigned to his fate, he should cry and tell Anthy that he loves her and understands why she must go, but that he also must stay due to the more severe nature of his problems.

49. The story should end either with a duel or the Movie ending. Something awesome and climactic.

50. No blood or gore, but more sex

51. The Black Rose Saga desperately needs improvement. The morals should be suped up into the stuff of anarchistic class struggle, and Mikage and Mamiya need to do more than just hang out in a basement giving their best Queen Beryl impressions. And everyone shouldn't just forget what happened. That made the whole arc seem like an extended piece of filler.

52. Kozue needs to resort to aggression more. Less Medea styled backstabbig and sexual wiles, more acrobatics and knife tricks.

53. Characters need to be tagged with descriptors that make more sense. Allegorical names or contrast could give each character more depth. Just saying "Miracles" and "Eternity" doesn't cut it.

54. Chu-Chu stays.

55. Ruka shouldn't even be in the series. Just replace him with Touga.

56. More classical references.

57. More Miki/Kozue. Trap Juri in two triangles; one with Shiori and Touga, the other with Kozue and Miki

58. Akio gets a better car

59. Other people get cars. I loved the Tougacycle, and I feel other characters should have sexmobiles.

60. Utena is more keen to what's going on. Like in the movie, where she's more frustrated than airheaded.

61. Utena should do some tables-turning on her aggressors. I wouldn't go so far as to have her say "None of you understand. I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me.", but the feeling should be similar. I want her to show them that their darkness will not rape her, no, she wil crush every last one of those bastards with the wrath of an angry Archangel.

62. Everyone joins Utena in leaving Ohtori at the end.

63. Kozue seduces more people.

64. More various objects, less obsessing over certain couches or glasses of wine or champagne

65. Insinuate conspiracy theories. Make the audience wonder if it's all just a dream, or if the SPG are behind everything.

66. Go gonzo in intense moments and shatter reality. I'm inspired here by the "It's time to dance Utena!" AMV, and would like to se that as an actual in-series sequence.

67. More parties

68. Less Juri angst, more Juri personality and doing stuff

69. Everyone becomes more aware of things as the show goes on. Initially everyone's caught up in the duels and thinks everthing's normal, this gradually fades away and everyone becomes awrae of the insanity of their situation.

70. More varied weather

71. More melancholy

72. School events can occur moe frequently, but the must be either hot, funny, or awesome.

73. Characters need to keep popping up. No forgetting someone for several episodes.

74. More pyrotechnic duels. Extravagent effects welcome. Make every duel ike the one where utena slices sevral oncoming cars in half.

75. More stuff happens during duels. Instead of Utena/Touga diner date taking place the night before at the arena, have it happen right in the middle of the duel. Have them sit down for tee and chat wistfully for a while, the go at each other's throats again

76. Make Mamiya creepier

Last edited by YostinAust (07-17-2015 07:49:55 AM)

I would rid Touga of his transparent hair lock, it irks me.

Agree with everything except 53, this is awesome YostinAust.

Personally the only part of the show I didn't like was the fillerish Black Rose segment. That, and that I thought Mikage was a total loser.

Holy shit, YostinAust makes so many points there that I actually almost cracked my own shell.

My largest beef: these kids can't be in middle school and be that tall and have perfect breasts. None of that together makes any sense; they would all have hit puberty at eight, I swear to my gods...

They need to be in high school.

Oh to be Nordic...

Does anyone have any opposition to Anthy being voiced by Inara George from The Bird and the Bee?

I wouldn't change much.  Just nix Truth like Sat mentioned, have a bit of a better English dub and some improved animation, and have a little less stock footage.   Other than that, not a thing.  The imperfections in Utena are what make it so wonderful to me, that and how most of it isn't spoon-fed to us.  A lack of development for one character leaves room for beautiful and interesting interpretation and fanfiction, and some things I would find unnecessary and distracting from the main point in the series, such as more explicit Utena/Anthy  (Which even Ikuni himself said was left out for just this reason). 

Hmm...though on second thought I would like to see Chigusa in the anime, and have the manga completely redone with more input from Ikuhara this time around.  Save one or two pages from the manga, I can't really stand it.  Having watched the series and the movie first, it just doesn't compare.  Though chances are if I had read it before I watched the series then it wouldn't be such an issue.

hollow_rose wrote:

Actually when a friend saw the Juri ep she thought they were all in college.

I had similar thoughts, though they were caused by her sharp face and cynical demeanor, not her body-type.

Does it make me a loser if my cell phone ring was "Truth" for a while? Oh the looks I used to get in the grocery store...

Anyway, I don't think I would change much about Utena, just a couple of points:

1) The first season's overall animation quality - Touga can be hotter, as the later seasons have proven.
2) The English Dub would not exist - Seriously, if you haven't heard it, at least listen to a sample.  It's that bad.
3) That somehow the animators would have found some way to incorporate garters & lacy underthings into Anthy's charcter design.  - Total yum!
4) I have to agree with NajiMinkin about the CGI - it's a bit offputting compared with the rest of series style.