#utena ends up in the rose bride’s dress anyway

[mythomaniia]

once again i am reminded that no media that dedicates itself to examining patriarchy and feminism has ever affected me more nor rang more true than revolutionary girl utena. from 1997.

[revacholian-girl-utena]

This system does not require faith — only accordance.

Alt text: Screenshots from Revolutionary Girl Utena with overlaid text. 1: Dios on a white horse, standing up high on a broken bridge. Text: An innocence is infallible.

2: Dios and young Utena looking at young Anthy, suspended in the air on the swords of hate. Text: The decisions made by one are not decisions.

3: Anthy's silhouette against a pink background, pierced by many blades, hair flying. Text: They are inevitabilities —

4: Touga looking out the tower window at the stars. His shirt is open and he holds a potted cactus. Text: what would have happened anyway,

5: An apple with a slice cut out, pierced by many forks. Text: only accelerated.

6: B-ko the shadow girl in Prince costume, taking a heroic stance. Text: An Innocence is a continuous, compressed event, a sacred human being.

7: Akio, dressed as End of the World, holds Utena, dressed as a rose bride. Text: It is an honor and a glory to live when one is in office.

8: Closeup on young Utena and Dios's feet, standing at the edge of a sheer drop. Text: YOU — Is one in office now?

9: A dark, empty stage with a rose design on the lowered curtain. Text: No.

10: Young Utena standing alone under a spotlight. She is staring at the spot where young Anthy disappeared. There are cracks in the wall resembling the shape of the swords coming out of Anthy's body. Text: We are alone.

[ennaku-sirri-da]

Revolutionary Girl Jerafina- J'veux ton amour, et je veux ta revanche

Day 8 of @smileformeweek - Free Day

[ ID: Traditionally done art that's colored and edited digitally. It involves the ship of Lulia Fame and Jerafina Tabouli from Smile For Me the game. It is of my AU Roseverse, and a crossover with Revolutionary Girl Utena the anime.

In my interpretation, both Lulia and Jerafina are fat. Jerafina is also a mer-woman, or a siren. I have used a stylised pallete departing from their canon colors. Jerafina is mostly in purples, pinks, orange and yellow with blue and red for her eyes. Lulia is mostly in browns, greens, yellow, red, pink.

It is a parrtial screenshot redraw from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Jerafina is in Utenas position, wearing her outfit and standing up, holding Lulias arm with one clawed hand. Tears drop down her face, which has a sorrowful expression, looking up. Her hair looks like jellyfish tentacles. Some of her sharp fangs jut out. Lulia is in Anthys position, the light glowing in her hand towards Jerafinas chest, where her hand is placed. Dark mascara runs down Lulias eyes and she hangs her head. Her Rose Bride dress flies around her to reveal her high-heeled legs folded back, floating. Her legs have stretch marks.

The background is sharp and dark, in hues of blue. Yellow rays emanate from Jerafina and Lulia. Some glitters surround them. They appear to be slightly glowing. End ID]

//

Redraw of this:

[ ID: Screencap from Revolutionary Girl Utena the anime showing roughly the same pose as the above drawing. However Utena and Anthys eyes are closed and they have a serene expression. End ID]

I thought, my version of Jerafina could be Utena because I've always liked a more masculine Jerafina...as well as, she's a fairytale creature, a Siren--- and Utena desires to be a kind of fairytale prince.

As for Lulia being Anthy, well, she's dramatic ASF, she would definitely have a Ton of mysterious stuff going on with her. I think even her being a witch fits. I do think Lulia is much more outwardly expressive than Anthy though.

Anyway, dramatic sapphics!!!!❤️🩷❤️🩷 sorry it's late!

Color pallettes from @color-palettes

[gamesception]

lets read rgu chapter 16.5 extra

I'm not sure what the point 5 extra is about. It's not a separate chapter from regular old chapter 16. Are we doing a comedic side story? I'd like that. This chapter header promises some Utena/Anthy time, & I'd also absolutely be down for some time spent building up their relationship, something the manga needs to put some more time into before introducing Akio, if indeed manga Akio is going to be a thing.

After not really enjoying the duel with Miki, i'm honestly looking forward to whatever we're doing next.

We've referenced this a couple times, but yeah a lot of decisions that went into the anime weren't made with Saito nor was she even informed of them until pretty late. This is a cute little side comic about Anthy's dress, but I imagine other changes in direction were more frustrating.

A cute little story from Chuchu's perspective. Also I like the detail of Anthy being a terrible cook, something the manga shares with the anime, and a fun little humanizing detail, of exactly the sort I've been saying manga Anthy needs.

In the anime Anthy's terrible curry was eventually revealed to be to blame for a freaky friday style personality swap episode, that was pretty fun. Are we doing a version of that here?

Anthy cooking is soo cute. Mayo, haha.

Anthy tastes the curry and thinks its coming along well, Chuchu disagrees and takes it upon himself to add some curry powder, but...

He accidentally ALL of it?! ...chu...

I'm crying. This is great. The manga absolutely needed more of this. Come to think of it, this kinds of plots generally involve Nanami in the anime, and the lack of these comic asides to this point is the main reason I was sad that she wasn't here.

But making room for Anthy to be a bit more of a goof is a fantastic trade off. She's needed to be more of a character for a while, and in particular we need to hget to know and like her as more than just the Rose Bride before all the Akio stuff kicks in.

So anyway, yeah, we are doing the freaky friday thing, and it's every bit as fun here.

Yeah, this is great.

But of course they decide they have to switch back, and quickly hone in on the Curry as the cause, but in manga land Chuchu not Nanami was responsible for the added spice, so instead of Nanami & her friends traveling to India to find more Chuchu has to venture to the grocery store - a trip of roughly equivalent epicness for a creature of Chuchu's size.

But oh, no, that villainous Saionji has purchased the last of the curry powder! And he'll only hand it over in exchange for getting Anthy (Utena) to meet with him, since she's been avoiding him ever since he lost her to Utena (Anthy).

As in the other version of this story, Saionji wants to continue his love journal with Anthy.

In the anime, Utena as Anthy wrote a big 'fuck you' to Saionji, but here neither Utena nor Anthy want to deal with it, so it's up to Chuchu.

Yeah, if anything this is funnier.

But Saionji already gave Chuchu the curry powder before reading the note, so...

And yeah, we end more or less on the same note, with Anthy and Utena back to normal but Chuchu and Saionji swapped.

I do miss the anime-only joke where in the end it wasn't the super hot curry powder but rather Anthy's bad cooking that caused the explosion & personality swap, but overall this little comedic side story was every bit as fun and funny here in the manga, and a wonderful palate cleanser after all my Juri and Miki complants.

[goodmorningdove]

Rgu ep3 liveblog under the cut! :3

Interesting that she has no memory Of meeting the prince. Is this something unique to utena or do all the rose ring wearers have this amnesia. Furthermore, what makes her so fundamentally different from the others? I do believe the show intends me to be asking these questions.

I love utena pointing out the inherent abusive nature of Himemiya not really having any friends. And the monkey mouse doesn't really count. He holds no power and cant really help Himemiya should things go south

Utena: im straight and want to date a normal boy, Kiryuu: allow me to introduce myself

Wow ok that 3 seconds of utena slapping Kiryuu for touching her hair was beautiful and perfectly showed me what the dynamic between these three is going to be

“Why do you have that” “so i could meet you” fucking liar. So many of these men suck lol

No he is not the fucking prince!! Girl you summoned the prince last episode. I know that was audience only info but like girl. Do not trust him. He hasnt explained shit and has only so far been a sly pos

Ok so confirmation utena is being left in the dark. Which is like really rude. Is she even supposed to have a ring? That would be very interesting. I hope blue hair stopwatch asks utena some questions they(?) Seem to be the kind to care about accuracy. Though they(?) Might not see a need to do what the end of the world people have also not done (explain to utena what the hell is going on)

I fucking love wakaba

Oh shit people are being mean to Himemiya. Utena get your ass over here

Hello Nanami. You are clearly important. I like you, you stood up for Himemiya.

Oh Himemiya does not need the stress of being dance queen. Shes already the rose bride. Shes already got so much going on she does not need petty school drama too. Nanami can you unnominate her?

“Ive wanted to be your friend for a long time” somehow i doubt that! I suspect you wish to be dance queen instead of Himemiya, but you dont realize Himemiya (probably, she hasnt voiced her thoughts yet) doesnt care about whos dance queen. Anyway Nanami i now hate you.

Im sorry what are those things that chu-chu pulled put of the dress box. Are they spare buttons or pills? my instinct says buttons but they have no holes

Oh nevermind i guess they were candies?? Chuchu is eating them. Ok. Sure whatever.

Oh no theyre those keep things from going moist dehydrator things. Or maybe moth balls. They were not supposed to be eaten. Anyway more important things are to be revealed, like Utena's outfit! considering its from kiryuu, my Money's on it being something super feminine utena doesnt normally wear

I WAS RIGHT

Himemiya is so based. Large crowds are way too stressful

Oh god i hate but also love how himemiya Is only going to the dance and try to make friends because Utena said so. Its so fucked up but i love it

Hello magia record uwasa girls. What is the uwasa today??

A man trap what the fuck do you mean by that

Ah i suppose they mean that the girls are going to freak out over boys. Except for utena and Himemiya.

Oh boy nanami is kiryuu’s little sister! i am curious as to how they will handle this. Theyre starting in an… interesting direction. But i can see how they could also make a commentary on their situation. But i dont know if i can trust rgu to make those narrative choices

Hang on is there no dance king??

Noooo utena is wearing the dress… i do like that she is visibly unhappy tho

Ah so Nanami thinks Kiryuu likes Himemiya? Nice touch that despite their close relationship, Nanami actually knows very little about Kiryuu's Life

Utena i dont. I dont think they are friends.

Please kill him please kill him

Nanami you bitch do not instigate Himemiya's anxiety like this! She is not competition For your brothers attention

Oh no that dress is boobytrapped in some way isnt it.

She! Is not! Competition! For! Your brother!!!!!!!

UTENA SAVE HER

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Holy shit i was not expecting tablecloth dress. Props to utena For that major skill

Nanami how do you not know who utena is. Everyone screams her name when she enters school

Utena is also not competition for your brother! She does not give a shit about him except for the fact that he might be her prince. Which he isnt.

[allaboardthechuchutrain]

Adding on, revolution also means a fight against an oppressive system, a rebellion. And...UTENA!! It's in the title! She's revolutionary! She rebels/doesn't conform to gender roles, she fights against them (taking the rose bride dress off). She yells at Akio to shut up

And Anthy too! Beginning to rebel/resist against Akio throughout the series and in the end she leaves

And of course, in a world like theirs, two girls loving each other is a revolutionary act all on its own. Ohtori has no place for their love, it doesn't allow it but they still love each other anyways.

[Image description: Revolutionary Girl Utena screencaps: Utena's hand against pink, slamming her fist against the ground, and Utena pointing a sword at Akio angrily while wearing a pink Rose Bride dress. End ID]

obsessed with how Utena uses both definitions of revolution: a change, a spark but also rotation, circular movement that repeats and repeats (a perpetual motion machine). change vs staying the same (not growing up)

thinking about how Akio is associated with rotation (the carousel, maybe even the Ferris wheel?) how when the road he drives on appears curved, circular

how he takes the students in his car on this road after they give up on the duels, not allowing them to escape/stop participating in the system, trapping them in this cycle

if the road is circular, it doesn't go anywhere. It eventually comes back to where it started (how the characters regress sometimes). It also means Akio isn't taking them anywhere, he's just tricking them (bc he's a manipulative piece of shit + shows how he's giving them a false sense/idea of adulthood since none of them actually graduate aka grow up)

thinking about how he claims that Utena didn't bring revolution while he's preparing for the next set of duels (he completed a revolution, now it's time to start over)

Yet while Akio tries trapping them in this eternal cycle, he fails. The ending (will get to that later) but also the students grow and develop. They are not the same people they were at the start of the show. You know who doesn't change though? Akio. On to the ending: I love the ending of Utena so much. The students are talking about growing up, about changing!! The student council, Tsuwabuki, Kozue, Shiori, Wakaba have all clearly changed. They are no longer partaking in the same behaviours they kept repeating throughout the show (all their relationships are noticeably healthier, no one is obsessing over anyone anymore, hanging out w/out animosity between them). Utena and Anthy escape and leave!!!!! Anthy is no longer trapped in the cycle of abuse Akio put her through. Anthy is no longer going to keep playing the role of the rose bride, Akio is free to continue playing prince (revolving), but she has to go now (revolution).

[aeondeug]

Edelgard's romance appeals to me because of its intensity, but I understand that that's why some dislike it. And if Edelgard was only romanceable by m!Byleth, I might not have liked her romance at all. A female student falling for her male teacher bothers and bores the shit out of me. The same dynamic but gay is acceptable and interesting to me. Maybe I'm hypocritical for that, but sometimes I'm just gay and tired and I'll take what scraps I can get when it comes to romance.

For me I really like it in part because their romance, with a female professor, falls very, very heavily into a kind of narrative I am familiar with. Namely that of a Blonde and a Brunette in yuri and s. There’s some things that are mixed around of course. Edelgard’s the one with lighter colored hair and the Professor is the older of the pair. Those are usually reversed with the roles. But if we ignore that then we have...A moody woman with some sort of deep seated emotional trauma. In this case dead siblings and torture. Dead siblings is actually pretty common with this kind of narrative setup. Anyway she’s got that down and she’s the moody one who is ‘darker’ in temperament. Her darkness in this case being ‘may commit all the war crimes’ and she moodily moods about this.And then you have the Professor. The Professor isn’t like the stereotypical sort of this character. She’s not perky and genki girl and what not. But she is the brighter of the two. You’re given dialogue options allowing the Professor to be like ‘No I want to try to save everyone,’ and these are directly contrasted with Edelgard’s ‘Well sometimes you can’t save everyone and sometimes people have to die’. And the Professor is the turning point. The thing that gets Edelgard to not fall. (An aside: Her being a teacher is also fairly traditional. The roles often fall to a senpai and her kouhai, or to a student and her teacher/the school nurse. Though it is, again, usually the younger of the pair who provides this pulling the other from their own inner demons role.)This comes up too in the metaphors of taking her hand and the Professor being the sun that she seeks like a red rose. Flowers and hand holding? These are like. Primo metaphor for this sort of narrative. The hand holding scene is like. A turning point. In some cases it is often the end point of the relationship development. The melodramatic climax. Flowers are a more complicated thing and something I am learning about more as time goes on. But there are a variety of them that get used in s and yuri for a variety of reasons. The mountain lilies used in Marimite, for example, are symbols of purity. The mountain lily is the heart of the Virgin Mary personified as a flower and the love between the girls is that pure. Roses are The Other Big Flower Metaphor. Showing up in things as varied as Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yellow Roses, the aforementioned Marimite, and Revolutionary Girl Utena.It’s really well worn territory for me. I’m not sure if they meant for this to be the case and really the kind of narrative does show up with het ships too. Though usually the one at risk of falling is the man and not the woman, I suppose. But like in terms of the broader tradition of yuri Edeleth just slides naturally into place. And it’s a very compelling example at that. It’s kind of hard for me to be as invested in the idea with a male Professor. Something about it just doesn’t quite gel for me. But that may be because I’m just as familiar with the archetypes in question as I am. This shit’s been my bread and butter for at least 13 years. Maybe 14? It’s been a while.As an aside. Edelgard’s timeskip outfit. Besides my going SHE HAS HORNS. My first thought was of Himemiya Anthy’s classic Rose Bride outfit. Pretty red dress for a morally questionable woman demonized by large portions of the cast and one who is abused, whose route is called Crimson Flower and who compares herself to a rose in her theme song...I can’t say ‘Oh yeah no that’s what they were getting at,’ but it’s really hard not to make the connection.

[recentanimenews]

Wedding Bells Are Ringing! Celebrate the Royal Wedding Counting Down the Top 10 Anime Weddings!

Weddings are a magical event, where two people who love each other come together to celebrate their love and tie the knot! Of course, a royal wedding takes the cake when it comes to the pomp, circumstance, and that special magical feeling in the air. It’s hard to ignore the pageantry of the dresses, decorations, the ring, and the ceremony! Even for non-royalty, weddings occupy a special place for many people as a celebration of love and union.

In honor of the royal union, we’ve compiled a list of top 10 amazing and memorable anime wedding couples! So, without further ado, let’s take a look at these happy couples and their nuptials!

10. Lupin III and Rebecca Rossellini  (Lupin III Part 4)

This unique couple certainly threw anime fans for a loop when Lupin III Part IV originally aired. Their madcap relationship throughout the rest of the series was quite the thrill ride, but nothing beats the initial chapter featuring their wedding ceremony. In true Lupin fashion, the wedding is seemingly part of a larger grift, but who is grifting who (and who has feelings for who) remains part of the mystery and intrigue of this partnership. While other couples could certainly claim to only be in it for love, Rebecca and Lupin never did sign any divorce papers…

  9. Arsène Lupin and Cardia Beckford (Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~)

Based on the otome game of the same name, Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ shows why Lupin is the poster boy for the series! Upon their first meeting, Lupin Arsene declared to Cardia Beckford “I have come to steal your heart,” and that he did! After such a bold declaration, both Cardia and Lupin not only grew closer, but they grew to trust themselves and each other as they successfully navigated deadly situations together. Even though Cardia’s nature was revealed, Lupin’s heart was set; he kept on loving her no matter what, making sure to keep on his promise to steal her heart. Some questions remained, like how was Cardia able to survive when the Horologium’s energy ran out, or what would be the fate of the country. But even with those questions,  one answer remained: Lupin and Cardia would create their own new world together.

  8. Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

It’s hard to compete with a royal bride, but the Rose Bride comes pretty close! Utena and Anthy’s relationship certainly seems to come out of a fairytale filled with castles, princes, duels, and even tie-wearing monkeys, but the relationship between the Rose Bride and her defender truly take the cake. Although we aren’t treated to an official wedding ceremony like one might normally expect, the two are an iconic duo in their memorable official gear, and the iconography and displays that surround the two of them are certainly hard to beat!

  7. Yusuke Yoshihino and Kouko Ibuki (CLANNAD)

This addition to the list might seem strange at first, since neither of these characters are part of the main CLANNAD cast, but it’s the situation that surrounds their wedding that makes it truly touching and unforgettable. Series favorite Fuko has spent her time trying to desperately get people to go her sister’s wedding, and the circumstances behind Fuko’s attempts really tug at the heart strings of the viewers when revealed. The worst part is that it seems that due to Fuko’s circumstances, her sister cannot see or hear her, making the little sister’s mission to make her sister’s wedding a success even more important! This all leads to a touching and rewarding moment where Kouko and Fuko are finally able to speak during the wedding ceremony.

6. Hideki Hinata and Yui (Angel Beats) 

  Yup, that’s right, another Key title on the list. But can you blame me? The way Key writes their stories really tug at the heartstrings, and Angel Beats in no exception! While Hinata and Yui didn’t get a wedding ceremony, Hinata’s passionate declaration to marry Yui took fans by surprise. Yui was paralyzed by a car accident, leaving her completely bedridden and reliant on her mom for any care. She was so convinced that no one would marry her if she were in that condition, but Hinata swore that no matter where they met and no matter what handicap she had, he would love and marry her. They both talk out how their meeting would happen in the real world and how they’d fall in love and even how relieve her mother’s duty of taking care of her. Having fulfilled Yui’s regrets with his marriage proposal, she finally moves on...

5. Goku and Chichi (Dragon Ball)

Goku may not seem like the most romantic sort at first, and to be honest, he really isn’t! But the wedding between Chichi and Goku cap off the adventure of Dragon Ball, where viewers had followed Goku’s adventures from childhood all the way to adulthood. Along that way we saw Goku and Chichi meet and fall in love, and the two were side by side through most of the series, finally coming together once the evil of King Piccolo was defeated! Chichi and Goku finally tie the knot in the final episode in a simple but cute ceremony, and Chichi looks amazing in her white wedding dress! With the Earth saved (for the time being), it was nice to see Goku and Chichi get to make things official and ride off into the sunset… until Dragon Ball Z, anyway!

4. Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga (Naruto: Shippuden)

Of course, we couldn’t forget Naruto and Hinata’s wedding! Both Naruto and Hinata have been on a grand journey from when they were kids, to teenagers and finally, to adulthood. Going through everything from chunin exams to rescue missions and many more dangerous feats, they’ve not only grown as ninja, but into lifelong partners. As the series started to wind down and the characters all progressed into adulthood, fans were curious to see who Naruto might end up with in the end, and he and Hinata make a perfect couple. Looking on at the Hokage Rock, Naruto and Hinata seem to have been reflecting on their journey that led them to where they now stood. From then on, it’ll be a whole new journey that’ll bring them blessings in ways they didn’t expect!

3. Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui  (Pokemon: Sun and Moon)

When it comes to surprise anime weddings, the proposal and marriage of Professors Burnet and Kukui certainly caught many viewers by surprise in the anime adaptation of Pokemon Sun and Moon! One of the more interesting episodes, this slice of life story took the focus off of Ash and company and gave us some insight into characters that surround them. After their adventures together, Professor Kukui proposes to Burnet on a sunset walk on the beach, and the ring box? A Pokeball of course! The proposal scene itself is quite iconic, with all of the major pieces you’d like to see in a classic proposal, but the two are later  surprised by a fantastic wedding ceremony thrown by Ash and the gang, including some Pokemon helpers! And as the wedding comes to an end, hearing Burnet say “I choose you,” is a fitting and sweet way to top off the event!

  2. Simon and Nia (Gurren Lagann)

Now, when it comes to weddings in anime, I truly had a hard time deciding on the top 2 spots! I think quite a few people would agree this one might deserve to be in the top spot, and I don’t blame you! But for now, let’s just say that Simon and Nia’s wedding is one of the best moments in the entire series, and maybe even in modern anime! For an anime as over the top as Gurren Lagann, one would be forgiven for expecting a lavish and outrageous wedding ceremony, but instead, the wedding of Simon and Nia is a touching and quiet moment, which is part of what made it so special. Watching Simon grow from a scared and confused kid into a dashing and commanding man wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support he got from Nia.  Their wedding comes after a battle with great cost, however, and although their marriage is bittersweet, seeing the two united together was one of the most touching and heartfelt moments in the entire series.

1. Yusuke Godai and Kyoko Otonashi (Maison Ikkoku)

And here at number 1 we have Yusuke and Kyoko! Perhaps one of the most classic “will they / won’t they” romantic comedy couples in anime, Yusuke and Kyoko drove fans of both the anime and manga crazy as Rumiko Takahashi tortured us with constant teasing, advancements, and setbacks in their burgeoning relationship. Yusuke was always committing at the wrong time and place, letting his anxieties get the better of him, while Kyoko kept fluctuating over whether or not to remarry after her husband’s death, or if some other suitors were perhaps better matches than Yusuke. The wacky cast certainly didn’t help, always butting in and interrupting the two lovebirds. So when the wedding finally happened, fans were able to cheer with joy and relief that the two had finally made the jump together! After nearly 100 episodes, the two are united in the finale, with a touching declaration of love that’s hard to beat, and the fast-forward time skip at the end really helps wrap up that these two belong together, and that Maison Ikkoku is not just their home, but a major reason for their love.

  Are there any wedding bells that you think deserved to ring on this list? Let us know in the comments!

----

Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known to profess her love of otome games over at her blog, Figuratively Speaking. When she has the time, she also streams some games. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[retro-friki]

Shoujo Kakumei Utena Manga Recap: To Till or The Plot Actually Happens

Last time, we read the introductory arc of this manga, however wether you only saw the anime or this humble post is your first contact with “Revolutionary Girl Utena”  it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t read the introduction, the characters and most plot threads that appear there are never spoken of again so if the manga doesn’t care about them, neither should you (unless you want to take this quiz). The real story starts here. So first allow me to present you to the main characters:

Utena Tenjou: The protagonist, she was saved by a prince when she was little and now her dream is to to find him and emulate him. Not very bright, but at least she’s good at basketball.

Anthy Himemiya: She’s supposed to have a protagonic role but the manga often forgets that she’s a character. We could describe manga!Anthy as a total cutie with mysterious powers. What kind of mysterious powers? We’ll find out soon.

Wakaba Shinohara: Best friend ever, 1000 times better than Utena’s other “best friend” from the introductory arc. If the universe was fair she would be Utena’s girlfriend, but we are in the worst timeline and Wakaba has a terrible taste in men.

This douchebag (A.K.A Kyouichi Saionji): He’s a total asshole and would probably die alone unless he hooks up with…

This other douchebag (A.K.A. Touga Kiryuu): He’s the reason of like 69% of my frustration with this manga. I even wrote an essay about it.

These other two members of the Student Council: Are not important… yet. Let’s wait till next volume to learn more about them.

Anyway, let’s go straight to the story. Naive tomboy Utena Tenjou enrolls in the prestigious Ohtori Academy hoping to find her beloved prince that saved her many years ago. Meanwhile, the Student Council of Ohtori –– a very exclusive group formed by misguided teens –– dedicate their time engaging in sword duels in order to “win” the Rose Bride, a girl called Anthy Himemiya who has the legendary Sword of Dios inside her…. literally.

Quite, literally. (Also, what’s wrong with Saionji’s face?)

Legend has it that whoever possesses Anthy and wields the Sword of Dios will have the Power to Revolutionize the World. If you have never seen the anime and all this mess confuses you, let me warn you that this isn’t the weirdest part of “Revolutionary Girl Utena”.

At the beginning of the story, Anthy is engaged to Saionji (the douchebag), how did this happen? not even the most cultivated utenologists know for sure, so don’t ask me. As we have stablished before, Saionji is a total jerk and treats Anthy badly (he claims he loves her even if he slaps her frequently) however, this isn’t what prompts our local hero Utena Tenjou to kick his butt, turns out that her best friend, Wakaba, was in love with him and Saionji broke her heart and humiliated her publicly. Utena proceeds to challenge him to a duel which he accepts because he wrongly thinks that she’s after the Rose Bride.

The ring that the prince gave Utena when they met is actually a key that allows her to enter the very secret Dueling Arena where the Student Council hold their very secret duels. The place looks really cool actually.

(Notice the castle in the sky? This is normal in “Revolutionary Girl Utena”)

Even if she doesn’t know anything about this Rose Bride stuff, Utena manages to beat Saionji by using a broken wooden sword no less, because sometimes she can be a badass like that. Thanks to this, Utena earns the Sword of Dios, which causes her to go all Super Saiyan Pink.

(what? you thought I was joking?)

Touga –– the Student Council President and also a total creep–– was watching the duel in secret and gets very surprised when he sees Utena wielding the Sword of Dios. Apparently Utena is the only one that has managed to activate the sword’s enormous power. He gets so excited that he jumps into the dueling arena and declares that he could be falling for Utena. The girl feels flustered and gets out of there as fast as she can…leaving Anthy behind. Good job, hero.

However, running away doesn’t mean that Utena is free from all this mess, soon enough she learns that she’s now engaged with Anthy and that both of them have to live together in the East Hall dorms (alongside Anthy’s weird “monkey”). Anthy explains that now that they are engaged more Student Council members are going to keep challenging her to duels on an attempt to win Anthy from her. Utena wants none of that nonsense and she decides to investigate, however. she gets distracted when she finds someone that looks like her prince at the rose garden. Just when she tries to get to him, Touga appears out of nowhere and kisses her…

Ugh...

For some reason this particular kiss scene keeps appearing again and again in other iterations of the story like the musical and the light novels. In the manga there’s two pages of this and the second one is beautifully framed with roses. This is supposed to establish Touga as the charming playboy he is…but actually, the whole thing is annoying at best and gross at worst, not even the protagonist herself is happy with getting her first kiss from that guy…however, to be fair, it’s better than getting kissed in the seat of a car by a guy who doubles your age while your friend is watching… so yeah.

After that unpleasant experience, Utena asks Touga what’s going on. He explains that all the Student Council members get a ring just like Utena’s that helps them to access the Dueling Arena and fight in order to win the Rose Bride. They do this under the orders of a mysterious entity known as “World’s End” who only communicates with them via letters and who has assured them that having the Sword of Dios that lies within Anthy will grant them enough power to accomplish whatever they want. Yeah… sounds legit. Touga invites Utena to a dance and promises to tell her more about “World’s End”, however, the girl refuses.

Shortly after, Utena finds Saionji slapping Anthy AGAIN (this happens a lot in the story), she stops Saionji and tells him that if he has any problem with Anthy being engaged to her, then he should duel her again. Anthy is surprised that Utena is now getting involved in the duels. Utena says she’ll keep fighting until she finds out what’s really going on.

That night… (or some night, the manga isn’t good at telling how much time has passed), the girls receive a package from Touga with a pair of dresses for the dance, Utena still doesn’t want to go but she wants Anthy to socialize with more people and anyway, the plot needs them to be there so off they go.

Utena takes this opportunity to ask Touga about “World’s End” but the guy doesn’t tell her anything because he only wants to talk about how pretty she looks in the dress that he got her. Utena just wasted her time and she didn’t help Anthy at all since she left her behind. Meanwhile Anthy is being bullied and slapped, again. Look, if you’re taking an introvert to a party you MUST hang out with them and ensure that they are comfortable at all times! This is Handling your Introvert 101, Utena! Get a grip! To make things worse, Saionji appears, takes Anthy with him and tells her that he chose the dress she’s now wearing. Now I wonder if buying dresses for girls is Touga’s signature move and Saionji, being the big loser that he is, attempted to imitate him.

Our hero tries to rescue Anthy but, in a total dick move, Saionji keeps Anthy away from Utena and then proceeds to attack with a sword. Utena is defenseless because she can’t get the sword of Dios and also the plot has decided to turn her into a damsel in distress again. Now, I’m not expecting the hero to be a total badass who can win a fight with her bare hands (although that would be awesome), it’s ok if Utena is defeated sometimes, however, what really bugs me from this particular development is… well we’ll find out next time.

(If the manga can end on a cliffhanger so can my recap).

See you.

[some-triangles]

It’s the end.

Endings are terrifying. Change is terrifying!   But which is scarier – the change that happens quickly, or the change that happens slowly?

The castle isn’t real. Immortality isn’t real.   You will grow old, here in your coffin or out in the world.

The coffin isn’t safe. Suffering isn’t safe.

The status quo isn’t safe. You will die a captive or you will die free.

It’s the end, whether you like it or not.   We can do it all again, or we can have a revolution.

Anthy throws away her own sword and takes Utena’s.

We head back to the balcony, where the duelists are having a barbecue, which somehow doesn’t detract from the gravity of the situation.  Juri tells a story about a dead boy – he threw himself into the water to save a drowning girl, he drowned himself in the process, and now nobody remembers his name, not even the girl he was trying to save.

So, we know what to expect, now.  Things aren’t looking so hot for our hero.

Akio asks for the sword. Anthy hesitates.  Akio somehow manages to make the stabbed girl lying on the floor all about him.  Moved by his display of affectless, solipsistic suffering, Anthy hands the sword over, and Akio heads over to stare at his living room wall.  

Dude, I’m pretty sure – I’m pretty sure you just finished telling us that this is your living room, and that is at best a supply closet, and at worst nothing. Nevertheless, all this business has somehow managed to summon the million swords of human resentment, and so the rose bride is going to have to do her job now.

Utena really doesn’t want Anthy to get stabbed a lot, but the subaltern’s gotta do what the subaltern’s gotta do.  The bride abandons her dress and ascends the crucifix.

The final dueling chorale plays as the swords rise from the depths, carrying with them fear of change, lust for power within the system as it is and acceptable anger at the acceptable target.  The following diagram is labeled crabs_in_a_bucket.jpg:

Note how the colonizer remains miraculously unharmed!

Utena is speechless, horrified, and (possibly metaphorically?) bleeding out. Akio explains using small words.

Unmoved by the carnage above, Akio finally puts the final piece of his plan into place.  All the duels – all the manipulation – all the lies, all the necromancy, all the fucking, all the massive tailoring bills and the license fee for whatever the planetarium-based equivalent of Autodesk is, all of it, comes down to this moment.

He is going to stab a wall with a sword.

Whack, he goes!

Whack, whack, whack.

Just straight up… whaling on that thing.  

That’s how you open a door, right?  By hitting it with a sword?

Anyway, it turns out that the swords are one of the less illusory elements of this escapade, and he’s actually smashing Utena’s heart into the wall, over and over again.   This is not pleasant for her, but she has priorities more pressing than getting him to stop.

Unfortunately, Akio is too busy whacking to help Himemiya.

If he won’t, maybe Dios will?

No – he can’t save this princess.  He’s dead, for one thing.  Also he has detected that she is engaged in unauthorized princess activities.

He will kiss her ring, though, as a consolation prize.

Finally unable to put up with any more of this condescending bullshit, Utena smashes her ring into the ground, dispelling the illusion and achieving at last Borgesian Unity.

Genuine chills. 

We go to the ad break.

When we get back, Akio takes a mighty final whack and shatters Utena’s sword.

No big deal – she’s been operating with a broken heart this whole episode.  

She stumbles forward, and Akio catches her as she falls.  We are not about him right now, though, so Utena proceeds.

Utena reaches the door and starts pulling on it, like a sane person would. (Why did Akio not try this?  When all you have is a sword, everything looks like a vagina, I guess?)   As she works, Akio talks, and talks, and talks, making his way through the whole depending on people is morally wrong routine and arriving finally at a stirring defense of the One Percent:

Utena does not appreciate the difficulties that come with being a job creator.

Akio continues to demonstrate his privilege and complacency – literally lying on the ground drinking a pink cocktail with a slice of pineapple in it, in a gesture which tiptoes right up to the line of the ridiculous and threatens to capsize the entire mood, which is I’m sure part of the point.  Behold, the professional revolutionist speaking on how it is what it is and you can’t fight city hall.

It’s looking pretty bleak until Utena says a true thing to herself: “Himemiya – you don’t know how happy I was when we were together.”  

The point being that her grief here isn’t for herself, broken heart and all – it’s for Himemiya, who didn’t understand, until the end, that she was loved.   That’s the tear that falls; that’s the sum of the sadness.

Hilariously, it is the echoing of Akio’s straw slurp in the ensuing silence that clues him in to the fact that something has changed.

The metaphor, for one thing. It’s resolved itself into something more spatially reasonable.

The swords hang frozen in midair and then churn madly as their quarry is denied them.  Akio bleats in terror. Utena opens the coffin. 

The first bar of the main theme starts looping, because the piece isn’t quite long enough to peak right where Ikuhara wants it to.  Is it wrong to want to drop a beat at this moment?  Yes, probably.

Anthy is deep, deep inside the coffin.  The music builds.  Utena reaches out for her.  The music surges.  Anthy tells her to run away – the swords are going to get her.  The full orchestra gets into the swing of things.  Utena won’t leave. The bongo guy is really tearing the house down.  Anthy finally, finally reaches out.   The penultimate fanfare hits.

Then, as we finally crash into the main theme, the whole spatially dubious edifice Anthy was trapped in quits its perpendicular floating and falls the fuck off the cliff into the clouds below.  Soaring music continues to play as Utena realizes her failure, admits defeat and is immediately destroyed by the combined stabbing of a million angry swords.

That’s it.  That’s the end of the story.

Cut to Wakaba.

The whole arena gets fucking pulverized and we’re out.

After, business at the academy continues as usual.  

Miki is teaching Tsuwabuki how to keep the minutes.  (Or how to be a tsaddik – it’s unclear how deep that particular wormhole goes.) Juri continues to fence with Shiori. Nanami’s makin’ the tea. 

The patriarchy is in the end too big a rock to lift.  

We are stuck in this world.  People who step up get slapped down, and the safest thing is to stay quiet and muddle through.

The only hope is to keep repeating the old rituals, to preserve our institutions and hope for better results.

Under threat of total erasure, from history and from the living world, we will behave and take what we are given.

Or:

[syrupwit]

Dear Yuletide Writer Letter 2017

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you very much for writing for me! This is my first-ever year signing up for Yuletide, and -- while I’m not up on all the etiquette and may make mistakes -- I am quite excited. I’m sure I will love whatever you write.  

Although some of the sections below are longer than others, please note that I don’t have a preference between requested fandoms and would be super happy to receive work for any of them. I just write a lot sometimes. (But usually not when I need to, of course.)

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General Likes: Many things. In convenient list format...

Gen, femslash, slash, and het

Genres: humor, horror, slice-of-life, ghost stories, romantic comedy, casefic, action/adventure, angst, crack treated seriously

Atmospheric stuff where nothing really happens but you sure get an image or a mood

Intense relationships between women, whether they’re romantic or not

Surreality and silliness

Appetizing descriptions of food

Loyalty kink, especially where a more powerful or physically stronger character is loyal to a weaker character

Characters standing up for each other

Characters who are socially disliked, awkward, or shunned but secretly really good at something

Cats

General DNW: Permanent major character death; graphic depictions of violence, torture, or gore; rape/noncon; onscreen child abuse; onscreen harm to animals. I’m also generally not a fan of stories that focus heavily on characters’ experiences with social issues or identity. 

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Fandom: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Characters: Justine Florbelle, Daniel of Mayfair

Likes/Prompts: Amnesia became my favorite new canon this year. I’m currently on my third playthrough of The Dark Descent and have completed the Justine DLC too many times to count -- though I still haven’t managed to save the last guy, darn it. Things about these canons that I adore include the morally conflicted protagonists, atmosphere of imminent doom and lingering anxiety, Lovecraft-influenced but not strictly Lovecraftian horror themes, mechanics that balance the player character’s essential helplessness with rewards for ingenuity, and the fact that you can throw stuff. And stack stuff! I LOVE throwing and stacking stuff. I... haven’t played a lot of first-person video games.

While I am interested in stories that include both Daniel and Justine, I’d be happy with a story that only focuses on one of them.

Justine fascinates me -- the contrast between her cruelty and caprice on the one hand, and her physical (and, to an extent, social/legal and emotional) vulnerability on the other. She’s also really creepy and into some weird shit. I’m not usually interested in sociopathic villains, but something about her character just hits my buttons. 

For solo Justine scenarios, I’d enjoy anything about her escapades in polite society (the ball! the irony! Justine loves irony), interactions with Clarice (how much does she suspect?), or initial meetings with the prisoners. Also, how is her poetry received among her peers? Delving more into the history and development of the Cabinet of Perturbation would be cool too.

Daniel is likewise a fascinating character. During my second playthrough, I was impressed with the slow reveal of his descent into metaphorical and literal darkness. Fear makes people scary, or something. I was also pretty into his relationship with Alexander, all the layers of manipulation and betrayal mixed with genuine connection. (For the record, I totally ship them.)

For solo Daniel scenarios, I’d like to see more about his early days at Brennenburg, interactions with the outside world post-game, and a reunion with his sister Hazel. If you want to pair him with Alexander either romantically or platonically, that’s great. Agrippa, too. I’m honestly interested in Daniel interacting with any character, if you have an idea. 

For the combination of Daniel and Justine, I’m interested in either gen or het, set around the time of either game. I feel like they’d make a great pair, for certain values of great. The Unopened Letter found in the water dungeon in Justine also seems to hint at the possibility of a meeting between Daniel and Justine. 

As an adult, Justine is experienced at manipulating people, would easily ferret out Daniel’s fears and how to play on them, and could be intrigued by his experiences with the supernatural. Perhaps, in an AU where Monsieur Florbelle answers Daniel’s letter, a child Justine would see a kindred soul in one who’s also been in contact with the artifacts. In a universe where the letter stays unopened until Justine’s day of subterranean exercise, maybe adult Justine invites Daniel to visit with the intention of adding him to her Cabinet, or tries to court him as a momentary amusement and finds it more challenging that she expected.  

For his part, Daniel has already spent a lot of time escaping dungeons and being manipulated by Alexander -- adult Justine’s flavor of betrayal would not be that shocking. There’s also his relationship with his sister Hazel and guilt over the girl he murdered, which could soften him towards a young or orphaned Justine. If it’s after the events of The Dark Descent, what choices did Daniel make? Did he favor taking revenge on Alexander over helping Agrippa? Is he guilty, guilt-free, still racked with nightmares, sound of mind? If Weyer rewarded him for saving Agrippa, has he spent time in the other world? The age difference could even be handwaved if Weyer sort of miscalculated when he was sending Daniel back to our world by 19 years. 

Fandom-Specific DNW: Please, no romance between Daniel/Justine when she is underage.

Notes: While it is my understanding that some regard the relationship between Justine and her father to have been one where she attempted to seduce him, I do not agree with that interpretation and would prefer not to receive stories that subscribe to it. It seems much more likely to me that her father abused or at least behaved inappropriately towards her.

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Fandom: Pocket Mirror (Video Game)

Characters: Lisette (Pocket Mirror)

Likes/Prompts: What distinguished this game to me, made it stick in my mind, and kept me playing was the atmosphere. Fleta’s bright and well-ordered domain with hints of lurid nastiness underneath, Harpae’s drafty wooden corridors with their creaking floors and distant lights, Lisette’s total abandonment of any reasonable organization whatsoever: I love it. Which brings me to...

Lisette! Poor Lisette. She gets blamed for everything, doesn’t she? She’s mean and destructive because no one else will let themselves be, and hates herself for it. (Or...? I’m also interested in alternate character interpretations, if you have different ideas.) I would like to see her have a nice time.

I’m not super attached to any of the canon endings, so if you want to go an AU route, please feel free. That includes canon divergence AUs as well as AUs where they’re all sort of... I don’t know, neighbors in the real world? Except one of them lives in a mirror maze populated by her evil shadow selves, and maybe they’re all witches.

Femslash, gen, or unusually clingy/possessive/intense friendship with romantic undertones are all of interest to me for this canon. I’m particularly interested by Goldia/Lisette, Fleta/Goldia, and Harpae/Lisette.

Prompts:

Lisette receives a new dress. Who made it?

Lisette expects to be alone on Christmas, but is proven wrong.

Harpae has had enough of Lisette’s tormenting Fleta.

Goldia is in trouble in the real world and only Lisette can save her.

The girls pay visits to each others’ domains.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica AU

DNW: No explicit sexual content for this fandom, please.

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Fandom: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena

Characters: Kiryuu Nanami, Arisugawa Juri, Shinohara Wakaba, Himemiya Anthy

Likes/Prompts: I’ve been told that RGU is considered “the Evangelion of shoujo anime,” and I feel like that’s... accurate? Anyway, I love it to bits -- stock footage, surfing elephants, and all. I also love the movie and have a bunch of theories about its relation to the series, which I will spare you at this time.

For this exchange, I’ve requested fic about Nanami, Juri, Wakaba, and Anthy. I’d be happy to read about these characters all together, on their own, or in any combination. Gen, femslash, het, and slash are all welcome, as are stories set before, during, or after the series.

While there’s much to be said about the grand sweeping themes in Revolutionary Girl Utena, what won the series my heart is how goddamn weird it is. The Nanami filler episodes, for example, were among my favorite parts of the show. I’m interested in exploring more of that weirdness.

Possibly in this spirit, I’ve come up with a long and eclectic mix of prompts. These are just here in hopes they might give you an idea, if you’d like one.

Prompts:

Nanami goes to space to try to replace one of the stars with herself.

“A Christmas Carol,” starring Nanami.

Touga’s kitten survived... and now it’s back for revenge! Nanami is being blackmailed by a cat.

Nanami spends the night in a strange house, trying to convince herself it isn’t haunted. Anthy orchestrates small events to make her think that it is.

Anthy and Nanami are rivals at magic school.

Juri becomes a world-champion bowler.

Among the incoming freshman class, rumors spread that Juri is a vampire. In attempting to dispel them, she encounters some obstacles.

Juri and Wakaba have a super-torrid romance as adults.

Wakaba dreams of life as a Jeep.

Wakaba has an identity crisis and joins many different student clubs.

Wakaba and Anthy share a rare moment of understanding over their mutual difficulties with cooking.

Anthy embarks on a side career as a barista.

Anthy arranges for Utena to fight a dragon.

Between dueling cycles, Anthy is permitted one day off from being the Rose Bride. How does she choose to spend it? 

Fandom-Specific DNW:  No onscreen incest, please.