Revolutionary Girl Utena: Episode 39 Foreword (Patreon)
Content
MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW FOR EPISODE 39 and the MOVIE
Hey all, I wanted to write this in advance of Episode 39 and the Movie reactions coming out for Revolutionary Girl Utena.
As many of you probably guessed from episode 38, I have not been having the "best" of times with the series - despite REALLY loving episode 37!
With Episode 39, I went in with a good head space, but the intro and my anxieties about not liking Episode 39 put me in a sour place before I even started. And then with the episode, I will be honest, I was disappointed with Episode 39 at the time of recording.
I was more on myself, though, because as a content creator, I know several are watching this series for me to cheer alongside it with you and I'm critical with my own opinions and thoughts...I WANTED to love this series' ending and live up to your expectations of me, but I just....couldn't, and that got me even more in a headspace about the final episode.
NOW, I just finished the movie and while the reaction took me a bit to figure out what we were doing and get on board, by the end, I was SO much happier with this film than the end of the initial series, and had a BLAST discussing the movie. And I'm super excited about the manga, now!
The journey with Utena has...to be honest, exhausted me.
I have been critical of Utena and Anthy - especially - because they remind me of myself and my past experiences. I'd hoped that Anthy and Utena could have the moments that I could not. And the series didn't give me that...and that's fine, I understand it. And I am appreciative of the series as a whole, even if my reaction and discussion of Episode 39 will not reflect that at the moment.
You all were SO supportive during Episode 33 for me, and I will never forget that. I'm sorry if I let you down with my frustration/anger/projection at myself and the show this week - I don't quite feel as angry now as I did then. Hindsight, right?
So, if you are triggered by a content creator being very critical of a show you adore, Episode 39 may not be for you this week. I am not saying my views of the show are right at all - they're just my views in that moment after watching. But I will always be 100% honest of my opinions in my reactions and discussions, even if folks disagree.
You might just go to the movie reaction instead, if you want me back in good spirits for Utena. Because that movie was wild and by the end...just what I needed.
I felt with this series being such an emotional journey for me, this post was necessary.
Thank you for all your support and sticking by me with a show that's affected me so much. I'm hopeful after the movie going into the manga to finish up at least!
Here's to the last few weeks of Utena! (Until Summer Livestreams, anyway) ^^
<3 RB