I am of 3 minds: Every absurd image in Utena represents an idea vs. it is a fool's errand to assume every object maps directly onto a symbolic meaning in a 1:1 ratio vs. maybe all this is literal and there really is that many milkshakes just sitting out in the open like that
it's not a universal writing trope, but a lens i sometimes find useful in thinking about texts and their meaning is thinking about what becomes possible for certain characters after undergoing changes and experiences: what can they do now that they couldn't before, and vice versa. here, kozue begins by pursuing the seemingly impossible, and by the episode's end, she's gotten closer to a reality she desires.
very much a twins episode, things start as miki hears the mysterious piano riff once more as he watches kozue flirt with one of her boyfriends. thinking about the previous episode and the sense of expanded, more adult-world stakes it established, i thought about how kozue is presented as more mature and worldly than miki. she fools around with touga, seems to have many romantic partners, and is admired by the girls of the school for her confidence and experience, while miki is respected primarily for his academic performance. it's easy to read this as a certain rebelliousness on kozue's part: not wanting to be in her brother's shadow, she must seek other domains of power. of course, there's more to this story.
the theme of secrets continues from the previous episode, as each twin bears a secret desire they struggle to put into words: miki wants to play piano with anthy again, while kozue wants miki's attention and care. miki gets a little closer, thanks to utena's efforts to support and encourage him, but still has to skew his wish; instead of asking anthy to play with him specifically, he pretends as if he'd simply like to introduce her to his troublingly creepy piano teacher. meanwhile, kozue acts out her desire indirectly as well, dating bad boys to prompt miki into worrying about her, though his attentions have been diverted toward anthy. the episode's most striking image comes from this fruitless desire of kozue's: sitting by the swimming pool, she grasps handfuls of water which simply trickle back into the pool. all that water is right there in front of her, if only she could dive in. and yet... she can't be that direct. this is her incapacity. when miki offers her a milkshake, a reminder of their childhood together, she declines: "i can't have anything that sweet." his full-on affection is too much - perhaps a reminder of his overzealous concert plan in their youth? perhaps she fears being seen as weak again? whatever the case, she can't accept his love, so she'll settle for his concern.
after all, it's an equitable relationship, or at least she intends it to be. like akio describes the moon, it's something passive, comforting, and viewed from afar. miki worries for kozue's, and she drives off those who would harm him. i like how juri observes kozue's threats toward the piano teacher almost with an air of admiration: she recognizes the use of power to cast out abusers. but for all that kozue does for miki, his attention has slipped away, and their relationship has lost its balance for her. as she lingers over her brother sleeping at the piano, perhaps about to embrace him for the first time since their childhood, the interloper appears, and her resentment is crystallized. a perfect opportunity for souji and mamiya to seize the heart of one with power over a student council member, and enmity towards himemiya.
again, the widening scope and window into the adult world re-emerges. souji and mamiya speak of the latent strength of the student council members and yet mourn that they are too young to truly use their hearts fully. so much is conveyed here: the paralyzing anxieties of youth - miki awkwardly unable to open up to himemiya - coupled with the endless agony of potential, the feeling that life can only begin after high school. souji and mamiya, whose gaze stretches beyond ohtori into the worlds of college, politics, and end of the world itself, recognize that this power can be exploited by the influence of an intimate other: someone who has power over the desired heart.
kozue's interview soon follows. she confesses how much of her actions are driven by a need for miki's attention - not all of it, just enough - and that she can't bear the thought of losing that precious feeling to anthy. her heart is pierced, and she makes her way to the music room, where she plays "the sunlit garden," perhaps for the first time in her life given her low estimation of her own skills. miki, hearing this, is confused, as it breaks so strongly from kozue's recent behavior. and yet i imagine a part of him is melting, hearing the impossible become real for the first time in years, possibly washing away his childhood guilt. piquant and devastating, and immediately swept away by kozue's distorted affections, as she attempts to kiss her brother. miki steps back in horror, pain ripping through his heart, which kozue seizes on, drawing from him a sword just as utena draws one from anthy.
to the arena, then. kozue fights with a sword and style echoing miki's, and her brother's skill shines in her body and movements. i couldn't help but think of this show's overlap with and possible influence on the locked tomb here - aesthetically and narratively, there's something extremely cavalier-y and lyctorlike about kozue seizing her beloved brother's heart in the form of a sword to give her power. oddly fitting that i watched this episode the same day that the unwanted guest was released (to say nothing of that story's imagery of multiple coffins, perfunctory duels a la juri, and discussion of the eternal in conversation with human connection...). as in her duel with miki, utena is nearly beaten, but anthy's support again helps her win the day. this time, anthy offers herself up to empower the sword of dios, and with that added strength, utena dispatches kozue. the sword freely given overcomes the sword taken by force.
like kanae, kozue develops amnesia about the black rose, but as miki nurses her back to health, kissing her chastely while she rests, something changes within her. following from the image of miki's glass sitting on each of the desks in the arena, she does what she couldn't do before: she asks her brother to make her a milkshake. she asks him for comfort.
stray thoughts:
sibling relationships (specifically brother-sister) also seem to be a prominent theme in this arc, building off the turmoil of the kiryuus and the kaorus established in the early episodes. nanami, ever worried for touga and now wearing her duelist uniform regularly, takes his place on the student council, though to little immediate effect, given that the stream of letters from end of the world has ceased. utena, an only child, seems fascinated by anthy's relationship with akio, even visiting him personally to learn more about their lives together.
i wasn't sure if this was the case in the previous episode, but this one seemed to confirm that utena is now able to interact with the silhouettes. in this episode and the previous one, their skits have ended with a question, which utena answers. things are getting stranger and stranger...
a blue rose appears when miki kisses kozue. while the rose frame usually accompanies a new or prominent character, the single rose seems to act as a sign of some kind of intimacy, whether that be love, possession, or violence.
extremely funny to think about how while utena was fighting for her life, anthy was knocking back one hundred milkshakes, presumably to charge up her sword-empowering aura. like chu-chu, like rose bride...
I guess what the Black Rose Buddies are doing is making artificial duelists, like synthetic steak or lab-grown diamonds. But by necessity they also need Rose Brides, to be subjugated and, literally, used.
