History Anime / RevolutionaryGirlUtena

* HotForStudent: Do you really wanna know how many students Akio sleeps with? Does anybody really know?

* ImprobableAge: Utena's supposed to be ''14''?

* FaceHeelTurn: The Black Rose arc is all about these, and a fair few major characters end up switching from being friendly/neutral towards Utena to opposing her for their own ends.
* TheFaceless: The shadow-play girls, and the few parents shown; also affects some "faced" characters when they appear in flashbacks.
* FairytaleMotifs: First appears to be played straight, and then subverted down to its core.

* {{Fanservice}}: Played straight with all female characters due to uniforms and attractive body structure. Played straight with all the guys due to many bishonen performing [[FauxSymbolism dramatic and meaningful]] shirtless poses. Then there's the Akio Car.
* FanDisservice: [[FanDisservice/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Has its own page]].
* FeministFantasy: Right up there with Miyazaki movies in terms of female-centered stories with themes around personal growth and liberation.

** In the first episode when Utena looks at the floating castle in shock asking what it is. Saionji sardonically tells her that it is "a trick of the light". [[spoiler:Turns out Saionji was a lot closer then he thought in his description as it turns out in the final two episodes of the series that the castle is actually an illusion that Akio creates with the Planetarium.]]
** From the final episode of the anime: [[spoiler: Juri Arisugawa tells the other duelist a story about how a boy tried to save her sister from drowning in a river. The boy didn't succeed and drowned himself, while someone else saved her sister. The tragedy was that the sister soon forgot the boy. Juri was upset by this, until she admitted to the duelist that she also forgot about the boy and his name. Not long afterwards, Utena fails to save Anthy, and all the students and her friends forget she ever existed. Akio and Anthy remember her however, and Anthy uses her memory of Utena to finally free herself from Akio's control.]]
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler:Utena met Anthy for the first time right after her parents died.]]
* FreakyFridayFlip: Don't eat Anthy's curry.
* FreezeFrameBonus: Of course the show is practically ''built'' out of them. But one hides in plain sight: as the climax of the opening theme begins, [[spoiler:we glimpse ExtremeDoormat Anthy in a knight's armor riding to battle beside Utena. OOCIsSeriousBusiness, because at the show's end, Utena disappears and Anthy is left to break free and search for her on her own. The theme song even closes with "If ever we two should be torn apart, I swear that I will change the world."]]
* FriendlyEnemies: Miki to Utena. [[spoiler: As the series moves towards its close, eventually most of the other Student Councilors follow suit.]]

* GenkiGirl: Wakaba.
* GenreBusting: It's a complex, metaphorical coming of age story seen through the lens of Buddhism, Gnosticism, and Jungian philosophy. It also tackles issues such as gender roles, the incest taboo, and binary principle. It's a complex look at the dark side of tropes and imagery associated with European fairy tales, such as the prince, the princess, and the wicked witch. It's also a surrealist dramedy observing the complicated interpersonal relationships between the students. It's also about lesbians.

%%* TheGhost: "End of the World", at least at first.

* GirlPosse: Nanami's three-girl clique.

** The {{eyecatch}}es and soundtrack [=CDs=] translate the title as ''Utena: La Fillette Révolutionnaire''.
** The first clipshow episode gives Utena's seven duels up to that point French names: ''amitié'', ''choix'', ''raison'', ''amour'', ''adoration'', ''conviction'', and ''soi''.

* GreekChorus: The shadow-play girls, with an assist from Utena during the second arc.

* HalfIdenticalTwins: Miki and Kozue.

** Played with and deconstructed for Utena and Anthy. Taken at face value, Utena and Anthy are stereotypes of "tomboy and girly girl" - rather tomboyish Utena fights in a knight-like way wanting to become a "prince," and the "princess-like" Anthy supports her with her Rose Bride magic. Utena, however, is [[BigGood always affable]] and [[PluckyGirl overall sweet]] around the [[ExtremeDoormat emotionally isolated]] Anthy, which over the course of the series is what helps develop their friendship into something more genuine. [[spoiler:As the series goes on, it becomes very apparent that there's [[JadeColoredGlasses more going on with]] Anthy BeneathTheMask, and at the same time, that Utena has a lot of hypocrisy she's not confronting. By the time they do confront those sides of each other, Utena's [[ItsAllAboutMe shown herself]], and [[TheDragon the witch]], Anthy, has stabbed her in the back. But Utena doesn't give up hope, regardless.]]

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler: Utena met Anthy for the first time right after her parents died.]]

* FreezeFrameBonus: Of course the show is practically ''built'' out of them. But one hides in plain sight: as the climax of the opening theme begins, [[spoiler:we glimpse ExtremeDoormat Anthy in a knight's armor riding to battle beside Utena. OutOfCharacterIsSeriousBusiness, because at the show's end, Utena disappears and Anthy is left to break free and search for her on her own. The theme song even closes with "If ever we two should be torn apart, I swear that I will change the world."]]

* AnythingThatMoves: Touga (although he's mainly into girls) and ''especially'' Akio.

* DepravedBisexual: [[spoiler:Akio]] is the manipulative kind who will seduce AnythingThatMoves as long as it will help his cause.

* MrsRobinson: This is just [[spoiler:Akio's AnythingThatMoves at work, but he and his mother-in-law-to-be definitely get it on. Poor Kanae.]]

** Akio's tower is even more phallic in shape, fitting as Akio is a seducer who embodies a certain kind of masculinity and sleeps with AnythingThatMoves.

* WorldOfJerkass: Akio is a [[spoiler:DepravedBisexual, a sexist, and a rapist]], Touga is a DepravedBisexual who goes after AnythingThatMoves, Saionji is a {{Domestic Abuse}}r to Anthy, Nanami is the AlphaBitch, Keiko is the BetaBitch, Shiori is a BitchInSheepsClothing who does anything to spite Juri, Mrs. Ohtori is [[spoiler:an EvilMatriarch who sleeps with her daughter's fiancé]], and Ruka is willing to [[spoiler:abandon Shiori and later assault Juri.]]

* SurprisiinglyCreepyMoment: To the point that the first company to license the show marketed the first batch of episodes as a bog-standard MagicalGirl series... they wisely changed their approach from the second arc on.

* ActionGirl: Utena, Juri, and the other female duelists.

* AllTakeAndNoGive: [[spoiler:Akio and Anthy]]'s relationship offers an interesting twist on this trope. [[spoiler:Akio]] has the obvious position of power, not just in the relationship but throughout Ohtori Academy, while [[spoiler:Anthy]] is at the bottom of the social pyramid, and often plays into [[spoiler:her brother]]'s schemes. However, [[spoiler:Akio]] is powerless without [[spoiler:Anthy]], and she knows it. However much he may try to abuse and dominate [[spoiler:Anthy]] in order to take and maintain control, it does not change the fact that all of [[spoiler:Akio]]'s power is derived from [[spoiler:Anthy]].

* [[AnimalsHateHim Animals Hate Her]]: Nanami.

%%* AmbiguouslyBrown: Anthy and Akio. [[spoiler: Also, Dios.]]

* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:Enforced by Ruka]].

* {{Bifauxnen}}: Utena.
* BigBad: End of the World/[[spoiler:Akio.]]

* {{Bishounen}}: Roughly the entire male cast.

* ButtMonkey: Nanami and Saionji, especially in the light-hearted Nanami episodes.

* TheCasanova: Touga, Akio.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Goes with the stock footage.

* ClingyJealousGirl: Nanami, Kozue, Shiori, and tragically [[spoiler: Anthy]].

* CloudCuckooLander: Anthy sometimes appears to be one, mostly near the beginning of the series.
** Nanami as well.

* TheMusical: A one-off musical was made, the soundtrack has a recording of the cast singing ''Absolute Destiny Apocalypse'' in an ''awesome'' multi-part harmony.

%%* TeenGenius: Miki, also Mikage.

%%* ThereAreNoTherapists: Holy cow...
%%** Subverted with Mikage, whose 'seminars' involve him listening to the problems of the character attending, similar to what a therapist or counsellor would do. The problem is that the therapy he administers is MindRape.

* SurpriseCreepy: To the point that the first company to license the show marketed the first batch of episodes as a bog-standard MagicalGirl series... they wisely changed their approach from the second arc on.

* InTheBack

* SurprisinglyCreepyMoments: To the point that the first company to license the show marketed the first batch of episodes as a bog-standard MagicalGirl series... they wisely changed their approach from the second arc on.

In contrast to the show's subtle approach, the 1999 film ''Anime/AdolescenceOfUtena'' makes explicit the romantic nature of Utena and Anthy's relationship. The film also changes most of the show's characters in drastic ways, both in terms of appearance and characterization. The storyline receives just as many drastic alterations; fans consider it more of a recreation of the series than an adaptation. ''Utena: The Movie'' became infamous for a GainaxEnding -- which comes after [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible a Gainax Beginning and a Gainax Middle]]. One could see the film as [[RuleOfSymbolism an allegory on Mahayana Buddhism, a musing on Jungian philosophy, or even a look at gnostic belief]]. (Or it could just be [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory about bisexuals]].)

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Anthy and Akio. [[spoiler: Also, Dios.]]

%%* GirlInABox: The coffin scenes.

** ''Utena'' features commentary on and references to existing works, including (but not limited to) ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'', UsefulNotes/CarlJung, UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud, the House of Borgia, ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', Creator/WilliamShakespeare, Creator/{{Cicero}}, and [[http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses9.html#7 Ovid's Metamorphoses]]. It even has multi-episode obscure visual references to Manet and numerous nods to the existentialist German war novel ''[[Creator/HermannHesse Demian]]''.

** However, Utena and Anthy's relationship in the anime [[IfitsYouItsOkay can be]] [[BloodBrothers interpreted]] [[HeterosexualLifePartners in different]] [[PseudoRomanticFriendshipways]].

* InappropriatePride: In "[[Recap/RevolutionaryGirlUtenaE16CowbellOfHappiness The Cowbell of Happiness]]", Nanami is delivered a cowbell she insists is from fashion designer [[BlandNameProduct Sebastian Dior]], and starts wearing it everywhere, convinced that everyone's stares of perplexity is just envy. [[BizarroEpisode Then she starts acting like a cow and things get even weirder.]] [[spoiler:To cap it off, the cowbell was actually ordered by Anthy from the designer "Cowstian Dior" for her pet cow, also named Nanami, and the mailman just got mixed up.]]

* UncannyValley: The bizarre looks of Ohtori Academy with the bleached colors, secluded environment, and a constantly isolated feel from the rest of the world gives a feeling of being alone and lost at all times.

* SurpriseCreepy: To the point that the first company to license the show marketed the first batch of episodes as a bog-standard MagicalGirl series... they wisely changed their approach from the second arc on.

* ''Four Days in Ohtori: Itsuka Kakumeisareru Monogatari'', a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn visual novel. This game features two new characters--the NewTransferStudent player character, and a villain named Chigusa Sanjouin--and is set during the anime's first arc. [[NoExportForYou It was never released outside of Japan]]. Almost twenty years later, [[http://forums.ohtori.nu/viewtopic.php?id=4005 a fan translation was released.]]

* {{Bifauxnen}}: Utena, particularly in TheMovie.

%%* DrivenToSuicide: Seems to be the case with [[spoiler:Akio]] in TheMovie and TheMovie manga. [[spoiler: Anthy]] also attempts this in the series.

%%** Subverted in TheMovie, where [[spoiler:Anthy]] is pretending to be asleep.

* {{Fanservice}}: Played straight with all female characters due to uniforms and attractive body structure. Played straight with all the guys due to many bishonen performing [[FauxSymbolism dramatic and meaningful]] shirtless poses. Then there's the Akio Car, not to mention TheMovie ending...

* FlowersOfRomance: Considering the constant and fundamental presence of flowers in the series, it's quite amazing that the truly romantic moment involving roses only happened in TheMovie, when we see [[spoiler:TheBigDamnKiss]]. Although one could say that they also play a relatively important part in the series, just more subtly.

** However, Utena and Anthy's relationship in the anime [[IfitsYouItsOkay can be]] [[BloodBrothers interpreted]] [[HeterosexualLifePartners in different]] [[PseudoRomanticFriendshipways]]. In the [[AlternateUniverse movie]], it's more straightforward.

** Touga [[spoiler:may-or-may-not love Saionji back, but seduces hordes of schoolgirls anyways, attracts both Keiko and Nanami and appears to fall in love with Utena. Also, Touga sleeps with Akio, and Miki in the light novels. And Shiori in the movie]]

** Meanwhile, Juri, Shiori, and Ruka [[spoiler:have their own love triangle all to themselves, but Juri also has lots of subtext with Utena, and Juri may-or-may-not love Miki in TheMovie, and Akio manipulates the emotions of all of the above to keep them in the Duels.]]

* MindScrew: The series uses such surreal and over-the-top imagery that it's sometimes hard to tell what's really going on. While it's generally agreed that it takes place in a WorldOfSymbolism and that not everything happening on-screen should be taken at face value, the symbolism itself can be rather bizarre at times. The first arc starts pretty normal, starts losing it in the Black Rose arc, and becomes a metaphor/symbolism storm in the final arc--and TheMovie is a mental trainwreck, plain and simple.

* TravelCool: With Akio and his car, it's played way too straight in the series, yet subverted in TheMovie where he has lost his key and takes a taxi.

* WifeBasherBasher: This is the bait that [[spoiler:Akio Ohtori]] uses to rope [[TheHero Utena Tenjou]] into the dueling game: make sure Utena sees Saionji slapping around his "girlfriend", Anthy. It plays out much the same way in TheMovie minus [[spoiler:Akio's]] influence.

* LadyAndKnight: One of the series' most fundamental subversions of gender roles is the fact that both lady and knight are women. Utena is an outspoken ActionGirl who wants to emulate a KnightInShiningArmor she met as a child. Anthy is a ExtremeDoormat DamselInDistress who stays this way for most of the series. [[spoiler:{{Exploited|trope}} by Akio, who ''counted'' on Utena and her chivalrous spirit, showing her Anthy's FateWorseThanDeath so Utena would be dragged into the dueling game. Utena is understandably devastated when she finds out, and also realizes that she had played the prince role ''wrong'', protecting Anthy to [[SecretlySelfish bolster her own ego]] without having any real consideration for her lady's feelings. It's only ''then'' that Utena starts to genuinely play the role of knight toward Anthy--by vowing to help save her "lady" from her curse, which ends with Utena vanishing from the world, but giving Anthy the courage to call Akio out, [[ButNowIMustGo walk away from him and Ohtori]], [[WillNotBeAVictim take control of her own life]], and [[IWillFindYou go search for Utena herself]].]]

* MisplacedWildlife: In episode 8 Nanami and her GirlPosse go to India and are repeatedly menaced by ''African'' elephants in ''extremely'' unusual places, such as chasing them on giant surfboards while the girls are boating or stampeding across a rope bridge far too narrow to fit an elephant.

* MoodWhiplash: The episode with ''the boxing kangaroo'' is followed by an episode where an EnsembleDarkhorse agonizes over her sexuality. This is followed by a FreakyFriday episode, which is followed by a flashback [[spoiler: where eight-year-old Utena hides in a coffin and begs to die.]]

* NonProtagonistResolver: The person to rescue Anthy and end the duels is [[spoiler: Anthy herself. Utena merely provides the (literal and metaphorical) vehicle for her to leave. TruthInTelevision as you can't rescue someone from an abusive relationship, they have to want to leave.]]

* NotBloodSiblings: Nanami is crushed after finding out she and her brother Touga are both adopted and not blood related after all. [[spoiler: This is then subverted when it turns out that Touga was just playing with her head -- while they ''are'' adopted, they were adopted from the same family and thus actually ''are'' blood siblings. For the record: This is the DoubleSubversion of the inversion of a trope -- a prime example of how {{Mind Screw}}y this show is.]])
** Even further subverted in that [[spoiler:Nanami never finds out the truth (or if she does, it's never shown onscreen)]].

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: In the episode "Nanami’s Egg", Nanami and Touga have a conversation where she asks him if he would prefer a boy or a girl. Nanami talks about a kid (which she thinks will get hatched from an egg she got...ItMakesSenseInContext); Touga thinks she's talking about boyfriends and girlfriends, so when she says she would like a girl, Touga ends up thinking she's a lesbian.
** Really, that entire episode is OneDialogueTwoConversations between Nanami and everyone she talks to.

* OptOut: After Utena [[spoiler:wins the tournament and then mysteriously disappears, Anthy decides that the whole "Rose Bride" thing is meaningless. She quits school in order to search for Utena, leaving Akio at a loss as to what to do next.]]

* OurGhostsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Mikage]] in the series and [[spoiler:Chigusa]] in the game. [[spoiler:Touga, and possibly Akio]] in TheMovie. Different in what way? Well, they seem to manifest from other people's memories of them. In TheMovie, [[spoiler:Utena has to say goodbye to Touga]] for him to pass away completely, and shortly after, [[spoiler:Anthy has to realize that Akio doesn't restrict her anymore]] for his ghost to disappear. This is made more obvious in TheMovie-manga, where [[spoiler:Anthy actually tells the Akio ghost that he's only in her head, causing him to turn into roses.]]

* PrimalScene: Nanami walks in on [[spoiler:[[BrotherSisterIncest Akio and Anthy]]]].

* PunBasedTitle: The FreakyFridayFlip episode is titled in Japanese as "Curry-''naru'' High Trip"; the "curry-''naru''" ("''karē-naru''") is a play on "''karei-naru''" ("magnificent").
** The [[AuthorAppeal curry episode]] of Ikuhara's recent series ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'' uses the exact same pun in its title.

* RapeDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:When Akio rapes Anthy at the end of episode 25, the camera shows only his grabbing her and yanking her to him as soon as she hesitates to [[BrotherSisterIncest continue their weekly tryst]] for a moment.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivered [[spoiler:from Anthy to Akio]] in the finale.
-->[[spoiler:By all means, stay in this cozy coffin of yours and continue to play prince. But I have to go now. She isn't gone at all, she's merely vanished from your world.]]
* Really700YearsOld: [[spoiler:Both Akio and Anthy. Mikage, meanwhile, is merely [[OlderThanTheyLook older than he looks]].]]
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: Utena is an assertive ActionGirl in a modified boy's uniform. In contrast, Anthy spends most of the series being a demure DamselInDistress in a dress whose lack of SilkHidingSteel keeps her from being a YamatoNadeshiko. Later in the series, when the former asks the latter about what femininity is, the latter replies, "In the end, all girls are like the Rose Bride" -- an ExtremeDoormat StepfordSmiler DamselInDistress who [[NeutralFemale stands around looking pretty]] and obeying her master.
* RecapEpisode: Surprisingly relevant to the story.

* RefugeInAudacity: You know how a lot of shojo anime romanticizes behaviors and traits that would be unacceptable in real life? Well, here those actions and character traits actually have consequences, because Utena subverts the ''hell'' out of this.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Utena tries to lose her second duel on purpose. [[spoiler:It proves too difficult.]]

* RunningGag: In episode 16, whenever someone says the word "cowbell" or points out [[CaptainObvious what wears cowbells]], a silhouette of a cow mooing or a still of a farm with yodeling playing over is shown.
* SadisticChoice: Really, can you blame how [[spoiler: Anthy]] turned out when her choice is between [[spoiler: angry mobs with fire and ''freaking magic swords'']]?

* SamaritanSyndrome: Inverted in the most horrific fashion. Ever heard of [[ShootTheShaggyDog Shooting The Shaggy Dog?]] [[spoiler: No wonder Dios becomes [[FallenHero Akio]].]]

* SaveThePrincess: The basic idea turned on its head.
* SayMyName: Utena and Anthy in their last duel with Touga.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Anthy, which serves to underline [[spoiler: when she's being complicit with her brother's manipulative plans]]. Also when she's ''pissed'' with him - once he even snaps at her with something almost approaching fear when she does this to him (along with a seemingly innocuous goodnight wish that really clashed with the scene).

* SexyDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:When Akio has sex with Mrs. Ohtori, who is ReadyForLovemaking, at the end of episode 30, the camera shows only his removing her boot and falling on her knees just before the curtain closes down.]]
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: Maybe not to everyone, but definitely Akio.]]
* [[SharpDressedMan Sharp-Dressed Students]]: The student council wear pristine military-style uniforms, all decorated with their trademark colors. Utena's regular outfit also gives off this feel.

* ShirtlessScene: The later arcs are chock-full of this kind of scene. Two words: Akio Car.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler: The Myth of the Rose Bride was wrong on several different levels. Can you ''guess'' how many lives Akio must've ruined [[FaceHeelTurn since then?]]]]

* ShowWithinAShow: "The Tale of the Rose" is a play put on by the school drama club (really the Shadow Girls) with Utena, Akio, and Anthy as the audience. It is a highly skewed version of Akio and Anthy's backstory and how the Duels came to be; Anthy's facial expression doesn't change once as they watch it.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with the Black Rose duelists, discounting Mikage himself; all but one are female, with the Elementary school boy Mitsuru being the only male to be lured into the duels (Tatsuya, another boy, was lured in, but rejected).

* [[SpoilerOpening Spoiler Ending]]: [[spoiler:The first ending shows Utena with the Prince, in a pink version of Anthy's Rose Bride dress. Utena wears the dress when Akio draws a sword from her in episode 38.]]
* SnakeVersusMongoose: In one episode, Nanami is trying to ruin Anthy's reputation, and one of her plans is to hide a snake in Anthy's home and spread rumours that Anthy is the kind of girl who keeps snakes - her plan fails when Anthy's pet mongoose eats the snake.
* SnotBubble: An exaggerated version by Chu-Chu.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Game antagonist Chigusa's shoulders in her dueling uniform, and the pommel of her sword.
* StartOfDarkness: How does one completely corrupt the [[AllLovingHero strongest]] and [[WideEyedIdealist purest]] [[KnightInShiningArmor Prince]] in the world? Hint: [[spoiler: Just ask Dios... turned Akio.]]
* StargazingScene: Akio has a planetarium and telescope in his house. Akio likes to look up at the stars on his ceiling and make philosophical observations, and he often dispenses advice to Utena during solemn sessions of stargazing. These scenes develop the Akio-Utena romance, as Utena grows to trust Akio during these sessions. The fact that the stars are a planetarium show and not real is symbolic, representing the fact that [[spoiler: almost everything in the world of Ohtori Academy is an illusion created and manipulated by Akio.]]

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler: Anthy.]]

* SwissArmyTears
* SympathyForTheDevil: [[spoiler: Anthy displays this towards Akio. It's not entirely clear how much say she has in the matter.]]

* TakeMyHand: The climax. [[spoiler:Anthy actually hesitates too long, causing Utena to get [[AmbiguousSituation (possibly)]] stabbed by all the swords, but the fact that Utena was ''willing'' to sacrifice herself to save her gave Anthy the courage to save herself and leave Akio's influence for good.]]

* TeenGenius: Miki, also Mikage.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Holy cow...
** Subverted with Mikage, whose 'seminars' involve him listening to the problems of the character attending, similar to what a therapist or counsellor would do. The problem is that the therapy he administers is MindRape.

* ToTheBatpole: Goes with the StockFootage.
* TournamentArc: The whole series. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools But don't you dare try calling it cliche!]]
* TragicHero: [[spoiler:Utena, Anthy, Dios, Ruka, Juri, and Mikage can all be argued.]]

* UmbrellaOfTogetherness: Between [[GirlPosse Keiko]] and Touga in episode 21. Obviously Nanami will have none of it and [[spoiler:expels her from all extracurricular organizations and has the rest of the GirlPosse ostracize her, which drives Keiko over the edge and causes her to become a Black Rose duelist.]]
* UncannyValley: YMMV on the look of the characters which can be shocking at first sight but definitely invoked by Ohtori Academy, the bizarre looks of it with the bleached colors, secluded environment, and a constantly isolated feel from the rest of the world gives a feeling of being alone and lost at all times.

* VillainousBreakdown: Averted somewhat in that instead of going AxCrazy upon [[spoiler:losing his second duel against Utena]], Touga simply sits down in a chair. And stays there. For ''thirteen episodes''.
** RealLifeWritesThePlot. His voice actor temporarily left to work on other series. Plus, it made his re-entry into the third arc all the more dramatic.
* VillainousIncest: Take a good guess who.

* VoicesAreMental: In the FreakyFridayFlip episode, Anthy and Utena keep the same voices even after they swap bodies.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In episode 4, Nanami on Anthy: "Snails in her pencil box... A mongoose in her desk drawer... A giant octopus balloon in her closet! And now shaved ice for dinner?! You're making me sick!"

* CurtainClothing: The dress Anthy wears while dancing with Utena in episode 3, which was made out of a tablecloth moments before the dance began.

* MythPrologue: The anime begins with a story about a prince comforting a young princess and giving her a ring that should lead her to him.

* WilliamTelling: Episode 11 features the GreekChorus playing out William Tell, albeit with the "son" pointing out that it's the 37,919th time in a row the apple has been shot, with the "father" saying that they'll keep going until somebody stops them. There's some point about being [[ViciousCycle trapped in a destined eternal horror]].

* DamselInDistress: Deconstructed. Many shows have DID girls who go through Hell and back, but remain sweet and nice and without many psychological marks because many writers won't know what to do. ''Utena'' points out that in RL, people of both genders stuck in these roles will ''stop'' being "pure" and "sweet" and start acting more passive-aggressive and manipulative if they're forced into situations where they can't seize direct power. This is ''very'' obvious in the cases of Shiori Takatsuki (looks sweet and gentle and demure, but is very malicious and has horrible self-esteem since her "best friend" Juri is a beautiful and strong LadyOfWar), Kozue Kaoru (repeatedly gets herself in trouble and flirts/sleeps with other guys to catch the attention of her twin older brother and "prince", Miki), and ''specially'' [[spoiler:Anthy Himemiya (once performed a huge sacrifice, paid the price by both suffering immense physical pain and becoming a passive figure as the Rose Bride, ultimately became a mix of BrokenBird and [[TheDragon puppet]] to her {{manipulative|bastard}} brother Akio a.k.a. Dios aka End of the World) and Utena Tenjou (she's ''not'' one since the beginning, but her insecurities and naiveté more than once play quite part into shoving her close to the "role")]]. This is not to say that BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil, or that it's stupid to remain nice after a tragedy. It's just pointing out a general trend: if weakness is imposed on people, it will bring consequences.