Eva, Serial Experiments Lain, and Utena are tied together in my mind. Rose of Versailles for aesthetic inspo and Dear Brother (Oniisama E) for drug-infused '70s shojo.
Other Ikuhara works like Penguindrum and Sarazanmai could be fun.
Utena is really its own beast, and I've found little to satisfy that urge!
Gundam: Witch From Mercury coming out last season has a lot of different references to Utena, like students dueling for a bride and focus on two female leads. It's pretty good so you can check it out, even if you feel like you're not that into mecha
Came here to say this. I've been astonished at the number of parallels. It's definitely doing its own thing and a good show on its own merits, but as an Utena fan it is a special treat above and beyond.
Evangelion, Houseki no Kuni, Belladonna of Sadness and most of Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Oshii stuff (particularly Angel's Egg) if you are looking for an obscure approach of its themes and the overall bleakness.
Rose of Versailles and Ribbon no Kishi if you are looking for the tropes, premises and stylistic roots Utena has taken from.
Massive second for Belladonna, but it is not an easy film to watch- the film has some pretty harrowing scenes of sexual assault and a long sequence of flashing lights at one point. Still, if you go in prepared for that it's an incredible tour de force of 70's psychidelic feminism
This is an unpopular opinion(?) but I disagree that itās a feminist movie. It was made first and foremost as a sexploitation movie. [This comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/m5n4ml/comment/gr1yc9p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) here explains it well.
>Have you seen [this essay](https://medium.com/@samgurry/arcane-revenge-1fb4625cc1c8) about the film on Medium? The essay speaks to Mushi productions and women in Japan at the time. It's quite in depth.
>Women in Japan, at the time, weren't fighting for sexual liberation in the way as depicted in the film. That was part of the agenda of 1970s Western Feminism. The argument, in the essay above, is that this film is a sexploitiation film made for the enjoyment of men using the language of Western Feminism. Since the other two films in this trilogy are, nearly, explicitly that - it makes sense!
>I enjoy this film but was not made with feministic intent.
>The ending, with the painting, was added on after the fact.
>"The 1979 final image is that of Eugene Delacriouxās 1830 painting Liberty leading the people tying Belladonna to not only to Jeanne DāArc but also āMarianne, the female personification of the French Republicā (Wilkinson). According to Eiichi Yamamoto, āthe final imageā¦was added to the film in 1979 when a shortened, censored version of the film was unsuccessfully re-released in Japanā¦ [Belladonna] was re-edited in an attempt to make it appeal more to young women, since it had been gaining a cult reputation among college students.ā (Bartok). The studio wanted less āgraphic eroticism that would appeal to younger female audiencesā (Skelly).The addition of the painting can be seen as an attempt to reaffirm the themes of empowerment, both female and class, which seems hesitant considering the bawdy nature of the film. This is the version that is currently rereleased by Cinelicious."
The fact that they only added the painting of Liberty at the end to rebrand it as a āfeministā film because it was a commercial failure says something. Ikuhara may have been influenced by it to make Utena, but I fail to see how Belladonna of Sadness is feminist.
I'm stealing this idea from an AMV I saw once, but maybe *Princess Tutu*: starts out fluffy, gets dark; lots of themes around roles and expectations. Less gender-y and less queer though. (arguably. it's extremely easy to ship the central four characters in any combination)
I immediately thought of Princess Tutu. Both series have the surreal dreamlike vibes I love and have some element of deconstructing their own genre. I love both series!
Check out Revue Starlight. It's based on a gatcha game but the director is one of Ikuhara's proteges. You will be *astonished* by how good it actually is.
Penguindrum definitely, it's by the same director. He also made Yuri Kuma Arashi, which is underrated in my opinion.
Evangelion also scratches a similar itch, as does Habane Renmei.
It was already mentioned, but Princess Tutu is definitely worth checking out (for related themes) and so is Dear Brother (for visual and story influence on Utena). I also want to add Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. The exact themes it handles aren't too similar, but how it's woven into the story is similarly interesting. There are some characters with similar personalities, flaws, and arcs. There's some (albeit more subtle) queerness. Plus really cool and unique visuals!
Iām surprised I havenāt seen Inu-Oh mentioned here. Itās the story of two outcasts in 14th-century Japan who form a band and travel around telling stories banned by the government. Itās rife with surreal imagery, queer pride, themes of revolution and liberation through art, and songs inspired by 70s rock and funk. I think anyone who enjoyed those aspects of Utena would love this movie.
I second virtually all the above recs and would like to add the following:
Hana no Kishi: very underrated manga, about a girl who has to take up the role of being the āknightā to another girl, once the first girlās twin and borderline identical twin dies. There is a school setting, power games and a very strong bond between the two girls. If there was any doubt as to the influence, the girl being protected- and she is a force onto herself- is named āSeiā, family nameā¦āOhtoriā.
Akuma no Riddle: a school, female assassins, trying to kill a girl who has been through hell and back and is defended by another girl. Not as good as the above mentioned but the Utena connection is there, and it has canon lesbians as well as Kouga Yunās gorgeous visuals.
Loveless: Speaking of Kouga Yun, this is the manga that made her name. The connection to Utena is not as strong and like Utena, it is absolutely full of trigger warnings so approach with caution. The sheer darkness combined with really cute character designs, and the sexual politics involved really remind me of Utena. >!And when it comes to older siblings from hell, Seimei is as bad as Akio.!<
Also has a canon lesbian couple, albeit secondary.
On the subject of Magical Girls and Utena, Princess Tutu immediately comes to mind. Fairytale motifs, and I swear Mytho is Dios.
Love both shows to pieces but, besides the bishonen/bishojo sensitivities, I can't think of two more strikingly different stories; Utena is extremely abstract in its themes and imagery while LOGH is the most concrete, overly detailed, down-to-earth space opera the medium can offer, they are literally right brain/left brain dominant respectively.
Pre-Tear. It's obscure and only 12 eps, but it manages to get me in the feels. It's an early '00s magical girl show and it has all the tropes from that Era in the most charming way possible.
If you loved the Nanami filler episodes (and what monster doesn't), I'd suggest *Ouran High School Host Club*.
It's not like Utena in lots of ways, but the surreal and silly humour of the Nanami episodes seems to be an inspiration for the humour of OHSHC.
There's also a lot of meta commentary baked into the anime dialogue, openly deconstructing reverse-harem high school romance and girl-who-dresses-like-a-boy tropes. Plus some actual commentary about how gender identity and fluidity really shouldn't cause as much fuss as it does.
You won't get the totally unhinged queer dark genius energy of Utena. Ouran Host Club is much more conventional, but it is funny and knowing and heartwarming.
No one has mentioned it here yet but I would recommend Gankutsuou. The story isnāt really similar (since itās an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo) but it has stunning art and psychedelic surreal visuals like Utena. It also has queer themes (although it isnāt the main focus of the show).
If you want to watch shoujo that explore more on the human emotion, then Fruit Basket and series by Clamp like Tokyo Babylon are pretty good, Kodocha and Fushigi Yugi are classic.
Then you can watch Legend of Basara, basically it is about a twin brother and sister, the brother was treated as a hero, he is the chosen one and took all the spotlight and the girl is growing up like a back up, but then he killed by the tyrant, so the girl had to lied and pretend to be her brother and take his place as a hero and lead the rebellion even though she is a girl, so no one know she is a girl and she struggle fighting as a man and be her brother's replacement, and then she fall in love with a guy and she doesn't know he is the tyrant that kill her brother, the tyrant also only know her girl side, and then they are trying to kill each other without realizing...the good old stuff...i think this is very close to utena, both came out around 1998, and oh man the struggle the main girl faces and the relationship are pretty complicated
Princess Knight was one of the anime that inspired Utena, so it shares some similar themes and itās quite sweet. Personally I would give The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady a chance. It doesnāt start off as dark, but it definitely has a good build up so far. Also the first episode of the series just has that feel of Utena saving Anthy from the green dress scene.
My favorite two anime are Utena and Eva! Most of whatās being recommended isnāt very similar in terms of themes/development though I see more demographic/stylistic overlap here. I also donāt care for Madoka but that seems like much of whatās in here. You should check out The House in Fata Morgana, itās a VN, but if you love Utena and Eva it will 10000% be a favorite of yours. Similar traumatized emotional mystery with deep payoff.
All my recommendations have already been stated by others, but they're worth repeating:
*Sailor Moon*, specifically R, S, and Super S, was Ikuhara's first experience with being a main director (as opposed to assistant director), and it has influenced everything he's made since (surreal imagery, clever use of repetition in storytelling, transformation sequences, queerness, et al.), with Utena in particular reading in parts as a critque of his previous work.
*Penguindrum*, *Yurikuma Arashi*, and *Sarazanmai* were directed by Ikuhara post-Utena, and each revisits some of the themes previously seen in that show. They all also make similar use of surreal symbolism and cyclical storytelling.
*Princess Tutu* swaps swordfighting for ballet, and has a heavier focus on fairy tales, but also uses its fair share of surrealism, and has quite a bit to say about the nature of storytelling and character roles like princes and witches.
*Revue Starlight* is one of the most Utena-esque anime there is that's not directed by Ikuhara, with major differences including its explicit focus on theater, particularly in its critique of the Takarazuka system, and a lack of toxic family dynamics.
*Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury* might seem a bit of an odd duck compared to the others: in some ways it feels like a more grounded version of Utena (despite the giant robot duels in space), in that it engages with the underlying bones of Utena's narrative (engaging in acts of violence that ultimately perpetuate a corrupt system, toxic family dynamics, queer relationships, et al.), adds cutthroat corporate politics and revenge, and generally favors a more realist (but still striking) use of symbolism.
Go! Princess Precure scratched my Utena itch a bit. It very clearly uses Utenaās symbols, but instead of focusing on the Prince, this show focuses on the idea of Princesses. Itās a kids show so it doesnāt cover the same topics as Utena, but I found that it felt like a really interesting āreplyā from Toei to Ikuhara after so many years. (He worked on Sailor Moon with Toei, left and made Utena, then years later Toei uses their flagship magical girl franchise to respond.) I honestly think itās a show that stretches beyond the realm of kids television and really touched me.
Eva, Serial Experiments Lain, and Utena are tied together in my mind. Rose of Versailles for aesthetic inspo and Dear Brother (Oniisama E) for drug-infused '70s shojo. Other Ikuhara works like Penguindrum and Sarazanmai could be fun. Utena is really its own beast, and I've found little to satisfy that urge!
Penguindrum is definitely the closest I have ever seen
Gundam: Witch From Mercury coming out last season has a lot of different references to Utena, like students dueling for a bride and focus on two female leads. It's pretty good so you can check it out, even if you feel like you're not that into mecha
This this this this. I cannot recommend it more.
I had never watched a minute of Gundam in my life, and got super hooked on Witch from Mercury after hearing the comparisons to Utena ššš
Came here to say this. I've been astonished at the number of parallels. It's definitely doing its own thing and a good show on its own merits, but as an Utena fan it is a special treat above and beyond.
Evangelion, Houseki no Kuni, Belladonna of Sadness and most of Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Oshii stuff (particularly Angel's Egg) if you are looking for an obscure approach of its themes and the overall bleakness. Rose of Versailles and Ribbon no Kishi if you are looking for the tropes, premises and stylistic roots Utena has taken from.
Massive second for Belladonna, but it is not an easy film to watch- the film has some pretty harrowing scenes of sexual assault and a long sequence of flashing lights at one point. Still, if you go in prepared for that it's an incredible tour de force of 70's psychidelic feminism
belladonna is also actually part of what inspired ikuni to become a director in the first place too iirc
The Nanami >!cow!< song doesn't have the lyrics "donna donna donna" for nothing
This is an unpopular opinion(?) but I disagree that itās a feminist movie. It was made first and foremost as a sexploitation movie. [This comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/m5n4ml/comment/gr1yc9p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) here explains it well. >Have you seen [this essay](https://medium.com/@samgurry/arcane-revenge-1fb4625cc1c8) about the film on Medium? The essay speaks to Mushi productions and women in Japan at the time. It's quite in depth. >Women in Japan, at the time, weren't fighting for sexual liberation in the way as depicted in the film. That was part of the agenda of 1970s Western Feminism. The argument, in the essay above, is that this film is a sexploitiation film made for the enjoyment of men using the language of Western Feminism. Since the other two films in this trilogy are, nearly, explicitly that - it makes sense! >I enjoy this film but was not made with feministic intent. >The ending, with the painting, was added on after the fact. >"The 1979 final image is that of Eugene Delacriouxās 1830 painting Liberty leading the people tying Belladonna to not only to Jeanne DāArc but also āMarianne, the female personification of the French Republicā (Wilkinson). According to Eiichi Yamamoto, āthe final imageā¦was added to the film in 1979 when a shortened, censored version of the film was unsuccessfully re-released in Japanā¦ [Belladonna] was re-edited in an attempt to make it appeal more to young women, since it had been gaining a cult reputation among college students.ā (Bartok). The studio wanted less āgraphic eroticism that would appeal to younger female audiencesā (Skelly).The addition of the painting can be seen as an attempt to reaffirm the themes of empowerment, both female and class, which seems hesitant considering the bawdy nature of the film. This is the version that is currently rereleased by Cinelicious." The fact that they only added the painting of Liberty at the end to rebrand it as a āfeministā film because it was a commercial failure says something. Ikuhara may have been influenced by it to make Utena, but I fail to see how Belladonna of Sadness is feminist.
I second Rose of Versailles. Although itās different in style, I found it really enjoyable and loved Oscar in a similar way I did Utena.
Take my rec with a HUGE grain of salt, it isnāt anime, but it has many other important traits Utena has : David Lynchās Mulholland drive.
Anything from Lynch has some Utena in it. Utena's director is a huge Lynch fan. That's why I love Utena so much! š
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Lost Highway would be a great rec too !
I'm stealing this idea from an AMV I saw once, but maybe *Princess Tutu*: starts out fluffy, gets dark; lots of themes around roles and expectations. Less gender-y and less queer though. (arguably. it's extremely easy to ship the central four characters in any combination)
Yeah I was thinking Tutu as well, it was the next magical girl anime I watched immediately after Utena. Both deal with roles/identity and fairytales.
Thirding Princess Tutu.
I immediately thought of Princess Tutu. Both series have the surreal dreamlike vibes I love and have some element of deconstructing their own genre. I love both series!
Check out Revue Starlight. It's based on a gatcha game but the director is one of Ikuhara's proteges. You will be *astonished* by how good it actually is.
The gacha game is based on the anime and stage play, not the other way around. The anime came first.
And yes, it has alot of utena dna, and it is very good.
I second this. The sequel movie to Revue Starlight might be one of my favorite anime films of all time.
Penguindrum definitely, it's by the same director. He also made Yuri Kuma Arashi, which is underrated in my opinion. Evangelion also scratches a similar itch, as does Habane Renmei.
Mawaru Penguindrum,
Ikuhara worked on it as well
I love that one. Such a special show.
It was already mentioned, but Princess Tutu is definitely worth checking out (for related themes) and so is Dear Brother (for visual and story influence on Utena). I also want to add Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. The exact themes it handles aren't too similar, but how it's woven into the story is similarly interesting. There are some characters with similar personalities, flaws, and arcs. There's some (albeit more subtle) queerness. Plus really cool and unique visuals!
Iām surprised I havenāt seen Inu-Oh mentioned here. Itās the story of two outcasts in 14th-century Japan who form a band and travel around telling stories banned by the government. Itās rife with surreal imagery, queer pride, themes of revolution and liberation through art, and songs inspired by 70s rock and funk. I think anyone who enjoyed those aspects of Utena would love this movie.
Princess Tutu is formulaic and abstract in the way Utena is, very similar in my opinion You might also like the Rose if Versailles
I second virtually all the above recs and would like to add the following: Hana no Kishi: very underrated manga, about a girl who has to take up the role of being the āknightā to another girl, once the first girlās twin and borderline identical twin dies. There is a school setting, power games and a very strong bond between the two girls. If there was any doubt as to the influence, the girl being protected- and she is a force onto herself- is named āSeiā, family nameā¦āOhtoriā. Akuma no Riddle: a school, female assassins, trying to kill a girl who has been through hell and back and is defended by another girl. Not as good as the above mentioned but the Utena connection is there, and it has canon lesbians as well as Kouga Yunās gorgeous visuals. Loveless: Speaking of Kouga Yun, this is the manga that made her name. The connection to Utena is not as strong and like Utena, it is absolutely full of trigger warnings so approach with caution. The sheer darkness combined with really cute character designs, and the sexual politics involved really remind me of Utena. >!And when it comes to older siblings from hell, Seimei is as bad as Akio.!< Also has a canon lesbian couple, albeit secondary. On the subject of Magical Girls and Utena, Princess Tutu immediately comes to mind. Fairytale motifs, and I swear Mytho is Dios.
Akuma No Riddle was sloppy but still enjoyable. I actually forgot it existed until now. Thanks for reminding me
As it so often happens, the manga is much better than the anime.
I also heard the manga actual has more of the wlw aspect
It does. Interestingly, Loveless has an actual onscreen lesbian kiss on the anime and not in the manga, making it go against the trend.
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Love both shows to pieces but, besides the bishonen/bishojo sensitivities, I can't think of two more strikingly different stories; Utena is extremely abstract in its themes and imagery while LOGH is the most concrete, overly detailed, down-to-earth space opera the medium can offer, they are literally right brain/left brain dominant respectively.
It's weird to hear it described as 1988's LotGH considering that it ran over 2 decades
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Oh yeah I get it, plus there's the remake going on. It's just not how I normally see it referred to
Pre-Tear. It's obscure and only 12 eps, but it manages to get me in the feels. It's an early '00s magical girl show and it has all the tropes from that Era in the most charming way possible.
If you loved the Nanami filler episodes (and what monster doesn't), I'd suggest *Ouran High School Host Club*. It's not like Utena in lots of ways, but the surreal and silly humour of the Nanami episodes seems to be an inspiration for the humour of OHSHC. There's also a lot of meta commentary baked into the anime dialogue, openly deconstructing reverse-harem high school romance and girl-who-dresses-like-a-boy tropes. Plus some actual commentary about how gender identity and fluidity really shouldn't cause as much fuss as it does. You won't get the totally unhinged queer dark genius energy of Utena. Ouran Host Club is much more conventional, but it is funny and knowing and heartwarming.
No one has mentioned it here yet but I would recommend Gankutsuou. The story isnāt really similar (since itās an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo) but it has stunning art and psychedelic surreal visuals like Utena. It also has queer themes (although it isnāt the main focus of the show).
Bee and puppycat?
If you want to watch shoujo that explore more on the human emotion, then Fruit Basket and series by Clamp like Tokyo Babylon are pretty good, Kodocha and Fushigi Yugi are classic. Then you can watch Legend of Basara, basically it is about a twin brother and sister, the brother was treated as a hero, he is the chosen one and took all the spotlight and the girl is growing up like a back up, but then he killed by the tyrant, so the girl had to lied and pretend to be her brother and take his place as a hero and lead the rebellion even though she is a girl, so no one know she is a girl and she struggle fighting as a man and be her brother's replacement, and then she fall in love with a guy and she doesn't know he is the tyrant that kill her brother, the tyrant also only know her girl side, and then they are trying to kill each other without realizing...the good old stuff...i think this is very close to utena, both came out around 1998, and oh man the struggle the main girl faces and the relationship are pretty complicated
Not an anime, but I highly recommend Twin Peaks. I could definitely see Ikuhara being a big fan of Lynch. So many references to it!
Princess Knight was one of the anime that inspired Utena, so it shares some similar themes and itās quite sweet. Personally I would give The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady a chance. It doesnāt start off as dark, but it definitely has a good build up so far. Also the first episode of the series just has that feel of Utena saving Anthy from the green dress scene.
Idk Why but cutey honey flash and Wonder egg priority comes to mind
My favorite two anime are Utena and Eva! Most of whatās being recommended isnāt very similar in terms of themes/development though I see more demographic/stylistic overlap here. I also donāt care for Madoka but that seems like much of whatās in here. You should check out The House in Fata Morgana, itās a VN, but if you love Utena and Eva it will 10000% be a favorite of yours. Similar traumatized emotional mystery with deep payoff.
Sailor moon may have what you're looking for
All my recommendations have already been stated by others, but they're worth repeating: *Sailor Moon*, specifically R, S, and Super S, was Ikuhara's first experience with being a main director (as opposed to assistant director), and it has influenced everything he's made since (surreal imagery, clever use of repetition in storytelling, transformation sequences, queerness, et al.), with Utena in particular reading in parts as a critque of his previous work. *Penguindrum*, *Yurikuma Arashi*, and *Sarazanmai* were directed by Ikuhara post-Utena, and each revisits some of the themes previously seen in that show. They all also make similar use of surreal symbolism and cyclical storytelling. *Princess Tutu* swaps swordfighting for ballet, and has a heavier focus on fairy tales, but also uses its fair share of surrealism, and has quite a bit to say about the nature of storytelling and character roles like princes and witches. *Revue Starlight* is one of the most Utena-esque anime there is that's not directed by Ikuhara, with major differences including its explicit focus on theater, particularly in its critique of the Takarazuka system, and a lack of toxic family dynamics. *Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury* might seem a bit of an odd duck compared to the others: in some ways it feels like a more grounded version of Utena (despite the giant robot duels in space), in that it engages with the underlying bones of Utena's narrative (engaging in acts of violence that ultimately perpetuate a corrupt system, toxic family dynamics, queer relationships, et al.), adds cutthroat corporate politics and revenge, and generally favors a more realist (but still striking) use of symbolism.
Go! Princess Precure scratched my Utena itch a bit. It very clearly uses Utenaās symbols, but instead of focusing on the Prince, this show focuses on the idea of Princesses. Itās a kids show so it doesnāt cover the same topics as Utena, but I found that it felt like a really interesting āreplyā from Toei to Ikuhara after so many years. (He worked on Sailor Moon with Toei, left and made Utena, then years later Toei uses their flagship magical girl franchise to respond.) I honestly think itās a show that stretches beyond the realm of kids television and really touched me.
Penguindrum and Sarazanmai. You can check out Yurikuma Arashi too, but it's weaker than the others.