Anthy was a character that confused the hell out of me the first time I watched Utena. At the time, I connected deeply with Utena & probably as a consequence, I didn’t like Anthy very much. However, I saw a completely different, deeper, scarier character the next time I watched the series that absolutely fascinated me; each time I see it, I see more of her influence. She is one of those characters that has continued to mesmerize me & one that inspires so much compassion.

She is my favorite character from Utena & probably my favorite character in anime; I am always looking for nice or unusual cels of her.

***Please beware of spoilers in some of the descriptions!***

Rosebride Anthy - Ep38

Anthy & Utena ascend to the dueling arena for the duel called Revolution...

Finally! This cel popped up with a slew of other extremely nice Utena pieces last year & by the time I saw it, I was pretty much out of resources to buy it. All in all though, I really didn't have any regrets over not being able to get it given the cels I was able to snag from those lots.

Imagine my surprise when over half a year later, Anime-link had it posted in an update! This cel still speaks to me so I didn't have to do a lot of soul searching to commit to putting in an order - I really feel like it belongs in this little gallery & almost completes my collection, in a way.

For as long as I have been watching Utena & learned what cel collecting was (well over a decade ago now - time sure flies!), I have wanted a portrait shot of Anthy as the Rosebride and I finally have found one, an END cel at that from the ascension to the final duel of the series! I love the airbrushing on the glasses here & her seemingly grim composure. Given the events that transpire after this in the series, I see alot of tension in her shoulders & resigned regret in her expression. Or maybe I'm just reading into it a little too much...

But hey! Isn't that why we love Utena? 🙂

** UPDATE: ** I recieved this cel, but it did not come with the accompanying sketch! That really is a shame, considering it made it over 13 years with the sketch in tow, only to be separated in the last leg of its journey to the States. 🙁 I will leave the picture of the sketch up in the sketch slot as an homage to the set.

    • Item_Type :
    • Cel
    • Source :
    • Utena TV
    • Series :
    • Apocalypse Arc
    • Episode_Number :
    • 38: The Ends of the World
    • Sequence_Number :
    • A9 END
    • Layers :
    • 1
    • Sketches :
    • 0
    • Key_Cel :
    • Y
    • End_Cel :
    • Y
    • Size :
    • Standard
    • Supplier :
    • Dealer
    • Other_Notes :
    • Anime Link
    • Date_Purchased :
    • 10/12/2010