* Nudity *
Yes. If you haven't seen the movie or any of the television series, let me tell you now that there is some nudity in both.
Now that the censors have gone running for the hills, let's get down to the heart of this little article. Why is there nudity in the movie? It's not a hentai (perverted) flick, and there are other reasons as to why certain characters are shown without clothing.
Nudity in anime can have different purposes. One of them is hentai, pornography. But there are other reasons. Nakedness can indicate one is pure or innocent or that a person is drawing on great power. A lack of clothing can also be used to signify when a person is about to reveal something to another.
There are several brief scenes of nudity throughout the movie. When Shiori does her cocoon-into-butterfly transformation, she is naked but for the cabbage-white butterfly wings. There is a scene with Miki and his twin sister Kozue in their bathtub. Kozue is angry at Miki, holding a razor to his throat as she tells him not to hide anything from her. A brief scene from Akio and Anthy's past shows Akio holding his limp, and naked sister.
RIGHT: The first large instance of nudity is when Utena and Anthy go to the tower to sketch each other. When it is Anthy's turn to sketch Utena, Utena blushes - for Anthy wishes to sketch her naked. Anthy tells her that the teacher wanted them to reveal their true selves to the other. She also reminds Utena of her words: Let's not hold any more secrets from each other.
Still, Utena is quite embarrassed, showing her innocence. She slowly and reluctantly agrees, and while posing, she is breathing fast from nervousness. She's clearly uncomfortable showing her bare body to Anthy, and covers herself as soon as she can.
LEFT: Utena complains it's not fair for only one of them to pose naked. Anthy pauses a moment and agrees. She stands up and takes off her own clothes - but not to show her innocence. Instead, Anthy reveals a secret to Utena that she has hidden until now - a hole in her chest where her heart should be, the place where Akio attacked and killed her. Such knowledge could not be shared any other way - her clothing hid it.
The second large instance of nudity comes at the very end. Utena and Anthy successfully face down Akio, escaping from his world and the castle on the bare remains of the Utena car - nothing but a pair of wheels, an engine, and a few axles. Utena and Anthy are likewise stripped down, wearing nothing but their long hair. There's no harping around this scene - there is full frontal nudity. But it shows how Utena and Anthy have left everything behind them. In order to go to the outside world, they must abandon everything they know and are used to. They no longer have their roles as duelist and Rose Bride - those meaningless forms are also shed, and so are the clothes that symbolize them.
RIGHT: They must begin anew, starting with only themselves - not even their identity (clothing) is left to them. Unlike the other scene where she is nude, Utena no longer feels embarrassed or self-conscious, showing she has overcome her fears and is willing to reveal her true self to Anthy. It also shows their power - for nudity is a way of expressing power in anime, not to mention their freedom. They've just defeated Akio and escaped to the outside world - something that must have required massive amounts of power to accomplish. They have been freed of their burdens, their shackles, and the future for them is limitless.
Hopefully, you've come into this article with an open mind, and leave with one a little more open. The nudity in Utena often has a deeper meaning, and isn't just there because the producers felt like throwing around a little flesh. Utena is not hentai or pornography, but if a little nudity disturbs you, you will probably be better off watching something else.
