[Anime Club] Special Rewatch: Revolutionary Girl Utena 37-39 [spoilers]

Final thoughts just after finishing

Well, I wasn't expecting an anime ending like that one. It seems like another anime that I know of..hmm...what do you think?

But anyway, a great ending to a show that was thoroughly enjoyable. Though, maybe, if it lacked some of the tightness that it ought to have had, it had a lot of great episodes, great scenes, and some of the best throwaways, and best recap episodes ever. Utena was a bland character of sorts for most of it, but she exemplified the best of her themes and was used to the full extent.

I'm not sure how I feel about Akio and Anthy yet. There is a lot to digest here, stuff I could revisit from earlier in the show. I'd have to rewatch to get it all.

It seems like there are somewhat good endings for all the student council members. They have learned something from this whole experience, and though they will probably forget Utena someday, it will not have been bad to have known her.

But that was pretty bittersweet! Even with all the power of the Prince, with Utena's best efforts, with all her purity and strength of purpose, she still failed to save the Princess. They couldn't be together, in the end. It could only end in a realistic ending, the death of the hero, and the rest moving on as they are. The idols of fantasy and idealism were crushed, ultimately, even though Utena mounted her final stand, it could not Revolutionize the world, it couldn't even save Anthy fully. It could only give Anthy her desires back, and Anthy breaks free of the cycle to seek on her own. That seems like a small price to pay for the hero's death.

True love failed in this one, I suppose. That's unfortunate. I think Ikuhara likes that trope a lot. Best be wary of him with Yuri Kuma Arashi...

I still don't get what all was meant by the stuff with Nemuro though. Was Nemuro Hall just an illusion that was sustained like the castle and the arena with smoke and mirrors? How did they make everyone forget about Mikage?

More final thoughts a couple days later:

I just didn't feel, I don't know...completely bowled over? My standard might have been too high, but I wasn't as amazed as I was when I saw the finales to Princess Tutu or Penguindrum. It's definitely great, but is it good?

I don't know if I like Anthy. They don't let you fall in love with Anthy like they might have tried to make you more saddened by everything here.

I'm glad we got something like a happy epilogue for the student council. Go Nanami!

Yeah, maybe it's wrong I like Nanami better than the other characters? All her episodes were so good though...if there is something that Utena did that is undeniably top-notch, it's comedy episodes. Also recaps, all the recaps were amazing perversions of what recap episodes tend to be.

I like the ending more the more I think on it, but I still don't know if I'm in love with it.

Well, this was a big and worthwhile time investment, anyway. Thank you all for participating with me, if anyone is still reading this.

/r/anime Thread