Adolescence Mokushiroku (The Adolescence of Utena/Utena Movie)
[Movie]
[Reviewed by Bethany]

You've probably noticed I took out scoring system for this movie. If you've seen it, you'll understand why. The Utena movie defies categories. It defies... well, sanity, for one. It is an artistic assault on the eyes — full of rose petals and watery reflections and butterflies. Its story isn't exactly comprehensible — I'm not sure I would have understood what was happening if I hadn't gone into it having already seen the series. (Not that I understood it anyway.) However, I think it accomplished its objective beautifully: here is Utena on hallucinogens.

Well, not quite. I tend to think of it as a sort of distortion of the Utena world—which was beautifully surreal and symbolic to begin with—perhaps the picture of Utena you'd get if you were watching it through [metaphorical] cracked rose-tinted glasses. Then again, it could have been that someone wanted to see how many roses and sexual innuendo they could fit into a single movie. Everything I say is speculation. Show me a person who completely understands what's going on in this movie, and I'll show you a liar.

The visuals in the Adolescence Mokushiroku are stunning — even with animation that isn't precisely as smooth as that of the series. The atmosphere created is one of fantasy and skewed reality — it is a world that does not extend beyond the school's high towers, but is so brilliant in its construction that you aren't sure where it starts and ends.

Of course, as earlier mentioned, it's pretty much incomprehensible... even before everyone turns into cars. The viewer is flooded with symbolism — sheets and butterflies and a rubber duck in a splash of water — but the result is rather confusing. The story is pieced together through scraps of dialogue and quickly flashed scenes. But, I digress — even without a plot you can easily follow, the movie creates an impact. The emotions of the characters are startlingly vivid, even if their basis is not. And in any case, the Utena movie is not something you will easily forgent.

The Bottom Line
Do not watch this movie if you haven't seen part of the Utena series. I fear for your health. If you have seen Utena, however, and are prepared for a movie that will throw more symbolic imagery at you than End of Eva, go for it. Adolescence Mokushiroku is excellent... even if it does get a negative on the coherency scale.