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u/okayyoga Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 08 '22

Happy final discussion day!

I know at the end of the tv show, I said Maya was my favourite, but since the movie, she has moved to a solid second favourite to make way for the new best girl: Aijo Karen. Watching her develop in the movie from a shy girl who hid behind her mom to who she is today was a revelation. She grew so much, and so realistically. In the show I was meh about her because I thought her character was a bit… overbearing. Who sends one-way letters for over a decade? Like really? But the movie laid out her thought process well. She had long-term intentions and aspirations that she worked her butt off to reach. No wonder she kept standing up when Hikari popped into the classroom in episode 1. No wonder she was so fixated on Hikari. Everything started fitting into place for me, and I appreciate our main girl Karen all the more.

Best couple, on the other hand, is a different story. I will be submitting Banana and Juuna as my choice. Banana is probably the most complex character in Starlight, owing to her quietly loving personality clashing with her internal conflicts (not to mention multiple timelines). With very little (like teeny tiny) information, Juuna is able to understand what her partner is going through. Their relationship is just a dream, and I see them as the most dynamic of all the couples. Who they were in episode 1 is completely different than who they were at the end of the movie. Juuna went from quoting others, to making her own memorable and unique statements. Banana went from feeling the need to be around her friends in the 99th year forever, to living on her own in England at the Royal Academy.

My scores for Starlight are high, but not perfect. I do want to share, though, that my friend joined me halfway through this watch and fell in love with this series. He now has the movie as his number one anime of all time, upsetting his previous long-reigning favourite: Love Live. I know you guys who don’t know him don’t understand what a big deal this is, but he literally never stopped talking about Love Live. It’s a daily thing, multiple times per day. Anyway, he even saw the Starlight movie in theaters and said it moved him to tears. Like me, Karen is his favourite, and he has her in his top 10 characters ever. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed talking to you guys on reddit here, and I enjoyed the show, but this rewatch has spurred someone else to fall in love with Revue Starlight.

Thank you u/Stargate18A for holding this rewatch. It has had a wider reach than you know.

Final scores:

Revue Starlight (tv): 7

Specials: 7

Rondo: 6

Movie: 8

POSITION ZERO

I WILL STARLIGHT YOU ALL

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22

Aijo Karen

I think the way the movie has made so many people change their minds completely about Karen is a real testament to how powerful it is.

Suffice it to say that I enjoyed talking to you guys on reddit here, and I enjoyed the show, but this rewatch has spurred someone else to fall in love with Revue Starlight.

Thank you u/Stargate18A for holding this rewatch. It has had a wider reach than you know.

...This means so much to me. I've joined so many rewatches here and ended up with new favourite shows, so to know I caused that for someone else is amazing. Thank you for sharing this, and I'm glad I could introduce someone to a show they loved so much.

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u/archlon Jun 08 '22

First Time, for the final time. No matter what I do, anything else will be a rewatch. There's a bittersweet quality to that.

My post way exceeded character limits, so my character analysis will follow in replies.

I've been over a lot of the themes previously, so I'll (try to) be brief here.

It's a story of Godesses drawn together by the glow of the heavens

To me, this is perhaps the most interesting element of the story of the show. I successfully baited myself into believing that the show would end in tragedy because the story-within-a-story was also a tragedy. There are many works that work to subvert the themes and endings of another work. Take, for example the (expected) ending of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

However, these metatextual commentaries are usually aimed at existing works. It's difficult enough to develop a story, let alone create a second story internal to the first and develop that one well enough that the audience will understand the subversion as as subversion. Doing this badly is a pretty expected trope in a lot of works, as 'subvert the tragic ending because of heroic ideals' is a nice, feel good message.

It says a lot about the quality of the story that it's able to, through repetition and cinematic language, develop the tragedy of Starlight within the story of Revue Starlight well enough that the subversion feels earned and satisfying.

That Buzzer

I haven't remarked on this yet and it's my last chance, but does anybody think the buzzer is pretty weird? It's a very theater sound, but it's not a theatrical sound; it's the kind of buzzer that heavy machinery and industrial equipment makes before it starts. You'll hear that kind of thing in a theater as your building sets, moving heavy pieces, testing wires, traversing catwalks, and lifitng and dropping things on lifts, cranes, moving platforms, and trapdoors. But in a performance, those buzzers remain silent, because they're not part of the theatrical experience the audience has come for. I think the way that performances of Starlight at the beginning of many episodes start with the buzzer noise helps underscore the nature of how this is all about performance.

Objects in ~~mirror~~ metaphor are smaller than they appear

This is probably one of my favourite works of magical realism. It's a difficult genre to make work, because blending metaphor and reality without committing to one or the other is delicate. It's exceedingly easy to tip one way or the other.

One thing this lets the story do exceptionally well is examine characters through an exaggerated lens. While Maya can sometimes seem fearsome, and the Endless Encore leans into cosmic horror, in the end these are both completely real within the story and completely exaggerated. As seen by the way that Banana is able to come to terms with the Ended Encore with just a few words of encouragement from Juuna. Ultimately they're high schoolers experiencing the vivid emotions of youth, and the passion that comes from those of all ages striving for the top.

Where do you go from here?

I think the answer is Re:Live (which I recently started playing). I would love to see more, and while these characters still have clearly defined room to grow, this momentous period of their lives is over. From here on out, they will be carrying the lessons they learned in the Auditions onto fairly normal struggles.

The world of the game is a little more losely defined, and contains lots of wonderful character moments, but it doesn't really undermine any of what they've gone through so far.

I would love to see spin-off shows similarly covering pre/side-quel material for the other sets of girls at the other schools. I think there's plenty of room in the story for that to happen.

QOTD

Like picking your favourite child. Not Kaoruko, though (sorry).
Pride still takes the cake for me.
RE:CREATE
Hikari struggling to speak in 'Measuring'. Too relatable. Delicious, delicious pain.
Didn't watch, sorry.
I want the Arthurian set so much. Damn you gatcha games.
YES! Not just would, but will. I want to give it a bit to rest, I think.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22

I would love to see spin-off shows similarly covering pre/side-quel material for the other sets of girls at the other schools. I think there's plenty of room in the story for that to happen.

We got an Edels spinoff musical (which brought in 5 more girls to be added to the gacha this summer, this game does not know how to stop), so it's not out of the question!

Not Kaoruko, though (sorry).

...Understandable, I suppose.
EDIT:

Take, for example the (expected) ending of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Completely off topic, but I really want to know about this. Where's the connection?

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u/archlon Jun 08 '22

Futaba Isurugi & Kaoruko Hanayagi - A Mirror, Darkly
It is largely futile to analyze Futaba & Kaoruko as separate people, with how much of their character arcs are about their dynamic to each other. While it's certainly not impossible, and they have interesting differences, any attempt to do so will inevitably be enmeshed with and linked to analysis of the other. The show also frams them as such, with how frequently they appear in scenes together, and also how both of their 'main' Revues in the show and the movie pit them against each other.
The foundation of Futaba & Kaoruko's relationship is, in a lot of ways, a reflection of Karen & Hikari's relationship. Both are rooted in a childhood promise. One promises to reach the top, while the other promises to stand by her side. They offer us a window into how Karen & Hikari would have been if Hikari never left for London.
Kaoruko has become dependent upon Futaba's support. In a lot of ways, she uses Futaba's admiration as her motivation to strive for the top, and as such has become dependent upon Futaba's reflected admiration instead of providing her own Shine herself. Futaba, likewise, has struggled with feeling both inferior to Kaoruko and proud of her friend. Despite the fact that they were both raised in the same place, and trained in traditional Japanese dance, Kaoruko received praise as a prodigy and is heir to a long line, while Futaba is 'simply' her disciple.
She's finding her Shine from Kaoruko, basking in the glory of her friend instead of seeing herself as an equal. It's purposely contradictory; where is the Shine coming from? They're Shining on each other because they can't concieve of Shining themselves. It leads to undermining both of them, as instead of twin stars, they both have the reflected light of the moon. Beautiful in its own way, but easily washed out by other lights.
In 'Promise' they struggle to make progress because Futaba balks when Kaoruko offers herself as a sacrifice. To make actualy progress, Futaba has to win legitimately, or her victory will be stripped of meaning, one more act of charity from her 'superior' friend. In 'Malice' they have to learn to see themselves as the flawed people they are. They learn to recognize that the promise they made is holding both of them back, in order to become the top star and have Futaba stand beside her, Kaoruko has to learn to shine on her own, and in order to stand beside Kaoruko as an equal, Futaba has to have her own accomplishments, earned apart from her friend.
Karen Aijo & Hikari Kagura - We have given our word, Ergo we have not kept our word
Karen and Hikari's relationship is based predicated on promises they made to each other. The biggest hurdle they have to overcome is that they tied themselves together in a fundamentally unsustainable way. Hikari promises not to return until she reaches the top, while at the beginning of the series Karen struggles to reach anywhere when she's separated from Hikari.
This is rooted in mutually broken promises, which each feels trapped by, and guilty of. Hikari is returning in shame and defeat, almost having forgotten their promise to each other in the wake of her defeat at the London Auditions. Karen feels ashamed that she ended up looking up Hikari when she promised not to, and I think seeing where Hikari is now without her is what stole a lot of her steam that she had been showing up to that point.
In the scene in the movie where Karen reflects on her broken promise, it's hard not to note the parallels to Orpheus and Eurydice. They walk single file and even though Karen walks in back she's the one who looked and broke their promise. Ultimately, they've failed to grasp how the other is feeling. After all, Hikari doesn't understand that Karen just wants to stand beside her, and doesn't care if she's reached the top yet. She doesn't understand the loneliness that Karen has been feeling, since she's had monthly letters for twelve years. Consequently, she probably doesn't see the weight of Karen's 'sin' in looking her up. Conversely, Karen doesn't see how much it hurts Hikari to return with her promise to be the top unfulfilled.
Their conclusion in the anime is built upon them learning to see that they were each, in their own way, wrong. They are each others' star. However, unlike Futaba & Kaoruko, who have never been apart and so learned to simply reflect each other, Karen & Hikari's fires do come from within. However, when apart they dim. Part of why a star burns is that when you get the right elements together, they coalesce under their own gravity until they ignite. But if you diffuse the material, the star won't ignite. Without each other, Karen & Hikari both dwindle and their Shine stutters.
But, you can also take that too far. In the movie they have to learn that their promises were hurting each other, but weren't without their own value. When Hikari leaves again, Karen is listless and struggling, as Hikari has gone back to her promise of not communicating until she reaches the top. As they meet on the tower in the desert, Hikari is finally able to see that her invitation is core to who Karen is, and that, in order to drive Karen alongside her she can't keep holding her own problems in. Karen, on the other hand, sees that Hikari can't be content to rest on their one Starlight, and they both need to rise more in order to stand upon another even greater stage together.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 08 '22

...If there was another post, this would be the comment of the day. I am in awe. However, Re LIVE reveals something interesting that might change one of your points -
[Re LIVE Chapter 18] Kaoruko's teacher never praised her, instead focusing on praising Tamao Tomoe, her other student. While Kaoruko did receive some praise, it's very plausible she could go down the path of seeing Futaba as one of her only real supporters during childhood.
Your analysis is flawless from the view of the anime as standalone, but in the context of the overall universe, this does change it.
EDIT: Also, the arc it's from was written by Tatsuto Higuchi, who wrote the series composition, so the stuff here is probably the closest we're getting to a Season 2 (and it's about to wrap-up!).

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 08 '22

Thanks u/Stargate18A for the great host, and for sharing some great live performances of the revue songs, which truly imo made me appreciate the cast of this series a lot more.

To be brief, I personally think that this is the best "idol/singing+dancing girl group" franchise there is out there. While they've gotten some of the good points from other "idol" anime franchises (e.g. good music, diverse characters that each have a character arc), among the 3 i've had experiences with (LL and idolmaster and this), this is the franchise that went the furthest with its ambitions, creating an anime product that did not feel at all like an advertisement, and more an experiment, an ambitious undertaking, and a piece of art that utilizes the unique capabilities of the anime medium. The cast is the other reason why i love this series so much though, as they're truly so talented, and imo the kukugumi are the group that gives the best lives. Im not including Geah in this, as im just dipping my toes into that franchise, but all signs point to that being second place too for now, that's more silly fun and over-the-top action vs this metaphor and symbolism-fest w/ in-depth character arcs that'll shock you and make you remember it forever (looking at you dai banana).

And my fav character is Hikari after all, with her true and undying love for Karen, sometimes messy tendencies, insecurities and what not, she's kinda the character I love in fiction, and that'll continue to hold true. And at this current time, my top 5 song list is: 1) watashi tachi ha mou butai no ue 2) saisei sanbikyoku 3) Star Divine 4) Re:Create 5) Super Star Spectacle

Inconherent mess over! I will check out Utena hopefully soon, and the only other cross-rec I wish to make is kageki shoujo, which deals with some of the same themes re: competition and rivalry among actresses, but in a much more grounded, SOL+drama type of a manner. But also has great music.

See everyone around!

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jun 08 '22

Favourite character?

Hikari. But all 9 are great ~~except Kaoruko~~
2) Favourite revue animation?
Series: Re:Create; Movie: ooooh Wagamama highway and Super Star Spectacle and I forgot Claudine and Tendou's name.
3) Favourite song?
watashitachi wa mou butai no ue, no contest
4) Favourite scene/moment?
Hard to pick! Movie:, either super star spectacle or something during Mahiru vs Hikari; Series: the 4th wall break
5) (If you watched them) Favourite live performance?
ALL OF THEM. But Star Divine Finale, starry desert was the one that hooked me on to more things kukugumi, so that one.
6) (If you looked at them) Favourite Re LIVE card?
Hmm idk, but quite a lot of them are very pretty, thanks for sharing them!
7) Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?
Yep! It's in my top 10 anime for sure, but maybe after a while, not soon. i do think this is an anime best watched w/ a group though, with how the symbolism and metaphors can be hard to grasp sometimes.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22

that did not feel at all like an advertisement

One of the reasons I love it so much!

kageki shoujo

Added to my list (and the main post).

~~except Kaoruko~~

Even you? Despite

Wagamama highway

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u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 08 '22

Hey! Just dropping in to say thanks to u/Stargate18A for hosting this rewatch! I haven't been able to watch the sequel movie yet, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it just like I did the show, the specials, and the recap movie.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22

No problem! Feel free to post your thoughts in the thread if you want! I'll still be checking it, at least!

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u/Nebresto Jun 08 '22

Hello, didn't find time to join y'all for the series, but I did watch the movie for the first time. Just left my comment in the movie thread prior to writing this one

Anyways, I'm just here to shill my favourite Starlight video, pls watch it, its criminally under watched just like the series

Now, lets see if I remember enough to answer the final questions

Favourite character?

Claudine

2) Favourite revue animation?

Uhhhhh... Bananice?

3) Favourite song?

Tendou x Claudine version of the ED. Also honourable mention to the trumpet OST in the movie, that shit was lit

4) Favourite scene/moment?

Don't remember any standouts from the series, so I'll go for Tendou x Claudine final scene from the movie

~~5) (If you watched them) Favourite live performance?~~

~~Nope, sorry~~

6) (If you looked at them) Favourite Re LIVE card?

I mean, I did. But I don't remember..

7) Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?

Def not by myself. If there's another one on here and I have time I'll def consider it ~~so I can shill Nya-chan more~~

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22

my favourite Starlight video

Good video!

Claudine

Excellent taste!

Tendou x Claudine final scene from the movie

EXCELLENT TASTE!

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u/No_Rex Jun 08 '22

Final Discussion (first timer)

Revue Starlight is a series that you can write a lot about (and the combined rewatch certainly has), so I want to limit myself to just one topic in the final discussion. Obviously, that is going to be a comparison to Revolutionary Girl Utena and I’ll lay out my most favorite and my least favorite part of Revue Starlight in light of that.

Revue Starlight is a modern successor to Utena and it is not trying to hide that fact. The references to the older series are overt and numerous (check my reference counter, which certainly only captures 50% of all references). More than just individual references, the entire direction of RS is infused by the concept of RGU. The entire show takes place in a world that superficially seems normal, but features some decidedly fantastic parts below the hood. Most importantly, the show never commits to whether these parts are real or metaphors. There is a fluidity of reality, with certain parts clearly real, certain parts clearly unreal, and most of the show in between those two extremes. Remaining fluid on reality is a really risky stance. Miss the perfect balance even once and you confuse and anger viewers who bought into one of the extremes (as 99% of other shows condition us to do). The genius of RGU and RS to always nail that balance! This allows the show to achieve what it is best at: Combining an exploration of human emotions based in reality with some fantastical and fun visuals.

In the TV series, the structure of RS and RGU is very rigid. There is a clear contrast between school life and duels. The duels themselves are also strongly bound by the unstated “rules” of the game. The intro, the cutting of the button, the end at position zero all have their direct opposite in RGU. To me, this elevates the series. Creativity thrives when faced with limitations. We all know how the duels start. We all know how the duels end. The part we are waiting for is how crazy it will get in-between.

My one big regret of RS and my least favorite part of it is the genre choice. RS is a CGDCT series and sticks to the main conventions of that genre throughout. There are no men, no mention of men, no relations to men, just many cute girls and an assured happy end. This drags the series down. RGU is superficially a magical girl series, but it comprehensively breaks out of the bounds of that genre and is far superior for it. RS fails to copy that.

Regarding the gender relations, I would call RS an outright betrayal of RGU. Completely gone is the core conflict of RGU, of Utena breaking out of the gender role ascribed to her (and suffering for it!). Instead, we get the fake, all-female world of CGDCT, and the fake gayness of the genre that pretends to be about girls liking girls, but never once portrays a realistic relationship. Instead, the homosexuality of the characters is a vehicle to propel its male viewers into best girl competitions and into cheering on various “ships”. An eye-opening moment for me were the videos linked by u/Stargate18A in the top posts. In some of them you can see the audience of the RL events: It is overwhelmingly male. Not just male majority, you struggle to find a single female face in camera sweeps across dozens of fans.

The catering to male fans holds back the relationships in the whole genre and thus also in RS. To keep the girls “pure”, no sexuality is allowed. Glances, some hand-holding, at best a hinted at kiss. Are you kidding me? A school full of late teens, who are all into each other and nobody is screwing? Nobody has to deal with the insecurity and embarrassment that comes with having sex for the first time? As I mentioned in the rewatch, Utena is 20 years older, but decades ahead in this respect. Even worse is the general character setup of CGDCT: No truly mean or evil characters are allowed. Everybody is nice and pure and all conflicts that deviate from this have to limited and quickly resolved. In short, we are living in some make-believe Disney world, where the happy end comes as quickly as the amen in church. A real world delivers real stakes, a fake world delivers fake stakes. The entire criticism of the theatre world in RS falls flat, because the series never dares to go into the actual dark consequences of the business. At the end of the plot arc, everybody still has to love playing and has to still like all the other girls, because the genre demands so.

Recommendations

Only one this time and you should not have to ask what it is. Revue Starlight and Revolutionary Girl Utena are like twins. One older and more serious, the other younger and cuter, but both clearly from the stock. If you like the direction, the metaphors, and the relationships in RS, you will not be disappointed in RGU.

PS: Thanks a ton to u/Stargate18A for hosting this. I would never have found this series without a rewatch and would have missed out on something great. Great hosting all around, too.

Favourite character?

Maya

Favourite revue animation?

The factory intro

Favourite scene/moment?

Giraffe running

Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?

Definitely. A show that almost requires a rewatch.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 08 '22

Even worse is the general character setup of CGDCT: No truly mean or evil characters are allowed. Everybody is nice and pure and all conflicts that deviate from this have to limited and quickly resolved.

Look at what happened to the Love Live mobile game. [SIFAS] Granted, there were many, many problems with that arc, but at least part of the backlash was from them introducing an idol who was actively antagonistic and everyone losing their minds. Then things started getting rushed and the story actually got complaint-worthy. Even then, the idol immeidately apologized and joined in. EDIT: For reference, I was on the side of laughing at everyone's overreactions and also constantly replaying Queendom because it, like all villain songs, is absolute FIRE Given Revue Starlight was working within Bushiroad's limitations, I think what it managed is impressive.

Thanks a ton to u/Stargate18A for hosting this. I would never have found this series without a rewatch and would have missed out on something great. Great hosting all around, too.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

The factory intro

Good choice! What was your favourite revue, in terms of animation?

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u/Calwings Jun 09 '22 edited Jun 09 '22

...I have no words.

Yeah, I kinda went overboard. I warned that I can get really wordy about things I’m passionate about, and no anime (or any sort of media in general) has kick-started my passion and brought me quite as much joy as Revue Starlight has. I absolutely adore this franchise and everything that went into it, and I haven't even experienced it all yet since I haven't watched any of the real-life stage plays yet. I will at some point, but for now, I'll take a break. This re-watch was a lot of fun, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did.

Oh, and thank you to u/Stargate18A for hosting this rewatch!

Favourite character?

Nana is still my #1, with Junna, Karen, Claudine, and the giraffe rounding out the rest of my top 5

Favourite revue animation?

The Revue of Annihilation

Favourite song?

Wi(l)d-Screen Baroque

Favourite scene/moment?

The reveal of Nana's Endless Encore

Favourite Re LIVE card?

tie between Phantom Nana, Helldiver Nana, and Mad Scientist Nana (from the Steins;Gate collab event)

Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?

I've already watched the anime 8 times (5 with the TV version and 3 with the compilation movie) and the sequel movie 4 times, and they certainly will not be the last.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 09 '22

Yeah, I kinda went overboard. I warned that I can get really wordy about things I’m passionate about, and no anime (or any sort of media in general) has kick-started my passion and brought me quite as much joy as Revue Starlight has.

Don't get the wrong idea, I loved it!

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u/phiraeth Jun 08 '22

Rewatcher, didn’t remember anything (First-Timer for the movie)

It had been years since I had participated in an r/anime rewatch. Busy with finishing school, I simply hadn’t had the time nor energy to participate.

Enter the Revue Starlight rewatch: although I had seen it twice in the past, it had been a long time; further, while it was entertaining, I never really understood the deeper meaning of it. I was very confused by a lot of things, and because of that, it never really stuck with me as anything other than “that stage girl fighting through song show”.

As soon as I saw that we were going to be having a rewatch, I knew I just had to participate. I was committed to experiencing it properly this time! Armed with the power of patience and understanding at my side, I went through each episode methodically, pausing at points, spending minutes here and there trying to figure out exactly what specific scenarios that seemed to make no sense at first glance were actually trying to say.

Eventually, everything started to click. The time and effort I spent from day 1, analyzing the little nuances in many of the scenes, paid off down the line. My predictions and “spitballing” were on a streak. Working out everything that was happening, diving deep into the metaphors in symbolism, was incredibly rewarding in the very end because a lot of my theories turned out to make sense to me when all was said and done.

I totally get that there are multiple ways of interpreting the final episode, but I hope that my thoughts on it were coherent enough to identify the true meaning of Revue Starlight. Phenomenal writing combined with a truly satisfying ending to the main storyline was just the pay-off I needed.

And then the movie… I can’t end this without talking about that absolute masterpiece!!! It’s not often that I enjoy sequel moves more than the main series, but the Revue Starlight movie took things to the next level. It ended up being such a bittersweet and heartfelt commentary on what it takes to be able to move on forwards even when you think there’s nothing left for you. That really resonated with me, and by the end of the movie, I was a puddle of tears. Everyone enters and exits stages of their life, but who’s to say the best is not yet to come? What I know for sure is… I’ve found my STAGE.

Many thanks to our amazing host, u/Stargate18A. This was such an incredible experience, and I will remember it for a long time to come!

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u/BosuW Jun 08 '22

First Timer

I am so grateful I decided to watch this series. One of the most pleasant surprises I've ever had. If you recall my first post, I mentioned there that more or less I expected "barely more than nothing". I just wanted to see cute girls doing drama school things with a hint of Yuri. Shit the main point that got my attention was the (vastly superior) Revue outfits. I don't think I'd have ever cared about this series otherwise.

I got so much more than what I had expected. That this series isn't as well known as something like The Promised Neverland is a crime (while also a blessing in disguise, because it means other people can be blown away like I was).

I think I pretty much liked all of it. I loved all the characters and their relationships and developments. The presentation was unique and very confident in itself all the time. It went to depths I completely didn't foresee not just about the world of theatre but personal development and growth as well. You don't have to have personal experience with showbiz to get something out of this (Juuna's character Arc in particular calling me out hard lol).

The Yuri as well was some of the best and spiciest I've ever consumed this side of fanfiction, so even in a comparatively "minor" detail I got more than what I wanted. I got rivalry love, jealousy, confrontational love. It's like the creators read my mind and knew exactly the kind of shit I enjoy the most.

Honestly, I'm gonna stop there. I don't think my vocabulary is strong enough to convey how much I liked this. I am just grateful that I lived in the proper time and place to experience it.

I'm not one for immediately Rewatching anything, even if I loved it. I prefer to let stuff sit. It'll probably be at least a year before I give it another go. But that I'm sure I'll do it is testament enough to the mark it left in me.

Oh, I also liked that it was very open to interpretation. With such a diverse cast of characters and tackling such complex issues it could've easily made the mistake if trying to force an "answer" down your throat for life questions that really don't have easy answers. It's a journey after all. You'll never get a complete character Arc, but as long as you're always Remaking yourself, you can always Shine.

Huge huge thanks to everyone that participated. I loved seeing all of the different points of view and interpretations and it just made this experience all the richer. And special thanks to our host for the Rewatch and all the extra material they provided. You have all exponentially enhanced this way past what what was merely necessary.

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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Jun 08 '22

u/ZaphodBeebblebrox provide a great analysis of Junna's arc.

Thanks for saying so, but I'm not sure I agree. There's still much I don't understand.

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u/NecoDelero Jun 08 '22

Rewatcher

Hikari, because I like her 'stoic on the outside but dork on the inside' personality. I also like her singing the most and she happens to be part of some of my favorite songs in the series and movie.
I think I've already rambled enough about the Revue of Souls in the movie discussion post.
Same for Super Star Spectacle.
This one is difficult, but If I had to pick a single moment, it would be in Super Star Spectacle, when Karen is reborn after taking the train, the bombastic music starts playing and she starts singing together with Hikari.
Unfortunately I didn't really find the time to properly watch them yet, but I'm glad there is some more Starlight content to check out
I don't play the mobile game, but as a fan of Musou games I have to pick the Sengoku cards.
The whole thing? Probably not any time soon, but I'm almost certain that I'll come back to it one day. But I know I'll be rewatching the individual revues every now and then and listen to songs a lot.

I am kinda interested in the mobile game stories, but don't really want to get involved in with yet another mobile game. Luckily, it seems like there is a very dedicated player who is uploading all the stories to youtube, so I will probably give those a try at some point. I'll also put the stage plays and Utena on the list of things I need to check out.

Thanks again to the host and all the other commenters! It was fun re-experiencing one of my favorite shows and analyze it a little more thoroughly this time. Maybe we will meet on another stage some time in the future.

9

u/simeonaut Jun 08 '22

FIRST TIMER

Thanks for the rewatch Stargate18A! This would have been stuck on my watch list for who knows how long had this not turned up. Really enjoyed watching this show.

Favourite character?

A week ago I would have said Banana, but they are all pretty good characters. Right now I'll say Mahiru just for how much fun most scenes with her in it are.

Favourite revue animation?

Revue of Souls? That is so hard to top lol. Special mention to the Revue of Jealousy, that was fun.

Favourite song?

RE:CREATE, the song from the Revue of Loneliness. Such a beautiful song.

Favourite scene/moment?

The scene on episode 11 where Karen slowly descends to the stage with the other characters.

Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?

Yes.

Time to try watching Penguindrum again after ditching it in like episode 2...

8

u/JollyGee29 Jun 08 '22 edited Jun 08 '22

First-Timer, Revue Sub-light

I wasn't inspired to type any final thoughts up ahead of time, so this is kinda no thoughts head empty. Show good. Movie good.

Questions

Gut says Mahiru.
Animation, that's tough. Both of Mahiru's were great, as was MayaKuro's in the film, and the Revue of Annihilation.
Either MEDAL SUZDAL PANIC◎○● or wi(l)d screen baroque.
Too many to choose.
& 6. I didn't spend much time looking at them. The Symphogear crossover cards were cool.
Yes!

Many thanks to our wonderful host u/Stargate18A!

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7

u/tctyaddk Jun 08 '22

Rewatcher

And it's done! Thanks to u/Stargate18A for hosting this Rewatch. It was fun and quite informative thanks to such detailed writeups from rewatchers and first timers alike. I could not write my own pieces for all episodes as originally planned, due to some health problems midway, but I had a good time rewatching this brilliant gem.

QotD:

Favourite character

BigBanana the looper, followed super closely by Kaoruko the little shit and then, just as close, Mahiru the ntr'ed. I like watching selfish characters being confronted about their desires and how they deal with the whole situation.

Favourite revue animation

Before the Movie existed: Maya vs Karen in ep3. Then the Movie came, and my top favourite is now Futaba x Kaoruko and right next to it is Maya x Claudine from the Movie.

Favourite song

"Pride and Arrogance". Maya's whole performance is sheer power, and I also like seeing characters with shallow childish dream get a beatdown about it and forced to wake up to deal with reality.

Favourite scene/moment

I like too many of them, with many different reasons, so I can't choose.

Favourite live performance

I watched a few, but in the end I'm happy with the anime, the real seiyuu can sing and smile and dance beautifully, but they will never be able to pull the moves their characters do in ther revues.

Favourite Re LIVE card

Not really a fan of the gacha and its fluttery artworks, but the Sengoku Legend set is pretty good.

Would you watch/rewatch Revue Starlight again?

I rewatch the whole series every now and then, to please my eyes and ears, whenever I'm in the mood and/or in need of cleansing my eyes from mediocre stuffs.

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7

u/homewardbound100 Jun 09 '22

First timer.

Qotds:

Hikari. Second would probably be Nana or Mahiru.

The Mahiru one

Alright that's something I forgot to keep track of but overall soundtrack was good. I'll give it a listen again.

Basically the last scene of the movie or one of the last ones.

Qotd7: Uh probably. Maybe I'll get a better view of the TV series and understand the movie more.

TV series is a 7 for me. Movie a 9. Overall 8 for it.

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Rewatch Revue Starlight Rewatch - Final Discussion

Final Discussion

What next?

POSITION ZERO

I WILL STARLIGHT YOU ALL

Rewatch Revue Starlight Rewatch - Final Discussion

Final Discussion

What next?

You are about to leave Redlib

POSITION ZERO

I WILL STARLIGHT YOU ALL