A couple quick drawings of my faves during ongoing Utena watching (have not drawn the actual best character yet (Chuchu))

I think the reason why the Utena finale always kills me is because that sweet, helpful, selfless little girl who gave her life for her brother without hesitation, even if she didn’t understand what that actually would mean for her for the rest of eternity, had been in that coffin the whole time.

Anthy insists that she’s soiled and ruined because of her abuse at Akio’s hands, and she genuinely believes it. She sees herself as a wreckage of that past innocent self, who lived when things were Better and died when they stopped being Better, and now what’s left is unsalvageable junk. A “fallen woman,” only capable of acting selfishly and cynically in the service of a man who no longer loves her, who deserves to be hurt again and again for her impurity and her foolishness in clinging to him, who cannot survive in the world outside.

And yet, upon waking up, the very first thing her “true,” unguarded self does is scream at Utena to run, to save herself, to leave her behind.

That selfless little girl never left, not even when she grew up into a jaded, tired young adult. She was always there. All the swords in the world couldn’t kill her. Akio couldn’t kill her. Not even Anthy herself could kill her, not with all the denial and repression and magic in the world.

And in the end, that little girl finally experienced the unconditional love she’d always been hoping for, the kind she’d always deserved but never received from the one she’d sacrificed herself for. And that tiniest glimpse of real love and real happiness was enough to help her escape from the prison she’d been trapped in her whole life, join hands with that tired and jaded old witch who’d spent what felt like eternity trying to bury her, and walk free.

All girls are like the Rose Bride, sure. Some boys are, too. Touga shared enough of Anthy’s trauma at Akio’s hands that he eventually got a sword pulled from his own chest, even if he was forbidden from wearing the bridal outfit because a boy wearing a suitable gown for the role would be against the Ohtori Academy dress code. However, the flipside of that is that if there’s hope for even the most hated little girl in the whole world, there’s also hope for the rest of us.

What if, even after you ran a sword through my chest, I saw who you truly are and all you’ve endured and all you’ve been forced to do? What if I crawled to the door that would give me the power to save you? What if I forced your coffin open with my bloodied fingers? What if I turned all of the swords flying at you onto me instead? What if, at the end of the world, I set you free?

Utena Birthday!

I watched Jane's a Car from Nightmare time and I was surprised to not found any Utena crossover with it so I had to do it myself

There is no cathartic revenge. No scene where Akio admits he has wronged Anthy that wasn’t just itself a manipulation. But, Anthy is out of her coffin. There is a wide world outside of your abuser no matter how hard they try to make themselves the limits of your world. That’s beautiful. That’s hopeful. Anthy has broken out of her shell and revolutionized the world with her own power.

Adolescence of Utena - drawing/painting session

In the movie's drawing session, Utena tells Anthy that's she wants to be in a relationship with her that's independent of the Rose Bride engagement. She'd like them both to be transparent with each other and to not have to hide anything.

Utena poses nude at Anthy's request, trusting Anthy with her vulnerability, even though it's clearly uncomfortable for her. Utena tells Anthy that it isn't fair that she has to pose nude, but also said that Anthy isn't obligated to either. Anthy willingly poses nude anyway, or rather reveals herself and her wound. (Even if we do ASSUME that Anthy at this moment poses out of obligation rather than willingly, I do think that by the end of the movie, she's acting purely of her own volition)

According to the teacher, the lesson of drawing each other is to "capture your partner's essence" -- so to me, this means to see their "true self". Posing nude then would mean to lay your true self bare. Utena is stripped of her prince garb to show only herself (perhaps showing that she is Not the prince she wants to be) , and Anthy reveals her wound/trauma hidden beneath her clothes. It's a moment of vulnerable honesty that's difficult to share, but it's essentially what Utena was asking for, and it ultimately strengthens her relationship with Anthy. Having only Utena pose nude "isn't fair" because having only one person who is honest makes their relationship imbalanced and unfair. At the same time, Utena doesn't want Anthy to be *obligated* to pose nude either, because that also isn't fair. Both parties must be open to each other of their own free will in order for their relationship to be genuine and healthy.

This contrasts with Akio and Anthy's relationship. Akio is always clothed and the painter, while Anthy is stripped (by him while unconscious) and is always the object being painted. Anthy is constantly made vulnerable against her will while Akio couldn't bother to be open himself. Anthy revealing that she was only *allowing* Akio to paint her, a sign of her having agency, was enough to send Akio into a manbaby-tantrum. He wants to be the sole controller of their relationship so much and couldn't handle the fact that Anthy could have been "controlling" him back.

When Utena discovers Akio's paintings of Anthy, what she really sees is Anthy strewn uncomfortably, naked and blindfolded--her history of being in an abusive, one-sided relationship. Anthy then willingly reveals to Utena the scar left by that relationship.

The drawing session is a genuine, honest, willing conversation between Anthy and Utena. It's not an easy conversation, it's uncomfortable and tense, but it has to happen in order for both girls to truly help each other. At the same time, it's important that both open up of their own free will, since honesty and agency is required of both sides of their relationship. (Again this contrasts Akio and Anthy's unhealthy relationship, where Akio is willfully deceitful and Anthy is unwillingly vulnerable.)

The drawing session marks Utena's growth from the show because now she seeks to know Anthy the person herself, and Anthy's growth in becoming confidently honest and direct with Utena.

As a side note, Utena also mentions that the night before she had an introspective moment with herself. This is another sign that she had grown, since the Utena of the show struggled with being willfully ignorant of her own desires and intentions.

At the end of the movie, both Utena and Anthy are very comfortably nude in each other's embrace. To me, this means that they are now happy being their true selves, and happily loving the other's true self. They are in a genuine relationship, ready to help each other heal and forge a new future together.

Unveiling the Shocking Truth Behind Utena - You Won't Believe What We Discovered!

(note: massive spoilers for the final episode of Utena)

an ultra high quality shitpost. derived from a meme i made about the situation in a discord server (you can see it in the thumbnail), except i went even harder.

don't mess with utena fans. you'll regret it.

QUARTERFINALS - Poll 4

Jonathan Sims & Martin Blackwood (The Magnus Archives) vs Utena Tenjou & Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

So i just finished reading the last free chapter of nevermore

I have one Thought i HAVE to share

Spoilers for nevermore and revolutionary girl utena

ANNABELLE IS SO ANTHY HIMEMIYA CODED OH MY GOOOOOD!

THE MOMENT SHE TELLS LENORE SHE WAS ONLY ACTING LIKE SHE CARED CUZ SHE KNEW SHE HAD NO CHOICE!

HIDING HER EMOTIONS AT ALL TIMES EVEN WHEN SHE IS ABOUT TO HAVE A PANIC ATTACK!

FALLING FOR THE TOMBOY/BUTCH LESBIAN AND BOTH OF THEM BEING THOUGHT OF AS STRAIGHT BY EVERYONE ELSE EVEN THO THEY HAVE NO INTRESTS IN DATING MEN!

JUST EVERYTHING!

Tho i have to say, Just to be clear, Anthy has had a lot less agency(and perhaps she was abused worse but im not here tocompare trauma) while Annabelle was truly cruel in a way. You Know, the "Not seeing people as people" part.

i did the meme on twitter

All those people complaining about Anthy being “barely a character” are basically telling on themselves that they got bored and stopped watching before the first Touga duel. 😆

You tore my heart out to cure my heartache

Screenshot redraw from this

"This World Where We’ll Meet" by IneffableDoll

G, 875 words

Fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena

When Anthy found her, there were roses.

A post-canon reunion fic, because this show has invaded my brain and set up camp.

Maybe I'll live-blog my Utena rewatch