I saw the movie before the series, and for me that actually worked, as the movie was so surreal and abstract that it only increased my interest in seeing the series.  I had no idea what happened in the movie the first time, nor was I able to figure out anything about the characters or their motivations, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit thanks to its surreal and abstract nature, as well as the soundtrack.

I can easily see how watching the movie first could turn someone off though.  If they aren't into symbolism and highly abstract film, watching the movie first could backfire big time.  If they do like the artistic qualities of a movie of that kind though, it could work in their favor.

IMO, it's a risky move to see the movie first.  Your friend could either be drawn instantly to it by the way it's presented, or be pushed far far away because of how abstract and reliant on previous knowledge it is.

That's just my take on it, as someone who saw the movie first.

I saw about ten episodes of the series and then I watched the movie. I don't think it influenced my interest in the TV series, they are really quite different from each other yet they are essentially about the same thing. I still don't feel comfortable about recommending the movie to just anybody, unless I know the person can appereciate surrealism. The TV series is much easier to watch, you can enjoy it even if you don't get all the symbolism. But I have to agree with the others, it depends on the person.

I well and truly believe that the series MUST be watvhed before the movie, so that you can TRULY get trolled when you watch the movie.

I dunno. I suppose it would depend on the person. In a way, I suppose it could almost be a quick litmus test. If you can watch the movie and not be severely disturbed or have your head explode, you're probably good for the series.

But back when I was in college, I felt sadistic and brought in the movie to play to our anime club. Somehow, it got voted into our viewing schedule for that night (along with Excel Saga, of all things). Most people there had never seen the series, and there was severe confusion.

I would recommend against it. I think the movie can skew ones point of view towards certain characters. But that's just my opinion.

A fair compromise is to do what I ended up doing, and watch the movie after you've seen some of the series. I had watched the first arc, then the movie, then the rest of the series. It worked pretty well for me, anyway.

Aelanie wrote:

An opinion I agree with. As much as the movie is a whole different animal from the series, you need to have watched the series first to understand the differences, which are key to understanding the movie.

But the movie can be enjoyed even if it's not understood. I saw the movie first, didn't understand a minute of it, and loved it.  When I finally did see the series, comparing them wasn't even an issue because I couldn't really follow the movie the first time anyway.  After I saw the series and I was able to understand the movie, it (the movie) got even better in my mind.  Seeing the movie first did not affect my impressions of the series when I saw that for the first time either.

Movie first can work, it just depends on the person. Understanding the movie doesn't need to be a requirement for enjoying it, imo.

Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (03-28-2009 07:27:57 PM)

best to actually read the mangas then watch the series, then read the movie manga and then watch the movie because alot of people get confuesed on the whole series if they watch it backwards.

I think you could probably watch the movie first. Although there is a lot of subtext missing that relies on knowledge of the anime, so the person might be confused. And then in order to explain the odd subtext in the movie you might have to bring in spoilers for the anime. I watched the anime first personally its hard for me to say. The movie also might be off-putting what with the cars and all.

I saw the movie before the series. To me, this was a bad move; I found the movie so incredibly confusing because I was completely unfamiliar with all of the characters. Even though the movie and series are very different, I think that seeing the series first helps as a method of comparison. Seeing the movie did increase my interest in seeing the series, however, because I wanted to make sense of things.

Itsuke wrote:

There are elements in the movie that I wish are in the series too (Why Anthy didn't let her hair down more often?!?!?! Why Utena never touched Anthy the way she did in the film?!?!?!?! Why Anthy never teased Utena the way she did in the film?!?!?!?!?!). On the other hand, there are elements in the series I wish are in the movie as well (Where's the million swords of hate???? Where's the infamous naked Anthy?!?!?!?!?!?!). What I meant to say is they compliment each other. It really doesn't matter which one you watch first~

P.S. Ha, I think this post reveals the true pervert that exists within me....

Ya I wonder stuff like that too. Although Anthy was naked in the movie. She ended up naked during the nude drawing scene and the naked-lesbian-make-out-street-luge scene at the end.

Though there is one thing I wonder. Why did Utena and Anthy never kiss in the TV series. My first run through the series I spent wondering when they were going to kiss and was disappointed at the end when they didn't. Then I watched the movie and was happy.

Itsuke wrote:

so...coming back on track....this is what you will get when you watch the movie before the TV series. You will expect a lot from the TV series but be utterly disappointed in the end.

Well, that's what you got.  I saw the movie before the series too, but the series did not disappoint me one bit.  Then again, Utena and Anthy being a canon couple was not one of my expectations going in, either.

It depends on the person whether or not seeing the movie first is a positive or a negative, or it may break even.

Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (04-13-2009 04:08:18 PM)