#ough...the idea that she never moved on...the tragedy of her...

[earl-grey-crow]

DON'T WORRY COLTON YOU'LL GET TO PLAY YOUR SONG FOR DEL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

[cafeleningrad]

Recently I also though about how the Tokyo-subway-sarin-terror-attack contributed in Enokido's writing both in NGE and SKU, and how it also shaped the cult leader aspects in Gendou, then in Akio. Anyhow, what I ough to say is that death as metaphor is rather omnipresent in my reading of SKU: Adding to the theme of Death is the looming threat and simultaneous promise of salvation: The apocalypse, the ultimate end, the ultimate death. The end of all suffering.

It's one of Akio's fancy, dramatic yet empty terms which still has a strong appeal for the youth under this wing. They all are in their metaphorical coffins, and all yearn for a time that never was but in which they felt alive and loved. To almost all of the teenage cast, the world around them feels dead, they pin their entire longing on on once concept (mostly a person to whom a concept of comfort and life is pinned on). They act like their life has already ended, nothing is worth of note or engagement anymore. The student council is disengaged from anyone but their circle. Touga treats even loved ones like Saionji and Nanami like pawns, Juri ignores any of Shiori's attempts for connection, Miki retreats in passivity to not acknowledge his responsibility and autonomy. The only feeling of connection is by virtue of being duelists. They acknowledge that all them are in some kind of pain, engaging in fight whereas anyone else isn't given much thought or attention. Until the ignored parties turn the tables by becoming Black Rose duelists. Taking the swords from the student council members becomes a mixed experience because amonst other things it's a bit painful, and a strong demand to acknowledge those who take the sword. To say, what's left is indifference, ghosting aroud until the anticipated end is coming, the only thing which gets the characters engaged is involvement in acts of aggression. And these affirm to them that existence in this world is nothing but painful. Conceptually an apocalypse is the ultimate end of everything. In fact, most characters would love nothing more than retreat into a their coffin in which there is eternal bliss. They would remain in state of a time that never was, without ever having to contribute but also never make themselves vulnerable. They've already given up on the world, and a vague promise of eternal Eden is all they would ever want to aspire to. It's an extremely egoistic as well as unrealistic use of using death/end of al as aspiration.

Unlike the rest of the student council, Utena did experience the death of her parents. It was final. Utena's goal of saving Anthy is also one out of empathy, originating from a place of genuine compassion for someone else, not only as a symbolic aspiration for herself. From her , the idea of contributing to the apocalypse is never uttered.

I know, I'm perhaps the only idiot who talks about the trio of Nemuro, (the REAL) Mamiya, and Tokiko but the reason why they're a focal point for 3 episodes without ever engaging with the teens is because they actually did have to go through the struggle of death, despairing in the certainty of death. Nemuro lost the battle with reality and cooped himself up at Ohtori although he's in an age as well by by academic capability perfectly able to graduate. Tokiko had to face the reality that her brother died. So did her entire cause. Unlike anyone else before, she did move on, out of Ohtori got (supposedly happily) married (apparently it's a kind match). She returns to Ohtori to visit her brothers grave. This marks it so clearly in the story that Ohtori is a place of grief, ghost and loss. Not even Akio's capable of dominating a conversation with her because she's emotionally so far ahead of him than anyone else. And I think with the Mamiya-Tokiko-Nemuro triangle is a thematically strong contemplation on accepting tragedy and moving on with it in life.

Initially, Nemuro and Tokiko wer driven by fear of Mamiya's death onto whom they're attributing their own notions of innocence and adoration. The fear of his death gives them purpose. To them Mamiya is significant even though he is by no ability or look special (he looks like any background boy characters). Even though he's drawn as any other background boy character him being himself, and being loved makes him special to both Nemuro and Tokiko - until Mamiya becomes less of a boy, rather a symbol of innocence worth saving. Further, Nemuro feels affection for Mamiya, and a desire to be involved in their caring family dynamic. They're the first ones to talk to him on a personal, emotional level unlike Nemuro's classmates who treat him as if he wasn't their peer, and later as idiot utile for the anticipated duels. To say, by working on the eternity project to keep Mamiya alive Nemuro was involved with people with whom he wanted to be connected personally, emotionally. Hence, attached to Mamiya's life was the chance of being loved, appreciated, contributing something meaningful and important, and being part of a kind dynamic. (Attaching self-worth to an idealized concept of a person is a common occurrence within every SKU character. The relevance of existence attached to a person is stressed within the BR-duelsits.) Yet this fear to lose Mamiya, to loose this symbol laddened boy primed them perfectly for Akio to exploit their research. Their fear of loss and death ended up in work building up Akio's apocalyptic setting. The entire set up of the Black Rose´duels was build on fear of loss and impending ends. The refusal of acceptance lead to Tokiko and Nemuro having their research exploited by Akio. It lead to a romanticized dehumanisation of Mamiya.

What I want to get at that the metaphorical death does dominate the mentality of the Ohtori campus. The world is engaged with as if life was already over, no future existed. The only salvation is via a big bang end of all. But Utena, who has lived through the final end of something, and who learnt early on how the promise of eternity was apparently only never ending suffering (in a coffin). Even though Utena is stuck in a coffin, with so many systematic efforts by Akio to keep her boxed in her compassion for another person, reflecting her self perception, and not giving in into promises of comfort are active, life-affirming actions in a world everyone else gave up as "lost".

Y’know, it’s kind of funny how much death isn’t talked about as a theme in Utena outside of analysis circles considering that the very first thing you learn about Utena Tenjou is that her parents are dead. I could go on about the use of parental death as a background trait in fictional characters, often to add a sense of tragedy and complexity with little effort put in, but Utena in particular plays off of these expectations to lull you into a false sense of security. You begin the show learning that the main protagonist has gone through a traumatic, life-changing event but that’s business as usual for protagonists, right? The fairytale setting adds even more to these assumptions, given how often parental figures die in folktales.

This all culminates in Utena being a typical plucky protagonist, until she isn’t. Until you realize that her parents being dead marks Utena as different from her peers, as uniquely vulnerable to the abuse she suffers through the series, and as someone whose life is permeated with themes of death. Her parents are dead, her prince is dead, 100 boys were killed on this very campus by her own foil, she is trapped within her coffin in the same way everyone else is but she has also literally laid in a coffin to die before. It’s not as overt as other themes, but it’s everpresent as a spectre haunting Utena’s narrative. It’s her life’s background radiation.