Back in my Re: Creators essay, I talked about how thoughtful character designs convey layered meanings, especially considering the genres being referenced. I find this same thematic attention to detail is also present in Revolutionary Girl Utena. Like with Re: Creators and all of its uniquely tropey character designs, the amount of thought that went into designing the characters and overall aesthetic of Revolutionary Girl Utena only enhances the experience.
The atmosphere and general aesthetic of Utena can be attributed to Kinuhiku Ikuhara, and Shinya Hasegawa can be credited for the designs. When designing the Utena cast, Hasegawa focused less on the end result and more on just how effective the designs could be. His nine years of work during the 90’s really shows in his talents as both animator and designer. Utena also wasn’t the first time he and Ikuhara worked together.
Before I get too tangential about Hasegawa’s colorful industry history, let me get back on track and start waxing about his design sense. Specifically, how he incorporated traces of red in the designs of the main cast. In order to talk about the symbolism, I’ll have to talk about a certain character hiding all of the later reveals so spoilers are ahead. If you haven’t already watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, I would highly recommend it before reading on.
Red is commonly associated with love, passion, and general romance tropes. It punctuate passionate scenes and moments throughout the show and is present in Utena, Anthy, and the Student Council’s designs. On one hand, this could be read as being symbolic of the individual passions and ambitions driving their characters but there’s deeper reasoning there.
The Student Council and Utena participate in duels to decide the fate of the Rose Bride. The point of these duels and possession of the Rose Bride is the right to attain the vaguely defined Power to Revolutionize The World, which is revealed in the final episodes to be a sham. The duels are being put on by Akio so he can attain Power for himself. He manipulates everyones personal goals, flaws, and youthful naïveté to a selfish end. Nearly everyone except Anthy spends the majority of the series unaware of Akio’s machinations. By the end, only Utena, Anthy, and Nanami have truly been able to distance themselves from Akio and understand who he truly is. Did I mention that Akio, from his car to his wardrobe, is completely defined by a striking red palette?
Due to the pervasiveness of Akio’s villainous behavior and constantly red clothing, I believe the undertones of red were thematically intentioned. The color is present in either small or large part on Utena, Anthy, Toga, Miki, Juri, and Saionji. Nanami’s red is notably absent. While the others are manipulated to dueling because of Akio’s direct or indirect influence, Nanami is never outright manipulated by Akio into fighting. She may not fight for the best causes but her reasons are all her own. Furthermore, Nanami is the first character to have their perceptions of Akio and his influence shattered completely.
The other characters that have this transition of disillusionment, Utena, Anthy, and Touga employ the most dramatic uses of red outside of Akio himself. Utena’s heroic outfit and Toga’s flowing hair are both signs that Akio is leading their ideals and thoughts, respectively. The Student Council uniform has its red highlights and represents Akio’s influence over the group as a whole. Utena and Touga see Akio for what he is towards the end of the show, while Anthy never shared their misconceptions to begin with. Unlike with Utena and Touga, Akio’s influence over Anthy stems from outright subjugation instead of compliance via deception. Her beautiful red dress becomes a chilling reminder of this. Anthy’s dress covers her from head to toe in red once she’s acting as the Rose Bride during a duel.
Even deceptive scenes with characters acting purely out of self-interest are highlighted in red, such as this scene between Ruka and Shiori. At first, their relationship is played as a genuine romance but Ruka proves to be as awful as Akio. He manipulated Shiori into dueling just so he could make a play for the Power and, upon failure, carelessly cast her aside.
All that being said, I think the color design in this show is fantastic and serves the story well. It’s always nice to see elements of a production that speak to careful and meticulously crafting. Then again, it’s also not like there’s any shortage of anyone telling you how good Revolutionary Girl Utena is so maybe I’m already preaching to a choir here.
See you in the next one.
Julian Harmon 
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