This is a rewrite of this post, which I am keeping up as an archive and for posterity. However, said post is not required reading to understand this - honestly, I’d suggest reading this first to make sense of that post.
My current viewpoint on Adolescence of Utena very much hinges on the interpretation of it as a narrative more controlled by Anthy than by Akio. It is in part a pseudo-sequel, in part a retelling, but most importantly it is not controlled by Akio to anywhere near the same degree as Revolutionary Girl Utena. His influence is there, as always, but it is Anthy holding everything together, as is made evident by the architecture of the movie and its consistent habit of making Akio out to be a buffoon. More on my opinions regarding this here.
On a meta level, Nanami’s inclusion in Adolescence is a joke. No, seriously. It’s a cameo and, as far as I am aware, not much else. However, I am a believer in death of the author, and in my mind palace her inclusion is far different in tone.
Nanami is, in many ways, a foil to Anthy. Her design alone makes this clear - yellow and purple are on opposite sides of the color wheel, and Nanami has purple eyes and purple in her uniform to boot. Anthy very clearly sees herself in Nanami and does not seem to appreciate this fact. Nanami is the character who she frequently torments, despite others having committed far worse crimes (for the record, Nanami’s “prank” in episode 3 and her drowning a kitten are horrific. However, in the grand scheme of Utena, her crimes are nowhere near as bad or as system-reinforcing as others’.) Considering this, is it any wonder that Anthy’s view of her is less than favorable?
Additionally, and extremely importantly, Nanami has already tried to leave, even before Anthy. Nanami tried to transfer to a different academy, and even though the end of the show casts her as being complacent I doubt that it lasts long, especially given her lack of presence in Adolescence. Anthy leaves first, but in the context of Adolescence she eventually returns to Ohtori. Nanami leaves later than Anthy, but never returns. And this? The fact that someone Anthy sees a small, scared reflection of herself in just up and left and was never pulled back in by the strings of her past abuse? This scares Anthy, because Nanami Kiryuu is evidence that true escape is possible, and true escape being possible means that her entire world that she has built brick by brick around Dios, the shelter that she has made to cope with the abuse that she has gone through for what feels to her like time immemorial, isn’t necessary. The door is open. There is nothing forcing her to stay other than herself. She can go.
In Adolescence of Utena, Nanami - as represented by a cow wearing her uniform - suffocates to presumed death. This is Nanami as Anthy sees her - a sacrificial calf dressed in an imitation of a prince’s uniform - suffocating by the hands of “witches” (Anthy and Shiori) before she can truly leave. This is false (though perhaps the cow is named Nanami given Anthy’s proclivity to naming animals Nanami). This image, the image of a girl punished by an agonizing, embarrassing death for her attempt to defy her “fate”, is a coping mechanism. Dios would pull Anthy back by the throat if she tried to leave, and thus she has reason to continue the way she does. She is doing what she has to do to survive. She has a job to do.
Whatever it takes to sleep at night.
