#himemiya anthy

[dogboyboyshorts]

how do you pronounce this phoneme in anthy's name?

an-"shi" (per japanese pronunciation)

an-"thi" (per english pronunciation)

an-"t+hi" (per hindi pronunciation)

Voting ended onAug 7

[wisterimist]

[snoocola]

RGU talking

Anthy putting her glasses back to Akios can be read as a metaphor, as her leaving her old life behind and seeing the world and looking for Utena!

But i think it can be read as more literal, as an actual object that Akio would put onto Anthy as a crutch. she could have fine eyesight or already use contacts, so the thick glasses would already make it hard to see. Anthy is already canonically sight impaired, but the idea of thick glasses being worn all day as like, a punishment or a crutch is maddening

[ttlyrandom-username]

"average trans woman gets stabbed by millions of swords in their lifetime" factoid actually just statistical error. average trans woman gets stabbed by 0 swords in her life. Anthy himemiya, who lives in a fucked up timeloop and gets stabbed by thousand of swords every year, is an outlier and should not have been counted

[awkwardtuatara]

it's been a weird few days, really shouldn't be doing this at this time but still, going to watch Utena ep. 21 to prove I can have any semblance of a structured thought:

really do want to appreciate just how pretty the opening is and how gorgeous everyone looks

the yellow corner-rose throughout the backstory bit really does accentuate how these three immediately place themselves into some kind of narrative role. glad to meet Nanami and protect Nanami (... because she's an extension of Touga) and as with every corner-rose scene, they're making a fundamental mistake about like. how healthy relationships should work. also I think the rose is a little less yellow than Nanami's usual rose? as if it's been diluted by white (Touga) (loss of identity!) And Nanami, in turn, lionizes Touga just as much as they do...

this does answer the question I've had since the bodyswap-curry episode about why, if appearances and reputation are what matters to these people, does Nanami seem to have such loyal retainers even when she embarrasses herself or falls out of favour. it's because they also see her as a character, and so they are characters dedicated to their own roles.

"The only girl who can ever get near the prince is the princess from his fairy-tale world." how are you so close and yet so far from realizing the truth. this is like first-arc Wakaba where her distance from the details of the events lets her strike at the truth. everything IS an idealized narrative to Touga, or an effort to create one -- it also is to Keiko, and to Nanami, to "everybody who's anybody" in this school. I guess that's the point of these Black Rose duelists, to remind us that the inward-spiraling nature of the duels isn't wholly isolated from their surroundings

and also interesting because it emphasizes both Anthy and Utena's own princess-coding as well: now all three of Nanami, Anthy, and Utena have princess motifs and fucked-up relationships

top 10 Utena expressions

IS ANTHY JUST FALLING ASLEEP THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION LMAOOO she's really just like 'until they get more plot relevance again I'm tuning the fuck out'

aaaaand the stopwatch motif of marking out [important? expected? in-character? plot-necessary?] beats still confuses me

love how these nanami-adjacent episodes just get to have batshit ridiculous comedy and humour when nothing super important is happening. chu-chu wtf

on the other hand something I really admire about this show is its ability to stay thematically coherent and relevant even in its less-significant episodes

it must be like, physically painful for Anthy to hear Utena happily telling her about the stars only for Utena to say that she learned it from Akio. unless she's repressing anything to do with her brother so hard that she feels nothing. and after Utena leaves (in the cage-like rose-patterned elevator) and she's left under Akio's attention, the frame does not show Anthy's full body, only fragmented, zoomed-in parts of her.

on that note the celestial & mythological references from Akio are definitely also Significant, I just haven't been able to make sense of them outside of "echoes/foreshadows/tells a lesson about the events about to happen" when like. that's the entire purpose of the shadow-girls, so there must be something other than that

there's this interplay between the classic romantic tropes Keiko wants to invoke (new dress at party; holding an umbrella), and her own awareness of her role as a background character in this narrative, and the tropes that arise from that, which is exacerbated by Nanami's own (often clumsy) attempts to play into her role

and also Touga doesn't look at Keiko at all! unlike with Wakaba and Saionji, where he was at least appreciative of her, we don't see Touga's reaction to being offered the umbrella, only the result that he's willing to use her offer for his own benefit -- that for these small things, it doesn't matter to him whether it's Nanami or some other girl that's being useful to him.

Not an accident that the "wow Touga and Nanami are unhealthy for everyone" episode also includes Akio giving boatloads of dramatic irony to an unsuspecting Utena! especially when Akio is basically filling Touga's niche of being creepy and condescending to Utena & manipulating his sister

but like holy shit I really do feel bad for Keiko, all the things that make Nanami interesting also lead to her being a complete and utter ass about anything that makes her the slightest bit jealous, to the point where the black rose is plucked upon seeing Nanami's jealous face

haven't really commented on it because other things overshadow it, but the butterfly -> caterpillar reverse-metamorphosis frames on the wall are a nice straightforward representation of what's going on -- the "true" or "deeper" self is not necessarily the well-realized final form, but the uncomprehending child. They might be correct, insightful, "deep", but that doesn't make them good or healthy. And the black-rose transformation into someone more vengeful is to be framed, pinned down, boxed into a story and thrown away when unneeded. It's the false promise of easy self-actualization that ultimately hurts you. Going deeper, or going to your downfall? From butterfly to the leaf that it ate, they become consumed by their bitterness, prodded along by the elevator-ritual.

... which I guess is why these duels always return to the status quo, while Utena's duels at least led to some change in her dynamics with others and herself. False improvement, false revolution, turning around again.

Even when she's pulling out his sword, he never looks at her! she doesn't get the one thing she supposedly wanted. he never even speaks, because he doesn't need to, it's his prince-image that matters in this episode

I feel like the one pink umbrella thrown into the air during the duel might be notable but also like. what would it mean

Utena's just so done lmao like Keiko's grievances and obsessions are with Nanami and Touga, Utena literally doesn't have to be here

"I didn't even know her name." "It's scary how the roots of hatred can spread under the surface, where you can't even see them." meanwhile Himemiya "Rose Bride" Anthy, standing placidly right there:

"That's easy. If it's for someone you love, how you feel about others doesn't matter. You keep lying to yourself for as long as it takes." ...

anthy, what the fuck even Utena figured something was off with that one

was going to watch ep. 22 as well but it seems like that one is An Episode and I'd like to be in a better state to watch that one, so until then. this is already a lot tbh I overthought EVERYTHING

[feelingkoiarchive]

[awkwardtuatara]

Utena eps. 19-20: the Wakaba special, aka what if Pyrrhus was a girl gradually sliding into tragedy by her perceptions of what being "special" means in society who was caught and pulled back from her precipice by the last gasping throes of the power of friendship

wakaba: utena I love you utena: you're the most normal girl I know

ahhhh shoot the nostalgic fantasy fuckin Got her too

is it just me or did Wakaba's hair colour change after the episode title? it's like, orange now. to indicate her new importance in this story?

Juri being like wow, "there's only one person that you each truly love? it's a shame you can't simply change who it is you love, you'd both be much happier." and then them giving her this expression LMAO. fake idgafer I saw you yearning. though once again, she's self-aware enough to add that this applies to her too

Utena, please stop talking to Anthy's brother about everything in your personal life, his advice seems reasonable but is not going to be good for you

incredibly significant frame though

not to mention how the camera also flashes to Anthy when Tatsuya talks about how Wakaba is happiest with Utena. you can't trust the things she says when she's addressed but maybe you can trust how she behaves when no one's looking at her

love this arrangement of the music with the Sunlit Garden and opening song motifs

omg he's like the bare minimum to qualify as being well-adjusted and he's STILL too good for the duelist route. though I can't tell whether Mikage is complementing or insulting him when he says he's too good for him, probably the latter lmao.

sees Saionji ah shit not this guy again

ep. 20:

Saionji saying "no friends, no money" -- conspicuous absence of any mention of family

ok I love how Wakaba's belief in herself that she's special because of her secret really extends to highlighting how she's special in mundane ways, how beautifully sunlit an ordinary day can be when you're confident in your own skin. We've heard and seen before that Wakaba's most unique trait is being normal

in DIRECT contrast we have Akio going on about Utena's chosen one special destiny bullshit

*glances at this frame repeated* *glances at Cownami episode* fear of being consumed, used, thrown away and forgotten! fear of losing what (who) makes you special! trying to be the consumer, or the consumed

it seems like being knocked down a peg has made Saionji a little more decent? he genuinely seems grateful for Wakaba's support, doesn't want her to get in trouble on his account (well, also so he won't be discovered too early), and spends the lunch money she gave him on a kit so he can make her a gift. The allure of returning to power and status overcomes him, but for a moment there he wasn't an ass, and he didn't think giving away the clip would hurt Wakaba

oh shit I was right that Wakaba was going to become one of the Black Rose duelists. It's like the entire structure of these duels is to peel apart every character's beliefs from the other end of the first arc, catching Utena in the middle

something something the things holding Wakaba back from true understanding of herself and her situation are 1. the belief, encouraged by every story she's ever read and every example she's seen in society, that she can only improve herself and be "special" if she's attached to an idolized man, and 2. her frustration isn't unjust, but her misdirected anger and blame at Anthy, the designated scapegoat of this society, keeps her fighting among her peers instead of helping them/understanding herself/escaping the standards of her world

but that lunge at Saionji was impressive though

"sun-shower" -> pathetic fallacy, probably; the extremes of happiness and sorrow Wakaba's experienced in such a short time mingling together, inseparable.

also the Black Rose interview elevator scenes are getting shorter and shorter, but the show refuses to cut down on zettai unmei mokushiroku staircase walking -- Utena's refusal to take 'shortcuts', and her commitment to her principles, are her standout strengths

Anthy: tf are you doing you have to get your weapon from me??? -> not even in a 'you have to follow the ritual' way, in a 'you're going to die!' way

LOVE the sheer emotion in everyone's facial expressions in this duel. And Wakaba's fighting is so vicious! She's grabbing at Utena's hair, chopping off her hair, just lunging at her almost to the point of forgetting she's supposed to be killing Anthy

holy shit the dueling song?? Pyrrhus the revenge-taker frozen in time, unable to recognize the sign that he should turn back points I understood that reference!

fuckin love the dance-like choreography of Utena taking Wakaba's sword to cut off the black rose while simultaneously holding on to her (so she won't fall into a death-pose) -- always awesome when the expected circumstances are subverted like that, what a way to win a duel without fighting

and I'm halfway through the show! and I still barely have any inkling what this is all leading to LMAO, but I'm still hooked

[awkwardtuatara]

Utena ep. 18: honestly kinda ehh about this one, it was good and it touched on a lot of important ideas in the series, but just didn't draw me in as much. might just be a me thing though

"roses are very sensitive to the change of season" y'know I've kinda just been accepting the fact that roses are the symbol of the narrative/children's tale/oppressive structure these characters are being boxed into, but roses in particular -- dramatized as a romantic symbol, fragile and prone to wilting, sharp thorns when they're at their best, sensitive and incapable of handling any change -- okay yeah I can see why they're all represented by roses

LMFAOOOO Anthy you can't just say that 😭

just realized that the reason Touga's absence doesn't feel like a huge thing is because Akio is basically filling in for the slot of "creepy guy who's terrible", but he's like ten times more subtle about it and also way more dangerous

interesting how Tsuwabuki is trying to comprehend "adulthood" through "(heterosexual) romance", and how after he watches the kiss scenes from all those stories, the yellow rose-frames start appearing over his memories. Something about how the standards of how heteronormativity becomes ingrained despite their contradictions and confusions through stories and examples, and the incredible toxicity that arises from people learning that maturity = adulthood = having influence over the world = romance = designated gender-based roles between people

like for once Nanami didn't even handle it that badly when she told him he's fine the way he is right now, he just saw it as her being condescending (which. she usually is, there's precedent)

are they just advertising interviews to everyone except the main cast. Nemuro Memorial Hall Counsellng Services, join whenever you have any problem! we'll make you realize that you depend on someone else for your sense of self-worth, and by giving you a facade of a "true self", we'll give you the appearance of confronting that while actually letting you run away from your issues!

Oh shit if they're drawing in new duelists by drawing out conflicts between the people surrounding established duelists, that means Wakaba is probably going to be one of them at some point-

there's this juxtaposition between the well-established, essentially required repeated scenes (zettai unmei mokushiroku, Anthy's "rose of the noble castle" speech and the sword-pull) and the way these episodes are trying to subvert the normal dueling pattern, that's especially evident here with Tsuwabuki starting the duel early and then Utena doing the sword-pull. And I actually don't think it works? It just feels kinda erratic, like the ritual scenes are just there to fill up the expected space, or no matter what either the ritual or the new story is being interrupted. Especially with how short the dueling scenes are. You can already tell they're trying to shorten the repeated scenes by starting the dueling music early lmao

Like in a way it's also because the one time we went to the arena without a lengthy pre-duel sequence, it was the literally-groundbreaking Coffin episode (with Saionji), so you just can't disrupt the sequence more than they already are if you aren't setting up a change/reveal at least as impactful as that.

Utena's high-jump and slash at the Black Rose is new and badass though