#akio

[arctik-fox]

insp. Forgetting is a kind of mercy, by nerdylizj

[masterqifrey]

[transmascutena]

something i think about a lot is the way utena twists and subverts the idea of the chosen one protagonist. from the very first sequence in the very first episode, utena is set up to be special in this way. in her past she met this mythical figure, the prince, and it is her destiny to meet him again. eventually we of course start to suspect that this isn't really the case, that there's something else going on, but the narrative still leaves us for a long time with the impression that there is something special and important about utena. she's the dueling champion after all! she keeps winning, seemingly through magic. but, as it turns out, it's all an illusion and a lie. she isn't, and never could have been, this larger than life hero figure. she's just some kid. and the only way in which she was ever "chosen" was by a predator picking out his prey. using this exact narrative about the special and important and heroic to isolate her and gain her trust. and not even in this is she particularly unique. she just happens to be the most vulnerable, the most convenient, of his targets.

and, crucially, it's okay (good, even!) that she's not this hero she is initially painted (and trying to paint herself) to be. princes aren't real. it's not a moral failing on her part that she was hurt and deceived. she's not supposed to be perfect. and the best way she can help the people she wants to help, is simply by trying to be a good friend.

[chipsncookies]

I already put Akio in Lumiose, now it's Yukiko's turn (she's suffering from Mega Evolution)

[chevs-and-spiders]

you're no prince!

[sofyflora98]

[daemon-siblings]

the way this episode ended on a cliffhanger, poor anime-onlies are going to be worried about asa for the next week