#and the 5 minutes background research doesn't fill me with a lot of hope

[gamesception]

Lets read something

You know, as much as I really love the Utena show and movie, I've never read the manga? That's something I could do, I suppose. Actually, I don't know much about the production of Utena at all, let's do 5 minutes of research...

OK, so Utena is Kunihiko Ikuhara's (the anime director's) baby, and the manga was created at around the same time by Shojo artist Chiho Saito. Only Ikuhara was a bit of a pain to work with (or to be more forgiving was super busy with the anime & new studio he created for it), so Saito never got a full summary or answers when she asked questions? So basically we're looking at a different story from a different creator only loosely based on some shared concepts and character designs. Also a lot more focus on Utena and Touga, which isn't a great sign but then again it kind of worked for the movie so I'm not going to dismiss it out of hand.

Anyway, expectations in check, let's jump in.

The introduction with the obnoxious teacher bothering Utena about her uniform and Utena countering that 'the rules don't say a dog can't play basketball' is repeated pretty closely. Makes sense that, however little Saito was given to work with, she'd at least have the opening scene of the opening episode to reference. Though here her uniform shirt is pink with black piping instead of the other way around?

I'm sorry, 'Rose' with black piping.

But it's not just the color, the whole scene immediately veers way off the road from the anime.

Utena has an aunt in the manga? Like a legit adult guardian? I don't think the anime brings up guardians at all except to say that her parents died when she was young. Not bringing in guardians at all is part of how the anime builds the sort of removed otherworldly atmosphere of the school, like it's an isolated fairy world that the students are trapped in and need to escape, which is kind of core to the themes.

Themes which, I'm given to understand, Saito was not privy to in advance when writing this adaptation, so yeah, here we go, very different story right out of the gate.

Also she has some guy friend? Who is this? This isn't Wakaba.

This is a strong page here, does a good job of establishing the dead parents, the relationship with this new aunt character, Utena's compassion and strength of character even from the time of her parents' death, but also the emotional toll and self sacrifice inherent to the princely role she's adopted - it's brave and sad but not even remotely healthy or fair for a child to never cry in front of the adults who are supposed to be caring for them.

So Utena's prince has been sending her letters every year, as opposed to the anime where she just got the ring. Also he saved her from drowning - something the movie would partially borrow? - rather than just from being sad after her parents died?

Although that does mean we probably won't get the show's eventual reveal that what the prince showed young Utena to break her out of her sorrow was Anthy locked away and suffering herself, which recontextualized Utena's backstory and princely affect as having been about saving Anthy the whole time.