| Disclaimer: this was made for my own amusement, and decided to post it here since it has the potential to recieve a reply at some point in the lifetime of this website xD This is my main interpretation (amongst a handful of them) of Revolutionary Girl Utena. I left a TL;DR at the bottom in case you don't feel like reading so much; This is a detailed interpretation of the End of the World arc - the final 6 episode-long arc in Revolutionary Girl Utena. The whole series is a metaphor for Utena and her search for self-acceptance / discovery of her real side / identity: the Prince side, or the Princess side? Himemiya represents the side of Utena that is pulling her into the side of becoming a prince; Akio represents the side of Utena that is pulling her into the side of becoming a princess, thus accepting her femininity. Akio does this by representing the "End of the World" and the prince that she dreamed of being with since she was "taken out of the coffin" and given the ring of the rose by him; he keeps sending letters to the other characters - each of whom represent one of many obstacles that Utena needs to overcome as she progresses in adolescence - in order for them to try and disturb her embrace for Himemiya (the side of hers that tells her to be a Prince). The other side of the story that links all these points together lies in episode 34, the "Tale of the Rose": (The prince telling Utena why Himemiya Anthy became the Rose Bride) "She (Himemiya) cannot die" - she's eternal "She simply lives on in agony" "It is her punishment for taking the prince (Akio) away from the girls of the world" (Then the "World" - the people who want their prince back) "Prince! I know you're in there! Please fight! You're the only one who can save my daughter!" "My daughters are waiting too!" >I believe at this point we have a representation of society in general, who wants a prince for their daughters, a prince from a fairy tale who can bring them into a castle and turn them into princesses, in other words, the one who can bring out the femininity in Utena. (Right after this, Himemiya steps outside and confronts the folk) "He belongs to me now! I've sealed him away where you can never touch him again!" "...You witch!" - everyone starts calling her, as they stab Himemiya with swords and imprison her. >As we can notice, it is Himemiya Anthy who brings out the Prince side of Utena to the surface the most, as they eventually start developing deeper feelings for each other throughout the series. So, considering that Himemiya represents that side of Utena in the main plot, in this story, Himemiya lets Akio - the side that brings out Utena's femininity - rest aside, and confronts society, but society itself can't accept someone who will feed a tomboy-ish personality when there's another one capable of bringing out the beautiful, feminine side of Utena, right beside her. (Akio continues) "She sacrificed herself for her beloved prince. Even though she was the only one who truly loved him." Precisely because Utena seeks her own happiness (like any human being), she herself, despite taking her Prince-personality all the time, acknowledges that she, at her core, is a girl, and so she will tend to act as such under the right circumstances for that. (Akio concludes) "And yet, the prince she loves is no longer the prince she knew. Not anymore. He is now End of the World." >Akio turned from the only, ideal representation that Utena had of a perfect prince in a white horse that will take her to his castle, to the one who showed her that there is no such thing, it was all a play, and in the final duel between Utena and Akio, Utena ultimately embraced Himemiya - she was determined to become a prince! - but even Himemiya herself betrayed her. (Utena pleads) "The poor girl! Help her, please!" (Akio answers) "She's beyond my help now. The only one who can save her now is a prince she can believe in." >Utena SEEKS the power to become the prince who can save the rose bride, NOT the prince himself, thus she ultimately chooses Himemiya. Why does she betray Utena then? Back to a previous point, Himemiya was attacked and excluded from society - she. was. not. accepted. she. was. rejected. - and, poor Utena, she's growing up, she doesn't know what is SUPPOSED to be RIGHT or WRONG. As Akio says - "A CHILD does not understand the value of this room." - the same room that served as an illusion that lasted throughout practically all of Utena's lifetime, fruit of the things that society imbued into Utena herself and caused her moment of hesitation: both Akio and Himemiya - Utena's two sides - revolted against her and grasped the fact that society couldn't accept who Utena was trying to be all along. >And here's the climax of the show: Utena apologized before for how selfish she was around Himemiya, and Himemiya also apologized for using Utena and being around her causing constant conflicts with the people around them, since she was an outcast of society. Now, even after what Himemiya did to her, Utena saw that Akio couldn't open the Rose Gate using the sword HE got FROM HER, because that's not the sword with the power to reach "eternity"; that's not the sword that will open the gates to her happiness - it is Himemiya who has the power to bring out the best in Utena and open it! So Utena struggles and, reaching the gate, FINALLY says it: "The only time I've ever been really happy... was when I was with you." And then, ALL SWORDS free Himemiya! Utena releases the Rose Bride from her curse! They both want to be together, because that's the ONLY way Utena can find true happiness! However, the swords, the image of society, dance fiercely around in the air and PUNISH Utena for her final decision! Utena - the Prince Utena - ...ceases to exist. "I guess, in the end, I couldn't be a prince. Forgive me, Himemiya, for pretending to be a prince... Forgive me!" Now, now, this does seem like a loss, I mean, Utena HAD to stay with Anthy in the end, right?! Regardless of our interpretation until this very point, the only good outcome would be for them to stay together, right?! That's where the final scene comes up: (Akio talking to Himemiya Anthy) "As I thought, she caused no revolution to occur. Now that she's gone, she's just one more sad leftover in this world." (Anthy responds) "You really don't know what happened, do you?... It doesn't matter, stay here and continue to play prince. But I have to go. (...) She isn't gone at all. She's merely vanished from YOUR world." >Revolutionary Girl Utena... did she revolutionize the world? The school? Society's ideals?... Perhaps not, Akio, but she most certainly revolutionized the way she grasped the world around her and how certain she was of her own identity, and that, in my eyes, is the real revolution that counts here, but I digress! (not) (Anthy seemingly prepares to go on some sort of journey) "This time it's my turn to go. No matter where you are, I swear I'll find you. Wait for me...Utena." This WHOLE show was in a school setting, and in that setting, even with Utena accepting who she wanted to be in the end, she couldn't be with Anthy and be the Prince she ever wanted to be, so, after leaving the fake, twisted palace of fake Princes and Princesses that Akio created supported by society's ideals, Utena was FREE: no more playing Prince. She's out there, in the outside world, hoping to one day be able to express her true sexuality and feelings, and Himemiya, that side of hers, will live on until that day comes. Thank you if you read all this, please tell me what you think of this interpretation of this masterpiece. But never forget that this is not necessarily right or wrong: it's just one way to look at things, much like this can be viewed, for example, by young girls and, despite them not being able to puzzle all these things together, they can certainly feel the impact and infinite messages that Utena so flawlessly transmits. ------------------------- TL;DR: This anime is a metaphor for Utena trying to find her sexuality: Himemiya representing her gay side and Akio representing her straight side. Ultimately, Utena chooses Himemiya because that's what truly makes her happy, but despite this, society already tainted Himemiya in such a way that Utena can't express herself freely. So, in the end, Utena DID find HOW she can be happy, but only after adolescence and entering the outside world as an adult can she wait for Himemiya to find her again and eventually embrace her true self, since she couldn't do so under Akio's illusions of princes in white horses and society's pressure in school. |
NostalgikMay 7, 2019 6:02 PM
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