Utena is a story far less innocent than it looks. Even with a subtle dash and all the fantasy comes to controversial issues, as is typical of shoujo, but this anime is much more dense than the others.
Each character is worked in a splendid manner. Its life history, their personal dramas. We note characters very human, with virtues and defects that are in common.

The atmosphere is surreal anime. Be the "Castle Dios" floating above the "Duel Arena" is the uncertainty of time and place. Utena is more than a fairy tale, is a magical story, where nothing is what it seems.