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The movie and especially the end perfectly encapsulate and complete the themes of the show. It's a great continuation on the show, and I would never consider skipping it if I ever do a third rewatch. It's been a couple of years since I saw both show and movie, but I'll spoiler my thoughts on the movie's ending from the time that I did rewatch it, for anyone interested. Considering a prevailing theme of Utena is the juxtaposition of the purity of childhood/impurity of adulthood, the car scene is a perfect fit for the ending. Like in the show, cars symbolize adulthood, but in a seedy way: A car is nothing more but a show; it looks cool but it ultimately fulfills a very childish desire. Utena throughout the film struggles with identity and what it means to be a prince. Princes and princesses are something that only really exist in a child's world: they are pure, heroic figures. The gallant prince and the princess who is pure of heart. That myth is twisted in adulthood. The prince turns into an amoral womanizer, the princess turns into his submissive slave. Touga re-affirms the purity of those figures to Utena, his sacrifice was the reason she turned into a prince, and in remembering his sacrifice she gains the strength to enter the world of adulthood without her purity crushed. Through that re-affirmation, and her love and care for Anthy, she turns into a car. But unlike Akio's car, which is only for show, the car that Utena turns into is to help Anthy achieve two things: Defeat her own trauma and break the world's shell (which symbolizes reaching adulthood) I feel how they manage to do it is fairly obvious throughout the car sequence, but for me the beautiful thing is that in the end, though they reach adulthood, their love for one another helps them not fall into the despair and impurity of the adult world. Love, ultimately, is the revolution. In becoming "pure" adults, they fundamentally change the world's status quo. Love demolishes the walls of gender and sexuality (Utena being a female prince for example) and the dichotomy of purity/impurity between child and adult.
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Dec 7, 2023 13:43
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 07:05 |
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