Revolutionary Girl Utena (Vol. I: To Till) by Chiho Saito

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Bibliographic Information:

Revolutionary Girl Utena Vol. 1: To Till by Chiho Saito

ISBN: 1-56931-964-2

1996 VIZ Media LLC, San Francisco, CA

Plot Summary:

Utena is a high school student in Japan. She challenges gender norms as she fights evil in the school and in the Spirit Realm.

In the school, she fights for the right to wear a uniform like the boys and in the spirit realm she battles for the heart of the Rose Bride against “The Prince”, the school’s champion in fencing.

After defeating the Prince, Utena is forced into an engagement that she does not want to fulfill out of sheer duty. Her relationship with the Rose Bride bridges the two realms and Utena rises to the challenge of protecting her betrothed.

Critical Evaluation:

This Manga shows close relationships between women, both friendship and romantically. The perspective reaches readers who may not have an interest in traditional novels, while treating the same-sex relationships in the same way as opposite gender relationships.

The bridge between the supernatural realm and the high school Utena attends is not readily apparent until the end of the story, when Utena has a memory from childhood or a previous life. The odd changes and characters that do not seem to bridge both worlds challenge the reader to follow the narrative.

Utena definitely depicts tenets of feminism. Right away Utena wants to wear the same uniform boys are allowed to wear, but she is told that she should be wearing the girls uniform. The fact that gender roles and romantic relationships are not rigid in this story, but gendered clothing is important stood out in the narrative.

The illustrations in this manga are in black and white, appearing to symbolize something about how we view the world. The spirit realm is right where Utena can reach it. Utena can be engaged to a girl. Utena may not wear boy’s clothing.

Reader’s Annotation:

Being a high school girl is complicated when you just want to be allowed to dress the way you choose.

Author Information:

This manga is written and drawn by Chiho Saito, a Japanese manga artist. In 1997, she received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Kanon. She is part of the Be-Papas manga artist collective.

Genre(s):

LGBTQ, Manga, Graphic Novel

Curriculum Ties: Multiculturalism

Booktalk Ideas: 

This manga extensive Anime that corresponds with the books. This widens the reach of the story to many reluctant readers. This is a great addition for any Manga/Anime Club.

Reading level: Grade 3+

Interest age: 13+

Challenge Issues:

The frank treatment of same sex relationships may cause challenges, but this conforms to our selection criteria. Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book:

I chose this book because it adds to a multicultural perspective in our collection, is the first in a great manga series, and it has anime that corresponds to the books. The LGBTQ themes are important additions, as well as the Japanese cultural perspective.