#tokiko wanted to make mamiya eternal but mamiya did Not want eternity

[asofterutena]

(becoming the mask, also known as putting the cart before the horse - )

[horse-girl-anthy]

Mikage: Boy of the Black Rose

I've long struggled to write about Mikage, who I find to be an intriguing yet elusive character. or rather, his character is understandable--his motives and feelings are communicated clearly enough--but his narrative is one of the most inexplicable in RGU. thinking it over tonight, I put my finger on one aspect of the Black Rose arc which I previously didn't know how to approach: specifically, Mikage's relationship with the Boys of the Black Rose.

the boys act as a kind of collective character, a mass of faceless people who whisper in dark corners. since RGU is about social reality, it often uses extras to deliver exposition or set the mood. the Shadow Girls are meta characters, existing somewhat outside the narrative, but regular schoolgirls at Ohtori can serve a similar purpose. they might demonstrate that Touga and Saionji are considered the hottest boys in school, or gossip about Ruka and Shiori's recent breakup.

the Boys of the Black Rose are slightly different, maybe a little closer to the Shadow Girls. rather than acting as bit characters in the larger world of Ohtori campus, I believe their existence is contigent on Mikage. while this could be put in various ways, in the most straightforward terms, the writers created them to help reflect on Mikage's character.

only one Black Rose Boy is given a face: the first one Mikage (Nemuro) talks to. when Mikage asks not to be called "professor," since they are the same age, the boy replies:

obviously, RGU relies on making its main characters visually distinct from "normal people." Wakaba calls them "special" and resents them. Utena is popular for her specialness, well-liked; in contrast, Mikage is an outcast for his. for a person to be special or a genius, there must be others for them to stand in opposition to. Mikage is set apart from his peers by his pink hair, by his unique uniform, and by being a professor.

after Mikage is introduced to his new work, the boys begin to gossip about him, saying he knows nothing about what's really going on at Ohtori. towards the end of this conversation, there's a shot of Mikage, and then he actually replies from the future to the gossip they were spreading about him.

this is Mikage's eternal reality: his recollection of the past. even during the "present" of Utena's narrative, he is still walking through Nemuro Memorial Hall, which is why it's still standing, unburned. the Boys of the Black Rose that the audience sees are filtered through Mikage's memory; whether or not the boys really said these things about him is ambiguous. it's possible, but the important fact is that Mikage believes they did.

this transpersonal mirroring keeps Mikage trapped, unchanging. he feels himself defined as unable to connect with others, so he keeps away from them. this becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, leaving Mikage a total outcast.

even outcasts, however, are members of society. the Boys of the Black Rose actually have more in common with Mikage than the average Ohtori student. they're all scientists working on the same project. they have much of his coldness, sense of superiority, and intellectualism. the main difference is that they're the in-group.

while Mikage believes himself to be emotionless, it's made clear that his social isolation hurts him. he doesn't want to be set apart, but he doesn't know how to break through the barrier between him and others. it's very easy to do a queer reading of the character, given the way this is conveyed to the audience.

Mikage's fixation on Tokiko and Mamiya is easier to undestand with all this in mind. the world he was living in, occupied by the Boys of the Black Rose, was a cold and alienated one. in contrast, Tokiko has genuine passion, caring for her brother deeply. Tokiko's tears move Mikage, allowing his own buried emotions to break through the surface. but she also reinforces his social isolation; he is equally as hurt by her as he is drawn to her.

this is part of why Mikage is so determined to "defeat" Tokiko; she offered him hope of connection, but he was never able to "win" her, as men so often try to do with women.

Mamiya is something else altogether; a boy, like Mikage and the Black Rose Boys, but altogether different. warm, friendly to Mikage, not intimidated by his intelligence or reputation, and insightful. in a show full of characters obsessed with holding on (to the past, to a person, to their self-image), Mamiya is the only one who can see the wisdom in letting go.

Mikage at first is open to Mamiya's words, preparing to call off their quest for eternal life. but like every character who threatens the system in RGU, he is faced with Akio. in a prototype of the later "End of the World" sequences, Mikage comes across the kissing Tokiko and Akio. this proves to be too much for him; there are some things he can't afford to lose.

the scene has significance to Mikage far beyond disappointment in love. he wanted to create a family with Tokiko and Mamiya; marriage to Tokiko would tie them together "forever." if he could be by Tokiko's side as they lost Mamiya, then at least he wouldn't be alone after his death. but if he's only Tokiko's coworker, when their work is done, he's back to being a computer.

in desperation, Mikage plays into Akio's hands. under contract, he sacrifices the Boys of the Black Rose and burns down the hall that bears his name. when justifying himself to Tokiko, he claims that this act will allow them to attain eternity. in the events of the series, he's still at it: installing Mamiya as the Rose Bride will, after all, make him eternal, even though it's the very kind of eternity Mamiya wanted nothing to do with.

Mikage retreats into delusions on feeling the sting of Tokiko's rejection. though he is the one who betrayed her, he turns it around and feels betrayed himself. going even further, he casts Mamiya as the one who set the fire.

the Boys of the Black Rose are also used to emphasize his inability to face his own actions. throughout the arc, the boys are seen pushing coffins around. however, in episode 23, Mikage takes their place right before he is forced to face the truth about himself.

at the end of the arc, Miki claims that no one was hurt in the the fire, contradicting the previous story of Nemuro Memorial Hall. this possibly indicates that the murders are a figment of Mikage's imagination--the older Tokiko doesn't seem to react to him as if he's a murderer. more than anything, he seems guilty of self-denial and retreat from reality. Tokiko went on to accept Mamiya's death and even mourned for Mikage, while he ignored her in favor of his memories. the fact that he does not recognize her feelings is another aspect of his tragedy.

Mikage, through his fruitless revolution, loses the very things he always wanted. he attempts to throw away his past self, the cocoon of Nemuro hatching into the butterfly that is Mikage. with it, he burns away the boys who rejected him, who embodied the cold world he used to live in. he uses their sacrifice to enshrine Mamiya, idealizing him as the perfect companion. but as Ikuhara said, he was doomed to fail from the start:

Those who reject that place are, conversely, rejected by it as well. This is the nature of systems: the moment you reject them, you are forced to realize that they’re the very ground you’re standing on. Mikage noticed the trick behind the system, and he hurriedly attempted revisions. But the adult who’d created the system just said “Let’s not,” and unilaterally brought the curtain down.

the "trick within the system," is, I think, the fact that it's socially constructed. Mikage believed that on realizing this, he could simply remake the world as he wanted. he was allowed to do so for a time, when it was useful. when he ceased to be useful, he was dispatched with, because while he had operated within the system, he was not in control of it. and beneath his delusions, there was still a reality.

Mikage is the true Boy of the Black Rose: the true ghost, the true sacrifice, living in the desiccated world of a preserved flower. throughout the arc, he takes possession of Ohtori students who suffer from the same afflictions as him, and every time Utena defeats one of his duelists, another part of him is exorcised--another Black Rose Boy burned away. in the end, the only thing left of him is the ruin of Nemuro Memorial Hall, shown briefly in the final episode. he graduates at Ohtori, but only after losing absolutely everything. that seems to be the only way to step into adulthood: naked and shivering, like the day we are born.

[cafeleningrad]

Let's talk about the real Chida Mamiya.

He's the entire reason the Black Rose Arc happens. This arc is revealing to the audience what silent violence is at constant work at Ohtori. All the seemingly stock Shoujo setting characters are revealed to have desires, worries, sorrows, and pain equal to the candy-colour-highlighted duelists, bar of the autonomy of dueling to state their demands. Whereas protagonists Utena gets increasingly discouraged to look deeper into any issues, is withheld information, regard duels- which she previously opposed- as routine. Her final duel with Mikage is even demanded on her own accord, she doesn't hesitate to inflict violence on him.

And yet Mamiya in his true self is barely shown, and so many memories of him entirely rewritten. He wasn't the elegant boy who resembled a mythical figure. He was a regular looking boy with freckles (bar the symbolic eyes of disillusionment).

Nemuro before meeting Tokiko and Mamiya was often feeling excluded from his peers. Even though he's still a student, classmates call him professor. To a point Nemuro believes himself to be unfeeling because everyone else says so. Until he meets Tokiko who organizes a massive project for a single boy. Mamiya's and Nemuro's talks, and contemplation about mortality actually make Nemuro realize that he can care for others. Mamiya in his wisdom, in his struggle for life, in just being can touch upon Nemuro's to touch upon more sympathetic, compassionate feelings. He knew he was about to die soon. Yet everyone around him tried everything to prevent his death. Even though Tokiko loved him, she tried to constrict his finite time to his bed. But Mamiya had accepted that he would die. More than anyone else of the entire cast, he was ready to accept his mortality.

Yet Mamiya's actual will got drastically rewritten: Anthy!Mamiya says he wanted immortality. So Neumro becomes Mikage Souji. All his previous work can continue to be used for Akio's purposes. So, Akio can continue to rope Souji for his purposes.

Even in his life, Mamiya's actual desire got ignored, talked over, and instrumentalized for the desire of others to do good. And finally evenTokiko's and Nemuro's good intentions were exploited for Akio's gains.

The original Black Rose circle actually didn't care at all about the dying boy. All the desperate efforts of Nemuro's hard work were just for their benefit. The didn't care Mamiya died.

He also became Mikage's scapegoat. All the bad things Mikage did, the mass murder out of deep despair that none cared for the one overlooked boy, the manipulation of eventual duelists, using the pain of others for his own gain, he ould blame them on doing them for Mamiya's sake. But Mamiya never asked to be saved.

The real Chida Mamiya didn't look special, but he was deeply loved. His sheer life was what made him stand out of Tokiko, and later Nemuro. The memory of him got rewritten to the point that his personality became unrecognizable. We barely see what he really looked like, and that he refused eternity, actually. In fact, only his grave contains his memory at Ohtori. Otherwise Souji is forced to graduate, Tokiko leaves Ohtori. None else will know how important and detrimental a simple boy was in the history of Ohotori. Mamiya is just like all the over disenfranchised Black Rose duelists: False perceived, misrepresented, overlooked, overheard, actually not looking distinctive.

The only who remembers him correctly, is Tokiko. She remembers her brother so dearly, she returns to the place that brought her so much grief to bring flowers to his grave. The one who could accept his passing and mortality, remembers the actual, real Mamiya. And how important he actually was.

[thefloatingstone]

Sorry, this is about a post from 2020, but in answering an ask about homophobia in Utena you mentioned, “another is a man who is gearing himself up for a hetero marraige because he feels its the proper thing someone in his position should do, until he meets a teenaged boy and it’s like “…..oh fuck…””… are you talking about Mikage? Are you saying the search for eternity he’s researching is a metaphor for hetero marriage, à la Akio’s “the castle is where a prince and princess will live together forever?” (not disagreeing just wanting to make sure I understand correctly, id never thought of it that way before)

or did I miss something in the series lol

Oh oof this was a while ago and I haven't watched the series in a while. But kind of?

More like, Mikage is very emotionally detached from social norms when we first meet him and is completely engrossed with his work. He is constantly referred to as "a human computer".

When he meets Tokiko there is enough symbology to make you realise as he's speaking to her he is very logically and coldly thinking to himself "ah yes. A female. I am supposed to marry one of these and start a family. She seems like a good candidate".

"She is feminine and is doing feminine things. This is seen as attractive by men so this must make her an attractive partner."

"Yes. This is good for what is expected of me. Starting a family with her would be a good move."

While at the same time there is ONE singular moment with the flashing hand that is difficult to catch. In all the previous scenes the flashing hand makes a beeping noise. But in one singular moment during this scene while he and Tokiko are speaking, the camera pans over the other researchers walking to and from the hall and you can HEAR the hand but it's not onscreen until the VERY last second and even then the camera cuts away before you can really figure out what it's pointing at.

The hand is pointing at two men holding hands as they walk.

As Mikage is speaking to Tokiko and gauging if she might be worth pursuing as a partner as a Good Hetero Boy should. But this image shows just as Mikage is saying "They have gathered a good group of boys here who can continue my research".

There is no solid way to interpret this as "Ah THIS is what Mikage means!" but I think it's placement and the way the camera cuts away from it pretty quickly is pretty telling. Especially since the flashing hand in this scene has been showing us Mikage's internal thoughts as he's spending time with Tokiko.

It's possible to see this as his thoughts briefly wandering to the male students in the program, and that doing so automatically, if only for a brief moment, becomes a dreaded GAY THOUGHT. which is why the camera cuts way from it so quickly and back to the room he and Tokiko are sitting in.

AND THEN. FUCKING. (sorry I am rewatching this scene and losing my mind at details I didn't notice before)

FUCKING. AFTER THIS GAY THOUGHT. He is speaking to Tokiko about how the boys are spreading rumours that they are trying to revolutionise the world. But it's clear he has no interest in this and says "It's like they're trying to build a perpetual motion machine" to mock them as ridiculous. BUT THAT'S NOT THE IMPORTANT PART!!!!

THE IMPORTANT PART!!! is AFTER this gay thought, and him dismissing the boys as stupid, the camera does a LOOOOOOONG pan over Tokiko's body as Mikage says

GOD DAMMIT MIKAGE!!!!!

"If I run away fast enough the gay thoughts can't get me!"

I AM GOING INSANE KSDHKSHDKHFDS

Anyway then Tokiko runs when she hears mamiya in the rose garden, Mikage follows her, and the SECOND he lays eyes on mamiya, Tokiko, very WEIRDLY, just leaves the room and walks away without Mikage or Mamiya even acknowledging her.

REAL SUBTLE.

The next scene has Tokiko explaining to Mikage how his research of attaining eternity is what could save Mamiya's life. Even as she's explaining to Mikage and her motivations, he remains emotionally detached from her, as he is only seen in this shot reflected in the mirror. Standing next to her, but not.

But when Tokiko sheds a tear and apologises for this, Mikage says, still reflected in the mirror, "I feel like this is the first time I've seen a person cry."

Basically 'This is the first time I actually feel emotionally responding to someone else's sadness"

Baby's first empathy... because it's about Mamiya.

And then as he moves to leave and return to his research, this time with purpose, Tokiko asks him if he has anyone who is precious to him. That part's not important. The important part is the next sentence she says as Mikage leaves.... having said for the first time he's connected to someone's sadness over the young boy....

And then he throws himself into his research

So that is how Mikage embraced the gay thoughts in his weird academic way. "Well it's not TECHNICALLY gay if I'm just trying to save the life of the woman I have selected to be my partner!" And so the story starts to unravel for him.

TO get back to your question tho, Mikage is actually NOT chasing Eternity when he meets Tokiko. And his hetero relationship with here does not actually symbolise eternity to him at all.

He repeatedly says before he meets Tokiko that he is a "living computer" and describes himself as "a dry man passing dry days". He also says the research isn't going well, but he doesn't actually care.

However, when he is at Tokiko's home he is STILL expressing disinterest in the research when she brings it up. He not only makes fun of the other researchers as I previous said, saying "it's like they're trying to invent a perpetual motion machine". He specifically refers to the research and his fellow researches in a detached way. THEY are trying to create a perpetual motion machine. THEY are trying to attain eternity. He is completely disinterested and detached from the research himself.

In fact he tells Tokiko

He even says "I have done more than what the contract called for." (which incidentally he says directly before it cuts to the boys holding hands)

IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE ISN'T TALKING ABOUT RESEARCH AT ALL HMMMMMMM 🤔🤔🤔

"I was an emotionally detached man. Living on auto-pilot. I find the thing everyone else is doing to be stupid. But I am taking part despite being completely disinterested. The BOYS are extraordinary tho. But anyway, it's stupid to want more. People should be satisfied with the chosen direction they already have. But purely for business reasons."

*Mamiya enters* hey

"Oh shit now see THIS is a different story!!! I have something to live for!!! Doing this thing because of this BOY is now the most important thing in the entire world!!! I am a man possessed!!!!"

*whispers* nothing in this scene is about research.

[mikka-minns]

A rant about Mamiya and Mikage cuz they are my hyperfixation now (alongside Tokiko)

Warning for spoilers

Also mentiones of misgendering and grooming

Mikage: You will be the rose bride, Mamiya

Me: haha he Just called Mamiya a twink

Also me: even tho Mamiya suggests that he should be the rose groom since he is a guy, Mikage doesnt agree simply cuz he thinks that "bride" suits him more.

It could be because he thinks of Mamiya as too feminen to be a real man.

Could this means Mamiya is a trans man? Is that something Ikuhara is trying to hint at?

Does Mikage know this and still thinks of him as a girl in some way simply bcuz he can't see the change(the revolution) of Mamiya's gender as a real thing. Does he Just project Tokiko's image onto Mamiya and thats why he wants a bride specificly? Or is Mamiya who he projects onto Tokito? He has more emotional moments with Mamiya and is also closer to him.

Maybe he doesnt know Mamiya is trans and thats why he doesnt think its a big lead but it is a big deal to Mamiya.

Maybe Mamiya isnt trans, BUT HOLY FUCK, ITS RIGHT THERE!

Was Mikage like that even before Mamiya's death? Did he try to make him the rose bride and a tool for finding the eternity?

And what about Mamiya and his eternity? He was sick and in pain when the reaserch started. If his life became eternal, neverending, would his sickness too? Did Mikage ever think of that?

Mikage Also thinks that being the rose bride will bring Mamiya some sort of pleasure. He wants to make him HIS OWN rose bride. He doesnt even think for a moment that it doesnt work like that.

As we know, the rose bride is basicaly a doll, a puppet. Being anything LIKE a rose bride will only get you suffering, yet somehow, Mikage thinks he would be doing Mamiya a favor. Similarly to how Utena thinks that by becoming a prince(Someone "destined" to use the rose bride for his own gain) she will save Anthy. But both of these are selfish actions that will only bring even less freedom to the Ones they love.

Its also worth noting how Mikage, even tho he is this big child genius, knows nothing if what he is actualy doing.

He is working for Akio ehem being groomed that is ehem

While Also ploting against his biggest, most important weapon - Anthy Himemiya.

Not to mention Himemiya was playing Mamiya this whole time.

He was made loser in this game before it even started. He too was a tool for grooming other kids at the academy since he himself was a lost cause(or at least that what he became at the end).

Mikage is only feeling real emotions when he is with Mamiya. But one emotion that he fell for the first time because of him is sadness.

Once he realised Mamiya is gone, he cried for the first time. Only then, when he allowed himself to mourn was he truly Also happy.

He was sad Mamiya was gone because he felt happy with him.

(i just got upset after seeing that scene again, so i had to rant. I will probably do a better ananysis than this, this is Just a little something)

[palms-upturned]

What do you think the real Mamiya was like and how do you think he felt about his situation? I feel like the real Mamiya seemed like a good kid who was handed a poor deal in life because he died so young and that's about it on my thoughts.

oooooouuughh that’s exactly what ive been thinking about for days anon, thank you 🙏

well we’re only able to see a couple of conversations with mamiya in episode 22, and ofc it’s debatable how accurately mikage remembers those conversations but personally i think that talk about tokiko hating to see flowers die is definitely real (aside from mamiya’s appearance) because everything mamiya says contradicts what anthy!mamiya says to spur mikage on to duel, “my sister hates to see flowers die, but i wonder if the roses are happy being preserved this way” vs “eternity is this moment stretching on infinitely. i want eternity!”

rgu doesn’t really touch on illness/disability in depth but im really fascinated with mamiya, a chronic(? or at least terminal) illness patient, as a parallel to anthy, the rose bride. body autonomy is a big issue when you’re sick/disabled, and especially in mamiya’s case where he was terminally ill. mamiya wants to tend his garden, tokiko becomes upset at him for pushing himself and wants him to rest. tokiko wants to save him by being part of this research project trying to find “eternity,” even though nemuro reminds her that this project has nothing to do with medicine or healing mamiya’s body, and mamiya compares her efforts to save him to her habit of preserving flowers to avoid seeing them die, wondering whether the flowers are happy that way. to me, mamiya seems like a kid who knew that he was living on borrowed time and just wanted to make the most of what time he had, and so was unhappy with tokiko (and nemuro) focusing everything on futile efforts to buy him more time. the sticky problem of duration vs quality of life

aside from that he seemed like a very smart kid since he mentioned reading nemuro and tokiko’s research and deeply respecting them both, my guess would be that he did a lot of reading while bed bound. beyond that, it’s sadly hard to say what sort of person mamiya was since the majority of what we see is mikage projecting an idealized image onto anthy (or maybe more like anthy acting out a sort of mockery of mikage’s ideals). that’s the tragedy of it ig, we don’t get a chance to know mamiya either. he’s dead, and so we’re only able to know him through mikage’s memories, and those memories are affected by his own complex feelings… 😔

something to be said there about bodily autonomy and idealized projections obscuring a person’s truth and the rose bride and sick people having to play the part of model patient™️ to avoid distressing the ppl around them, at the cost of being able to share their true thoughts/experiences or even have their needs met… ik it would be a stretch to say that was the creators’ intent with mamiya, it’s likely coincidental, i just think about it a lot lately

[littleeyesofpallas]

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Name Games

Mikage 御影 Souji 草時

Mi [御] can be read as “govern” or “control” but is also an archaic prefix used in addressing gods or divine spirits, so in conjunction with -kage [影] meaning, “Shadow(s)” it makes Mikage’s name mean “(who) Governs Shadows” which is basically addressing him as a god of shadows.

In the name Souji Sou [草] reads as “Grass” or “Herbs” or “Weeds,” (but in certain contexts can also denote “Fake”) and -ji [時] means “Time,” “Hour,” or “Moment.”  Grass, as we’ve discussed in this series carries some fixed implications of being small, common place, and unimportant, or at least unimpressive particularly in comparison with many of the more dignified or glamorous tree or flower imagery being thrown around.  Alternatively the reading of “Fake” references the fact that the Black Rose Duelists are all unofficial duelists using corrupted signet rings and swords stolen from official duelists, so they are in many regards fakes.  He and the Black Rose Duelists also all act as a kind of shadow to their respective parallel duelists, and in Mikage’s case he’s a shadow of Utena herself, completely with some obvious visual motifs like the shared pink hair.

So Mikage Souji is pretty literally named, “God of Shadows, A Time for Commoners/Fakes,” and he is in fact a shady figure, pulling strings (governing) in secret, behind the scenes, and himself motivated by lies and deception.

Chida 千唾 Mamiya 馬宮

Chi [千] = “1,000″ and -da [唾] = “spit”/”vomit,” basically something that is expelled from the mouth.  I... I have no idea what Ikuhara meant when he did this.  I feel like there’s something I’m just missing that would make more sense of this...

Ma [馬] = “Horse” and -miya [宮] is the same one as in Himemiya Anthy’s name, meaning “Princess.”  [馬] is also the shorthand for [龍馬], which is the promoted form of the “Bishop” piece [角行] in shogi; Ryuuma [龍馬] is written “Dragon Horse" or “Imperial Horse“ and basically just means “a excellent/very impressive horse.”

So in this context it might well be a reference to the show’s persisting “Prince Charming on a White Horse” imagery.  Just like Utena needs Anthy to be a damsel in distress because without a princess to save, Utena can’t be a Prince, Mikage’s princeliness comes from having someone to elevate him into the spotlight and emphasize his valor.  While Mikage is more overtly objectifying of Mamiya, his and Utena’s treatment of their respective Princess isn’t really all too different, a conflict that Utena has to face over the course of the second arc.

Chida 千唾 Tokiko 時子

Tokiko’s name used the same kanji [時] for “Time” as Souji’s name, and the -ko [子] is just a common name suffix denoting a girl’s name.  Tokiko is very overtly the time that Mikage wants to get back.  His pursuit for “something eternal” is all about capturing a golden moment in time and never letting it go, which of course isn’t feasible and is his downfall.  Tokiko and time itself literally move on and age without him.

I really still don’t have a clue as to what the family name is.

...Previous post: First post in the series...

[raguna-blade]

Revolutionary Girl Utena 21-24

Today in revolutionary girl utena, oh shit oh fuck oh god.

Anthy what the fuck what the actual tap dancing christ.

And While I want to do the overall thoughts thing, like...Man, each session is just a rain of stuff going on that keeps upending both my feelings and general thoughts.

Except that the filler episodes are fucking keys, if goofy ones, and that forever throws me.

Revolutionary Utena Episodes 21- 24

Episode 21

Nanami Girlsquad.

CUT TO VERMIN. Uh..Uh nanmi...?

...What's with the flower in the corner?

….How are you eating the pocky?

Oh shit they have names.

WE'LL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER. Oh that shit isn't sticking. Oh no.

Nanami getting more animated. And hey let's cheer up touga! Cool cool.

Pigtails is doing the lords work I see. Just...Going hard as hell huh.

Oh no she has a crush on him. This won't end well

...She's on roller skates. Keiko, you're the champion.

Nanami...That's pretty scummy.

...Those Touga Feels. Is...is she gonna draw a sword outta touga?

Oh no, she didn't get to go to the party. Keiko nooooooo.

Doesn't get to be the princess. That's...

Jesus the Girl Squad sync is stronk

Anthy...are you ok...? nodding off back there.

WHAT ARE YOU TIMING MIKI!

Anthy with the disrespect just...Constantly.

Oh lord...STAY AWAY FROM AKIO PLEASE.

OH GOD. BAD TOUCH ALERT BAD TOUCH GOD

Loading Screen rose again?

Touga is a douche yes, but go for the gold Keiko. Dream Big.

Oh no. Nanami saw. This...will be bad.

Oh jesus Nanami what the fuck. I know why but fucking hell.

CALLED HER A PARASITE TO HER FACE. SHES YOUR FRIEND WHAT THE FUCK.

Well groupie but.

….Oh shit did they hot abandon her. Wow fuck her friends too then. Wow.

Yeah, hellavator time yupyup. How to turn friends into enemies 101.

The LEAF IS A CATTERPILLAR EGG FUCK.

Oh shit, touga sword time I guess.

This is...increasingly sexual, WAY INCREASINGLY SEXUAL, where it was already pretty sexual before. Just...

Shadow Girls.Mantis...insecticide? What?

Getting the absolute MILES out of this stock footage. The repetition is neat actually, since it seems done on purporse (whenever the pattern breaks SHIT GOES DOWN, so...)

...So this fucked up reversal of the drawing of the sword thing (or completely accurate version of it?) is...

Hm. Song Goes Hard this time though.

I just realized, for all that everyone is copying utenas style, it's really the geeneral “prince” outfit isn't it.

...What the fuck, did Utena just exorcise the hate out of her or something?

Anthy: OH ITS EASY. if it's for someone You love how you feel about others doesn't matter. You just keep lying to yourself for as long as it takes.

Anthy. ANTHY WHY IS EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH ALTERNATIVELY A BITING INSULT OR DEEPLY DISTURBING.

AND THEN IT CUTS TO TRUTH KEEP DESTROYING LIES.

Just...

Episode 22

Last Black Roses? Is it...Is it Gender Bend Utena vs Genderbend Mikage?

Oh hey it's the heavenvator.

WHY DOES NOBODY QUESTION THIS WEIRD SHIT. THIS TRAIN IS JUST THERE.

THEY FINALLY MEET.

...Chuchu are you ok?

Joining the seminar? Utena?  Hooboy. That...hm.

100 People died in a fire....well that's...ominous. Considering the bodies.

GOD PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM HIM. I BEG YOU.

Oh mikage is a duelist too...? Huh.

...Wait Nemuro? Mikage is nemuro? Uh...Wait. Didn't he die...?

They were researching the power to revolutionize the world? Huh.

...Wait, so were the rings just fashion? Nope, they weren't, but they were abusing his intellect and such it seems...

….Cat, Teapot and Caterpillar? Cat's? Why the hell are you pointing this out. Three cats? What is...

What is it pointing out?

Wait, so...did they actually make seomething? The castle? Lpistick?

The Boy? Oh...oh boy i'm not sure i'm amicable to this directiion.

So...Mamiya has an Older Sister? So is she uh..Anti Akio? Reverse Akio.

Injections? Uh. Uhhhhhh. So he's sick? Was sick?

Is Mamiya Dead?

Also. The Corpses? Those are deffo coffins right?... Were Utena's folks involved?

...Nothing SHOULD last forever says mamiya.

Leaf...?

Teacup Lipstick?

Fucking Akio...Wait, how old is he? They rebuilt the building and it's pretty old right?

Uh...Wait a second.

A contract with Me? But that's Akio right? Or is it Dios?

...Wait were those ACTUALLY bodies?

AKIO A FUCKING GAIN? WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE HOW OLD IS HE?

...Is it Mikage who burnt the building down? No Mamiya did.

Mikage what ARE you talking about.

So...The dead boys are Fuel...? For...what?

WAIT THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT RECENT. THATS THE ODLER SISTER RIGHT!?

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS TIMELINE?

Shadow Girls...And lady reacted to Shadow Girls.

Anthy and Utena: CARE DAMN YOU!

….So the schools...Halt aging? MAMIYA IS DEAD?

WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?

Episode 23

Tokiko is her name. And she fucking left the school and...lived a life? What.

Utena Join the Student council.

Why the student council is even a thing?

What the fuck even is a duelist? Shit seems suspect now.

...Uh...Mikage? Phrasing? Or..What's with the looping?

Mikage using Utena as a surrogate?

Utena's eternity seeking started back then huh. But...What's up with the school?

THAT INTRO THING.

Impossible to quit being the rose bride. And now she goes to the Mikage Seminar...?

...Was that Tokiko?

Uh...What's with the weird serial killer wall thing...? Uh. Uhhhhhh

So...Nemuro started the Duels before things started off? And Nemuro rejected Eternity? But Mamiya did NOT.

….Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. UH

THATS NOT TOKIKO. WHAT IS...

Wait. Fighting to preserve their memories? Is...is Utena going n the hellavator?

UTENA INTERRUPT.

Oh fuck. Utena threw the gauntlet? uh...Uhhhhh. Concern.

Meanwhile, Nemuro continues his mental breakdown.

Nemuro with the Utena Will Kill Me Reads.

...Did he draw a sword out himself.?

Oh man, the repetitions suddenly become a bit more ominous. Did this Wakaba seen already play before?

Others see...

Oh they skipped the song. Oh shit oh fuck.

I like how he's LITERALLY like a flipped utena. He's got that same dash stab maneuver. Swords lookin the same. Hm. hm. Black and white Roses.

WAIT. Is...He looking wrong? Does he look wrong? Wait, did Nemuro set the fire.

DECADES!?

...Nemuro Graduate..?

The building is fucking GONE. They...They don't remember SHIT>

Wait, did it get unmade? What the fuck?

...WAS THAT ANTHY THE WHOLE TIME!?!?!?!?!?

Another filler ep?

Episode 24

This Kid is absolutely on fucking point. Like Shit Mitsuru.

Is He Dead: Anthy, you TRIFLING-

...Why did they strip him?

Is this a clips episode?

….This boy stalkin.

….Nanami is Justice. And Her True face?

Never dirtying her own hands...

Ok, they're talking about the mind swap ep, and...Ok, looking atthis, and the last episode revealing anthy's uh...whatever the fuck that is. I'm now a bit more certain of my previous read of it being less a real thing and more like a personality swap rather than a full mind swap.

Also starting to wonder about chuchu. He acting on her orders or something.

Oh, they're just acknowledging the weird shit.

Jesus Mitsuru. You just...What the hell?

...No matter how she tries to hurt people she get's hurt the worst? Which...Sounds like a goof, but that's factually what happens. Shit gets visited back on her like 8 times as worse.

Wait, are Nanami and Utena and Anthy the Shadow Girls this time?

Ok, I can 100% believe they just never looked under the table. That...Feels frighteningly in character actually.

Gotta say, Mitsuru has surprisingly become an interesting character so...

...Was...his plan to replace her brother...? Uh. Wait. And mess with her mind too?  Wait. Wait. Wait a fucking second what the fuck.

Oh the cow thing DEFFO happened. They're just not thinking about it. Or referencing it. What the...

Why are they all referring to ONLY the nanami eps? Like damn, the attention paid here is uh. FEELS MAD WEIRD considering how on point everything else happened here so. Like just an ep ago, we were dealing with a man's mental break down and also him unexisting because Utena beat him so bad.

Home boy turns into a cow too. ….and accidentally flashes his dick which causes nanami to freak out and fly out the window.

Was it just a dream? Maybe?

Shadow Girls...? Again?

Monkey and Robots again...? Uh...I feel that means something.

[theskyexists]

Utena SEASON2 LAST (23)

I like how utena just straight up ignores mikage's weird opener about exciting rose scents

Totally forgot about the coffin thing. 'friends with problems' ? I've been fighting lots of people I would consider friendly with a sword bc they tried to kill my friend because of deeply twisted feelings but nah

Uh?? So he projects Tokiko on Utena?

So Mamiya is definitely a hallucination. He DID die. He wants to make his memories of Mamiya eternal.

But like. The others fight for no reason I can see. Memories to be made eternal...

Even though they live in a place that keeps them young forever, they still can't go back to a previous time...but they can't move on either. They need to REVOLUTIONISE THE WORLD. They think it will bring them back, but I think it will bring them forward.

Yeah the sketch confirms this with the dad longing to go back to school when he was successful....

The interesting thing is of course that the rose is over their hearts and they almost always stab and then somehow only get the rose.

Okay so Mamiya didn't actually look like Anthy. This whole thing is very messy. Wow he even set the fire himself!

Anthy played Mamiya! But he graduated..but he was never really there in the first place. And the black rose stuff never happened and utena or the student council can't remember it.

What purpose did it serve Akio??????