I've never been too bothered by the 'it was all a dream' concept in this instance, though, yeah, in most others it is a rather annoying echo of a deus ex machina cop-out ending. I think the 'dream' concept had some meaning in Utena; once illusions are gone, or princes, or martyrs, or people forget about them. The same thing happened to Utena at the end of the series that had happened to Mikage; she became a 'dream' because she left the illusory world. And that train of thought is getting close to becoming a long, detailed discussion…
True, though, that the Black Rose Saga may have been more profound if all the characters had remembered their experiences during that arc, and had changed accordingly. I’m pondering that now. What did annoy me was Touga sitting around feeling sorry for himself for thirteen episodes. That was lame.
I think the Utena universe is ripe for expansion. There is a lot to be said about the outside world relative to Ohtori Academy, and what the characters would experience once they had to leave, or once the Academy's illusions ceased to exist. There is a lot to explore regarding the end of the series. I personally think Wakaba would have been the next 'Utena' and that there would have been a revolution on behalf of the 'normal' people--sort of a reprise of her Black Rose duel. There is always a way to expand on something; the trick is finding just the right way to do it to make that expansion meaningful. Imagination is unlimited.
The characters always existed first as themselves to me. What the characters symbolized seemed more arbitrary and simplistic, like something in the background. True, their respective symbolic meanings contributed greatly to the meaning of the work, but when it comes right down to it, they seem like people to me.
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Date: 2005-11-10 11:16 pm (UTC)True, though, that the Black Rose Saga may have been more profound if all the characters had remembered their experiences during that arc, and had changed accordingly. I’m pondering that now. What did annoy me was Touga sitting around feeling sorry for himself for thirteen episodes. That was lame.
I think the Utena universe is ripe for expansion. There is a lot to be said about the outside world relative to Ohtori Academy, and what the characters would experience once they had to leave, or once the Academy's illusions ceased to exist. There is a lot to explore regarding the end of the series. I personally think Wakaba would have been the next 'Utena' and that there would have been a revolution on behalf of the 'normal' people--sort of a reprise of her Black Rose duel. There is always a way to expand on something; the trick is finding just the right way to do it to make that expansion meaningful. Imagination is unlimited.
The characters always existed first as themselves to me. What the characters symbolized seemed more arbitrary and simplistic, like something in the background. True, their respective symbolic meanings contributed greatly to the meaning of the work, but when it comes right down to it, they seem like people to me.