In the third episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena, I continue to be confused. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Revolutionary Girl Utena.
“On the Night of the Ball”
Trigger Warning: For discussion of bullying and social anxiety
- Oh my god, I HAVE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS THAN I DID BEFORE.
- This episode, more so than the two before it, builds up the setting of Ohtori Academy as a fairly traditional school, and it’s through this that this episode explores themes that aren’t based in the weird mythology of Utena THAT I STILL DONT’ UNDERSTAND.
- Initially, Utena expresses concern that Anthy doesn’t to have any friends. Again, this just makes me even more curious than ever how she ended up the Rose Bride. Why doesn’t she ever seem bothered by the fact that she’s the Bride? She just accepts it completely, and we don’t see her question it at all. She’s content to have Chu-Chu as a best friend (BECAUSE WHO WOULDN’T), and she’s content to treat Utena as her fianceé. (MY GOD, I CAN’T TELL IF THIS SHOW IS TEASING ME OR IF THIS IS REAL, GODDAMN IT.)
- Why? What am I missing?
- This episode also introduces us more fully to Touga, the Student Council President who creepily watched Utena in the first two episodes. He immediately makes a move on her, now that Saionji is out of the picture, and I can’t help but dislike him. I don’t trust the Student Council members! I don’t know their purpose, I don’t like how Touga treats Utena like she’s a prize to be won, and ALSO HE IS REALLY UNSETTLING.
- Unfortunately, because he has one of the rose seal rings, Utena questions whether or not he is the prince from her past. OH GOD, HE’S NOT, RUN AWAY.
- It’s at this point that both Touga and his younger sister Nanami inadvertently set up the events at the spring ball. Touga desires Utena, so he invites her and sends her a dress to wear. Like, this feels extra creepy to me? I mean, there’s a subtext to this act that I can’t ignore. He’s asking her to go to the dance wearing a dress, and we’ve already seen that one of the reasons Utena is so admired by the other women is because she repurposes the standard outfit for men for herself. So, it kind of bothers me that Touga is all, “Come to the dance, but make sure to wear this dress.”
- Maybe he’s just jealous that she wears men’s jackets better than him because RIGHT? She looks incredible.
- Meanwhile, Nanami invites Anthy to the ball as well, and despite that I thought that it was weird, I DID NOT THINK IT WOULD TURN SO CRUEL. Of course, it’s because I fell for her niceness, and it’s clear now that she purposely put on a display of kindness in order to get Anthy to the ball.
- And I think that given what happens later, Utena felt partially responsible for the bullying, despite that it definitely wasn’t her fault. She was the one who pressured Anthy to make friends even though Anthy did her best to explain her own social anxiety. While I don’t have the same type of social anxiety that Anthy does, I absolutely empathize with her dislike of large crowds of strangers.
- Anyway, NANAMI??? I JUST… WHAT. WHAT THE FUCK.
- SO SHE HAS SOMETHING FUCKING WEIRD GOING ON WITH HER BROTHER. I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. But there’s a line earlier in this episode where Wakaba thinks it’s unfortunate that Utena’s roommate is Anthy. She makes reference to some sort of rumor about what Anthy did to some boy, and then it’s shown to us in detail. Anthy is violently bullied because some of the girls believe she ruined Saionji.
- While I can’t speak to this specific kind of misogynist bullying, I recognize that Anthy was being blamed for Saionji’s flaws. It’s much easier to blame a women than for anyone to even engage with the idea that Saionji did this to himself.
- This exact dynamic appears later when Nanami refers to Anthy “taking” her brother from her. OKAY. WHAT??? Does that mean that Anthy once “belonged” to Touga at some point? Do the Student Council members just fight over her constantly? I’M SO CONFUSED.
- I suppose I should have realized that Nanami was setting up Anthy to be humiliated. I think this scene absolutely confirmed to me that aside from the prince in Utena’s past, Anthy is the only dark-skinned character we’ve seen. (And she’s got a bindi, yes?) It’s not surprising at all that she is the target of so much ruthless bullying and violence in a world that’s so much paler than her. She’s the definitive Other in this world, and while there’s no textual confirmation that the creators intended this, I can’t help but see it there.
- Nanami’s cruelty is born of some weird love for her brother that I do not understand, but Touga seems to accept??? Like, he definitely knows about it???
- BUT HOLY SHIT THE ENDING. COME ON. COME ON. UTENA DESCENDS THOSE STAIRS AND SWEEPS ANTHY IN HER ARMS AND DANCES WITH HER AFTER MAKING THAT GORGEOUS GOWN AND WHAT THE FUCK Y’ALL. THAT… THAT IS SO ROMANTIC.
- WHAT IS THIS SHOW DOING TO ME????
The video for “On the Night of the Ball” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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