perpertual brainrot machine

ohtori is a Society {} it/its or they/them

[fionacle]

you lost to an amateur with a broken kendo sword dumbass

[monkey-overalls]

When I talk to someone who’s just started RGU, it can be difficult to articulate the purpose of certain scenes without giving later plot points away. Nothing encapsulates this dilemma more than Anthy getting slapped.

Throughout the first arc, Anthy is slapped at least once per episode, often more. With the synopsis I give people about RGU as a master of subtle manipulation, they’re usually like, “Subtle???” (because this show cannot be recommended without discussing that aspect. “Oh, but spoilers—” nope. Ensuring people aren’t triggered comes first). This is also coming from someone who nearly dropped the show because I was tired of seeing a brown girl get physically abused every thirty seconds. The student body (mainly Saionji) slap Anthy, say she’s worthless and publicly humiliate her, to which Utena steps in as her prince on a white horse to defend her honor. Anthy is treated like shit, Utena saves her, repeat.

Then she loses the dual to Touga, and the vibe completely shifts. There’s sort of a running bit amongst live-bloggers where they keep tally of the number of times Anthy is slapped, but that only really happens in the first arc. Anthy accepts Utena’s kindness not because she believes she deserves it, but because Utena tells her to accept it. Even the cathartic moment where Anthy slaps back is revealed to actually be Utena. With this revelation, Utena wins back Anthy, and though the episode most definitely marks a turning point in their relationship, Utena still, and I cannot stress this enough, wins back Anthy to regain her own confidence.

The second arc begins, and Akio enters the stage. Saionji, the show’s biggest encapsulation of Anthy’s overt physical abuse, is expelled. Touga, the big bad of arc one, is completely absent. Utena thinks she finally has a handle on the situation, that her and Anthy are now on equal footing, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This big, heroic, “I know exactly who I am” moment against Touga only marks the end of the first of four arcs.

The first arc sets up a type of abuse you clearly see and object to, only to pull the wool over your eyes with Akio. Akio, who never publically mistreats Anthy. Akio, who invites the engaged into his home, into the trap he’s spent years setting up. Remember when Anthy used to stay up late in the dorms watching infomercials and eating chips? I do.

So, yeah, when I tell people to stick with the show, I don’t mean because it gets better. It gets far, far worse, in both covert and realistic ways, and that’s precisely the point.

[rhineposting]

rewatching revolutionary girl utena and it's kind of hysterical how touga first makes himself relevant to the main plot. literally jumped out of the bushes and went "My name is John Normal. Let's date." and then he does this with his face

[halveablock]

adolescence / revolution

stickersheet for utena stamp rally at fanime! it'll also have a sand glitter effect...

[glysaturn]

maybe the real power to bring the world revolution was the yuri we found along the way (screenshot redraw)

[anthyswords-inactive]

rewatch revolutionary girl utena and you too can get upset by how passively suicidal utena tenjou is

[geospiral]

I like animals, and animals like me.

[tetsaii]

I binge watched all 39 episodes and the movie in one week.

[inbeesinblood]

We joke about the akio sex car but truthfully what a well done metaphor for sexual assault. A car can only ever have one driver, the person in control of where you’re going and how you get there. The passenger, ultimately, has no real power to ensure you get to your destination safely; that’s up to the driver. If the driver chooses to drive recklessly and dangerously, the passenger has no choice but to be there for the ride. It’s such a simple and effective way to show loss of control and helplessness

[miaomiaoisms]

[nonbinary-watanuki]

the episode when you learn it was never about prince dios its never been about akio its never been about a man its always been about anthy about saving anthy and utenas kind heart wanting to rescue a stranger everything her nobility her attitude her bravery its always been about anthy its for anthy not akio but anthy anthy anthy

[picturesof-us]

[mikudonald]

sweetziziii - Gothic lolita Anthy ♡ /ᐠ⑅˵- ⩊ -˵マ

artist's twitter

[bimtimtom]

Leave it all behind

[onionstar123]

Once again about why his design is so peak. As Nemuro he hides his thin, frail body under oversized clothes, his hands behind gloves, eyes behind glasses, his entire appearance is about isolation, alienation, significant discomfort about both other people AND himself. Particularly himself.

Whereas as Mikage, when he is very likely literally dressed by Akio, no gloves or glasses anymore, and this clothing that only higlights his thin frame. Forced to be on display. And he just totally throws himself to being now on this role, completely objectified (the submissive-mikage-official-art, ah, here I lay on my back, use me, exploit me!) while still thinking he is the one in the position of power now. (This discrepancy culminates when he has to literally physically swordfight, something that Nemuro could never.)

[revolxtionarygay]

Once again, I am thinking of Mikage as Utena’s mirror

The desire to free someone from an unfortunate fate. The way they cannot see the manipulation that impacts them. Dare I say, the way they both seem to crave a familial unit, regardless of how that ideal gets warped as it’s projected onto them. Pink hair. (That one’s a little bit of a joke, but really, why do that if not to further highlight their similarities?)

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

Thank you and goodnight!

it's on redbubble!

[ID: A Revolutionary Girl Utena redraw of a shot from The Truman Show. Anthy, dressed in her pink outfit from the finale, stands at the top of staircase set against a background painted to look like a realistic cloudy blue sky towards a black doorway. She happily spreads her hands as if saying goodbye while Chuchu takes a bow to her side, her suitcase to her other side. End ID]