Performance, Identity, Eternity: Revolutionary Girl Utena

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I’m finding it difficult to come up with a proper introduction for this piece. But that’s not my fault, I’m pretty sure – really it’s Utena’s fault. Because Utena isn’t just one show – it’s closer to half a dozen all at once, though they’re really all sides of the same show, and though its disjointed pieces seem to spire out in all manner of directions, they end up saying many of the same things. And I’m sure none of this is helping to describe the show, either.

Let’s start over.

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a good show. One of the best, in fact – I’ve heard it described as the shoujo Evangelion, which is a kind of awkward title, but I can get where that’s coming from. In the most reductive view possible, it does indeed do something similar to Evangelion – cataloging truths of adolescence and identity (as well as gender and perception, its own added priorities) in terms of revolution and apocalypse. But framing it as a simple metaphor denies one of the central truths it’s presenting, and why its choice of vehicle is more than just a grand stage for some grounded revelations.

Although it certainly is a grand stage. Revolutionary Girl Utena is nothing if not theatrical.

Let’s start there – with how the tricks of theater and stagecraft define Utena’s goals, Utena’s world, and the lives of those trapped within that egg’s shell.

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 6

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Alright Sekai Seifuku. You disappointed me last week, but that episode was apparently not written by the series composer/principal writer, so that’s okay. Your premise is still great and you’re still really funny, so one episode where the only takeaway is “Zvezda’s enemies are the opposite of a family” is perfectly fine. Let’s see what you’ve got this week.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 18

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SO! It finally happened – Satsuki declared her independence from her mother, and literally crucified her on her own stage. That must have felt good – Satsuki hates being subservient, and being a pawn of both her mother and clothes? Yeah, that’s gotta sting. So the show’s over, then, I guess? Conflict averted, clothing defeated, Satsuki and Ryuuko now realize they’re not so different after all?

Alright, let’s see what horribleness Kill la Kill is planning.

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Hunter x Hunter – Episode 116

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Apparently this is a fantastic episode of Hunter x Hunter, and someone asked if I could do a formal writeup for it, so here I am. The show certainly deserves it – it’s the best thing I’m currently watching, both the writing and technical execution are incredibly impressive, and this recent span of episodes in particular has basically been a continuous feast of gorgeously shot, incredibly tense highlights. And we’ve arrived at the key moment right here, too. Should I talk a little about that? I guess I should talk a little about that.

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Winter 2014 – First Half in Review

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So, looks like we’ve reached the season’s halfway point-ish, meaning it’s time for me to once again go against all my misgivings about turning art into some kind of reductive hierarchy and make a big ol’ ranking of my current titles. Keep in mind, I’m doing this not because it’s actually meaningful, but because lists are fun – if you disagree with my evaluation, you’re probably right. Opinions! They’re crazy.

Anyway. Overall, this season has been a little better than I’d expected, meaning it’s a good deal worse than average. While I’ve had a consistent shelf of shows I’m enjoying, there’s been nothing that really wowed me on the level of a Kyousogiga, Monogatari, or Uchouten Kazoku, and even the next tier down of “generally great” shows has been pretty barren. So yeah, sorry, this one might be kind of a bummer! Fortunately, a lot of shows have actually been steadily improving, and honestly, my own apathy towards some of my picks might just be because I’m watching Too Many Damn Shows, and no season is really that full of gems. But that’s enough preamble – let’s run down my picks.

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Once More With Fury: Rebuilding Evangelion

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Management: This one’s all about Eva and Anno’s relationship with his fans, so it’s a bit thornier than most. As such, the usual caveats apply – this isn’t an attack or an indictment of anyone, it’s just a personal take on some very strange fiction. Hope you enjoy![Coalgirls]_Evangelion_3.33.0_You_Can_(Not)_Redo_(1920x816_Blu-ray_FLAC)_[FC2091F9].mkv_snapshot_00.33.52_[2014.01.31_23.00.21]

“I started this production with the wish that once the production complete, the world, and the heroes would change.” – Hideaki Anno

In attempting to justify the existence of the Rebuild of Evangelion, Hideaki Anno offers an interesting defense. In the words of my handy statement-of-purpose booklet, “I do think, why revive a title that is over 10 years old now? I also feel that Eva is already old. But in these 12 years, there has been no newer anime than Eva.”

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 5

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Well Sekai Seifuku, I hope you’re proud of yourself. You are simultaneously the smartest, most fun, and most emotionally engaging show I’m currently watching. Any two of those, yeah, sure. But all three? That’s just kind of dickish, to be frank. Leave the other shows some room!

Anyway. Episode 3 was brutal/hilarious and episode 4 was silly/endearing, so who knows what 5 will bring. Let’s get to it.

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Kill la Kill – Episode 17

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Hey everybody. The plot finally started happening last week, and it apparently continues today in earnest. I certainly wasn’t expecting Clothes Is Aliens, but hey, wherever this show wants to take it is fine by me as long as it actually goes there. No time for nonsense, let’s get right down to Kill la Kill!

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Winter 2014 – Week 5 in Review

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This week has had me eating a balanced diet of my own words pretty much every day. Virtually every show I was on the fence about rallied heroically, many of the major complaints I had about everything I was watching were directly addressed, and this season is now actually looking pretty good. Way to make me look dumb, anime! Friggin’ jerks.

Running it down…

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Sekai Seifuku – Episode 4

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Well, let’s get to it. Last week’s episode was easily the best episode of the season to date, but everything else has really stepped it up this week – Kill la Kill, Samurai Flamenco, and Space Dandy all hit very surprising, very encouraging high notes. Will Sekai Seifuku stay ahead of the pack? Stay tuned.

Alright, that’s a kind of crap introduction. In all seriousness, last week’s episode demonstrated some very specific, very important strengths. What were they?

First, that the show’s sense of humor isn’t limited to sitting on a silly premise and some gags – it actually used the premise for satirical ends far sharper and far funnier than anything we’ve seen yet. It wasn’t content to coast on its premise, it actually explored it in a smart, interesting way.

Second, that the show really, really knows how to use the episodic format well. The episode had a theme and story of all of its own, but it also understood the importance of its place in a larger narrative – it provided a great deal of relevant backstory regarding Yasu, Gorou, and Kate even as it went about illustrating its own standalone fable.

And finally, that this show is actually about things. The first two episodes were enjoyable on their own and demonstrated the potential for interesting ideas – number three saw that potential fully, smartly realized. It was a story about the dangers of extremism and the importance of empathizing with even those you disagree with, and its final verdict was we are not very good at doing that. This show’s got bite, and its ostensibly silly premise is ripe for more such angry statements. I’m eager to see what it says next.

There we go. Alright, let’s get to this.

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