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From Takarazuka to Terayama: The Influence of Queer Theater on Revolutionary Girl Utena

Content Warning: Discussions of queerphobia, institutional control over women’s bodies, suicide, transmisogynist stereotypes, child abuse

Spoilers for most of Revolutionary Girl Utena

When I first watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, I made the mistake of thinking I had seen this story before. The lush, Versailles-inspired architecture of the elite high school, secretive machinations of a laughably powerful student council, and a plucky new girl determined to rise above the frivolities of school life and gender norms to realize a destiny for herself were all familiar tropes. Yet my hubris was quickly checked as Utena reaches the dueling arena and all semblances of realism break down. Suddenly, a psych rock opera croons about the “darkness of Sodom” and an “absolute destiny apocalypse,” an illusory upside-down castle hangs overhead, and a sword erupts from the chest of a timid schoolgirl. The dueling arena reveals itself to be a stage where anything can happen, where the trappings of reality are flaunted to reveal the underlying psychological trials hidden by the artifice and theater of the school’s seemingly typical shoujo drama.

Theater weaves throughout Utena’s DNA. Nearly every episode, the Shadow Girls evoke a Greek chorus and revolving colored rose frames pop in like the contours of a stage to explicitly recontextualize scenes. While the influence of theater on Utena isn’t subtle, knowing what specific strains of theater the show references would likely be lost on most viewers (it certainly was on me). Yet uncovering those histories can be like finding little Rosetta Stones to help you parse a show that prides itself on obscurity. 

Read it at Anime Feminist!

#revolutionary girl utena #utena stage play #rgu spoilers #utena #shoujo kakumei utena #kunihiko ikuhara #articles #rgu #sku

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Hime learned how to Kabedon from Sumika!

#yuri is my job #reblogs #fanart

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#links

[animefeminist]

The classic (thinking about them every day)

#dear brother #reblogs #fanart

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Cringetober day 9 - Crossover ship/Rarepair.

#revolutionary girl utena #reblogs #fanart

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#anifemtalk

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A dark princess tutu secret Santa gift for the PT Discord :)

#princess tutu #reblogs #fanart

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My babies

#banana fish #reblogs #fanart

[animefeminist]

Chatty AF 205: 2024 Winter Season Wrap-Up

Vrai, Peter, and Alex take a much delayed look back on the 2024 Winter anime season, where some of our bottom titles managed to pull out some good content before the end and top titles that took an absolute nosedive in the second half.

Episode Information

Date Recorded: April 27th, 2024 Hosts: Vrai, Peter, Alex

Episode Breakdown

0:00:00 Intros Red Flags 0:02:11 The Witch and the Beast Yellow Flags 0:06:49 BUCCHIGIRI?! Neutral Zone 0:12:52 Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I’m Not the Demon Lord 0:15:11 ‘Tis Time for Torture, Princess 0:16:36 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 0:17:20 Mr. Villain’s Day Off 0:17:52 The Demon Prince of Momochi House 0:22:56 Delicious in Dungeon It’s Complicated 0:27:00 Solo Leveling 0:29:13 Sengoku Youko 0:31:40 Metallic Rouge Feminist Potential 0:39:29 Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 0:46:42 Brave Bang Bravern! 0:53:22 A Sign of Affection 0:57:56 The Dangers in My Heart 1:03:23 The Apothecary Diaries 1:08:04 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 1:12:41 Outro

#bucchigiri #villainess level 99 #the demon prince of momochi house #delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #metallic rouge #cherry magic #brave bang bravern #yuuki bakuhatsu bang bravern #a sign of affection #yubisaki to renren #the dangers in my heart #bokuyaba #the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #frieren #sousou no frieren #chatty af #podcast

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#land of the lustrous #reblogs #fanart

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revolutionary girl utena

and ancy

#revolutionary girl utena #reblogs #fanart

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#gundam witch from mercury #reblogs #fanart

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#sarazanmai #reblogs

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I miss them

#given #reblogs #fanart

[animefeminist]

The possession and performance of relationship in Spice and Wolf

Content Consideration: nondescript nudity in screenshots

Fifteen years after the light novel series first began and twelve years after the last anime episode aired, Spice and Wolf is returning with a new anime adaptation. Long-time fans, in explaining the series’ longevity and their own personal investment, would credit the chemistry between the two main leads — the wolf goddess Holo and the traveling merchant Kraft Lawrence — holding out hope that their budding love will fully bloom on screen. 

However, the compelling, balanced nature of this romance may not be evident at first glance. Holo and Lawrence’s relationship is initially held back by the circumstances upon which they first meet, rendering Holo as an owned object rather than an equal companion and stifling both leads’ feelings behind layers of performative inauthenticity. Part of the appeal of Spice and Wolf is watching these two characters overcome the gendered norms of their medieval setting, as well as their own personal flaws, to achieve an emotional reciprocity that is narratively satisfying. Even just looking at the first few episodes paints the picture of the solid foundation that will unfold.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

#spice and wolf #holo the wise wolf #kraft lawrence #articles

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Swan (1976) by Kyoko Ariyoshi

#swan #reblogs

[animefeminist]

Remember 2022’s shonen poster zine? Stay tuned for the much-anticipated shojo counterpart!

It’ll be up for preorder HERE 💖

#skip beat #ouran #Nana #fushigi yugi #tokyo mew mew #yona of the dawn #fruits basket #sailor moon #cardcaptor sakura #reblogs #fanart #full moon o sagashite #vampire knight