Print Review: Revolutionary Girl Utena volumes 1-5(complete)

Review Revolutionary Girl Utena volumes 1-5(complete)Written by WarpshadowRating very good

One of the odd things about the Utena franchise is that unlike in most cases the anime is better than the manga. This doesn’t mean that the manga isn’t worth reading though.

When young Utena Tenjou lost her parents she had lost all reason to live. She was saved not only from falling into a river but also from her depression by a prince. The prince gave her a ring and with it a new dream for Utena desired to become a prince herself. Years later she finds a letter concerning a school, Ohtori academy which may contain clues to the whereabouts of Utena’s prince. However where there is roses there is also thorns and Utena’s dream may cause her to bleed in more ways than one.

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a manga story which differs from many of it’s shojo brethren in that it is a more of a story about a girl and her dreams rather than a girl and her relationship with the bishonen de jour. Yet despite the manga’s quality I shy away from recommending it for the same reason that many anime fans don’t recommend the Nausica movie; namely that there is another adaptation (in this case the television show) which has a far more fleshed out approach to the story. It is still worth reading especially for the Utena completeist as the manga contains a more barebones approach a was well as a different ending.