The Greatest Anime Movie of 1999 Returns to Theaters For Two Nights Only

27 years ago, one of the greatest anime movies of all time released in Japan and set a new standard for quality in the industry. Adolescence of Utena is the official follow-up to the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime, equal parts a reimagining of the original series while being a symbolic sequel that builds off the anime's concepts, motifs, and themes to tell a rich, mind-bending story filled with some of the strongest art direction and visuals you'll ever find in an anime.

Adolescence of Utena is a must-watch film for anyone remotely interested in either anime or cinema as a means of artistic expression. Adolescence of Utena boldly tackles concepts of gender norms and gender identity with an amazing amount of tact, all while rounding out its high-concept storytelling with strong visual symbolism, amazing action, and one of anime's greatest romances. For the first time ever, US fans will be able to watch Adolescence of Utena on the big screen as GKIDS officially brings the movie to American movie theaters this summer.

Adolescence of Utena Officially Returns to Theaters This June

GKIDS has officially acquired the North American rights to Adolescence of Utena, and will be bringing the movie to the US theaters this June for two nights only. Adolescence of Utena will release in theaters on June 21 and 22 for a limited engagement run. Adolescence of Utena will be available to watch in its original Japanese language audio track, with English subtitles. GKIDS' description for the movie reads,

"Utena enrolls in the prestigious Ohtori Academy on her quest to become a prince, and stumbles into a mysterious cabal of students dueling for possession of the 'Rose Bride.' The role belongs to their classmate Anthy, an enigmatic girl who equally captivates and confuses Utena. While fending off powerful rivals, Utena must uncover the secrets surrounding Anthy and her own desires. As the relationship between the girls intensifies, their thirst for freedom crescendoes into a need for revolution.

Adolescence of Utena is a standalone genre classic that brings together the creative genius of director Kunihiko Ikuhara (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon), writer Yoji Enokido (EVANGELION franchise), and art director Shichiro Kobayashi (ANGEL’S EGG) with J.A. Seazer’s transcendent music. Straddling the line between fairytale and surrealist opera, the film stands as a bold display of the ways social roles chain us— and demands we smash through them."

Tickets for Adolescence of Utena are now available for purchase on the official GKIDS website.

Adolescence of Utena is to Revolutionary Girl Utena What End of Evangelion is to Neon Genesis Evangelion

While Adolescence of Utena can be watched stand alone – and is effectively a retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime – the movie's symbolism and structure can be confusing for those who aren't familiar with the original series. Similar to The End of Evangelion, Adolescence of Utena is very much a capstone to its anime, serving as a culmination of its series' main themes, ideas, and even character development.

A popular fan theory is that Adolescence of Utena is actually a sequel to the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime, set in a new cycle of the anime's world rather than being an alternate timeline. There's actually a lot of evidence of this being the case in the movie, as Adolescence of Utena thematically builds off where the anime left off and even includes fragmented visuals that imply the events of Revolutionary Girl Utena already happened.

Likewise, Anthy's characterization in the movie makes more sense if you consider she already experienced Revolutionary Girl Utena. In this regard, Adolescence of Utena was the Rebuild of Evangelion before there was a Rebuild of Evangelion: framing itself as a new story, but one that rewards viewers who are familiar with the original series with deep, rich metatext and symbolism that only enhances the narrative. Revolutionary Girl Utena is only 39 episodes long, giving anime fans more than enough time to watch the series and experience the movie at its fullest when Adolescence of Utena releases next month on June 21 and 22.