GKIDS Brings Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence of Utena to U.S. Theaters
The two-day theatrical event marks the first wide U.S. cinema release for the film, which has been available only on home video and streaming since Central Park Media's DVD and VHS editions.
Reporting from 3 sources: Anime News Network, Crunchyroll News, The Fandom Post.
GKIDS announced on May 28 that it has acquired North American theatrical rights for the 1999 anime film Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence of Utena. The distributor will screen the movie in Japanese with English subtitles in U.S. theaters on June 21 and 22. Tickets are already on sale. The film is a retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena television series, which aired in 1997 and was directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The story follows Utena, a student at Ohtori Academy who becomes involved in duels over the Rose Bride, a role held by her classmate Anthy. The film was developed by the creative group Be-PaPas, which included Ikuhara, manga artist Chiho Saito, and screenwriter Yoji Enokido. Central Park Media previously released the film on DVD and VHS in North America. RetroCrush currently streams the film, and Funimation and Tubi have streamed it in the past. GKIDS shared a trailer alongside the announcement.
GKIDS describes the film as a story in which Utena enrolls at Ohtori Academy on her quest to become a prince and stumbles into a cabal of students dueling for the Rose Bride, a role held by classmate Anthy. The distributor says the relationship between the girls intensifies as their "thirst for freedom crescendoes into a need for revolution."
The film was developed by the creative group Be-PaPas, which included director Kunihiko Ikuhara, manga artist Chiho Saito, screenwriter Yoji Enokido, Shinya Hasegawa, and Yuichiro Oguro. The group developed the Revolutionary Girl Utena manga and anime at the same time. Saito's manga debuted in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine in 1996 and ran for five volumes. Viz Media licensed and sold the manga in North America, and later released a collector's edition.
The 39-episode television series aired in 1997. Nozomi Entertainment released the series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in North America, and the series streams on Nozomi Entertainment's YouTube channel. Funimation previously streamed the series. The film was previously released on DVD and VHS by Central Park Media. RetroCrush currently streams the film.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News GKIDS Screens Adolescence of Utena Anime Film in U.S. Theaters on June 21-22
- Crunchyroll News Adolescence of Utena Anime Film Comes to North American Theaters on June 21, 22
- The Fandom Post GKIDS Announces ‘Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Of Utena’ Anime Theatrical Release