|
Japanese VA: Kawakami Tomoko Tenjou Utena is a girl who wishes to be a prince. When she was a young child, her parents died and she gave up on trying to live herself. The only thing that saved her was a mysterious prince who comforted her, and gave her a ring emblazened with a rose seal, telling her to always retain her noble soul. Now, at the presdigous Ohtori Academy, Utena finds herself caught up in a series of duels, mainly with the school's student council, who mysteriously have rings identtical to hers. They duel to possess the Rose Bride, Himemiya Anthy, the key to a mysterious power of Revolution, locked in a castle that floats upsidedown above the dueling arena. Utena duels to protect Himemiya, like the prince she longs to become. Despite Utena's princely dreams, in many ways she is a normal girl. She enjoys playing sports (and being able to defeat the boy's basketball team single-handedly.) She isn't too great at her schoolwork. She is a friendly and caring person, even towards some of those she duels against. She despises those who manipulate others for thier gouls. Most predominantly, she can be easily led astray by her heart. Early on, Touga convinces her that he may be the prince from her childhood, causing her to waver and actually lose a duel. Later on, it is Anthy's brother Akio, the Trustee Chairman of the school and Ends of the World, who twists her heart towards him. She believes that she truly loves him, and loses a great deal because of it. But in the end, her desire to become a prince overpasses all of Akio's manipulations. Tenjou Utena is pehaps one of the most facinating of shoujo anime heroines. Some would comment that her goal of becoming a prince is naive. But that is the beauty of Utena. Though she is blind to many of the workings of the world, her ability to see everything in black and white imparts a sort of wisdom on her that allows her to share her postive veiw with others and change the way they themselves see things. It is because of her view of honor that she enters the duels in the first place. Unlike the others who duel, she only wishes to protect Himemiya from the other duelists who wish to possess her. This pure and selfless wish places her above the other duelists who are trapped in thier own selfish desires and are thus never able to defeat her. Though she never realizes it, her desire to fight for others, even at the cost of her own life, allows her to free Himemiya and become a true prince at last. |