And that is how you write an opening tailored for the series (all right, I didn't check, but it's too spot-on not to be!).
Dueling in a dress! Yes, that would have been awesome. But there was still a very wonderful 'screw you' in there, as you've said.
SKU definitely hit the right balance. The dark and tragic aspects of the tale are luck a punch to the chest and leave you crying for the characters...not just falling under a general malaise which makes it unpleasant to read/watch. So many series that involve darkness and angst end up being the latter, sadly.
Hey, there was enough romantic imagery in the opening and the second ending to make things very clear! I think that it feels more intentional in anime/manga because, well, they don't seem to have the same pressures that lead to cop-outs. I may be wrong, since I don't even keep up with the news where I'm stuck living, but...for all the issues in Japan (as there are everywhere, I say snidely), I've never heard of there being opposition to romantic portrayals of homosexual relationships in manga/anime (sexual, on the other hand...). So when I get massive 'couple' vibes between characters (not just accidental subtext, but the point where they basically are a couple, just not traditionally confirmed) I tend to assume that it was left that way intentionally, rather than as an attempt to hide it.
Now that I think of it, there's a 'het' portrayal of that which I've also seen- in Crest of the Stars, Jinto and Lafiel develop a bond which makes them seem very much like a couple, but there's never any kissing or talk of love between them. It's that point that I'm talking about: when the devotion between two friends is virtually indistinguishable from the devotion between a romantic couple.
Oh, no, babbling again...
Right now my only SKU plot bunnies involve Wakaba, but I'll poke about for some Juri/Miki ones for you ;)
I wouldn't know, since I haven't read it yet. All I know is that the artwork is very pretty *points to icon* ^^;
The manga isn't (IMHO) really as good, no. It certainly doesn't have the emotional impact of the TV series, or the same indelible imagery. That said, the one-volume movie manga is really quite lovely (and different again from the plot of the film itself) and well worth tracking down.
And yes, whilst Utena and Anthy's relationship is mostly subtextual in the TV series, there are a lot of hints, and the artbooks are... somewhatlesssubtleaboutthings.
Dueling in a dress! Yes, that would have been awesome. But there was still a very wonderful 'screw you' in there, as you've said.
SKU definitely hit the right balance. The dark and tragic aspects of the tale are luck a punch to the chest and leave you crying for the characters...not just falling under a general malaise which makes it unpleasant to read/watch. So many series that involve darkness and angst end up being the latter, sadly.
Hey, there was enough romantic imagery in the opening and the second ending to make things very clear! I think that it feels more intentional in anime/manga because, well, they don't seem to have the same pressures that lead to cop-outs. I may be wrong, since I don't even keep up with the news where I'm stuck living, but...for all the issues in Japan (as there are everywhere, I say snidely), I've never heard of there being opposition to romantic portrayals of homosexual relationships in manga/anime (sexual, on the other hand...). So when I get massive 'couple' vibes between characters (not just accidental subtext, but the point where they basically are a couple, just not traditionally confirmed) I tend to assume that it was left that way intentionally, rather than as an attempt to hide it.
Now that I think of it, there's a 'het' portrayal of that which I've also seen- in Crest of the Stars, Jinto and Lafiel develop a bond which makes them seem very much like a couple, but there's never any kissing or talk of love between them. It's that point that I'm talking about: when the devotion between two friends is virtually indistinguishable from the devotion between a romantic couple.
Oh, no, babbling again...
Right now my only SKU plot bunnies involve Wakaba, but I'll poke about for some Juri/Miki ones for you ;)
I wouldn't know, since I haven't read it yet. All I know is that the artwork is very pretty *points to icon* ^^;
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And yes, whilst Utena and Anthy's relationship is mostly subtextual in the TV series, there are a lot of hints, and the artbooks are... somewhat less subtle about things.
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