Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 2: To Plant
Review by Dindrane
Story:
Art:

Manga by Chiho Saito
Story by Be-Papas
English Adaptation by Fred Burke
Translation by Lillian Olsen
Touch-up and Lettering by Steve Dutro

Published by Viz
Contents: Collects Animerica Extra installments vol. 4, no. 10 through vol. 5, no. 4
Price: $15.95

In this second volume of the Utena saga, we learn a bit more about the secret rules of the Ohtori Academy. Utena is now rooming with Anthy, the Rose Bride, who claims that Utena “won” her from Saionji when Utena defeated him in a duel. Now, Saionji is determined to win back Anthy and the power that she represents. Not only that, but new duelists step forward to challenge Utena, many who seem to have far greater skills with the sword than does Utena. Can Utena defend herself and save Anthy from the clutches of these power-mad individuals, all while trying to find her prince and figure out what on earth is going on here?

The surrealism of the plot continues with this volume as we learn more about the Academy and its denizens. Utena’s friend Wakaba and Anthy’s pet Chuchu provide some comic relief. While not knowing what Dios is and why Utena can call upon this power without understanding it is somewhat frustrating, it is good to see more about Anthy’s personality; she’s not just a soppy victim, though her victimization is only just beginning. This volume also introduces Miki Kaoru, the youngest of the duelists and student council members. His kindness is a nice counterpoint to the scheming of the student council in general, especially Juri Arisugawa, Utena’s rival for the affections of Touga. The interpersonal romantic triangles really become complex in this volume, but like Utena, you can ignore as much of that as you want to.

I have heard that some manga fans avoid this series because many of the characters are gay. While it’s true that homosexuality is more common in this tale than heterosexuality, good and evil seem are represented both by homosexual and straight characters. So if you’re disturbed by homosexuality or not, you should be satisfied with its equal treatment here.

In short, if you were intrigued by the mysteries of the Ohtori Academy and Dios, then you will be pleased with this continuation of the story as well. We still don’t get many answers to questions such as “who is World’s End?”, “why was the dueling game established?” or “why is Anthy the Rose Bride?”, but it’s interesting trying to figure out what is going on here. The payoff better be something very special though, as it’s beginning to be a bit frustrating to be asked repeatedly to just accept these mysteries and ignore all the sinister weirdness. Knowing as I do some of the more disturbing elements to come, I almost don’t want to read these graphic novels, but the story is truly very well presented, and the art makes it lovely to look at. If you think you can handle some of the darker things people do to each other presented almost as nothing, then you might be rewarded reading this saga. The idea of nobility and loyalty as something to be protected is novel enough in our world that we should be willing to cut Revolutionary Girl Utena some slack for handling so many potentially painful issues, such as gender confusion, incest, dangerous obsession, and emotional abuse.

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