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Adolescence of Utena

Play trailer 1:06 Poster for Adolescence of Utena In Theaters Jun 21 1h 26m Fantasy Adventure Anime Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Utena enrolls in the prestigious Ohtori Academy on her quest to become a prince, and stumbles into a mysterious cabal of students dueling for possession of the "Rose Bride." The role belongs to their classmate Anthy, an enigmatic girl who equally captivates and confuses Utena. While fending off powerful rivals, Utena must uncover the secrets surrounding Anthy and her own desires. As the relationship between the girls intensifies, their thirst for freedom crescendos into a need for revolution. ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA is a standalone genre classic that brings together the creative genius of director Kunihiko Ikuhara (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon), writer Yoji Enokido (EVANGELION franchise), and art director Shichiro Kobayashi (ANGEL'S EGG) with J.A. Seazer's transcendent music. Straddling the line between fairytale and surrealist opera, the film stands as a bold display of the ways social roles chain us--and demands we smash through them.
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Critics Reviews

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Isaiah Colbert io9.com 02/21/2025
No matter how you look at it, Revolutionary Girl Utena is a Lynchian anime that was both ahead of its time and timeless. Go to Full Review
Tim Brayton Alternate Ending 03/08/2021
4/5
Extravagantly lush. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 06/23/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Francisco Ivn L @PacoLepe 07/17/2023 From the creative director Kunihiko Ikuhara and the Be-Papas team comes Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena, also known as Utena The Movie. This films presents a reimagining of the story of the anime, but uses more profound, symbolical themes. A definitive must for anime enthusiasts. Yet it does require the viewer to know the basics of the story, as it does not take much time introducing the basics of the story. It should be noted that this film presents very adult themes and includes nudity, so it is definitely for adults. See more 01/14/2020 It's like if David Lynch made a magical girl character. Surreal and very post modern. See more 11/20/2017 An unexpected blend of shoujou kitsch and surreal allegory, "Utena - The Movie" plays out like a CLAMP adaptation of David Lynch. It is stylistically impeccable and enthralling, but narratively clicheed and predictable. Its surreal edge manages to offset these trappings somewhat as the movie progresses, but never quite enough; the fact that the climax consists of a tiresomely drawn-out car chase sequence does not help. Additionally, problems established narratively are generally hard to solve allegorically (although Evangelion and the aforementioned David Lynch arguably proved that it CAN be done), and Utena mostly relies on this kind of solution - making it feel like a switch-and-bait which effectively deflates the value of such "solutions". All things considered, Utena makes for a beautiful and interesting viewing experience, but also for the most predictable surreal movie I have ever seen. See more 09/03/2012 The show was a little weird, but this was a total acid trip. See more 07/22/2012 it was...okay..... kind of wtf and anime was infintely better See more 05/06/2012 watch the series instead. See more Read all reviews
Adolescence of Utena

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Movie Info

Synopsis Utena enrolls in the prestigious Ohtori Academy on her quest to become a prince, and stumbles into a mysterious cabal of students dueling for possession of the "Rose Bride." The role belongs to their classmate Anthy, an enigmatic girl who equally captivates and confuses Utena. While fending off powerful rivals, Utena must uncover the secrets surrounding Anthy and her own desires. As the relationship between the girls intensifies, their thirst for freedom crescendos into a need for revolution. ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA is a standalone genre classic that brings together the creative genius of director Kunihiko Ikuhara (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon), writer Yoji Enokido (EVANGELION franchise), and art director Shichiro Kobayashi (ANGEL'S EGG) with J.A. Seazer's transcendent music. Straddling the line between fairytale and surrealist opera, the film stands as a bold display of the ways social roles chain us--and demands we smash through them.
Director
Kunihiko Ikuhara, Shingo Kaneko, Toru Takahash, Katsushi Sakurabi
Producer
Yuji Matsukura, Atsushi Moriyama
Screenwriter
Yoji Enokido
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Anime, Romance
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 30, 2000, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 21, 2026
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2017
Runtime
1h 26m