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khalix-hyetology · 4 months

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The eternal opposing relationship between the two sides of a mirror

or: In defense of Shiori

I feel like Shiori is one of the most controversial characters in Utena. Some love her, others despise her. And I don't have a problem with people having strong opinions on her character. What bothers me is the tendency to exaggerate her most negative traits, focus on her most harmful actions, completely ignore any redeeming qualities she might have and then paint her as a one dimensional villainous caricature, a mean straight girl who plays with the lesbian's feelings for the sake of it, without anything deeper going on.

I'm aware of the fact that some people refer to her like that in endearment or in a satirical fashion, and I'm not saying that you can't consider her your favorite problematic evil girl representation. I'm only trying to make people realize that it's her complexity that actually makes her such a compelling character.

I've seen people call Shiori all sorts of names, some of which were baffling enough to make me wonder if they even remembered what happens in the show, and weren't just judging a version of the character that they made up in their head.

So, let's look at the things Shiori actually does, throughout the course of the story.

Disclaimer: I'm only going to take the series into the account here, because I think we can all agree that everyone's characterization and personality differs at least slightly in the movie. Background characters also get a lot less screen time to explain their motivations in order to fully focus on Anthy's journey and struggles, which is understandable.

1. She "steals" the boy from Juri.

This is her biggest crime, which seems to define her from the very beginning. Even though Juri didn't actually have any romantic feelings for him, this action is detrimental to their relationship - it breaks the trio apart, isolates Juri from the pair, is an act of betrayal against her and proves it was done with full awareness that it would hurt Juri emotionally.

Shiori is a deeply insecure person, who constantly feels inadequate and beneath other people. The only reason why Juri seemed to actually like her that Shiori could think of was pity, and even when she found out she was the object of her romantic affection all along, she still struggled to comprehend it. Her self loathing and constant perceived inferiority make her desperate to gain any sort of control over her life and relationships, but they're also the exact reason she feels that the only way she could ever do that is by hurting others. She's always one step below and incapable of crossing that distance, therefore the only way to become equal to people is to bring them down to her level, by humiliation.

When she "steals" the boy from Juri, she achieves that. For a moment, she feels good about herself and leaves Ohtori thinking that she has found the answer, the solution. But she's wrong. From that moment on, it becomes more and more apparent to her that what she did was never out of love for the boy, even though she doesn't let herself acknowledge it fully. Because the truth is, Shiori actually regrets hurting Juri, which she admits herself during her elevator confession.

When the guilt starts getting to her, her confidence high wears off, and she ends up feeling ever worse.

That's why she breaks up with him and comes back. She's not ready to leave yet, not ready to progress. There's still something binding her to Ohtori - Juri, and Shiori's unresolved feelings for her.

2. She tries to set things right with Juri and to fix their relationship.

Even though at this point Shiori still thinks that Juri only ever associated herself with her out of pity, she still makes several attempts to get closer to Juri, who understandably (albeit coldly) turns her down ever time. This is a very clear sign of conflicting feelings Shiori has for Juri - jealousy and admiration, resentment and longing, hate and love. After all, Shiori admits that the two practically grew up together. Their friendship may have always felt fake to Shiori, but she clearly cherished it deeply.

3. The Black Rose Arc.

First of all, we should establish what is the purpose of this arc and how it functions. It explores the motivations of background characters and shows their worst side to the audience. The characters that end up in the elevator are the most unstable, vulnerable ones, with the least power in the system, in unequal and/or exploitive relationships with the duelists and their agency under threat. Mikage offers them a way to gain that power by making them follow their most toxic, negative emotions. And despite all other characters doing exactly that, from what I've seen Shiori is the one that gets the most hate for it. I don't think she should be judged any harsher for what she did under the influence of the black rose than, let's say, Wakaba or Kozue. Especially because the reason all of them ended up in that elevator is because they recognized that these urges were harmful and were seeking help and counseling.

What this arc does do is reveal how Shiori's inferiority complex drives her to act against her own desires. Even though she longs for things to be different, even though she is not happy at all with how her relationship with Juri looks like, she is unable to fix it, because that would require her to consider her own affection for Juri. And she can't do that, because it would mean admitting that she's not stronger than Juri, that she hasn't beaten her, that she's doesn't have control and an advantage over her. Although she tries to keep up this smug, self-assured facade, the reality shines through.

They key to understanding Shiori is noticing that she specifically doesn't want to acknowledge that Juri's feelings are reciprocated, and the obsession is mutual. If you paint their relationship as one sided, you're actually falling for her act.

4. She enters a relationship with Ruka.

Ruka is a handsome (arguable), respected boy who appears out of nowhere and starts showing interest in Shiori. It's obvious that for an insecure girl, who in addition struggles with confusing repressed feelings, this would be something unthinkably wonderful. The affection and praise she gets from him is exactly what her low self-esteem craves. You might be wondering why she didn't perceive Juri's feelings for her in the same way. And a part of the answer might be that, post nameless-boy-incident, Juri was nothing but cold to her. She might have been pining after Shiori from afar, but in the end she's distant and untouchable, and they're divided by their messy past. Meanwhile Ruka is a clean slate, seems openly affectionate, engaged in their relationship and he pays attention to her. But I think the main thing that makes Ruka so different from Juri is the fact that...he's a boy. Because, as Revolutionary Girl Utena establishes, gender plays a crucial role in interpersonal dynamics. Attention from a boy is fundamentally coded as romantic, desirable, necessary and most importantly: increases the girl's worth in society's eyes. It makes one a princess. Meanwhile Juri's advances could only be seen as an invitation to friendship, at best. But Juri's status and beauty make her special, while Shiori is not. Therefore, it can only be pity and mockery.

Of course, Ruka only uses Shiori to influence Juri and dumps her as soon as he achieves his goals. It's true that Shiori could have listened to Juri's warnings, but then again... why should she? From her perspective, Juri's her ex-friend that doesn't want anything to do with her, who only suddenly comes to Shiori when she's finally happy and fulfilled, and encourages her to end it. She doesn't know the wider context of the situation, nor does she remember the Black Rose arc. Juri's warnings don't sound sincere to her.

And so, Ruka gets rid of her in the coldest, most indifferent way, not explaining anything or showing even the slightest sign of compassion. Before that though, he makes an interesting remark, about Shiori putting on an act and polishing somebody else's sword.

Honestly, I don't really know how to interpret it in any other way than Shiori actually having feelings for someone else, despite trying her hardest to conceal it. Are my shipping lenses not allowing me to see any different possibilities? Am I going crazy? I don't know.

Nevertheless, Shiori begs him to stay, devastated. Her life got turned around so suddenly, she found appreciation, status, comfort and stability, and now all that's been taken away from her as abruptly as it was given. It's a public humiliation.

I once heard someone say that this would be the perfect moment for Juri to step in and defend her. And to be honest, although it may be true, I'm not completely sure. It may have been the one display of open care that Shiori needed from her, but it might as well have been interpreted by Shiori as Juri affirming her superiority over her and feeling sorry for her again. We will never know. In my opinion, so much of their relationship is going on in their own heads that the only thing that could ever cause positive progress is communication (which neither of them seem to be a fan of).

Instead, Juri only tries to console her after the fact, when Shiori's at her absolute lowest. In the context of all the assumptions Shiori holds and Juri's previous indifference, it quite understandably comes off as a sneering attempt to gloat.

That's about it. You may have noticed that I've summarized all Shiori's appearances into 4 points, and only one of them includes an instance of Shiori hurting Juri voluntarily, out of her own free will, not influenced by anyone. I'm not saying that she was forced to taunt Juri during the Black Rose Arc, I'm not trying to diminish the suffering she's caused or trying to paint her as a perfectly good person. I am trying to make it clear that she is not some cunning plotter, dedicating every minute of her life to finding ways to make Juri suffer that some people seem to take her for. I am trying to humanize people's perception of her a little bit. Especially considering the fact that last scenes of her include those when she waits for Juri and follows her so that they can go home together, and then joins the fencing club. If this doesn't show that she's capable of change, I don't know what does.

She's not an innocent princess, that's true, but she's not just an egoistical, manipulative liar either. She's a bit of both. After all, if Revolutionary Girl Utena is supposed to teach you anything, then I think it's that we're all just people, and the complexities of human experience make it impossible to fit anyone into a box, assigning them definite labels like "princess" or "witch".

And if you look at a teenage girl who, like all people in Ohtori, struggle under the system of patriarchy and heterosexuality, and all you see is a wicked, sinister witch, then you may have just fallen into the trap that the narrative had set for you.

#revolutionary girl utena #shiori takatsuki #juriori

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khalix-hyetology · 10 months

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As a lesbian, it’s happened twice already that one “guy” stands out to me and I think “huh maybe they’re kinda cute and interesting, I wanna get to know them” and then I get to know them better and it’s a closeted trans girl who I somehow sniffed with my little nonbinary lesbian nose

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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I read something on twitter about how an actor's social circle plays a big role in them being considered a star in Pakistan. Like they said that actors like ahad,fawad and mahira know how to carry themselves in the public eye and are considered classy lending to their star power and how most young actors aren't from the elite class and don't have any backing either. So I have two questions can you explain who is considered elite/burger? etc in Pakistan and what role does social standing play in future of actors.

oh most definitely! see social class plays a big part in how many opportunities an individual gets in their lives. people from the privileged upper class living in one of the already few developed cities of the country will have access to the kind of options right from their foundational years that people belonging to middle / lower class people living in the underdeveloped cities would get to be aware of after they graduate high school if they are lucky enough. this already changes the starting line for the people. and even WITHIN the more developed cities the social class difference affects how an individual is groomed. for example, Mahira when she started as a VJ was already well spoken and had good communication skills owing to the kind of education she recieved. compared to someone like Sajal Aly who started in the industry very young and without having a proper education. if you'd just compare their debut years you can see the zameen aasman ka faraq in how the two carried and presented themselves.

to become a 'star' one needs to know the right people in the right places. and those places are very exclusive and hard for outsiders to get into. cuz stars are made. there's more to them than just their acting. there's a whole brand value they have which is meticulously created and perfected by an entire team working behind the scenes, often way before they even enter the industry. younger actors who come in the industry not knowing the right doors to knock have to wait for YEARS to be noticed by these 'star makers'. and there are also unfortunate cases of them falling in the hands of the 'wrong' mentors who just don't know how to make a star out of an actor. case in point Yumna Zaidi. the girl has been a brilliant actor since her debut year. it's only NOW she's being praised for being a star because it's only NOW she got to work with a team that's putting her in the right places and marketing her as more than just an actor known for doing serious dramas. i don't remember Yumna being so largely fangirled over her beauty the way I am seeing now. also I guess this ask was prompted by the Hamza vs Sehar post-Fairytale discourse happening on twt where Hamza is getting all the headlines and Sehar is just an afterthought despite both of them being headliners of the show. it's quite simple isn't it? Hamza knows the people in the right places. Sehar doesn't have that access. Hamza is able to turn the spark into a flame cuz he knows the right people to fan the spark. Sehar's spark will be extinguished with time if she doesn't get hold of the right fan.

one has to understand that in Pakistan the acting, especially the Lollywood industry, is not considered one for the "respectable" families. so forget anyone aspiring to become a star grooming themselves from early on, their first struggle is just to get the support from their families to pursue this as a career. sure times have changed now with more outsiders being able to make this a respectable career choice but the age old notions about this industry are still deeply entrenched in the minds of majority. the 'elite' class have no such notions because their social status protects them from a LOT of shit. it's all just connected. a person who has acting as a career that runs their household just will not have the same priorities as someone who doesn't have to worry about the financial aspect of it all. to become a 'star' lots has to be invested in it and it's not something an individual can afford on their own without strong backing.

Nepotism in Pakistan is rampant no matter where you look. one's parents or uncles or aunts or cousins etc will help get in a good word for someone at the right time in the right place just to get them through the door. cuz we are a very "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" society. it's neither good nor bad, it's just how we live.

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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Hey Mais so I'm curious to know what the public perception on the hocane sisters is like (I'm new to Pak dramas). I previously saw a lot of twts/videos trolling them but I don't get why they were being trolled in the first place? Did something specific happen? However recently videos of Marwa and urwa discussing marital rape, messaging via dramas etc making the rounds on twitter. Suddenly everyone is praising them. Goes to show how fickle people are I guess. Also off topic was Farhan popular pre mere humsafar?

well yeah people are fickle especially when it comes to how they treat celebrities. the Hocane sisters started in the industry when they were still teenagers if I am not wrong? and they just did some things which people deemed troll worthy (starting from changing their spellings from Hussain to Hocane). more than Urwa, Mawra was trolled because of the tweets she made back when she was young. the girl was an unabashed Ranbir Kapoor fangirl and used to advocate for the Pak-India peaceful relationships which people thought was just her trying to keep her career in Bollywood going. so yeah..nothing astounding. the usual thing that happens to most celebs that dare to be themselves on social media. and if i am not wrong I think Mawra was the first (?) social media savvy person? like i remember her her flaunting her insta followers in a time when not everyone was on the app or if they were, didn't have the kind of following. so that also added to the trolling that Mawra relied on her social media presence to bag projects more than her acting abilities. Urwa has generally been less trolled than her sister.

yes, Farhan has been popular before Mere Humsafar both as a singer and as an actor.

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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Outsiders even have to battle judgment within the industry I feel. I noticed that in the fashion world where ex-models like ZQ and Nadia Hussain said "We came from good families, we did modeling for fun, but then things changed when girls started modeling to run a household, and you know they'll do ANYTHING for money" In the drama world a version of that is judging actors for script choices where as Maya said we dunno what their finl situation is like & what they have to do to make ends meet.

exactly.

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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Mais! I just started watching Aunn Zara. For the first time! Nobody prepared me for how cute fetus Obi and Maya were 😭😭😭

OMG YESSS!! you gonna love it!! it's so hilarious and wholesome and the OsMaya chemistry is just *chef kiss* like plsss the comfort and trust they have on each other to do the kind of scenes they did in AZ.. I haven't seen anyone else do!

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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If I’ve learned anything from about 25 years of actively being engaged in fandom, it’s this: fuck everybody else.

Your favorite character ain’t the fandom’s favorite character? Fuck ‘em.

Your ship is the rarepair or the one people think is icky? Fuck ‘em.

You like the tropes and meta and character analysis that make other people roll their eyes? Fuck ‘em.

Engage with fandom in the ways that make you happy and comfortable and fulfilled and fuck everybody else. Like the things you like because you like them, because not everybody else is gonna love them the way you do.

Be cringe and be free, hallowed be thy name, goddamn.

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khalix-hyetology · 11 months

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Sorry imma couple of days late! Breakdown of the Kim and Daood scenes for this week please?

(heylo..I hope all is well at your end!)

It was a decent episode. not a LOT of KimDawood content but enough to know where they stand in this relationship. Dawood, bless that fool, said and didn't say a lot of words just to mean that he was jealous of Kim's relationship with Zulfi xD am I wrong to interpret this as jealousy? the man saw Kim, his would be wife, ditch her own mehendi ceremony to personally go invite Zulfi for her wedding. then he had to witness Kim fully disregard his "warning" to not step out of the house without being escorted by him. THEN he had to bear Kim defending Zulfi and being a-okay about Zulfi's financial condition and thus, again dismissing Dawood's so-called valid concern that Zulfi took her out for lunch at a sub-standard place. like...Kim has done more with/for Zulfi than she has done with/for Dawood and I can't imagine a desi mard like Dawood being okay with it. i am not saying he thinks there's anything illicit going on between the two but c'mon..Dawood most definitely IS jealous/insecure of Kim's proximity with Zulfi.

I really don't think Dawood won any rounds in this episode. Kim was throwing one bomb after another in the car ride afterwards. gotta say i LOVED how Maya acted in the scene. the insult Kim felt at being treated like an object by these two men..the rage she was feeling in that moment and trying her best to not let it get the best of her..the way her eyes were sparkling with tears but she didn't let them escape..it was just all so wonderfully portrayed and captured. Kim YET AGAIN exposed Dawood's hypocrisy that he is only concerned with imposing his decisions on his wife but doesn't spare the same energies on his father or brother because he KNOWS he has no control over them. no son can overrule his father's decisions. working elder brothers don't always have the energy to deal with unruly younger brothers beyond reprimanding them occasionally (but not investing any time to make sure the reprimands bear a positive change). but with Kim he keeps bringing up the "you're my wife" reminder because that, in his head, gives him a higher "authority" over her that he has seen happen all around him all his life. the whole "mard ki aurat pe bartari" logic that gets legitimized when a man and woman get married to each other. Kim, love of my life, firmly reminds him that his superiority BS won't work on her because she doesn't depend on him for security that she'd have no choice but to give in to his whims and demands as most of the women in marriages do.

I was thinking this other day and idk if I tweeted or posted about it but..Kim in her marriage with Dawood is a very clear example of how much patriarchy as a concept works solely on the oppression of women. you give women a decent amount of power and autonomy and a LOTTTT if not all of patriarchal concepts get shattered. Kim is not like Razia or Iqbal or Suraiya. her identity is not constantly tied or and defined by the relationship she shares with any men. her "liberal" way of living has given her the chance to own her agency. which is why she can stay mad at her father. which is why she can firmly make conditions of how she wants her marriage with Dawood to be. which is why she's the only one who can question Dada's rulings. because she isn't scared that offending any of these men will have an irreparable impact on HER life. Kim never crosses the boundary of respect or decency when she questions. she doesn't have to. she's just so highly secure in her life as just being KIM that she knows that if her justified questions fall on deaf ears and this environment she's living in becomes too suffocating for her..she can easily walk out and no one will have any power or authority over her to stop her. the thing is Kim is, so far, CHOOSING to stay here because there's still something here holding here. be it her growing feelings for Dawood or the companionship she's finding in Suraiya, Iqbal, and Zulfi. that's the mark of a relationship's beauty I feel. that a person, who has the choice to leave, CHOOSES to stay. not because they HAVE to but because they WANT to. i feel Kim, ultimately, would WANT to stay back. but for that to happen Dawood still has a LONG way to go.

Dawood is getting influenced by Kim at least enough for him to take the first step of standing up to Dada. yeah it's a weak step cuz his obedience (which is a flaw of his let's be real) doesn't allow him to counter-argue with Dada. Kim kardeti argue. but Dawood was silenced when Dada gave a very weak reasoning about why Suraiya wouldn't object to the marriage and why there's not even a NEED to ask for her marzi. "main uska Wali hoon..kuch gair-sharai' kaam nahin horaha". Again..patriarchy empowered through women's oppression. cuz the religion very STRICTLY says that the consent lies SOLELY on the individual in matters related to marriage. a no IS a no and no wali has the power to veto it.

the preview for next week is a little scary ngl. Kim has her heart in the right place but she doesn't have patience to deal with things without blowing up a few buildings along the way. although i must say TWICE In this episode she shielded Suraiya from unwanted interrogation so Kim is also learning the art of navigating complex situations. she's still a beginner though so she has a long way to go to perfect it xD i am happy that Suraiya's issue is out and there's no dragging it. also, I feel it's gonna be Dawood who'll ultimately take a step for his sister and fight for her right. and maybe that will be the catalyst for Kim truly falling for him. oh she KNOWS she's attracted to him and she isn't entirely unhappy with him but Dawood's tendency to stay silent in matters that demand him to speak up make Kim not really respect him. she's always lowkey mad at him for not refusing to the marriage when he KNEW he didn't like her. she's now highkey mad that he's not fighting for her sister's right to marry the guy of her choice. if the show truly intends to show via Dawood&Kim's relationship of how these two people from two completely different worlds can come together and learn from each other to make lay foundation of a whole new world where both their previous worlds can peacefully coexist..NOW is the best time to show that.

P.S - how freakin' glorious was Kim being all "ab main itni achi bhi nahin hoon ke apki har baat manun." to Razia xD the way I laughed! i love love LOVEEE whenever Maya does these cheeky scenes. there's this innocence in her sass that's never badtameez. gaaah Kim has really become my top3 fav Maya Ali characters and the show isn't over yet! nazar na lag jaye bass!!

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