GKIDS Revives Cult Anime Landmark ‘Adolescence Of Utena’ For Limited Theatrical Run

GKIDS is bringing one of anime’s most influential cult features back to the big screen, in the latest example of the distributor’s strategy of event-style limited releases for, until now, largely underserved audiences.

The Toho-owned distributor will give Kunihiko Ikuhara’s 1999 surrealist fantasy Adolescence of Utena its first-ever wide North American theatrical release on June 21 and 22.

Tickets are now on sale for the two-night event, which will screen the film in Japanese with English subtitles. GKIDS also unveiled a new trailer and poster alongside the announcement.

Produced by J.C.Staff, Adolescence of Utena repackages the story of Revolutionary Girl Utena, the landmark manga and television series created by the Be-Papas collective. The feature follows Utena Tenjou as she arrives at Ohtori Academy and becomes entangled in a series of duels centered around Anthy Himemiya, the mysterious Rose Bride. What begins as a fairy tale romance spirals into an abstract meditation on identity, desire, and liberation.

The film has long held a singular place in anime history for its dense symbolism, theatrical visual language, and radical approach to gender and sexuality. Ikuhara directed the feature shortly after his work on Sailor Moon, further cementing the style that would later define projects such as Mawaru Penguindrum and Sarazanmai.

The creative team also includes screenwriter Yoji Enokido (FLCL, Evangelion) and iconic art director Shichiro Kobayashi (Angel’s Egg). Composer J.A. Seazer returned from the television series with a dramatic score that remains one of the franchise’s defining elements.