Beautiful without being baroque. Surreal without being pretentious. Over-the-top without spoiling the genuine emotion. Wonderful.

Why are people always so surprised when I say that I like Utena?

Oh god, the architecture. Art Nouveau, constructivism upon deconstructivism, and a floating garden make Ohtori Academy one of the most beautiful "inner worlds" you'll find in anime. There's some kind of surrealist story and all kinds of silly symbolism going on, but Ohtori Academy itself is the star of this show.

When the plot isn't bizarre and inscrutable, it's childishly stupid and inane. Even if it was produced for those that had seen the television series, it doesn't excuse the all the plot holes and painfully dumb conversations. The action is putrid, and I can hardly believe this was made in 1999, as the animation is worse than anime films from a decade earlier. It's an all-around horrible movie that is torture to sit through, but I do give them props for girls changing into motorcycles.

Gorgeous animation, but both the Utena TV series and its movie make very little sense.

Surrealist entertainment with beautiful imagery.