The party's over, my friends have left the house, and I'm pecking away at the keyboard with a huge grin on my face. Yes, I'm officially 20 - you can all wish me a happy birthday now!

But enough about me; let's talk about this Utena movie! What an experience... I'm still reeling from those images. Such bold, in-your-face surrealism. Seeing it on the big screen didn't hurt, either. The plot definitely takes a back seat to the imagery, but it's there... personally, I found myself hanging on to every (subtitled) word. It's the anime equivalent of a Lost Highway or Fire Walk With Me (in fact, some interesting comparisons can be made to the latter), too deep to take in in just one sitting. Or to put it more succinctly, "Utterly and unabashedly great".

There's been a little discussion about it already, but hopefully there will be more. I want to find out what the rest of the Flux community thinks of it, and if you haven't seen it yet... do so ASAP!

-- Paul (gilbreathfamily@worldnet.att.net), October 27, 2000

Answers

Was this a single showing, or is it going into wide distribution? (oh, and happy birthday :)

-- Matthew Rebholz (matrebholz@yahoo.com), October 27, 2000.

It's already been shown at the NY Anime festival... the distributors might give it a limited release, like X, or they might hold back until the dub is finished. I'm assuming that Central Park, who released the first season, still has the rights? If so, expect to see it by next year (& make sure to bug them about additional episodes!)

-- Paul (gilbreathfamily@worldnet.att.net), October 28, 2000.

The anime equivalent to Lost Highway? Gotta see it! Happy birthday, Snow doggie-dog, play on!

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), October 28, 2000.

this is one hell of a movie, ppl!!! you can get it from many fan distributors in the us, since it isn't available for commerical release yet. if you want the name of a good fansubber, email me.

joey

-- Joey v. (popejoan_19@yahoo.com), November 27, 2000.

Oh, where can I begin...Those're some damn fine chalkboards. Wakaba is astonishingly cute. I still have no idea what this movie means. But I love it!

If someone can tell me their opinions on a couple things, I'd be so grateful..Remember the little silhouetto of a man scaramouche sacramouche can you do the fan-*slap* -little red and black sillhouette of the duck-critter eating Chuchu (the mouse-monkey critter with the tie)? They flash that as a "dramatic" thing when Shiori holds up the scandalous video. How come?

-- Kiru (kirub@earthlink.net), February 12, 2001.

Kiru! You're back! Haven't seen you here in an otaku's age... anyway, I don't remember the scene you're talking about too well. But since the tapes were switched, maybe it was foreshadowing?

-- Paul (nadisrec@worldnet.att.net), February 12, 2001.

My fave pic of Kunihiko Ikuhara: http://lizzard.net/SuperS/images/illustrations/debate/sailor_ikuhara.j pg

-- Frosty the Snow Chick (mbkrooks@bellsouth.net), February 14, 2001.

:-P

-- William (stateofflux@yahoo.com), February 15, 2001.

:-(

-- William (stateofflux@yahoo.com), February 15, 2001.

Who is Kunihiko Ikuhara?

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 16, 2001.

Only the Utena series and movie director!

-- Frosty the Snow Chick (mbkrooks@bellsouth.net), February 21, 2001.

Oh, and the Ikuhara/Mars pic is still out there, it's just that the address got shortened. Take out the word "debate".

-- Frosty the Snow Chick (mbkrooks@bellsouth.net), February 21, 2001.

Serena only got the Sailor Moon part after Aeon accepted "Flux" instead. To see Aeon in her in her pre-Flux days, go to http://wwwld- 05-17-ae.ecircles.com/magic/products/photo/photo.cgi?_state=21&msgID=1

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 22, 2001.

I know, I know...the site doesn't work. Sigh, does anyone else love the 'user friendly' design of the internet like me? So, anyway if you want to see the drawing of Aeon I did, here: http://hometown.aol.com/suesuesbeo/myhomepage/profile.html. Warning: I couldn't size the jpeg and I can't figure out how to set it for you to view as a whole pic, but hey, it's Aeon as Sailor Flux, before she accepted more famous position; as Aeon Flux.

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 22, 2001.

BTW: Doing this gave me a whole new insight into Aeon and the artists; damn they were good, This was hard! As I worked on this I viewed Aeon Flux from a whole new perspective, the art has always impressed me but drawing it yourself is reaaally fun, I suggest any of you out there that are artists try it, you will love it. I would love to have worked on this series, I can understand Eric Canete's

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 22, 2001.

feelings.

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 22, 2001.

oh dear

-- William (stateofflux@yahoo.com), February 23, 2001.

http://hometown.aol.com/suesuesbeo/myhomepageprofile.html whole lotta less bites, (sorry for any crashes), unless you are a Breen; go here.

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 23, 2001.

I like this one more - http://hometown.aol.com/suesuesbeo/

-- William (stateofflux@yahoo.com), February 23, 2001.

Aaaah. The REAL Aeon artists.....

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo@aol.com), February 24, 2001.

The Utena movie isn't so much to be watched as to be experienced. By the end of the movie I was in tears. If anything, while watching the movie, do not focus on what is playing before your eyes but on your emotions.

For me, the movie was about freedom and breaking free. For everyone else, it could be something else. The cycle of the prince, the rose bride and everything was the system, a cruel and sick system filled with gossip, lies, corruption and hideous deeds. It was a system filled with false hope and dreams. If you take the name into account, Revolutionary Girl, and the fact the revolution is mentioned so many times throughout the movie.. it is about the revolution. The revolution of breaking free from old ties, old bondages and things holding you back from achieving the ultimate freedom. The last part of the movie, was the journey. When Utena is sucked away the words "Wash" are on the screen. This is perhaps the most obvious part of the movie to me, and she was cleansed for the final journey. But to start the journey, Anthy needed to find the key. The very thought in your mind, the reason and the WAY to escape from the system, from everything that has oppressed her and wounded her for so long. She found she had the key with her all along and she uses it. They journey to the outside, breaking free from the system, from everything that was holding them back but many things try to keep them, bringing down their hope to trying to draw force them back the way they came, tempting them with the false dreams they once had. Though the journey is hard and wears them, they manage to break free from everything to make their own world, not bound by the rules and the expectations of the old world, but a world where they can set their own expectations. The fact Utena and Anthy are both girls is another strong point, taking something generally considered politically incorrect to break through the borders of needing to be politically correct.

This movie had me in tears.. and this was my own interpretation. Yours may be different... but this is mine.

-- Amber Anderson (immortalpain@aol.com), December 31, 2001.