genre: Romance / Drama / Fantasy

"Kashira? Kashira? Gozonji kashira?"

Tenjou Utena was left an orphan at a very young age, when a gallant prince, riding upon his magnificent white steed presented the young girl with a signet ring -- a ring with the crest of a rose -- and a promise that some day, the two would meet again.

But this promise drove Utena to strive for something more -- she would become a gallant prince as well, defending the honour of princesses in peril. Now a student of Ohtori Academy, Utena discovers a mysterious ritual of duels implemented by the student council, whose members also wear rings bearing the rose crest. At the heart of these ceremonies lie the promise of great powers -- powers promised to the ultimate victor from an entity known only as the "End of the World!"

This shoujo series was created by the director of the ever popular Bishoujo Sailor Moon, and features a wonderful mix of imagery, music and some computer-generated graphics, woven together with a captivating plot. Shoujo Kakumei Utena won the 'Best TV Animation' award at Kobe Animation '97. Distributed in North America by Software Sculptors.

Parental Guidance Advised - While this series is generally aimed at the younger teen-age female crowd, there aren't any scenes of explicit violence, sex or foul language. This could almost be classified as 'G' with some caveats. Several scenes of class abuse, and homosexual undertones throughout the series may be objectionable to some. Scenes of mature and intense nature appear later in the series.

• Bara no Hana Yome (The Rose Bride)
• Tagatameni Bara wa Hohoemu (For Whom the Rose Smiles)
• Butokai No Yoruni (On the Night of the Ball)
• Hikari Sasuni wa - Prelude (The Sunlit Garden - Prelude)

• Shoujo Kakumei Utena encyclopædia entry
• End of Innocence: Shoujo Kakumei Utena Page