Imaginary Bad Bug wrote:

Then again, Utena and Anthy being a canon couple was not one of my expectations going in, either.

Well, what can I say, different expectations yield different results~

But I had no idea about Utena and Anthy before watching the film, I was hooked when Anthy made her first appearance...and completely defeated by the time Anthy unzipped Utena's pants....

Nevertheless, having gotten some impressions about what Anthy's character should be like from the film, I was not prepared for what TV Anthy had to express. It was delightful to watch. I grew to love her tormented and broken soul. I don't care how immoral or cynical Anthy was portrayed. The depth of her imperfection was (and still is) so unlike the majority of female characters in Japanese animes. Her character development in the TV series is also one of the best I have seen in many Japanese animes (Rin from Eva is also very well crafted, but there are too many of her popping around that show) Without doubt Anthy is unique.

Aelanie: Yes, the TV series is very yuri in a very subtle manner. It's so subtle that there are times when I would scream, "Oh come on, Anthy, just push her over and get it over with!"

Anyhow, despite the subtle nature of their relationship, I often encounter people who are convinced that Anthy and Utena are just friends.   Ah! As if!

So I guess if one is really into Yuri, then watching the movie first isn't a bad idea. It explicitly tells you what not to miss out when watching the TV series~

Last edited by Itsuke (04-13-2009 08:12:27 PM)

The_A_Man: actually I quite like the fact that Utena never said that to Anthy and vice versa, the phrase is so overused these days, it seems devoid of meaning. The promise Utena made to Anthy about having tea together ten years later seemed very sincere. I think that along is better than a thousand I love you.

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind if there are more airtime showing Utena and Anthy in bed doing something other than talking.

The_A_Man wrote:

Ya, lets have something hardcore in bed! Although, I always thought their laying down thingy the did in the Akio arc could be considered synchronized orgasms.

Yup, it's very tastefully done~ Good enough to be a wallpaper~~

Take about hardcore, I really love the scene in the movie where Utena grabbed Anthy by her blouse and pushed her down onto the ground. I was expecting a lot more afterward ...although the dancing scene was equally great...

Does anyone have anything else to say on the topic of whether watching the movie before the series is a good or bad idea, or is this thread now about the degree and nature of the yuri in Anthy's relationship with Utena?  If the latter, I suggest someone start a new thread about it.  Bizarrely, I don't think we've ever had a thread about exactly that topic.

The movie is very parasitic on the series. It sort of stands up on its own but makes much more sense when you have seen the series first. Then read the movie manga which clarifies things a bit more. It's been mentioned before that the series leaves some doubt about whether Utena and Anthy find each other again and the movie clarified that.

Didn't Ikuhara say on the commentary he intended for them to be yuri in the tv show, but only scaled it back a bit because of Saito?  So in essence it's canon in the tv show anyways since he was obviously the major if not only creative force behind the tv show.  I don't really agree with interpretations of fiction that ignore the intent of the author.  The movie is of course much more blatant, and he suggested Saito was again pissed about it.  I don't think she's such a prude anymore, but arguing whether or not Utena or Anthy have a lesbian element to their relationship in the tv show is a bit stupid to me.  No one here does this for sure, but some otaku are pretty homophobic and will just flat out deny any gay undertones in anything they like.  Kaorin being "straight" in the minds of Azumanga Daioh fans is a great example of this.  So I see the yuri element in Utena definitely beign dismissed all the time on other websites.

As for the question at hand, definitely watch the tv show first.  It will definitely make it easier to digest, if not more enjoyable.  That's what I did, and I'm glad I did so.  I love both the tv show and the movie very much.

Last edited by J-Syxx (04-21-2009 12:12:40 PM)

That's a big-ass hands up from me!!!!! Dude, if only you were there...

In my personal opinion, it wouldn't matter wither way. Neither the show nor the movie make any damned sense if you try and understand it. Only in accepting the fact that you'll never comprehend anything at all in regards to SKU will you begin to understand. The movie is a deviation of the show, and the show a deviation of the movie. No matter how you look at it, you have to start somewhere. I watched the movie first, then read the manga and watched the anime at the same time. It was...interesting.

I watched the movie first, and then watched the series, and to this day I still say that the ebst version of Utena is with the anime's story with the movie's artists

I read the manga, watched the movie, then the anime, followed by Adolescence of Utena manga...

In between the manga and movie though, I was reading ALOT of fanfiction, so somethings weren't immediately lost on me...

I think it worked pretty well....

<off topic...kind of>
My friend watched it, and was COMPLETELY lost on everything... it was really funny. After she saw it, I was all like "So, how did you react when you realized Touga was dead?" and she was all like "Touga was dead?!"

she went on to explain that she left the room at some point without pausing it to get a drink [3 minutes tops], came back and Utena was a car... all she could do was stop and stare... saying "WTF?"

// but she's still cool... I guess \\