Revolutionary Girl Utena
Title: Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shojo Kakumei Utena)
Mangaka: Chiho Saito
Manga Duration: May 2nd, 1996 - March 20th, 1998
Anime Duration: April 2nd, 1997 - December 24th, 1997
Films: Adolescence of Utena
Director: Kunihiko Ikuhara
Episodes: 39
Volumes: 5
Chapters: 25
Genre: Shoujo, dementia, romance, fantasy
Themes: Apocalypse, queerness, gender nonconformity, feminism, recovering from trauma, fairy tales
Characters: Utena Tenjou, Anthy Himemiya, Akio Ohtori, Kyouichi Saionji, Touga Kiryuu, Nanami Kiryuu, Juri Arisugawa, Miki Kaoru, Wakaba Shinohara
LGBT Characters: Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya
Summary: A tomboy named Utena Tenjou was once given a rose crest, and since then, she had always wanted to be a prince. After winning a duel with another classmate, she is engaged to the rose bride, Anthy Himemiya, who is said to possess the power to revolutionize the world. She is drawn into several sword duels, all to keep the hand of Anthy in marriage, and well, revolutionize the world.
Content Warnings: Incestous and pedophilic relationships (portrayed negatively), emotional and physical abuse, domestic violence, and scenes with flashing lights
Review: You might've noticed by now, but Utena and Anthy are the header of this site. The reason I chose them is because Revolutionary Girl Utena is what inspired me in the first place to create this website. I wanted people feel the utter joy, sadness, and passion I felt from watching a fantastic LGBT+ anime like Utena. The series is phenomenal - probably one of my favorite anime of all time. The series, specifically the anime, is a queer, feminist masterpiece in my eyes. It handles the dark subject matters it deals with very well and respectfully too. It's fucking brilliant, and that's just viewing it through a couple of lens. You could interpret it in so many ways, and I'd recommend it if you enjoy heavy symbolism and allegories.