Once upon a time in a faraway land, There was a little princess. This princess was very sad because her father and her mother had passed away. While she was in deep somber, a travelling prince appeared riding upon a white horse. He wore a regal dress, and had a kind smile.

The prince wrapped the princess in a rose-scented embrace, and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. “Little one...”, he said, “...who bears alone in a deep sorrow, never lose that strength or nobility, even when you grow up. I give you this to remember this day. We will meet again. This ring will lead you to me, one day.”

Perhaps the ring the prince gave was an engagement ring, this was all well and good for the princess. But the prince was impressed her so badly, that the princess vowed to become a prince herself one day.
But was that really a good idea?

Utena lost her parents when she was six years old. While in despair, a mysterious boy with a scent of roses appeared and saved her life. The boy left her with a ring on which appeared a rose relief and the words, "If you keep your noble spirit, we"ll meet again". It"s been 7 years since then... Utena has grown up to be an honest girl, believing his word. She"s come to Otori Junior High School, led by the ring the boy gave her.

In a conference room with fashionable stained glass of roses and crests, the members of a student committee are sitting around a table. Everyone of them is an outstanding student at Otori High School, with high grade and attractive personalities. They wear a ring with the "Rose Crest" on their ring fingers. They receive a letter from a mysterious organization called "The Seekers of Armageddon". This letter states, "If you desire the power to revolutionize the world, the Power of Dios, you must defeat all challengers and be a sole protector of Anthy Himemiya, the "Rose Bride". Although all the members are friends, once they decide to accept this letter, they are also competitors --- Thus, the story of The Duelists begins. In the growing tension and hostility among the duelists, the mystery and intrigue of "The Seekers of Armageddon" will be revealed.

Childhood idealism, illusions, ambition, adulthood, sexuality, abuse, incest and identity are all prominent themes which are explored in what is essentially a highly metaphorical and symbolic coming-of-age story. Loss of innocence, both sexual and otherwise, is treated as a life changing event. Fairy tale archetypes such as the noble prince and the damsel in distress, as well as standard tropes of the shoujo and magical girl genre are incorporated, subverted, inverted, averted and deconstructed.

Shoujo Kakumei Utena won the Best TV Animation Award at Animation Kobe in 1997.

Type: TV
Episodes: 39
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 2, 1997 to Dec 24, 1997
Producers: TV Tokyo, Audio Tanaka
Studios: J.C.Staff
Source: Original
Genres: Mystery, Psychological, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo
Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Director: Kunihiko Ikuhara
Character Design: Shinya Hasegawa, Chiho Saito
Producer: Yuichiro Oguro
Series Composition: Kunihiko Ikuhara, Yuichiro Oguro, Yoji Enokido
Original creator: BE-PAPAS

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