AFU FAQ V2.3
sp...@deathquaker.org
Updated 13 August 2006
Current version: 2.3
Original Author: SenshiNeko (http://www.senshineko.com)
Editor: Death Quaker (mist...@deathquaker.org)
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i. Version/Recent Revisions
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The current version of the FAQ is posted at
http://www.deathquaker.org/utena/AFUFAQ.txt and in slightly more
navigable HTML format at http://www.deathquaker.org/utena/afufaq.html .
In an ideal world, the FAQ would be posted monthly to the Usenet
newsgroup alt.fan.utena. In reality, it is posted whenever Death Quaker
gets around to it, or at least whenever it is updated.
Version 2.3:
Additional soundtrack information provided and other minor edits.
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ii. Table Of Contents
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01-- About the FAQ
02-- Introduction to alt.fan.utena
03-- General Newsgroup Etiquette
03-A Binaries
03-B Spelling, Typing in All Caps, and "l33t" Speak
03-C Replying to Posts
03-D Spam, Trolls and Misdirected Posts
03-E Test Posts
03-F [BRACKETS]
04-- Posting Guidelines for alt.fan.utena
04-A Subjects and Subject Lines
04-B Cross Posting
04-C Language and Subject Matter
04-D SPOILER Information
04-E Character (and Real People) Bashing
05-- Subject Indicators Used on AFU
06-- AFU Lingo
06-A The Utena Code
06-B "AFU no," Keepers, and Princes
06-C Animoticons and Other Things
07-- Frequently Asked Questions
08-- Utena-Related Websites
09-- Utena Related Communities/Discussions
10-- Utena in All Media!
10-A Utena Products Available in the U.S.
10-B Utena Products from Japan
11-- General Online and AFU Abbreviations
12-- Anime Glossary - English Terms
13-- Anime Glossary - Japanese Terms (Including Utena-Specific)
14-- Acknowledgements
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01 About the FAQ
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The purpose of the FAQ is to provide members of alt.fan.utena with
posting guidelines for the newsgroup as well as answer questions
specifically about alt.fan.utena. It is important to note that this FAQ
is not intended to answer ALL questions about the Revolutionary Girl
Utena series, for such a thing is not possible. If you want to know
more about Utena, visit one of the informational Web sites listed in
section 8.
Please mention the FAQ to anyone who might need to read (or review) it!
Suggestions for and corrections to the FAQ are welcome. Please post
your suggestions to the FAQ thread or e-mail Death Quaker at
mist...@deathquaker.org
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02 Introduction to alt.fan.utena
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Welcome to the Usenet newsgroup "alt.fan.utena" (AFU)!
This newsgroup was proposed on alt.config by Jennifer Brill on 10 July
1999, with a revised proposal posted on 14 July with the assistance of
SenshiNeko. The alt.fan.utena newsgroup control message was posted on
16 July 1999, a copy of which can be found at
http://www.deathquaker.org/utena/AFUcontrol.txt
This newsgroup is for the discussion of the anime series Revolutionary
Girl Utena / Shoujo Kakumei Utena, including the original Japanese
television series and feature film, the commercial English
subtitled/dubbed adaptation by Central Park Media/Software Sculptors,
the two manga series by Chiho Saito, and other Utena-related materials.
It is good practice with ANY newsgroup to simply lurk for a while (at
least a week) in order to get the unique "feel" of it. With any
newsgroup you are new to, reading several days' worth of posts will
give you a pretty good idea of how things go there. When you feel
comfortable and would like to make your presence known to the group,
then feel free to make an introduction post. It is up to you: you can
post a simple "Hi, I'm new" (by itself or when responding to a thread),
or you can post a full-fledged introduction telling a little about
yourself and perhaps a bit about how you became interested in Utena.
It's always good to know when new people arrive in the group!
Although AFU is not moderated, we ask that new arrivals please follow
the posting guidelines described in sections 3 and 4 of this FAQ.
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03 General Newsgroup Etiquette
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For primers and beginners' information about Usenet and good newsgroup
etiquette, try the "Usenet Info Center Launch Pad":
http://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/
03-A Binaries
This is a "discussion group" and thus only text-based posts are allowed
-- this means no pictures, programs, word processing documents, or HTML
coding. There are many reasons for this, two of which are particularly
of note: first, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) often don't provide a
lot of space for discussion groups since they are intended to be
text-based. If large binary files start appearing, then there will be
less space available for the discussions, which will expire from your
server much sooner. Secondly, some people download all new posts to
newsgroups to read them offline, and binaries can cause long delays and
great inconvenience during downloading.
This does not mean that we do not want to see your images; it just
means you should not post them to AFU. The best thing to do is paste
them into your own Web space and post a message to AFU telling us where
they are, or post a link to the site where you found the picture (but
don't direct-link to the picture on someone else's site! Let's not
encourage bandwidth theft. Just post the link to the main page and tell
us how to get to the picture from there). There are anime binaries
newsgroups, but these are lately riddled with porn, so they are not
recommended for discussion at AFU.
03-B Spelling and Grammar, Typing in All Caps, Alternating Type, and
"l33t" speak
Please proofread your posts; we don't expect perfect spelling or
grammar by any means, but your spelling and punctuation need to be
clear enough so that your posts make sense. if u rite lyk this u wil
prolly be ign0rd.
Typing in "proper" upper/lower case style is much more pleasant and
easier to read for everyone. If you type everything in UPPER CASE or
AlTeRnAtInG tYpE, people will think that you are yelling at them, a
troll, insane, 8 years old, or stupid.
Likewise, do not write in "l33t" speak or anything similar (beyond the
occasional joking around in the stats thread ~_^). It's hard to read
and generally indicates that you even have less of a life than the rest
of us.
03-C Replying to posts
When replying to a post, please quote the parts that you are referring
to so that readers of the message thread can follow the ongoing
discussion. Your reply should follow (i.e., be underneath) the quoted
material. Please do not "top post" or put your message above all that
you are replying to.
Don't quote a big post and then only add only a line or two of your
own. Edit to remove unneeded parts, but indicate that you did so by
marking the cut areas with the word "snip" (you can set this word apart
with carets or dashes to show it's not part of your normal text). Be
careful not to edit quoted material so that it looks like someone said
something that they didn't or that one person is attributed with saying
something they didn't say.
Replying to a post by simply saying "Me too" or its equivalent (the
dreaded One Word Reply) doesn't add anything to the discussion. If you
absolutely must throw in your brief comment of agreement, please
contact the poster you are replying to directly by email.
Likewise, if you engage in a lengthy off-topic discussion in which only
one other person is participating, it's probably best if you take the
discussion into email. This is NOT to censor anyone or discourage
discussion, but to help encourage community interaction and on-topic
material over off-topic "public" conversations that seem exclusive by
nature. Obviously, off-topic conversations happen and it's not the end
of the world (no pun intended) when they happen; just please use your
common sense and think about what's more appropriate for the public
forum and what's more appropriate for an email conversation. If you're
not sure it's appropriate for community discussion, then take it to
email.
If someone posts something you want to reply to, but there are already
other replies to that post, read those replies before posting your own.
This avoids redundancy. This avoids redundancy.
If you are replying to a cross-posted message, remove the groups that
are not necessary to your reply. This is especially the case if the
thread is being "spammed" and you want to keep the spammers out of
newsgroup-relevant discussions.
03-D Spam, Trolls and Misdirected Posts
It can not be stressed enough, DO NOT REPLY to Spam or Trolls.
Spam:
Spam is usually an advertisement of some sort for something that has
nothing to do with the newsgroup it is posted in.
Troll:
A troll is someone posting a message solely for the purpose of being
insulting or starting an argument. They often cross post messages to
groups that have nothing to do with each other just to start a flame
war between them. You have no idea how easily it is done. The only
weapon against trolls is ignoring them. Replying to trolls ONLY
encourages them to post more, no matter how witty or devastating you
think your reply may be. If you feel you must take action, email a
complaint to the troll's internet service provider, usually
<ab...@isp.xxx>.
Misdirected Posts:
These are sent by people, for example, who would send posts about
sailing and sailboats to alt.fan.sailor-moon.
It is in our best interest not to reply to any such posts, this way
they will disappear from AFU faster.
03-E Test Posts
If you need to test the workings of your newsreader or server, please
use a test group instead of AFU, such as "alt.test". Likewise, do not
reply to a test message either; email the person to tell them of their
success.
03-F [BRACKETS]
Many subject lines of posts will use text within brackets to identify
special kinds of posts. This helps people find certain posts, as well
as ignore others. There are examples of these below in section 5.
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04 Posting Guidelines for alt.fan.utena
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04-A Subjects and Subject Lines
Ideally, all posts to AFU should be Utena-related in some way. If a
thread drifts away from the topic of Utena (or if one is off topic to
begin with), please mark it [OT] for "off-topic." This lets people know
that the post is about something other than Utena and AFU. Many people
use the [OT] indicator to filter out off-topic posts, so please ONLY
use [OT] and not variants like [Sorta-OT], [99% OT], [OTish].
Please see section 5 for examples of other bracketed subject indicators
we use to help identify post topics.
04-B Cross Posting
Refrain from cross-posting to multiple newsgroups. If you reply to a
message that was originally cross-posted, remove the newsgroups that
are not relevant to your reply.
04-C Language and Subject Matter
Utena is rated PG-13, and therefore we must always be aware that
relatively young people may visit the newsgroup. Thus, the language and
descriptions we use should generally be age-appropriate for Utena's
younger viewers. As a rule of thumb, try to stick to language and
descriptions that would be permissible to air on the original TV series
if and when at all possible. If you feel you must use expletives,
please "self-censor" by replacing letters in the expletive with
asterisks (e.g., s**t).
If you are posting a more explicit fan work or otherwise desire to post
material featuring uncensored strong language, expletives, and explicit
violence or sexual situations, head your post with an appropriate
rating or warning, e.g., [R], [NC-17], [STRONG LANGUAGE], etc.
Hentai (i.e., sexually graphic) material MUST be labeled [LEMON] or
[NC-17]; please consider carefully before posting (most "lemon"
material at AFU is fairly mild and usually humorous in nature).
Extremely explicit hentai material is NOT appropriate for AFU.
04-D SPOILER information
Please do not assume every person visiting AFU has seen Utena in its
entirety in all its forms. If you are discussing explicit plot
descriptions of any official Utena-related story, with the sole
exception of the Student Council arc of the TV series (i.e., episodes
1-13), you must put [SPOILERS] at the beginning of your subject header
along with your topic. Do not put spoiler information in the subject
header either. Please put SPOILER SPACE (roughly 20 or 30 blank lines)
at the top of the text before your spoiler information. That way people
who don't want to learn about something that happens before they don't
get to see it, don't. Remember, people are becoming fans of Utena every
day, so give them a chance to see/read it unspoiled.
Spoilers include all major plot points. Examples would be
*revealing that Chu-Chu defeated Utena in the Episode 29 duel.
*that Anthy's venus flytrap (the large plant in the center of the
greenhouse) ate Nanami.
*the hidden meanings behind Wakaba's diet of Pixy Stix and cappuccino,
as revealed in episode 31.
*Touga's true sexual orientat... :::THWAP::: (sees swarm of Touga
fangirls armed with kendo practice swords) OW!!!
ALSO, if an OT discussion of another anime occurs, please use spoiler
warnings as appropriate here as well. We have obviously not all seen
the same anime series and would not like to be spoiled by someone's
irresponsible offhand comment. Really, likewise for popular video
games, movies, etc. Use your common sense.
04-E Character (and Real People) Bashing
In summary first: Character discussion good. Character bashing bad. AFU
member bashing Very Bad.
We all have characters we dearly love and furiously hate, and we all
like to vent our feelings about those characters, be the feelings
positive or negative. Of course, especially with a series like Utena,
where everything is wide open to interpretation, fans' views on any one
character (or anything else in the series, for that matter) can vary
widely, and a character you utterly loathe may be someone else's
favorite favorite character. It's amazing how easily feelings can be
hurt and resentments can build if fans start flaming each other back
and forth over whether a character is a "good" one or not.
HOWEVER, on the other hand, no one should ever feel like they can't
express an opinion on a character just because they know someone else
feels differently about it.
AFU thrives on discussion, but it needs to be kept on a reasonably
mature level. If you want to write a post about a character's flaws, do
so, but please do it in such a way so as not to irrationally insult the
character -- and moreover, the people who like that character -- for no
reason. Likewise, if someone expresses an opinion on a character you
disagree with, please express your disagreement in a civil manner and
not go on about what a moron jerk the other poster is. It is not
acceptable to make a post about a character and/or someone's feelings
about them that consists of nothing but name-calling and expletives.
And just realize that if you do express a strong opinion on a
character, you probably will be challenged to back up that opinion with
evidence from the series.
Of course, AFU members have been known maybe, perhaps, occasionally, to
slightly tease another AFU member about conflicting opinions on
characters -- but do make sure in that case the other people know you
are teasing!
Please remember that in the end -- as much as some of us would like to
overlook the fact -- they _are_ just animated drawings, and they are
not worth hurting _real_ feelings over.
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05 Subject Indicators used on AFU
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As already discussed above, there are times when one should put a
subject indicator in brackets before writing the title of a post.
Please remember to use only brackets, not parentheses or anything else.
Doing so will help readers who filter certain kinds of posts using
these indicators.
***Note: In Google Groups, bracketed titles get dropped at the
beginning of subject lines as listed in the subject index. The brackets
do appear in a thread's "tree" (at the left side of the page after you
click on a thread to read; select the "view as tree" option so you can
see this. You can also add bracketed titles to the end of your subject
line as they will not disappear, although you should still put them in
the beginning as well.
[AFU]
Use this when your post is about the newsgroup itself or membership as
a whole.
[D-FIC]
Short for "dialogue fiction"; an informal, usually impromptu piece of
fan fiction written in scripted dialogue format; usually these are
derived out of other AFU discussions and often include self-inserted
characters among the characters in the series.
[FANFIC]
This identifies that this post is a story based on Utena, written by a
fan.
[FS], [FT], [FS/T], [WTT], [WTB], [AUCTION], [EBAY]
For sale and/or trade; to buy; or on auction, at eBay.
[MST]
A fan parody in the style of "Mystery Science Theater 3000": someone
takes a fanwork and inserts humorous observational dialogue commenting
on just how bad it is.
[OT]
Off Topic. Anything you post that is not about Utena or AFU should be
marked with this indicator. Again, do not deviate with indicators like
"[OT-ish]" to help people using filters.
[R], [NC-17]
Shows that the content of the post isn't for younger readers.
[POLL]
A poll, obviously. This is to gather the preferences and opinions of
those on the newsgroup. It's also a good way to generate more
discussion, as long as the SAME poll doesn't reappear every week. ^^;;;
[PSA]
Public service announcement.
[RANT]
A (usually very long) essay-like post or complaint.
[SPOILER]
This post may give away major plot points, read at your own risk!
[STATS]
An indication that a long, off-topic thread is about to be formed. ~_^
[WWW]
Web page announcements, URL updates, etc.
[make your own]
If you don't see an identifier that suits your post, make up your own.
Keep it as short as possible and be sure to use [brackets].
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06 AFU Lingo
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You will note some unusual lingo in many AFU members' signatures (.sig
files) and strange characters alongside people's posts. Below is a
brief explanation of such "codes"; you do not need to feel obligated to
adopt any of these, but feel free to if you wish.
06-A The Utena Code
Some AFU members' .sigs feature an odd string of characters that looks
like this:
UtenaCode(1.01) U:6 F:Hi++Ju+:pSC D:Sa-Na X:*:a[SC][BR-]++ M:f"Shi no
Aphrodite"/"Baiser"/"Virtual Star Hasseigaku" (Banyu Inryoku)
This the "Utena Code" (this one in particular is SenshiNeko's, the
author of both the Utena Code and the original version of this FAQ), a
geekish shorthand to let AFU know in a quick line how obsessed you are
with the series, who your favorite and least favorite characters are,
what your favorite story arcs are, etc.
Here is the Google Groups link to version 1.01 of the Utena Code so you
can understand others' Utena Codes and write one yourself.
06-B "AFU no. . .", "Keepers," and "Princes"
Some members of AFU have the title "AFU no [character name]." This
means they've "adopted" the character for themselves, perhaps because
they feel a kinship with a character or play a "role" at AFU similar to
the role the character plays. For example, Chibi_Bob is "AFU no Anthy"
("AFU's Anthy") because he is usually quiet but occasionally shows up
to say blithe, yet cryptic things.
"Keepers" are similar to the "AFU no. . ." concept except the member
has chosen a specific trait of a character to associate with, rather
than the character as a whole. SailorBill is energetic like Wakaba, so
he is "Keeper of Wakaba's Genkiness." A longer form is "AFU no Wakaba,
Keeper of Her Genkiness."
"Princes" are members who have taken an Utena character "under their
wing," so to speak, to, in the words of founding Prince Sephigirl,
"defend them like Utena defends Anthy or to protect them like Dios did
for the girls of the world." Princes believe in their adopted
character's good traits and will point them out to help prevent
unfounded bashing of that character. They usually also happen to think
the character is pretty hot. ~_^
06-C Animoticons and other things
Many AFUers, and anime fans in general, use "animoticons" rather than
ordinary email emoticons to characterize their posts. Fans new to anime
may be confused by these; some of them include
^^ -- anime smile
^_^ -- cute anime smile
^_____^ -- broad grin
#^_^# -- blushing
o_0 -- shock
o_o? -- Huh?
;_; -- tears
^^; -- smiling with nervous sweatdrop
._.;;; -- nervous with many sweatdrops
~_^ -- wink
^o^ or ^0^ -- laughing
^_^|/ -- applause
>_< -- irked/frustrated
=^_^= -- kitty
H_H or h_h -- Hentai/ecchi (perverted/porny)
//~_^\\ -- Touga winking
@O-O@ -- Scary Mirror-Glasses Anthy
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07 Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: I can't find "alt.fan.utena" in the list of newsgroups available at
my Internet Service Provider. How can I subscribe to it?
A: Email or call your ISP and ask them politely to add AFU to their
newsgroup feed. If they need the control message, it is archived at
http://www.deathquaker.org/utena/AFUcontrol.txt . If you do not have
access to Usenet or AFU, there are a growing number of World Wide
Web-based services which will allow you to read and post to newsgroups
(some will only allow you to read them). For example, a good read-only
service is at Xasa (http://www.xasa.com/grupos/en/alt/fanr-fanz), and
(depending on your level of patience) you can read and post at Google
Groups (http://groups-beta.google.com).
Q: Where can I find the Utena video game for the Sega Saturn?
A: This Japanese game is very difficult to find; most people who are
lucky enough to have found it bought it off of e-Bay.
Q: Where can I find Utena fansubs?
A: Given the entire series is now commercially distributed by Central
Park Media/Software Sculptors, sources for fansubs will no longer be
listed here. Please support the creators and distributors of anime by
buying it when you can.
Q: Where can I find the Utena Musical?
A: This live-action musical amateur production has never been
officially distributed, although bootleg copies of the raw Japanese are
in circulation. We know of no place for download. Try friends or
conventions for free bootleg copies (remember you should never pay for
fan-distributed copies unless it is to cover cost of a blank CD and
shipping). Anime Lyrics (http://www.animelyrics.com) has the lyrics for
many of the songs from the musical, and you may be able to find the
soundtrack at conventions or in a good import store.
Q: What Utena products are available and where can I get them?
A: The TV series, mangas, and movie are widely available in the U.S.
and worldwide. Most any appropriate retailer will carry them or can
order them for you, and you can order them directly from the
distributor as well (in the U.S., Central Park Media for the anime and
Viz Comics for the manga). You should also be able to find the
soundtracks from most anime soundtrack dealers.
If you are looking for discounts, try specialized DVD retailers and
anime conventions. I (Death Quaker) have had good luck finding
discounts at Otakon (a large anime convention in Baltimore), some of
which were found right at the Central Park Media Stand. One trick for
buying discount DVDs at cons is to wait until the last day of the con;
dealers will mark off their stock to try and get rid of as much as
possible before they have to pack up and go home.
Many Japanese-only products can be found easily enough at conventions
and specialty import dealers. You may also have some luck finding more
rare items or highly discounted items on e-Bay, but as with all things
e-Bay, caveat emptur.
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08 Utena-Related Websites
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These sites are good to find more general information on the series;
some of the more "specialized" sites provide specific information Utena
fans may be looking for, such as translations
of songs and song tracks. Feel free to submit suggestions for this
list, although we are trying to keep it small for ease of keeping it
updated. We will not list fan work sites because what constitutes
"good" fanwork is too subjective for us to judge as a group. As of
October 5, 2005:
Ikuniweb:
http://www.jrt.co.jp/yos/ikuniweb/ikuniweb_e/topmenu/etopmenu.html -
the official Web site of director Kunihiko Ikuhara. Features some
original Utena art by manga artist/Be-Papas member Chiho Saito.
The Central Park Media Utena TV Series Site: http://www.utenatv.com -
Includes brief character summaries, desktop wallpapers, links to the
CPM store, etc.
The CPM Utena Movie Site: http://www.utenamovie.com - Story and
character summaries, links, etc. Note: Shockwave Flash-intensive (the
TV series site is not).
Empty Movement: http://www.ohtori.nu - A huge Utena fansite including
an extensive art gallery, essays, audiology -- and the original
Yasuyuki Sato fan-translated scripts!
The Utena Net: http://www.utena.net - Features character shrines and an
extensive list of links; it's outdated and unlikely to be updated any
time soon, but still is a useful source for a lot of information and
links.
Anj's Quick'n Dirty Utena Page:
http://www.geocities.com/lunamurphy/ost_index.html - Track listings and
their translations for Original Soundtracks (OSTs) 1-8 and the Vocal
Collection. DQ has a mirror for this site here:
http://www.deathquaker.org/utena/ost_index.html
Cantarella Cookie: http://cyborgmermaid.tripod.com/cantarella/ - Fan
translations of songs on the various Utena soundtracks.
Adolescence Rush: http://www.rushita.com/sm/adolescence.html - Scans of
piano sheet music for songs from the Utena movie.
The Satellite of Revolution:
http://www.mindspring.com/~khabal/www/rst3k.htm - The Satellite is a
universally-loved site of MSTed fanfics and will provide you with lots
of laughs. Okay, I know we said we weren't going to list fanworks, but
I was bribed with Chocolate-Covered-Shiori to list just this one. ^^
cbel's Utena Directory: http://www.cbel.com/revolutionary_girl_utena/ -
This contains links to over 250 Utena-related Web sites. It is not
always accurate, but they do update it from time to time, and it will
give you lots of links for fansites, character shrines, and more.
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09 Utena-Related Communities/Discussions
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The Utena Icons Community:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/utena_icons/
The Wakaba Genki Preservation Society (not very active):
http://www.livejournal.com/community/wgps
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10 Utena in all Media!
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10-A Utena Products Availabile in the U.S.
The Anime: From Central Park Media:
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection DVD Boxed Set, ISBN
1-57800-578-7. This 3 disc set includes Episodes 1-13 of the TV series
and the "limited edition" release of Utena: the Movie (aka Adolescence
Mokushiroku). Retail $79.95. (You can get these discs separately, but
the non-box set versions are becoming harder to find; besides, it is
much cheaper to buy them as a box set -- you basically get the movie
for free. The VHS box set of the Student Council Arc is out of print,
although you might still find it in stock somewhere.)
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Black Rose Saga DVD Collection, ISBN
1-57800-564-7. This 4 disc set includes episodes 14-26 of the TV
series, plus extras such as interviews with Kunihiko Ikuhara, dub actor
interviews, summaries and photo galleries, etc. Each disc is also
available individually (entitled "The Black Rose Blooms," "Impatience
and Longing," "Darkness Beckoning," and "The Beginning of the End"
respectively, but if you can afford it it's more economic to buy the
box set). $99.95 for the box set, or $29.95 for an individual disc.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Apocalypse Saga DVD Collection, ISBN
1-57800-565-5. This 4 disc set includes episodes 27-39 as well as
similar extras listed above, and commentary from Chiho Saito and
Kunihiko Ikuhara for the final two episodes. Each disc is also
available individually (in chrono order: "Temptation" (SEE ALSO below),
"Unveiling," "Revelation," and "Finale"). $99.95 for the box set, or
$29.95 per disc.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: Temptation Limited Edition w/ Apocalypse
Saga Box and T-Shirt, ISBN 1-57800-570-1. This is _just_ the first disc
of the Apocalypse Saga (eps. 27-29), a box to hold four discs, and a
black "limited edition" t-shirt featuring Utena sandwiched between
Touga and Saionji. $34.95. Not economical in the least, but you get a
t-shirt.
The Manga: From Viz Media:
Viz originally published the Utena manga in its magazine, "Animerica
Extra!" Back issues of this magazine are still available through the
Viz Website at http://www.viz.com; some of them feature original Chiho
Saito artwork on the covers. For simplicity's sake, however, I am only
listing the specific information for the manga as it was later released
in trade paperback format. Where it applies, I am listing information
for the "second edition" of the trade paperback release; the first
three manga volumes originally got published in an older and more
expensive format and were re-released when they switched formats.
Beyond a minor difference in size, the first and second editions are no
different -- so if you want to get the manga, save yourself five bucks
and be sure to get the second edition volumes!
- Revolutionary Girl Utena Volume 1: To Till, ISBN 1569319642. 200
pages. Retail $9.95
- Revolutionary Girl Utena Volume 2: To Plant, ISBN 1591162068. 200
pages. Retail $9.95
- Revolutionary Girl Utena VOlume 3: To Sprout, ISBN 1591162076. 200
pages. Retail $9.95
- Revolutionary Girl Utena Volume 4: To Bud, ISBN 1591160685. 200
pages. Retail $9.95
- Revolutionary Girl Utena Volume 5: To Blossom, ISBN 1591161452. 150
pages. Retail $9.95. Note: In addition to the finale to the original
manga series, also includes the manga "shorts" introducing Mikage and
Ruka.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena, ISBN 1591165008.
192 pages. Retail $9.95. Rated for Older Teens. This is the "movie
manga" and is sort of what the movie would have been like if it had
actually made sense.
Utena Soundtracks and other Music:
>From Pioneer/Geneon:
(Note: as far as I know, these soundtracks are completely identical to
the original Japanese releases, featuring the same music and art; the
liner notes and tracklists simply have been translated into English.)
Revolutionary Girl Utena Original Soundtrack, 36 tracks, ISBN
13023522626, Retail $14.98. This is the American release of the first
soundtrack, featuring music from episodes 1-13.
Utena Original Soundtrack 2: Virtual Star Embryology, 28 tracks, Retail
$14.98. Music from episodes 14-22.
Utena the Movie Original Soundtrack: Adolescence of Utena ADOLESCENCE
RUSH, 14 tracks, Retail $14.98. The soundtrack for the Utena movie,
Adolescence Mokushiroku.
Utena Original Soundtrack: Angel Creation Namely Light, 12 tracks,
Retail $14.98. Music from the final "Revolution" story arc. (This is
technically the fourth soundtrack according to the Japanese releases,
but as far as I've been able to find, Geneon did not release the third
one, which has the "Akio Car arc" music.)<
>From Jellybean Records: Animetoonz Presents Kikuko Inoue, no ISBN
avail, Retail $13.98. This is an anthology of anime theme songs
performed by Kikuko Inoue and includes the Utena ending theme "Virtual
Hassei-Gaku."
>From Jellybean Records: Animetoonz, no ISBN avail, Retail $24.98. A two
disc set which includes the Kikuko Inoue disc above and another disc
featuring songs by Maria Kawamura -- she doesn't sing any Utena songs
on this, but she's the voice for Mamiya and one of the Shadow Girls!
Also: there are 5 other Utena soundtracks that to my knowledge have no
"official" American release version. They were originally made by King
Records/Starchild, but there are also copies produced by Son May that
are sometimes easy to find at anime/import stores. For titles and track
listings, see Anj's Quick and Dirty Utena Page. AFUer E. Liddell has
pointed out that for the fifth soundtrack, the original printing was a
two-disc set, but the Son May version is only a one-disc set.
There is also a new "Best of" CD released as part of a "Star Mania
Series" of soundtracks. AFUer Sunnie says it's available here:
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICA-727&ref=myp
Other Utena Products:
>From Guardians of Order: BESM/Ultimate Fan Guides:
These are books published in the US/Canada; they include episode and
character synopses as well as a rules/statistics section for playing
the role-playing game "Big Eyes, Small Mouth" in the Utenaverse.
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Book 1 (AKA BESM Revolutionary Girl Utena -
The Rose Collection) by Michelle Lyons and Emily Dresner-Thornber. ISBN
1894525809. Trade paperback, glossy color and black and white pages, 96
pages. Retail $19.95
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Book 2 (AKA BESM Revolutionary Girl Utena -
The Black Rose Blooms) by Emily Dresner-Thornber (note some list Lyons
as the author but she was not involved in writing this book). ISBN
1894525965. Trade paperback, glossy color and black and white pages, 96
pages. Retail $19.95
Revolutionary Girl Utena, Book 3 (AKA BESM Revolutionary Girl Utena -
The Apocalypse Saga) by Emily Dresner-Thornber. ISBN 1894938143. Trade
paperback, glossy color and black and white pages, 96 pages. Retail
$19.95
>From Viz Media: Primographies (sort of like a lithograph, apparently)
Revolutionary Girl Utena Primography. Limited Edition. A signed and
numbered piece of art by Chiho Saito, comes in a black frame 23 1/8" x
17 3/4". Its MSRP is $299.95 but apparently if purchased from Viz
(where I found it), they're selling it for only $59.99.
10-B Utena Products from Japan
(Note: I don't have a whole lot of info on these; anyone who can
provide any will be owed much gratitude)
Soundtracks: See soundtracks above. These can often be found at anime
import stores and the like, as well as Web sites like CD Japan.
Art Books:
The Art of Utena: Includes art and sketchwork from both the movie and
the TV series.
Utena -- This is Animation: A movie art book
I've found these and one or two other art books at conventions and
anime specialty stores.
Jewelry:
At various points in time, Utena signet rings (both silver and black)
have been fashioned; the best and easiest place to find these is on
e-Bay.
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11 General Online and AFU Abbreviations
-------------------------------------------------------------------
- AFAIK: As far as I know
- AFU: alt.fan.utena
- BR: Black Rose (as in the "BR Arc")
- BTW: By the way
- EP(S): Episode(s)
- IIRC: If I recall correctly
- IM(H)O: In my (humble) opinion
- JP: Japanese
- LMAO: Laughing My Arse Off
- LOL: Laughing out loud
- NA: North America
- NG: Newsgroup
- RGU: Revolutionary Girl Utena (SKU [below] is used more commonly)
- ROTFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
- SC: Student Council
- SKU: Shoujo Kakumei Utena
- YKYWTMUW: "You know you watch too much Utena when..."
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12 Anime Glossary - English Terms
-------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fan service: At its most basic, fan service is the gratuitous display
of (usually) female characters in such a way as to show their panties,
other undergarments, or bare skin. However, frontal (and usually
undetailed) nudity is pretty much the limit.
- Fandub: This is an dub of an original show made by fans who lend
their voices to the project. Fans are not usually professional voice
actors, but they do put in a lot of effort making the fandubs.
- Fansub: A subtitled version of a show, made by a fan for the benefit
of other fans. It is not intended to be a profit making effort -- if
purchased, the price of a fansub should be equivalent to the price of a
blank tape or CD plus shipping.
- Lemon: A "hentai" or pornographic piece of anime fan fiction.
- Lime: A very sexually suggestive piece of anime fan fiction that
isn't quite as explicit as a Lemon. Also a character in Saber
Marionette J.
- OAV/OVA Original Animated Video (or Original Video Animation). An
anime intended to be released only on video, not on TV or theaters
(OAVs are sometimes used, however, as a "test run" to see if a TV
series would do well).
- Superdeformed/SD: A style of Japanese comic art that is particularly
cutesy, with the head quite large and other features less detailed.
Also called "chibi" (see below).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Anime Glossary - Japanese terms (including Utena-specific)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editor's note: I do not speak Japanese, beyond a handful of phrases.
Most of us don't. I cannot guarantee accuracy of the translations here,
but we've done our best, and I've tried to check with people more
knowledgeable than I on some of these translations where possible.
Please let us know if you think anything is inaccurate and why.
- Arigato: Thank you (Domo arigato = Thank you very much)
- Baka: Stupid, moron, idiot (a fluent friend of mine tells me this is
far more insulting in Japan than seems to be indicated in anime)
- Bara: Rose
- Bara no hanayome: The Rose Bride
- Bara no kokuin: The Rose Crest or Rose Signet (the ring all duellists
wear)
- Bishoujo: Beautiful (young) girl
- Bishounen: Beautiful (young) boy
- Bokken: A wooden practice sword
- -chan: A dimunitive honorific most easily translated as "Little";
usually used in addressing children and girls; female students who are
close to each other sometimes call each other "-chan," as, sometimes,
do lovers. The phrase is seldom used in Utena.
- Chibi: short person, "miniaturized" person; a "chibi" drawing of an
anime character is also called "superdeformed" (see above section).
Also a common name for a cat in Japan.
- Demo: But...
- Doko: Where?
- Ecchi: How the Japanese pronounce the letter "H" which is the first
letter of the word "hentai" (see below). Therefore, ecchi is a "little
bit" hentai -- basically, mild sexual innuendo and teasing.
- Eigo: English
- Fuku: clothes, uniform -- e.g., the Ohtori Academy fuku (school
uniform)
- Gakuen: school -- e.g., "Ohtori Gakuen" is "Ohtori Academy"
- Gomen: Sorry ("Gomen Nasai" = "I'm very sorry")
- Hai: Yes
- Hentai: Sexually perverted and/or explicit
- Hime: Princess (the specific social station)
- Hiragana: A Japanese syllabic "alphabet" used to write native words.
- Ichiban: The first, the best, number one!
- Iie: No
- Imouto: Little sister
- Kanji: Japanese system of writing using (sometimes modified) Chinese
characters. There are almost 2000 kanji.
- Katakana: A Japanese syllabic "alphabet" used to write foreign or
unusual words, onamatopoetic sounds, and for emphasis (e.g., "Anthy" is
spelled in katakana because her name is based on a Greek word).
- Kawaii: Cute
- Kirei: Pretty
- Konnichiwa: Good day, Hello
- Kowai: scary, frightening, Chibi-Usa
- Kudasai: Please
- -kun: An honorific used either to address a male well known to you or
to address a junior colleague of either sex
- Kuro bara: Black Rose
- Manga: Comics; used by Americans to describe comics from Japan or
Japanese comic art style
- Minna: Everyone
- Nani: What?
- Ne: "... right?" or "hey."
- Ohayo: Good morning
- Onegai: Please, when making a request
- Otaku: A Japanese word that many American anime fans think of as
meaning "big anime fan." In Japanese it literally is an informal "you"
word, more or less translating to "homeboy/hey you" -- HOWEVER, beyond
that it has a connotation meaning tremendous addict/fanatic who
probably will never be willingly touched by a heterosexual member of
the opposite sex.
- Onee-sama: Elder sister (a more informal version is "onee-chan" or
"big sis")
- Onii-sama: Elder Brother. Something Nanami says every five minutes,
ne? (Informally, "onii-chan, or "big bro." Interestingly, no one uses
the diminutive form in Utena.)
- Ouji-sama: Prince (or more generally, a nobleman, king, etc.)
- Oujo-sama: Princess (or as above)
- Piku: To shake or tremble, or act like the pokemon Pikachu.
- Romaji or romanji: Japanese spelled out with Roman letters (e.g., how
all the Japanese words are written in this glossary)
- -sama: Ostensibly "lord/lady" but a complex honorific that basically
subordinates oneself to the person one is calling "-sama." It can be
used respectfully to address a person of high station, but can also be
used "cutsily" by someone enamoured of someone else, e.g.,
traditionally, by a wife to her husband. In the latter case, it is
usually translated as something like "dear." When Wakaba and the other
girls call Utena "Utena-sama" they're using the "cutesy" meaning of the
phrase, whereas Anthy uses it in the formal sense, more or less calling
Utena "Lady" or "Mistress." It is very rarely used in RL Japanese
conversation.
- -san: A polite, very commonly used honorific more or less meaning
"Mister" or "Miss."
- Seitokai: Student Council
- Seitokaijo: Student Council President
- Sekai no hate: World's End (End of the World)
- sempai: Elder/Senior/Mentor, such as "Jury-sempai." In anime,
school-age characters often use to refer to an older classmate,
particularly one they look up to.
- Sensei: Teacher/Professor/Doctor/Author
- Seiyuu: Voice actor/actress (literally, "radio voice")
- Sayonara: Good bye
- Sugoi: Cool, amazing
- Sumimasen: Excuse me / I'm sorry
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14 Acknowledgements
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The original author, SenshiNeko, admits to shamelessly adapting most of
the original FAQ from the alt.fan.sailor-moon MicroFAQ, with permission
from Henry D. Archut, maintainer of said AFSM uFAQ. Death Quaker has
further adapted and edited SenshiNeko's FAQ for the current needs of
AFU. Death Quaker does wish to give SenshiNeko all due respect for his
contributions to AFU years ago, so thank you, SenshiNeko.
The following people have provided their invaluable assistance and
suggestions for the AFU FAQ:
Jennifer Brill, original proponent of AFU.
Many AFU members of 2005, especially-
E. Liddell, who pointed out that we actually had a FAQ and that it was
woefully out of date and for providing useful soundtrack info and for
doing arithmetic far too complicated for DQ's small mind to comprehend;
OnsenMark for correcting an embarrassing moment of gender confusion;
Sephigirl, who started the whole revision process by discussing the
'Netiquette of Spoiler Space and for offering the most detailed
suggestions during the FAQ-editing process.
Sunnie and Gio for providing info on the "Best of" soundtrack.
Please submit any additional questions, corrections, suggestions and
updates for this FAQ to the FAQ thread on AFU or, if you prefer, e-mail
them directly to Death Quaker (mist...@deathquaker.org).
"Shoujo Kakumei Utena - la fillette revolutionnaire" is copyright 1997
to Chiho Saito/ Shogakukan/Shokaku/ TV Tokyo.
Sunnie
> alt.fan.utena Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
> Updated 13 August 2006
> Current version: 2.3
> Original Author: SenshiNeko (http://www.senshineko.com)
> Editor: Death Quaker (mist...@deathquaker.org)
> Q: Where can I find the Utena Musical?
> A: This live-action musical amateur production has never been
> officially distributed, although bootleg copies of the raw Japanese are
> in circulation. We know of no place for download. Try friends or
> conventions for free bootleg copies (remember you should never pay for
> fan-distributed copies unless it is to cover cost of a blank CD and
> shipping). Anime Lyrics (http://www.animelyrics.com) has the lyrics for
> many of the songs from the musical, and you may be able to find the
> soundtrack at conventions or in a good import store.
The raw musical is up for torrent. It can be found by searching for
'Utena' at www.tokyotosho.com
<snip>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> 09 Utena-Related Communities/Discussions
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The Utena Icons Community:
> http://www.livejournal.com/community/utena_icons/
I'll go ahead and suggest that RoseLinedCoffin:
http://community.livejournal.com/roselinedcoffin/ be added to this
listing. It's an Utena discussion group, and I konw at least 2 if not
more AFUers are in it. It often has some very nice discussion, but much
like on AFU, it comes in bursts.
Sunnie
sp...@deathquaker.org
An' that's what I get for getting all updatey without checking with the
NG first for any further suggested additions. *sigh* 'Course, it's also
my fault for not posting the FAQ regularly so people remember to check
it.
In all seriousness, thanks for the info. I should've taken note of
RoseLinedCoffin when there was some discussion of it a few months ago
and it completely went by me as something pertinent to be listed in the
FAQ (that, or it was one of the LJ communities originally suggested,
but at the time did not seem active so it wasn't listed).
Before I update the FAQ again, does anyone else have any news or
suggestions for the FAQ, particularly relating to new Utena products
(or old ones not listed) or sources thereof?
I know I also need to change the URL for Google Groups in there
somewhere.
Death Quaker!
http://www.deathquaker.org
Rex
>Before I update the FAQ again, does anyone else have any news or
>suggestions for the FAQ, particularly relating to new Utena products
>(or old ones not listed) or sources thereof?
>
Try this:
http://koii.cjb.net:69/main/index.php?name=coppermine
Site's dead though...
sp...@deathquaker.org
Is useful as a list of Utena products, regardless... the load time is
dreadful though. I'm on an at least semi-decent connection and had
trouble loading. Maybe will note it under products with a note about
load speed.
Thanks very much (and do pop in again!)
Death Quaker
Shiori's Prince
http://www.deathquaker.org
Rex
No problem, and yes I'll try to pop in every now and then. If not
here, maybe over at EM's :-)