It's not easy writing a review of this anime. For one thing, it's more allegorical than the Narnia books, forcing the viewer to think really hard about what the hell just happened on screen. And as if that wasn't difficult enough, the director of this movie enjoys muddying the waters by explaining things like the Deep Meaning behind the climax by saying he simply wanted to see pretty girls transform into cars. Yeah, thanks for clearing that up.

But it's patently obvious even to a blockhead like me (and despite the red herrings from the director) that Revolutionary Girl Utena: the Movie is all about growing up and escaping from the shackles society and our own lives try to place on us. Pink-haired yet tomboyish Utena Tenjou, trying to run away from a deeply troubled past, finds herself at an exclusive private academy. Utena's fellow students, though, are just as fractured psychologically as she is. Some are wracked with guilt, some are blinded by passion, some are dominated by their own lack of self-esteem, and at least one has been turned into a cow (hey, don't ask me, okay?). Several of these troubled students try to exorcise their demons, both internal and external, through duels - sharp, often brutal battles with swords.

Utena, at first isolated from the world and people around her by her own preoccupation with her inner torment, finds her barriers being broken down by two things. The first is the aforementioned duels; Utena holds a strange fascination for the duellists already at the academy, and discovers during the course of them that she holds a power within her that threatens the noxious status quo of the academy, which keeps all the students walled away from each other inside their own pain. The second is her friendship with (and growing romantic attachment to) fellow student Anthy Himemiya, a purple-haired East Indian girl of nearly ethereal beauty. As events progress, both Utena and Anthy realize that the wounds on their respective souls cannot heal unless they escape the oppressive atmosphere of the academy, but they also realize that neither can do it alone.

Naturally, given what I said at the start about the massively allegorical nature of this movie, things aren't laid out quite that simply or straightforwardly, and they definitely don't proceed that way! It seems as though every second of Utena: the Movie's footage is laden with iconic symbolism and dramatic metaphor. The animation is lush, sprinkled with things like drowning memories, butterflies that transform into bedsheet-winged fairies, swirling rose petals kicked up during intense duels in an entire field of roses, baroque architecture that moves with a mind of its own, the academy itself as a black monstrosity on wheels, and, of course, girls turning into cars. Characterization, plot, and animation meld seamlessly into a dreamlike fable about Utena and Anthy's attempt to get away from what the academy represents.

Even though the movie is based on the events of the 39-episode TV series, the storyline is so condensed and so poetic that even watching the TV series won't help much with understanding the movie. The characters and some plot elements are the same, yes... but the ultimate focus of the story is very different. Despite being more allegorical than the TV series, the movie is also much more raw, emotionally. The extended climax with the cars, for all its nigh-impenetrable imagery, practically crackles with tension and the desire of our heroines to attain emotional freedom. The combination of visual poetry and deep symbolism will cause you to alternate between a stoned fascination for the stunning images on screen, and a mindbending focus on just what the hell this all MEANS.

However, despite the lushness of the animation and the attractive draw of the symbolism, not everything about Utena: the Movie is... well, roses. While you can definitely sit and veg in front of this movie, oohing and aaahing over the fantastic visuals, the natural impulse of any well-adjusted DVD-watching human being is to try and make some sort of logical sense out of what's being splayed across your screen. And you can't really DO that with this movie. The utter obtuseness of the allegory sometimes can get very frustrating. Plus, the dub is really... um... not that good. Even if it DOES feature Rachel "Misty and Jessie from Pokemon" Lillis reprising her role as Utena. And, while I'm listing bad points here, I was disappointed with the so-called "director's commentary" on the DVD. Maybe we can get CPM for false advertising on that one.

With its beautifully-rendered animation, its lesbian overtones, and its heavy use of roses, pink, handsome guys, and romantic tragedy, Utena: the Movie is pretty much aimed at female anime fans. But the often dark symbolism, the intense sword duels, and the freaky-deaky car chase scene (and, of course, the lesbians), there's plenty here for male fans to tab on to as well. If you're looking for something different, something unique, something mind-blowingly strange and eye-catchingly intense, and something really pink, then Utena: the Movie's definitely up your alley.