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Characters

On the overview pages, I have tried to keep SPOILER information to a minimum on these pages–be warned there may be a few spoilers, but only very mild ones. At the bottom of the page will be a link to any further analyses, if any. Unlike the overviews, the analyses will contain SPOILERS for the whole series, sometimes in great detail.

The Brief overview consists of the following:

1. Character name in given name-family name format. I spell the names as they are romanized in the majority of official Utena publications, Japanese as well as American.
2. A quote from the character, usually an introductory quote from one of their first (notable) appearances, or otherwise something summarizing of the character. No quotes are taken from any time after the Black Rose arc, with the obvious exception of Ruka, who doesn't appear till episode 28.
3. Other alternate romanji spellings of names that have appeared in publications or fan translations.
4. The Main Role of the Character, summarized as briefly and not too spoilery as possible.
5. The Age of the character, as revealed in the series or other official series-related publications.
6. Blood Type. Apparently the Japanese sometimes attribute personality traits to blood type, the way we do to zodiac signs. The siteAnime Blood describes the basics of how the Blood Types are supposed to reflect on anime characters' personalities.
7. Zodiac Sign. The character's Western zodiac sign, based on sidereal astrology. Go to The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac to get a basic overview of the meanings of the signs.
8. Hobbies, either admitted or implied by the character's actions in the series. Some are borrowed from the lists in the manga, where it seemed appropriate.
9. A Song Quote, not from a series song, but one (most likely from my own collection) that just makes me think of the character. Some speak about the character, some to.

The Analyses will at least consist of a write-up about the character and his or her personality and history in general. There may also be a section on Symbols, which explores in depth significant objects and interpretations of names and such; Relationships, where I discuss major relationships the character has with others; and Personal Crap, in which I just emote or spout my wildest personal opinions about the character.

As I've begun it, I've realized the Analysis project is HUGE, so I have no idea when or if I will finish analyses of all the characters. The order of the analyses will probably follow the order of the characters which most interest me to least. Likewise, there will be far more info on characters that fascinate me than ones that don't. Yeah yeah, hideous bias, I know, I know.

And speaking of hideous bias, the analyses are largely based on my opinion. I will certainly back up my opinions with scenes from the series where it's possible and appropriate. But don't get your knickers in a twist if I've said something you don't like or disagree with about a character. Utena is a series largely subject to interpretation, and there's very few right answers to enigmas in the series (and any right answers, if they exist, are strictly guarded as "top secret" by director Ikuhara).

I would be extremely happy to receive and respond to questions, comments, and suggestions (including and ESPECIALLY for improved quotes and song quotes). Please e-mail me at mistress@deathquaker.org. I am also up for discussion and argument, provided you remain polite.

Picture Credits: I made most of the character thumbnails out of graphics taken from either The Official Utena TV Site or the gallery at Empty Movement.