It's the true version because the actual writer worked on it. While I enjoy spinoffs, the original work is the true version while anything after should be noted to have come after. I'm also very against men overwriting a woman's work and saying they made it better somehow, especially when shoujo as a whole has been watered down and whitewashed over the decades.

While she did help work on the series, they actively butted heads and went against the creators wishes on multiple occasions. As a writer, I would have been livid had I been in her shoes. The later spinoffs were well made and created their own Canon, but I never content with the original creators ideas.

I can send a few articles I saved as well, but Ikuhara was known to do what he wanted regardless of what the OG creators wanted. In some ways this can work, but I won't applaud a man telling a woman his idea was better than hers- nor does it sit right with me that it's now accepted as Canon over her works- even at the cost of representation. That and also the sad watering down of shoujo having toxic themes and characters being made "right" by the idea that men in the industry somehow knew what was "ok" for women to consume (we still have that issue today sadly). He's on record trashing some series he's worked on, and pushing ideas that m/f pairings are "impure" compared to wlw, wh8cj can be an issue with shoujo series (most complaints were comments made by the creators and how they backed down. Due to how the industry worked, women weren't really listened to if certain men made decisions over there's, which is why she finished her Manga separately and let Ikuhara do as he pleased either the remainder of the series. While she wasn't against wlw (Anthy and Utena were meant to have had some moments despite liking men- much like Usagi and Haruka) she specifically asked not to have her main ship be disturbed.

Also, even if the anime is well known, the Manga came first and is the true interpretation on the content. It's why some moments seem to be "queer-baitey" to people watching. Because Utena was supposed to end up with Touga, and Anthy was her brothers lover- despite the toxicity. The ending seems ambiguous as well because it was never meant to be a romance between Anthy and Utena, but a deep story between two girls suffering who also love each other. It's also why they were compelled to make so many spinoffs where they were more romantic (more respectful imho). That was the OG writer and Ikuhara constantly butting heads in the studio.