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I (think I) know why Utena turns into a Car 

Fandom Musings
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Come with me as I try to unravel one of the most infamously odd scenes in all of anime history- Utena transforming into a car during the climax of the Utena movie. What does it mean? Why does it happen? I (think I) know!

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22 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 147   
@Erika-gn1tv
@Erika-gn1tv 4 года назад
So, in order to beat the car... ...you must become the car.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
Lolol exactly
@empressofrebirth8659
@empressofrebirth8659 4 года назад
Cars are also seen as symbols of growing up, freedom and power. I always assumed thats what they meant in the show too. Especially to the high school age characters.
@camilledabert
@camilledabert 4 года назад
Yeah that is the first reading actually. Second is the first spoken about in the vid, patriarchy isnt one of those readings. It's more about detaching oneself, freeing oneself of an abusive power and gaining independence, becoming adult after adolescence in fact but not necessarily as 17/18 yo, more like maturing no matter at what age.
@joel0joel0
@joel0joel0 3 года назад
it is also a toy for men, so it is more of a symbol for the false image of adulthood which akio sells to the students and when we look when this car shows up its always in scenes were akio manipulates the students into dueling again, the duels that keeps them from growing up and becoming adults.
@rgtertrtertertert2618
@rgtertrtertertert2618 8 месяцев назад
I feel like how it takes time to learn how to drive cars and how you always have to be responsible on the road is also part of cars in Utena being a metaphor for growing up and becoming independent, as you have to learn how to deal with risks and prevent them from happening all by yourself.
@librahoshino6752
@librahoshino6752 6 месяцев назад
Utena literally becoming Anthy's escape vehicle 😂
@iceluvndiva21
@iceluvndiva21 Месяц назад
Cars are a means of transportation, a means of escape. They represent freedom. Five characters become cars; utena, wakaba, shiori, kozue, and technically Akio if you consider the castle/school as a tank/car
@Littlestraincloud
@Littlestraincloud 2 года назад
The movie is a sequel to the show. It's the second revolution with Utena, which is why the story is similar, but some details are changed. 1. Nanami refused to rejoin the revolution, so is only shown in a movie clip in cow form, which might not even be from Revolution 2 (what I'm calling the movie) 2. Touga's behaviour is given a much more stark backstory. He is hypersexual because of CSA at the hands of his adoptive father. His hypersexuality alienated Utena when they were children and is why she rejects him as an adult. When Anthy behaves in a similar hypersexual fashion, Utena asks if Anthy was the one who assaulted Touga, and doesn't receive a clear answer. His drowning, is, in my opinion, showing that Touga is beyond saving from the revolution. He has become part of the cycle of abuse and cannot escape, unlike the other student council members (who plan to) or Nanami, who already has. 3. Anthy. The Anthy of the movie is the Anthy at the end of the show, who has set out to find Utena and free her from the Revolution. This explains: why Akio is buried in the courtyard and 'can't find the key to his car'. Anthy cut his power off, so he is 'staying in his coffin'. This is also why Anthy is so immediately forward. She's been looking for Utena, and Utena has no memories of their previous relationship. She's speedrunning the cycle, which is why she floods her own rose garden--to get rid of the duel roses and show Utena the stars (metaphor for the outside world/enlightenment/sex). Their dance in the flooded garden shows the Anthy/Utena of Revolution 1 dancing in the reflection, while Anthy/Utena of Revolution 2 dance on top--and vice versa. As for the kissing/sexual advances, Anthy wants to lay claim to Utena before Akio can (like he did last time). It's a sick kind of logic, but with all the abuse Anthy has been subjected to, it makes sense. Utena, does, however, wake up to her previous cycle's actions, which is when she wins the duel with Juri and tries to run away with Anthy. The Car: So, Akio, being an allegorical character for heteropatriarchy/toxic masculinity/abuse held his power over others by being the only one driving the car. Akio held the keys to the world as it is and as it is expected to be. He has all the power in a heterosexual, patriarchal world that values abusers and devalues victims. To escape his hellscape and reach the other side, Utena must do what she has always done--transform herself into her own idealized figure. Instead of a prince, she must become a car. Her chivalry and 'revolutionary' thinking are the vehicle to escape the roles imposed by Akio. And, with Anthy holding the key, they are able to outrace Worst Girl Shiori (who is also trying to escape, but by #GirlBossing her way out of it. Basically, she wants to become powerful by being just as bad as Akio or Touga.) Anthy and Utena escape by embracing new gender/sexual/societal roles that go against the chains of Akio's expectations. They are helped along by the remaining Student Council members who are still stuck in the revolution because they cannot let go of that which is trapping them there (toxic relationships, internalized homophobia, and, in Miki's case, his relationship with his sister). In short: Utena became a prince to harness Anthy's power and defeat Akio in RGU--and lost (but woke Anthy up to her abuse and freed her), Utena became a car in AOU to harness Anthy's power and defeat Akio and won this time. Or, that's just my interpretation.
@daylinhesford3116
@daylinhesford3116 Год назад
Love your take on it
@Princessk8
@Princessk8 Год назад
Only thing I disagree with here is your suggestion that Utena lost in RGU. I don't think that's right at all. I would argue that Utena succeeded in RGU and that's the only reason why the movie was able to happen in the first place.
@Cherryblossoms110
@Cherryblossoms110 Год назад
Love this, thank you for your interpretation except I couldn't keep it together when I read this sentence "Instead of a prince, she must become a car."
@oddds
@oddds Год назад
What you said ❤
@sowo7136
@sowo7136 Год назад
This is one of the best explanations out there, I also had similar thoughts.However,in terms of Touga, I remember in the series Juri was talking about her elder sister who was drowning and a guy sacrificed himself to save her,but later on in the upcoming years his name was forgotten..like heroes or princes,humble men can sometimes be forgotten ..I think the second revolution is this new world,it's an alternate world than the one in the series,where Utena exists.Perhaps Touga in this alternate word was chosen as the first prince who had to sacrifice himself, instead of (dios,which is akios alternative self before he was corrupted) in order to instill and create a seed or courageous ideal inside Utena. In both worlds it is quintessential for Utena to meet a prince who displays an act of selflessness or hope.
@OccuredJakub12
@OccuredJakub12 3 года назад
There's another level to the car metaphor: When Utena and Anthy fight through the castle's weird tank wall thingy, the car gets compressed and transformed into basically a MOTORCYCLE. This could be seen as a new symbol, of the power of feminine sexuality, of a less violent vehicle that still has a powerful drive to go forwards. A motorcycle in itself is a vehicle that demands closeness and mutual trust between the driver and their passangers, while a car has a dedicated driver that decides everything. Just some food for thought.
@quentinrosver9667
@quentinrosver9667 3 года назад
OHHHHH that actually makes sense omg
@OccuredJakub12
@OccuredJakub12 3 года назад
@@quentinrosver9667 Thanks for commenting, I almost forgot that I wrote this XD
@quentinrosver9667
@quentinrosver9667 3 года назад
@@OccuredJakub12 Dude it's crazy how many views and perspectives people can take on Utena's symbolism. I feel like everything is kind of right, like damn, I didn't even think about the symbolism of that one scene where the utena car is crushed into a small vehicle thingy. It's so cool.
@itskevinjustkevin
@itskevinjustkevin 3 года назад
Cool conception
@bluesleeper8677
@bluesleeper8677 2 года назад
Feminine sexuality seems likely because that car looks like a vagina
@Cruznick06
@Cruznick06 3 года назад
You forgot to mention that after Anthy does the most badass driving and the car is reformed, it is very literally the female reproductive organs. The cars are DEFINITELY sexual as you mentioned.
@brianb.6356
@brianb.6356 4 года назад
That's... definitely the most plausible analysis of Utena turning into a car *I've* ever seen.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
LOL. Thanks
@WitchyAdorara
@WitchyAdorara 3 года назад
So fun little observation! You know about their hair how Anthy's hair was straight now curly and Utena's was straight then curly? It's to show the role reversal. You see how when Ikuhara said that Utena is now the princess instead of Anthy. Another little symbolism that I noticed was that Anthy is the driver a.k.a the driving force to move Utena [the car].
@oshkeet
@oshkeet 7 месяцев назад
Also interesting to note if Anthy is in a pseudo-prince role, that the utenacar has a horse figure on it; She's a prince on a horse.
@uhohspaghettiosify
@uhohspaghettiosify 4 года назад
Utena as a car literally looks like a uterus.
@KoenSkySea
@KoenSkySea 3 года назад
WAIT REALLY?? ANOTHER THING I DIDNT NOTICE
@aria4408
@aria4408 Год назад
It looks like clitoris for me, representing women's sexuality imo
@penelope205
@penelope205 Год назад
Yeah I thought that too and when the "ovaries" get crushed? I thought that was intentional. Also explains the more organic shape of the car.
@MarshmellowTC
@MarshmellowTC 3 года назад
Are you surprised? It's a big mistake to think that you're the only one who can turn into a car. I'm a car now, too.
@YossarianVanDriver
@YossarianVanDriver 4 года назад
My take on it is that cars are a symbol of adulthood. All the teens in the show think it's so cool and grown-up when they get to Ride With Akio. Touga and Saionji's little motorbike sidecar adventure is two people who are /not/ yet adults trying and failing to imitate adulthood. This movie is the 'adolescence of Utena'; by the end, she has finally grown up beyond the ideas that were trapping her in the series. Leading from this last part--a lot of people interpret this movie as taking place, in some weird way, after the show. Anthy has, in the most important way, already escaped, and acts in a much more proactive way as she endeavours to take Utena with her. Other characters suddenly show up near the end of the movie as if they've already undergone their development from the show, despite it not happening in the movie (in the sense that within Ohtori, events are forgotten, but outside of it reality asserts itself). Akio is already defanged, robbed of his power to manipulate people which is basically his entire existence, so he doesn't exist (all that, and I'm pretty sure he didn't fall--he was pushed...)
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
I honestly love the reading that it's some kind of sequel to the show. It makes for such an interesting reading for Anthy. (And....maybe almost makes Utena's weird relationship with Touga make a kind of sense in the movie?)
@YossarianVanDriver
@YossarianVanDriver 4 года назад
@@fandommusings5302 I mean, I'm as confused by the Touga stuff in the movie as you. Apparently it was something planned for the series but ultimately cut from it, though.
@MorriganAtwood
@MorriganAtwood 3 года назад
So my friend and I did a deep dive while we were rewatching, and something we noticed is there is a LOT of Other World imagery in the original series, with at least a few characters implied to not be stuck in it at the academy, like Wakaba. Like, the pallbearers that Touga and Saionji overhear as kids talk about people being spirited away. They find three coffins with Utena in one, and her parents have already been taken away, so those two coffins are theirs. The academy is the other world, and while Akio's car is a symbol of his power and control it is also a symbol of him being the only one who can exist within and without at once -- he's the only one who's involved in all this that can LEAVE without being expelled for a greater part of the story, and being the only person with a car on the campus it's showing that he's also the only one, for the moment, who can let people out. Wakaba turned into a car because she's only ever really dipped her toes into the Other World, never been stuck in it -- she only started to touch it when she was in her "shooting star" phase. Deemed an ordinary girl, she has not been in it since. She turned into a car because she can leave. Utena turned into a car because she has recaptured the power to leave, and like Wakaba, she has the strength to carry others with her.
@KoenSkySea
@KoenSkySea 3 года назад
but then why not nanami? she literally left the country and flew to india for a bit
@lan77997
@lan77997 2 года назад
@@KoenSkySea Nanami never actually left Ohtori, all of that was an illusion. Anthy is a witch who has magical powers. She helplessly manipulates the cast to continue the cyclical duel system, because she's in turn manipulated by Akio. Anthy manipulates/trolls/takes revenge on Nanami because Nanami mocks/hurts her in episodes 2 & 3 (& also because she is a duelist). Remember how Chu-Chu laid(?) the egg in Nanami's bed? It was because Anthy told him to do so (although Anthy was seen to feel regretful that she went too far to screw with Nanami). Remember how Nanami drowned the cat? Anthy uses this fact to manipulate/hurt her by making various animals attack her (karma strikers her back). So yeah, her visit to India wasn't exactly *real*, but an illusion created by Anthy. But since RGU is highly metaphorical, some people may find different interpretations.
@duncanarielgomezbadillo2452
@duncanarielgomezbadillo2452 4 года назад
I personally read the car thing being a metaphor for all the things you have said, but mostly is about the concept of adulthood. He is in control essentially because he is an adult, he creates an illusion of wisdom and superiority through that, which helps him manipulate the kids of the student council to keep participating in the duels. He shows them the end of the world in that arc, which is esentially the cruel world of adulthood, which motivates the children to fight even harder to obtain the power to revolutionize the world, so they can change it. So what happens here, is that Utena and Anthy, use their shared maturity and relationship to traverse the scary world of no imposed opressive roles. Because to some people it's better to exist in an oppressive state than to go free into an unknown world. That is why Utena is a car, she has the strength to get her and Anthy though, but lacks the niuance and maturity that Anthy does have. Hence she is the one in comand. Wakaba becomes a car too because she serves a similar role. She is a strong girl willing to defy others and their ideas, but she lacks niuance and experience The kids from the student council have not yet gotten to the point in which they know how to guide Wakaba, but they're capable of doing so. Shiori becomes a car too by her own percieved strenght, but drives herself by her percieved sense of intelligence. She is proud of her mean and manipulative tendencies, because it gives her agency. She grows up in the same idea that Akio imposes unto the students of what being an adult means, that's why she crashes.
@Tanyableu
@Tanyableu Год назад
Yes, I think that when Anthy left, she realized Utena was now trapped in the storyline she'd freed Anthy from. So naturally Anthy's more active - she knows the truth. "A world without roads" to me means a place where they can make their own path in life, not the 'proper' one. A friend told me that dreaming of driving a car means you are controlling your life, so the car scene makes sense if you think that Utena was the vehicle for Anthy gaining control of her Self
@iloveverycoolcats3833
@iloveverycoolcats3833 Год назад
i kind of thought a world without roads meant that they were free from the expectations of women, like in the fake world, anthy is a girl who’s expected to be an obedient rose bride (basically like traditional house wives) even if she doesn’t want to, and when utena came, someone that is actually free from that expectation because she doesn’t act or present herself like how society expects women to be, and i think that made anthy consider being free from the illusion that traps her, the only thing left she needs to do is to either Go out with utena or stay and repress herself
@theMoporter
@theMoporter 4 года назад
Anyone claiming to know what the logic of Adolescence is is lying However; note that Shiori crashes and burns without her lesbian lover. She's only using violence and manipulation for her own goals and stays trapped in the academy. It's to show that no matter how powerful Utena could be on her own, she could never escape without empowering oppressed women.
@theMoporter
@theMoporter 4 года назад
Subtitles are borked btw
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
@@theMoporter Ack. The new subtitle system is so janky. Thanks for letting me know.
@amiraameera8302
@amiraameera8302 3 года назад
I was thinking the car represents oppressive power, so this is a nice concurrence
@quentinrosver9667
@quentinrosver9667 3 года назад
My interpretation was that the key was Himemiya's will to escape Ohtori academy since Akio says that without a key, a car is basically useless. This means that she ultimately has to have a will to go outside otherwise she'd just be following Utena and having no hint of determination. I think Utena turning into a car basically was her way of finally breaking the revolution and becoming Himemiya's way out of the unreality through their love for each other. Himemiya drives through all the things that she had been trapped by (that being the castle and her brother) and keeps being told to turn back into her old life but her will is so strong that she keeps driving on. And so they ride in their love car through the old debris of the roadless world, kiss and they are finally free to make their own roads, their own choices in life. This also symbolizes maturity and freedom to make choices and not be scared of the world anymore once you come face to face with it.
@nitendler
@nitendler Год назад
"I think the key image of the 20th century is the man in the motor car. It sums up everything: the elements of speed, drama, aggression, the junction of advertising and consumer goods with the technological landscape." "The car as we know it is on the way out. To a large extent, I deplore its passing, for as a basically old-fashioned machine, it enshrines a basically old-fashioned idea: freedom. In terms of pollution, noise and human life, the price of that freedom may be high, but perhaps the car, by the very muddle and confusion it causes, may be holding back the remorseless spread of the regimented, electronic society." - J.G. Ballard
@roroschach
@roroschach 3 года назад
i think the car in this specific instance represents moving past trauma- utena in the series was the catalyst who inspired anthy to leave her abusive relationship with akio and ohtori academy. shiori crashes and burns because she can’t move past anything. throughout the series she remains fixated on juri even when she was “in love with” ruka or her and juri’s unnamed male friend. as for wakaba.... hard to say. maybe she moved past her wish to be the “main character” and accepted herself for who she was? who knows of course, in the series, cars are also used as a metaphor for adulthood and sexuality. so maybe it just represents the general concept of “growing up” and changing for better (utena, anthy) or for worse (akio, shiori).
@laura7384
@laura7384 4 года назад
Utena was perpetuating the patriarchy's system by becoming the prince and wanting to save Anthy so adamantly. Perhaps that's why she became a car, a symbol of patriarchy and toxic masculinity, but Anthy literally has the key to "freeing" Utena (cue them laying in the car's frame with Utena being human again) by doing away with the patriarchal concept of someone being the prince to save the princess, they have finally stripped away society's norms and constructs (thus appearing naked). Idk if I'm making any sense, it's been a long night lol
@meg2249
@meg2249 2 года назад
Gotta wonder if Madoka Magica took a lot of inspiration in terms of surreal imagery from this? Someone should make a list of all the things Utena inspired, I would be curious to see that. As for me I got my first exposure to Utena at the age of 5/6. My best friend’s (also 5/6) parents bought her the first few episodes on VHS. Because it was a ‘cartoon’…
@shelfman1505
@shelfman1505 Год назад
maybe Shiori and Wakaba become cars because they, too, want to escape the patriarchal paradigm but end up bunching down on their fellow women and fixing on heteronormative mindsets rather than punching up at their oppressors and social structures, and that's why they fail the chase? because they were chasing Utena and Anthy down instead of following them and helping them like Juri and Miki and Saionji do. i mean this mostly for Shiori, but I feel like it applies to Wakaba too. She is also on a quest for her prince is is heart broken when she's isn't deemed 'enough'.
@TheNightmareRider
@TheNightmareRider 4 года назад
I think you would enjoy "My Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom". It's a surprisingly wholesome romantic comedy isekai, where a high school girl gets reincarnated into her favourite visual novel, thus works as hard as she can to avoid all the game's doom flags for her through THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! It's also one of the most aggressively bisexual anime I've seen in some time, and adds a fresh light and fluffy touch to the typical harem formula.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
Ooo! That sounds fun!
@makotosaito9067
@makotosaito9067 4 года назад
I see someone with good taste as well. Its easily one of my favorite anime of the season.
@TheNightmareRider
@TheNightmareRider 4 года назад
@@fandommusings5302 Do you have a Discord server? I'd love to gush about it to you and share some of my analysis, though for now I'll avoid spoilers XD.
@robinw8348
@robinw8348 4 года назад
was about to suggest the same thing! it’s such a cute series!!
@sashawallace1916
@sashawallace1916 3 года назад
I think the characters becoming cars is a physical representation of their growth and change over both the series and the movie. Utena becomes the literal vehicle of Anthy's escape after learning the truth of the duels in the series, remembering her promise to Anthy that made her want to become a prince in the first place and their growing relationship over both. Utena realises that while she can help Anthy the only way they can both leave is if they both work together and put the work in. Anthy couldn't open her coffin by herself so Utena opened it but it was down to Anthy to climb out, Utena becomes a way to get away but she can't go with out Anthy' s key and a driver. The only way out for them is to go together as equals, that sets their relationship up as different from their relationships with Akio. Shiroi over the course of the film goes through negative changes. While in the series she was manipulative and intentionally hurt people(mostly Juri), she showed signs of change for the better. In the movie she's gone back on those little changes and is now fair more open about her wants to hurt Juri and actively tries/succeeds to turn people on Anthy which ends up leading to the car chase out of the Academy. It's also why she doesn't succeed, she hasn't grown enough to leave the school behind and "crack the world egg" as it were. She's content to stay and wants others to do the same. Wakaba over the series went from idealising Utena and fawning over Siongi(if that's wrong I'm sorry) to being admired herself and realising that he isn't good for her. While growing she is still Utena's friend and goes out of her way to help her. In her car form she carries Siongi, Juri and Miki who all over the course of the series and show grew and realised that what they wanted from the duels wasn't truly what they needed. They also where able to begin to distance themselves with those they had negative relationships with which would help them grow more as people. They all say they'll see Utena and Anthy on the outside but they go off a different exit, they're not quiet "grown up" enough to leave just yet but they soon will and their relationships with each other maybe their key out in a similar way to put two leads. I hope all made sense.
@victorthecollector9198
@victorthecollector9198 2 года назад
I love that none of the possible explanations of why Utena runs into a car can explain why Shiori and Waianae also turn into cars, that’s so funny hcnfjdndjjwjs
@MrIneedalifenow
@MrIneedalifenow 3 года назад
I have no idea what any of this is, but you convinced me, thats why utena was a car. Who Utena is, or what this show is, idk. But now I know why Utena is a car. Symbolism and shit.
@awseomness
@awseomness 4 года назад
I dunno. I usually think of myself as bad at metaphors, but, having not watched the show before watching the movie, I thought the car thing made a lot of sense when I first saw it.
@SSFighter1701
@SSFighter1701 Год назад
Utena is the vehicle that carries Himemiya to "reality" or "adulthood".
@beatrizkarwai6763
@beatrizkarwai6763 3 года назад
it's an allegory to buddhism. the schools of buddhism are called 'vehicles', such as hinayana, 'small vehicle', and 'mahayana', large vehicle. vehicles that lead you where? to enlightenment, of course. utena winning the race with anthy represents the achievement of enlightenment.
@lingeringquestions519
@lingeringquestions519 3 года назад
It is about time someone stopped acting like we don't know the car scene and Akio's car scenes are sexual. Thank you. Honestly, thank you, for being the hero we all needed.
@meh563
@meh563 2 года назад
there are many interpretations of why Utena turns into a car, I just like watching/reading all of them lol.
@angelywilson984
@angelywilson984 8 месяцев назад
i personally interpreted anthy as akios car and him losing the keys as him losing power over her (which happenned at the end of the show and of which we're seeing consequences of in the movie)
@thedistinguished5255
@thedistinguished5255 Год назад
Shiori becomes a car because she wouldnt hesitate to use violence and power. Thats her entire character (and i like that alot because all the other villains are men and it would leave the show and movie open for terf rethoric). Wakaba turns into a car because thats how she will be saved from that bubble, the council will drive her out. She has always been the type to value community and rely on friends in my opinion. She never had her own goal, but shes a really good, honest friend. And it just so happens that shes friends with the right people who will drive her out of that bubble. I think she provides a sense of community between the members of the student council who are very individual and secretive in nature
@erikaw985
@erikaw985 3 года назад
I miss your videos
@Ladygrev
@Ladygrev 3 года назад
My girlfriend and I found your channel about a week ago, and we love all of them we've seen so far, even the ones we don't know the underlying fandom for (like this one). I hope you're not done making videos forever, but even if you are, thank you for what you've provided so far! They are well made and very enjoyable.
@andysee6996
@andysee6996 7 месяцев назад
I really wish Utena there was a piece of fanart in which Aiko bragged about his cool car while car Utena (drawn in the style of Pixar's Cars franchise) said "How cute".
@LucasDarkGiygas
@LucasDarkGiygas 3 года назад
Never heard of this story. Thanks for bringing it up
@rat-in-the-void
@rat-in-the-void 3 года назад
It was actually so helpfull thank you! I have so many loose ideas about what the hell is going on but now finally it's starting to really make sense. I mean as far as you can make sense of this surreal psychedelic ride.
@VERSXX
@VERSXX 4 года назад
Subbed for the name, stayed for the content!
@DotsHero
@DotsHero 2 месяца назад
I like the observations, they seem pretty well thought. Since the series is essentially a coming of age story, I've always liked to think of the cars as symbolic for "Adulthood's promise of freedom and independence." The whole reason Akio seemed so cool and temptuous to most of the characters is because he's this cool adult with all the freedom teenagers envy and he uses that to manipulate them. When Utena transformed into a car, it was because she was Anthy's path to freedom and independence, genuine this time. Just as Utena became the Prince that End of the World pretended to be when he saved her from the coffin, she became a true symbol and messenger of freedom to Anthy.
@SecretIdentityStudio
@SecretIdentityStudio 4 года назад
This is a really good analysis!
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
Thank you!
@sutarikun
@sutarikun 3 года назад
I watched this movie a lot in my junior year of high school. I took the whole situation as the car and the key are symbolic of direction and intent, likening it to the situation Denver found herself in near the end of Beloved where (spoiler) she is forced by the situation to leave her house on her own (which she has not done up until that point) because of the dire situation in which she finds her mother. Utena has the ability to leave and Anthy can as well, but Anthy gives Utena both direction and ensures Utena has the "drive" to do so (by replacing the key, as a car that stagnates without its key will turn to rust). They are dependent on each other but they provide each other with the ability to leave. Shiori in the movie is intent on keeping everyone stagnant, just like the ghost of Akio in the form of the giant car.... Thing.... And Wakaba wants to be there with the rest of the student council to ensure Utena can succeed. I thought it was fairly clear, but then I listened to the commentary and found Ikuhara's explanation to be upsettingly straightforward.
@Featheryfaith7
@Featheryfaith7 9 месяцев назад
I already know what the real symbolism is. You were so close.
@nakenmil
@nakenmil Год назад
Good analysis!
@wolfyblue
@wolfyblue 10 месяцев назад
i also think that it's their only way to go to where akio calls the end of the world because whenever akio brings a duelist on a joyride he always mentions to them that he will show them end of the world
@thedistinguished5255
@thedistinguished5255 Год назад
"he rolls around shirtless on the car while he talks to touga
@AjMcDonnell
@AjMcDonnell 3 года назад
Came back to rewatch some videos and just realised it's been a while since last upload. Hope all's well with you :)
@makotosaito9067
@makotosaito9067 4 года назад
I missed your videos so much and its amazing that you came back and already made 2 videos about Utena. I NEED to recommend this to someone, but this season there is an anime called Otome Game (and the rest of a really big name) and I never realized that I needed this anime so much in my life. Its a harem with a female protagonist and a bunch of boys falling in love with her. But what is the amazing part? The harem is mixed, we also have other girls fighting for her love and god dammit if nobody else will than I will be the one spreading the word of Catarina x Mary. You NEED to watch this anime. Love your content and don't make me suffer again waiting that long for videos!!!!!
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
Ha! Thank you! That anime sounds great.
@swtormadness
@swtormadness 4 года назад
Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta..., in short Hamefura xD I really did need this anime too, as a game scholar I really enjoyed anime which actually gave me what most otome game doesn't - gay friggin love and equal numbers of love interests. Everybody wanna be with the main character. It doesn't challenge the structure of otome games, but it functions well as a parody of the most ridiculous tropes of otome games which inverts some of the stupid ones like for example the fact that women rivals to the protagonist could be love interests too. And also protagonist is definitely BI just so in the dark about it that she not only doesn't get the fact that her female friends fallen for her very deeply, but also she doesn't get that the guys did too xD
@mauriziopuddu4734
@mauriziopuddu4734 3 года назад
I love this movie because of Utena's car transformation, like the 80's Turbo Teen, in which a human being turns into a car, but what is the symbolism about the castle on gigantic wheels with the two big treadmills?
@mahavishnustravinskij
@mahavishnustravinskij 4 года назад
That was glorious!! Thank you so much, makes me love the movie so much more!! Here's some lesbianish anime: Good: Noir Kanamewo Ok: Hidamari Sketch(no kisses? love the characters though) Granbelm some great manga: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness My Solo Exchange Diary Free Soul some movies: Elisa y Marcela Portrait de la jeune fille en feu Tangerine Orlando The World Unseen Suspiria And series: Pose Gentleman Jack(reading the Diaries Of Anne Lister, THEY'RE ASTOUNDING AND SOOO INTRIGUING) Betty Some artists/composers/musicians: Grace Jones Muholi Zanele Demontier Arca Moses Sumney Serpentwithfeet Joan E Biren Gail Ann Dorsey Me'shell N'Degeocello lustsickpuppy
@danielleanderson6371
@danielleanderson6371 4 года назад
Haven't seen the show or the movie, but a neat way of tying a ribbon on both of your readings would be calling cars the destruction of innocence. A world without roads is a world where everybody gets to keep their innocence and be free of violence and sexual domination.
@oroontheheels
@oroontheheels Год назад
Shirori too uses sex to manipulate people and hurt Juri. I think she’s trying to be “the shit”, but failing miserably. I reaaaally don’t like her character, but I think anime finds her redeemable. Not to mention she is deeply troubled and not straight evil like Akio. Maybe that’s why she looses the car chase battle. And Wakaba was Utena biggest fan. In TV her “good ending” was becoming her own person and getting her own clingy fan (like she was for Utena). So in the movie she’s become a car herself, BUT if I remember correctly characters in the car said something about not being ready to escape and just wanting to assist Anthy and Utena in their escape. I watched movie 3-4 years ago my memory is foggy. So Wakaba’s car is not about sexuality or power is just about wanting to be a hero to help others. That’s why she’s giving a ride to Juri, Saionji and Miki (?? I hope I remember it correctly)
@robinw8348
@robinw8348 4 года назад
i kind of thought of the car (both akio’s and the one utena turns into) was more of a symbol of adulthood, agency, and power, but sexuality makes sense too! as someone else suggested, my next life as a villainess is a really cute (and really bi!) series! also not exactly an anime and already pretty popular, but if you haven’t seen it yet i REALLY recommend she-ra :0
@thevioletalchemist4348
@thevioletalchemist4348 2 года назад
so i watched this movie with my friend without knowing the show's plot, most of the characters' names, or how much symbolism i would be facing. we also watched it without english subtitles because we thought it would be fun. it was. but now i'm here.
@austinyoung4675
@austinyoung4675 3 года назад
Woudl love to hear an analysis of Sarazanmai!
@laceladybug
@laceladybug 3 года назад
my mind is blown
@garreonlefay6703
@garreonlefay6703 3 месяца назад
The car thing could also be a metaphor taken literally. The reality bubble the characters are trapped in is created by the abusive relationship between Anthy and her brother. Utena literally becomes the Vehicle with which Anthy can escape this toxic relationship. You could also argue the car, at least when Utena and Anthy are concerned, is a metaphor for Adulthood. Anthy, before she is able to escape, is trapped by continous tracks that begin to grind Utena down and an apparition of her brother taunting her and telling her to go back. She decides to act like an adult and face the world head on, intending to shoulder the consequences of her decision of leaving the bubble, in which every decision was done for her without her input...before Utena arrived
@perro692
@perro692 Год назад
She just needed to get out of there
@twistysunshine
@twistysunshine 4 года назад
This is very much a good way to take apart this scene but sometimes you're listening to a video essay and you're like, damn. This shit is wild.
@mainstreetsaint36
@mainstreetsaint36 9 месяцев назад
This reminds of the ending of Tatsuo The Iron Man, where the two guys become a monster car. If I had a nickle for every time people turned into a car in Japanese entertainment, I'd have two. It's not much, but it's crazy I ran into it twice.
@ViewerOnline101
@ViewerOnline101 2 года назад
You: "We need to talk about Utena becoming a car." Me: "No we don't! We don't ever need to talk about that!"
@marionesparteiro1954
@marionesparteiro1954 3 года назад
Me and my friend when binging the show ended up definitely thinking cars are about masculinity... kind of epitomism of virility, male masculinity, because of the boys being literally on a pile of cars earlier in the show, and utena does have a masculine aspect to her... but It's really interesting to see how all theories intersect
@axeldornelles5292
@axeldornelles5292 4 года назад
As someone who knows nothing about Utena at all, I really loved the whole thing. I specially liked the hypothesis about the car relating to violence and a tool of oppression instead of sexuality. That may have something to do with my hatred for anything freudian, too.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
Lol, it also does work a little better with the "going to a world without roads" angle.
@axeldornelles5292
@axeldornelles5292 4 года назад
@@fandommusings5302 I have to say, I'm very interested in watching the show and movie after your video. As a healthcare professional I don't really have much free time right now, but I'm definitely going to watch it after the current crisis diminishes a little over here.
@karasu9
@karasu9 3 года назад
this is fucking phenomenal
@wuraa2208
@wuraa2208 3 года назад
I think you should have credited Audre Lorde when u said “masters tools dismantling the masters house”
@fafal9836
@fafal9836 3 года назад
I cried and screamed watching adolescence a LOT
@gracekim25
@gracekim25 4 года назад
Wait did you cover the show before? I can’t find your other Utena video😅
@librahoshino6752
@librahoshino6752 6 месяцев назад
The role reversal is represented through their hair styles. In the tv show, Anthy has long, glorious curls that she ties up. Representing her contricted life, while Utena's hair is long, lose and straight, representing her free spirited nature. At the end, when Anthy chooses to leave and "search" for Utena after she vanishes, she wears her hair down and wears a pink dress, representing her adoption of Utena's nature. In the movie, it's the other way around. In concept art, Utena's hair looks short because she ties it up to look more masculine and hide her femine curly locks. And instead, Anthy wears her hair long and straight. It's only when Anthy grants her the Sword of Dios when Utena's hair is set lose and flowing. To me, this symbolises how Utena is at her strongest when she embraces her womanhood rather than hiding it by dressing as a boy and Anthy is her key to unlocking and accepting her truest and strongest self. It could be viewed as an allegory for coming out of the closest with the help of loving, supportive people or simply embracing your true identity.
@CheeksSquisher
@CheeksSquisher 3 года назад
She's utena car funniest shit i've ever seen
@brianmclain1955
@brianmclain1955 3 года назад
Adachi and Shimamura is the yuri I'm into now. I'd love to see a video on that.
@michelelentini
@michelelentini 10 месяцев назад
Awesome video and tribute to our old chunk of coal ❤ thank you
@iceluvndiva21
@iceluvndiva21 Месяц назад
Cars are a means of transportation, a means of escape. They represent freedom. Five characters become cars; utena, wakaba, shiori, and kozue. Well OK, technically 6 if you consider the castle/school as Akio.
@ruefriend
@ruefriend 6 месяцев назад
the movie is a continuation and the true ending of the show. Touga drowned trying to save jury or her sister (I forgor) and has been dead throughout the entirety of it, including the show.
@TidePodChan
@TidePodChan Год назад
If the show has a plot, the movie...
@crimsonredd3886
@crimsonredd3886 3 года назад
Personally I think that utena becomes a car because like in the end of the anime, Utena is what causes Anthy to leave/escape, Utena is literally the vehicle for anthy escaping. But anthy is in control in both stories, she chose to leave akio in the anime, and then in the movie she is in control of the car and her escape. Anthy could always turn around and come back in both stories but she chooses to leave. Also Utena has themes if fairytales so at the end when the two kiss on the broken car it’s like when the prince and princess drive off in a horse drawn carriage and kiss at the end of a fairytale.
@gracekim25
@gracekim25 4 года назад
There’s a movie?!🤩
@randyfool2065
@randyfool2065 4 года назад
I am not sure if I have any gay suggestions except check out that one OVA episode thing of Sailor Moon that focuses on Uranus and Neptune during season 4? I think Ikuhara was involved with that one too. I am very happy that Utena and Anthy escaped together, to be themselves in a brand new world away from that horrible existence.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
I'm working on a full Sailor Moon rewatch at the moment. I look forward to getting to them. :)
@tbhon
@tbhon 3 года назад
I can't believe the movie robbed us of Akio's mullet
@christianventes2553
@christianventes2553 8 месяцев назад
You interpretation makes me sad because....I don't have a Car 😅
@Kuudere-Kun
@Kuudere-Kun 3 года назад
Cars represent Adulthood, Vraikaiser explained this years ago on his wordpress blog.
@caad5258
@caad5258 Год назад
I mean Women's ability to drive is still a big feminist issue world wide. So Utena becoming a car thematically rejects Patriarchy in the real world. Akio's use of his car is a good example of how abusers can utilise their material wealth to isolate their victims and control their movement.
@Haibing22
@Haibing22 8 месяцев назад
Ok, but why did they change Anthy’s design?
@kellyderg7294
@kellyderg7294 3 месяца назад
Have you ever been the vehicle of your girlfriend's escape from an abusive situation?
@_HOSHI_ZORA_
@_HOSHI_ZORA_ 11 месяцев назад
Just a random thought but if akios car represents what makes him free, then maybe utena turns into a car for anthy because utena makes anthy free.
@smhsophie
@smhsophie 2 года назад
PSA, it seems like your captions are horribly broken.Plz take a look
@edgarcross4721
@edgarcross4721 2 года назад
The first motomami
@enravotaboyadjiev7466
@enravotaboyadjiev7466 Месяц назад
I thought the "world without roads" thing meant "world without predetermined roles for people", like the roads being a confining box you have to fit in, like gender roles
@razz8254
@razz8254 3 года назад
I always thought that utena turing into a car make sense because she is revolution and the only way anty can every leave this world is throught utena. the car is an old represntation of freedom. Freedom that Akio abuses, Freedom that takes Utena's revolution form
@DeathAlchemist
@DeathAlchemist 3 года назад
I utena freed anthy in the show, the movie is Anthy using that freedom to escape. Also, Shiri becomes a car can be seen as oppression by society rather than oppression by a system.
@milkmilk1044
@milkmilk1044 Год назад
i do not think this has anything to do with their gender or sex, just to add to the fact that anyone can dream and in their belief in each other they may have their dreams come true, but, what ever fuels your dreams
@cosmomcfloso5820
@cosmomcfloso5820 2 года назад
Evangelion but shoujo and more confusing
@fabiancaceres1473
@fabiancaceres1473 4 года назад
english is not my firts language so i cannot undertand a lot of what she is saying in the video, can somebody explain me here in the coments?
@lsuki06
@lsuki06 2 года назад
Basically shes saying that the car is simbolizing utena's sexuality
@lsuki06
@lsuki06 2 года назад
Or It could be also utena's violence since she uses violences to fight against akio and other duelists in the show to escape from othori academy and free anthy from her princess/witch role
@fabiancaceres1473
@fabiancaceres1473 2 года назад
@@lsuki06 thanks!
@cecilia5093
@cecilia5093 3 года назад
The utena movie would be 100% better if Utena turned into a bike instead of a car, in this essay I will
@Whosaskin
@Whosaskin 4 года назад
I'm sorry, maybe it's because I haven't watched Utena, I'm perhaps too young but all I could think through this and the previous video was..."wait, what?" It's not you, you're awesome, I really loved your Princess Mononoke and Valley of the Wind vids and your videos on Sheakespeare and Tolkien...but this just confuses me...a lot. I guess I would have to watch the anime to understand it and to be fair, I had no idea it existed until I watched the finale of She-Ra... Just...
@breadeater1194
@breadeater1194 4 года назад
It's a great watch if you're into abstract symbolism-filled stuff like Evangelion, FLCL, or Twin Peaks.
@fandommusings5302
@fandommusings5302 4 года назад
LOL. Yeah, it's a pretty weird show, like I said. It's rather infamous for being odd.
@TwitterPaulsVersion
@TwitterPaulsVersion 4 года назад
Two words Transformers
@TacComControl
@TacComControl Год назад
I mean, there's a much easier explanation... the animator liked cool cars and wanted to feature his female leads naked on a motorcycle.
@reluctantlydancing
@reluctantlydancing Год назад
That would explain why Utena *drives* a car, not why she *transforms into one.* it's an Ikuhara anime. Come on, if you ain't here to play, then don't play.
@TacComControl
@TacComControl Год назад
@@reluctantlydancing If you're going to make stupid ass responses like that, then maybe you should learn to stay in your damn lane, you're not enough of a person to be worthy of responding to me. Sit yo ass down.
@light9205
@light9205 10 месяцев назад
*word/numbering.xml*
@Whosaskin
@Whosaskin 4 года назад
I'm sorry, maybe it's because I haven't watched Utena, I'm perhaps too young but all I could think through this and the previous video was..."wait, what?" It's not you, you're awesome, I really loved your Princess Mononoke and Valley of the Wind vids and your videos on Sheakespeare and Tolkien...but this just confuses me...a lot. I guess I would have to watch the anime to understand it and to be fair, I had no idea it existed until I watched the finale of She-Ra... Just... I dunno, I was really confused by this video and the previousone.
@psychotophatcat
@psychotophatcat 4 года назад
Honestly you really cannot watch these interpretations of a show you have not seen and understand it when it is something as surreal and complex as Utena. No hate at all here, I'm just saying.
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