Iwanako: Mean Time to Breakdown {updated 2015-4-1}

[Medley]

dear lord, this is by far the best fic i have ever read.

[Blank Mage]

dear lord, this is by far the best fic i have ever read.

Welcome to the fan club.

[YOTC]

dear lord, this is by far the best fic i have ever read.

Welcome to the fan club.

Pretty much. It's pretty damn good.

[Leaty]

(deadfic)

[Blackmambauk]

You have persuaded me to put development on my to read list. When I will read it can't say due to many games coming out this month and the next that I want to get, but I will read it sooner or later.

Glad to know what your aim of Momomi was, and I think you have succeeded in that.

Ah a fellow child of the 90's here. The age when you had so many good western and Japanese animation to choose from that it hurt (granted some bad series came out as well during that time) but I apply a lot of nostalgia filter to the 90's so don't mind me.

Plus so many anime series take inspiration from one or another of the most famous series from that period that it becomes hard for modern anime fans to appreciate how innovate some of these series were back in the day.

Revoluntary Girl Utena is one of these series that not many realise how much impact it had on the Shoujo genre. It's one of my favourite anime series as well and a true example to how to do Shoujo anime right and this is coming from a guy in their twenties (when Shoujo is done right it is fab, when done badly it's horrible), the level of detail in it's design of Ohari and the duels is such a love letter to Europe architecture and Rose of Versailles influence along with some good old carl jung pieces as well, the way it explores it's characters. Plays or deconstructs many prince and princesses tropes is still brilliant even after twenty years of it being out. Plus it's soundtrack is just mesmerising in every way and one I have tried to find on the internet for years to download, Hikarisasu Niwa is a major standout for me in it's beautiful piano solo.

The series is quite unique in how bizarre and funny it can be, how true to real life teenage behaviour it is at times, and how creepy and disturbing it is in it's contexts of plot and characters especially in sexual stuff and metaphors. I recommend all anime fans to view Utena at least once.

Hell the way it explores femininity overall is one very few series ever can or try to match. It also has one of the best portrayals of abuse I have ever seen done and one that really shows why, many abuse victims struggle to break free of it.

I shall pm you on which Utena character I think you used as influence for Iwanako. Sorry went off topic there but it's always great to meet another big fan of Utena.

I think you are fully deserving of the praise you are getting for your work and no doubt you shall receive more as you continue to explore Iwanako in your own fabulous way.

Look forward to seeing new chapters in the future.

Blackmambauk

[Mohn_Jadden]

I've read a chapter, and this seems really interesting thus far. I've noticed that some aspects of your writing are kind of similar to mine, namely, the type of humor.

[Leaty]

(deadfic)

[Valjean Lafitte]

Not to derail the thread, but I'm currently watching Revolutionary Girl Utena for the first time (huge fan, will probably die when there are no episodes left) and it's driving me crazy that I can't guess which character your version of Iwanako might have been influenced by. I can think of at least two duelists who might a share a personality trait or two in common with Iwanako, but neither of them are really like Iwanako. I'd PM you my guesses, but they're probably laughably off-target.

[Mirage_GSM]

Hmm... About the only things I've seen from Utena were a few AMVs and the movie...
Can't say the movie motivated me much to see more. I had no idea what was happening the whole time, and the time when all characters suddenly transformed into race cars ranks among my "TOP 3 WTF Anime Moments" - and that is no small accomplishment.

[Leaty]

(deadfic)

[Eurobeatjester]

the time when all characters suddenly transformed into race cars

There's a reason we call that movie Mad Max: Yuri Road.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Blackmambauk]

Hmm... About the only things I've seen from Utena were a few AMVs and the movie...

I would say overall the movie works best if you have watched the TV series first. As a lot of the film's story relies on knowing some of the context, subtext and backgrounds etc. from the TV series. Overall the film is overall fitting more of what Kunihiko Ikuhara's main vision was for Utena in the first place (the portrayal of Akio and Touga in the films are the big one's, along with giving fan's the Utena and Anthy ending in his own unique way.) The TV series as someone once pointed out on Tvtropes was a comprise between Kunihiko and the Utena manga writer Chiho Saito aka the person who supposedly hates the Anthy and Utena pairing.

Granted the TV series as I have said before has a few wtf moments of it's own. It's not everyone's cup of tea and I would say it needs to be watched a few times to really get everything tha goes on in it.

it's driving me crazy that I can't guess which character your version of Iwanako might have been influenced by.

I have pmed Leaty on who I think influenced Iwanako, two of my guesses was actually not one of the duellists. The one duellist I think had some influence on Iwanako at first glance couldn't be more different, but looking below the surface the two have more in common than it seems and not just in personality traits either, it's the same a bit for the other two guesses I had. Though that's me being me in analysing stuff.

Watch the whole of Utena so you can see the characters in full then pm Leaty anyway on who you think influenced Iwanako, you might end up guessing right.

Anyways best to get back on topic, otherwise we be here forever discussing Utena. I wasn't sure if my guess on a Utena character having influenced Iwanako would be accurate, but after seeing Leaty's pervious posts on what influences of fiction who have been used, I suspected that Utena would be an anime one since it seemed like something Leaty would enjoy a lot for a variety of different reasons I imagine.

Here's something to inspire thinking on the Utena matter and overall what I do when thinking.

[slartibartfast]

I discovered this fic back in the summer, and it's still my favourite. I can't wait for the next chapter (no pressure).

[vdawg1337]

Yuri route?

[Leaty]

(deadfic)