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Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ, Shōjo Kakumei Utena?) is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. A movie, "Adolescence of Utena" (少女革命ウテナ～アドゥレセンス黙示録, Adolescence Mokushiroku?, literally "Adolescence Apocalypse") was released in theatres in 1999. A musical version of the franchise was also produced in the mid 1990's. It was titled "Comedie Musicale Utena la fillette révolutionnaire" and staged by an all-female Takarazuka-style cast.

The main character is a tomboyish teenage female, Utena Tenjou, who was so impressed by a kind prince in her childhood that she decided to become a prince herself (expressed in her manner of dress and personality). She attends Ohtori Academy, where she meets a student named Anthy Himemiya, a girl who is in an abusive relationship with another student. Utena fights to protect Anthy and is pulled into a series of sword duels with the members of the Student Council. Anthy is referred to as the "Rose Bride" and is given to the winner of each duel. As Anthy is thought to be the key to a coming revolution, the current champion is constantly challenged for the right to possess the Rose Bride.

While the show generally has the appearance of a magical girl series, it is also highly metaphysical and allegorical. It contains a mix of borrowed visuals from Takarazuka theater, shadow puppetry, and classic Shōjo.

The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progress in different directions.

Composition

The 39-episode Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series was created by some of the same production staff that made Sailor Moon, including writer and director Kunihiko Ikuhara. However, the creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, was not responsible for Utena; nor did the Utena manga author Chiho Saito have much control over the anime. Ikuhara is better known for his role in the production of Sailor Moon, such as his contributions to the third season, the most serious of the series.

The movie, Adolescence of Utena, can be seen as the end of the story initiated by the TV series, although it goes in a very different direction. Its structure is in many ways parallel to that of the series, but the roles of the leads are subtly switched. Utena remains the duelist, and while Anthy's liberation by Utena is key to the conclusion of the series, it is Utena's freedom that is at issue in the movie, and Anthy who must free her. If the television series riffs upon themes from theater and mythology, it could be said that the movie riffs upon themes from the series. Many aspects of the movie are completely incomprehensible without familiarity with the series. It is even more visually bizarre than the series, unusual enough that it earned the good-natured nickname "The End Of Utena", after the similarly abstract but much less cheerful The End of Evangelion.

There was also a short-lived Takarazuka-style musical entitled "Sho-jo Kakumei Utena, Makai Tensei Mokushiroku hen, Reijin Nirvana Raiga". At Animazement '00, Ikuhara was said to be working on it with the theatrical group Gesshoku Kageki Dan. The second disc of Sho-jo Kakumei Utena OST 5, Engage Toi a Mes Contes, contains many of the songs from this musical.

The English manga was serialized by VIZ Media in the Animerica Extra magazine and later published into five trade paperbacks. Enoki Films holds the American license and called the series Ursula's Kiss. However the American distributor, Central Park Media, chose to use the original title and character names. The same dub was aired in Australia, although it was listed under Enoki Films' title name.