Revolutionary Girl Utena/YMMV

"Anthy: This tea is delicious. Utena: So is this cookie."
 * Adaptation Displacement:
 * This wiki used to have this series listed as Anime First because Chiho Saito was the last member to join Be-PaPas—which may be true, but the manga was being published several months before the anime started airing, which is referenced by Saito-sensei in the early volumes. It's also worth noting that many tropes that are deconstructed in the anime series are played much straighter in the manga.
 * Many people have only seen the (very wildly alternate universe) film version, partly because it's easier to find on torrent sites and partly because it was the only version released in places like the UK. (And, okay, it's known for its Fan Service as well.) It's also been shown at some LGBT film festivals, giving it exposure outside the anime fandom.
 * The series was partly based on the novel Demian by Hermann Hesse, which most anime fans wouldn't know because it's never mentioned ANYWHERE EVER. Particularly, the egg speech is a direct reference - expect anything else which references the egg speech to be assumed to be referencing Utena.
 * Alternative Character Interpretation:
 * Some fans view Akio as . If applied in fanfiction, this usually results in him getting the Draco in Leather Pants treatment.
 * And let's not get started on, who can be seen as anything from the most pitiable character most deserving of love and acceptance to a Complete Monster who didn't get NEARLY what was deserved, or even a bit of both. And it's been said that in many ways is something of a mirror to the audience, and that how individuals see the character reflects their own viewpoint, which also happens in series. The fourth wall sure is flexible in Utena.
 * The different versions themselves have been claimed to be alternate interpretations of Utena, with the manga as Chiho Saito's vision, the movie as Kunihiko Ikuhara's vision, and the TV series as a compromise between the two; there's also the manga adaptation of the movie, which is Saito's own spin on it, and the light novels, which were written by someone else entirely. Characterisation varies wildly between all these versions, to the point where the differences between portrayals of any given character can be quite jarring.
 * And just to prove once again how flexible the fourth wall is in Utena, the Akio that wants to keep Anthy in the academy's world in the movie
 * And the Fandom Rejoiced: When the series and film were relicensed by Right Stuf for a new DVD release in 2011, quite a few sighs of relief could be heard from fans who had not been able to purchase the old DVDs. And from those who had been able to purchase the series before, but found Central Park Media's releases to be sub-par, Right Stuf's relicensing of the series came with the announcement that they'll be using the remastered video from the Japanese rerelease of the series.
 * Awesome Music: Many of the duelling themes, plus a good chunk of the movie soundtrack.
 * Base Breaker: Anthy, Anthy, Anthy... see Alternative Character Interpretation above and Internet Backdraft below for the details. Also, depending on what part of the fandom you're looking at, Touga can be anything from an over-princified Draco in Leather Pants to a much-loathed Scrappy.
 * Complete Monster: Akio.
 * Crack Pairing: Miki/Juri has some vocal fan support. As far as crack pairings go, this is a somewhat reasonable one (the characters interact on a regular basis, move in the same social/extracurricular circles, and, of the Student Council members, seem to get along the best). What makes it crack is Juri's canonical lesbianism (at least in the series; she teases him in the movie and is straight in the manga).
 * Cry for the Devil:  is as much of a victim as anyone else in the series . Though it's debatable whether  was the victim.
 * Ear Worm: The opening song "Rinbu Revolution," along with many BGM tracks (especially "Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku").
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Juri is one of the most popular characters by far.
 * Evil Is Sexy: Akio.
 * Fan Wank: There's a small group of people who think every single thing does in the series is manipulative and for ulterior motives.   is very manipulative and much of her actions in the series are malicious, the above interpretation contains several logic bombs: 1.) If   wants a prince to save her from Ohtori, she could've  2.) As the series points out, it's not
 * Don't forget the speculation that
 * Faux Symbolism: Various weird visual cues, the most common being rotating stylized roses, which don't appear to have any particular meaning. Ikuhara doesn't help either—he gives vague, non sequitur comments like saying the Shadow Girls are aliens (which would explain the repeated flying saucer imagery in their performances...). On the other hand, the pointing fingers in episode 22 seem to stand for Ship Tease.
 * Freud Was Right: Lots. Take Akio's car for example. Or his tower, or his projector, or... let's just say Akio provides the majority of this.
 * Growing the Beard: The first arc is fairly generic and lighthearted, and despite common mentions of End of the World, it hardly feels like a massive shadow is looming in the background. In the Black Rose arc, however, things get a lot more sinister and weird.
 * Hilarious in Hindsight: The scene in the movie where Anthy convinces Utena to let her sketch her in the nude actually came out the same year as Titanic, which had the same infamous scene ("Draw me like one of your French girls").
 * Apparently Akio's car is a corvette. Now what color is his corvette?
 * Touga's actor Takehito Koyasu also voiced Prince Hans in the Japanese dub of Frozen. Guess brutal deconstructions of Knight in Shining Armor princes are kind of his thing.
 * The preview of episode 17 features Juri's romantic attraction to Shiori sailing right over Utena's head. The English dub team would make the exact same mistake.
 * In episode 31, Akio tells Nanami that Ohtori campus rule 34 forbids students from sleeping in the quarters of other students, but she's welcome to stay at his place. Rule 34 you say...
 * Internet Backdraft: MULTIPLE.
 * Say that you do NOT necessarily think Utena is the most important, groundbreaking, perfect, complex and unique Shoujo series ever. Prepare to be slain by the Utena fandom.
 * Try bringing up the four different Utena canons: the TV series, the manga by Chiho Saitou, the Adolescence Mokushiroku movie, and the manga based on The Movie. Within seconds, fans that support one of these medias will try to murder the fans who prefer the others. In particular, may God help you if you happen to prefer the first manga over the series; in fact, having a positive opinion of Saitou at all can get you slapped by those who think she's a homophobic so-and-so.
 * We also dare you to ever insinuate you don't ship Utena/Anthy. The Utena/Anthy rabid fans will tear you alive and accuse you of being an homophobe, regardless of your stance on LGBT rights on Real Life. On the other hand, referring to Utena as a yuri series can be controversial in itself, depending on which corner of the fandom you're looking at.
 * Speaking of LGBT matters, discussing the characters' sexual orientations can be a messy affair. (Is Utena straight, bisexual or lesbian? Is Touga straight or bi? Could Shiori ever reciprocate Juri's feelings for her? And so on.) Wherever you stand, blood is gonna fly.
 * Anthy Himemiya herself is the biggest Base Breaker in the fandom. There's no middle ground on a character as complex as she is, specially on  and  . Is she a person who is broken beyond belief after , or a Manipulative Bitch who played everyone as fools as  ? Either way, don't ask: the mere mention of Anthy can send everyone into hategasms or lovegasms.
 * Do not bring up a certain scene from episode 33 on Tumblr. You'll regret it.
 * If you say you like Mawaru Penguindrum better than Utena, you shall be marked for a painful death.
 * Iron Woobie: Utena. She gets hit with a lot of manipulation and betrayal over the course of the series, but still manages to rise up again every time.
 * Jerkass Woobie:
 * Mikage cruelly used the Black Rose Duelists (many of them were very troubled kids who desperately needed outlets and support - he listened to them, and then manipulated their feelings to recruit 'em), but his past was really heartbreaking.
 * Nanami qualifies big time by episodes 31 and 32. She's such a terrible, obsessive, yet ultimately pitiful little bitch.
 * Shiori, what with her whole inferiority complex driving her to lash out at those around her because she thinks no one could possibly genuinely like her. Then being humiliated by Ruka, the first person to make her feel, for once, good about herself.
 * Really, nearly everyone can fit here to one degree or another, barring Akio and those characters who are already The Woobie. 90% of the cast is violently off their rocker. Good luck holding it against them.
 * Launcher of a Thousand Ships: Name one major character who is not. (Example: Touga. There's Touga/Utena, Touga/Saionji, Touga/Nanami, Touga/Akio, Touga/Miki, Touga/Juri... Touga/Anthy is a bit of a stretch, but it still exists.)
 * Magnificent Bastard: Akio, also a Manipulative Bastard. Touga aspires to be like him. Ruka tries to be one for reasons. Saionji tries as well...and fails miserably.
 * Misaimed Fandom: Those who think Anthy is nothing but a Damsel in Distress forget . Those who think Anthy is nothing but a Wicked Witch forget that . Both of these viewpoints are also represented in-universe as well by different characters, indicating that they knew full well how people were probably going to react to her.
 * Narm:
 * Shiori-car's appearance in the movie, where she says, in so many words, "You think you'll get away because Utena's a car? Well I'm a car too! Mwahahaha!"
 * Also from the movie: Akio scooting across the bonnet of a car on his butt. Twice. With a sparkly sound effect the second time round. It's actually pretty hilarious.
 * In the movie, while is supposed to come off as dramatic, some people found it extremely hilarious, as evidenced by Jesuotaku and Oancitizen's co-op review of it and the photoset linked here.
 * Kozue and Anthy's car scene in one episode is kind of funny since out of nowhere Kozue appears to start seducing Anthy, inappropriately right during Miki's and Utena's duel.
 * In the movie Utena out of nowhere turning into a car is both this and Narm Charm.
 * Shiori-car's appearance in the movie, where she says, in so many words, "You think you'll get away because Utena's a car? Well I'm a car too! Mwahahaha!"
 * Also from the movie: Akio scooting across the bonnet of a car on his butt. Twice. With a sparkly sound effect the second time round. It's actually pretty hilarious.
 * The sheer number of times Akio and other guys get random Shirtless Scenes for no reason at all.
 * That one's actually so narmy that it was hilariously lampooned in the OP of the Sega videogame: Akio and Toga take off their shirts in extremely hammy ways, then a mortified-looking Saionji sighs and opens his own.
 * Nanami once says about Anthy "This girl scares me." And Anthy says "I do? Thanks so much! ^_^"
 * The sheer number of times someone gets slapped, particularly Anthy.
 * After the infamous Cantarella scene in episode 37,


 * Utena punching Mikage and calling him a son of a bitch. It wasn't supposed to be a funny scene, but listening to the dub, I can't stop hearing Misty from Pokemon when she says it, since Rachael Lillis voiced both girls.
 * Narm Charm: The opening for the Utena Sega Saturn game. Some may want some Brain Bleach for it, though.
 * Non Sequitur Scene: The Monty Python-esque "Nanami Cow" segment in The Movie.
 * A lot of the shadow plays in the series.
 * Nanami's Egg episode... the whole thing.
 * Older Than They Think: Utena makes heavy use of tropes and visual elements from classic shoujo series such as Rose of Versailles, most of which were not familiar to American audiences before the popularity of this series.
 * The Scrappy: Shiori is easily one of the most hated characters in the fandom, to the point where even members of staff disliked her. Nanami is also rather unpopular in her own right. Ironically, they're two of Ikuhara's personal favourites.
 * Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Many end up pitying Nanami too much to hate her anymore by episodes 31 and 32.
 * They Changed It, Now It Sucks: Akio's... makeover for the movie was not well received, to say the least.
 * Unfortunate Implications: The dark-skinned girl is the resident Butt Monkey and is usually in a subservient position to the other characters. Not only that but she is also sought after almost as an object by the members of the Student Council. Similarly, most of the male characters act towards the female characters in ways that would never, ever be acceptable or appropriate in real life. Of course, knowing Ikuhara and his love of Deconstruction, this was entirely deliberate.
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: Yes, Miki is a guy, regardless of his incredibly feminine voice.
 * Villain Decay: In spite of most of its members being manipulative and abusive, the Student Council become more benign and even sympathetic as the series progresses. Though they're still all pretty Royally Screwed-Up.
 * Meta example: series-Akio versus movie-Akio. The former is an inscrutable and seemingly invincible Magnificent Bastard. The latter.
 * What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: Both the series and the film, but especially the film.
 * The Woobie:
 * Oh, Anthy.
 * Oh, Kanae.
 * Wakaba's Just... Wakaba's.