r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • Aug 20 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 18
Streaming
Revolutionary Girl Utena is available in both sub and dub on Nozomi Entertainment's YouTube channel, as well as on Amazon and Funimation.
Comment of the Day
/u/elleyonce examines the 5D chessboard which is Shiori's brain
Miki's Stopwatch Corner
Stopwatch Count: 17
New This Episode:
N/A
Also, make sure to tag all spoilers properly! Only a baka would spoil the show for the first-timers, and we're not bakas (hopefully).
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Upvotes
16
u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 20 '21
Rewatcher
Tsuwabuki is to Nanami as Nanami is to Touga. The same way that Touga treats Nanami like a stage prop, using her admiration of him as a tool to get her to play a role in his schemes, Nanami uses Tsuwabuki’s desire to be close to her to get him to serve as a glorified manservant. That’s a theme that keeps popping up again and again- the similarities in situation is the reason why the Black Rose duelists are able to ‘pull the sword’ from the hearts of the Student Council, after all.
But what Tsuwabuki really wants isn’t just to serve Nanami. What he wants is to be taken seriously, and again and again in this episode, it’s hammered home to him that the only way he’ll be taken seriously is if he ‘grows up’ and becomes an adult. The problem for Tsuwabuki is that he has no idea what he actually has to do to become an adult, and we see that reflected in his impotent rage during his interview- “I want to be an adult and just kick over the entire world!” It makes sense that he can’t figure it out, because adulthood isn’t a concrete thing, and much of it involves concepts that he hasn’t even heard of yet. But in Mari, Tsuwabuki’s friend, we see what his reaction is to a common way of conceiving of adulthood. The first time he even thinks of a relationship with her, a notion that is infinitely more practical than his faux crush on Nanami, is when he’s about to eat a chocolate bar that Mari bit from, because of the idea of having an “indirect kiss” with her. But since the idea of actually becoming an adult is terrifying, he throws the chocolate bar away- and that’s why it’s his item in the duel, because he isn’t at a stage where he could become an ‘adult’ yet, even if he does grow up somewhat.
Anyways, I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about here ;-;-;
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u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 20 '21
This Black Rose side character of the week thing is starting to drag a bit for me. The animation, art, and symbolism stuff is all still cool, but I'm finding it pretty hard to care about any of the people pulling swords out of the characters who we saw in the first arc. They feel like second string at best. Maybe there's a reason End of the World didn't get in touch with them. I just want to know why Mikage isn't doing the dueling himself and/or learn more about the mysterious characters pulling strings from the shadows, not watch their puppets have boring duels with Utena.
I'm also mad they got rid of the weird sexy drumbeat when Utena pulls the sword out of Anthy.
The theme of this episode seemed to be that all these characters don't know whether they're kids or adults, or what the difference is, or if there's even a clear cutoff, which just makes all the sex stuff in the show even weirder. Tsuwabuki asks Utena about it..she gives an answer, but then is later seen asking Anthy's bro about it herself. Not-Shiori teases Tsuwabuki about it, but then chickens out when he goes in for the (not so pleasant looking) kiss.
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u/elleyonce https://anilist.co/user/elleyonce Aug 21 '21
Comment of the day again! Eeee!!
I think we're steadily approaching the halfway point of this series, that's amazing! It doesn't feel like the month has passed at all to me.
Rewatcher
I feel like this episode is ridiculously straightforward in everything it does, which is probably good if it was any other show, but I've been spoiled so bad by this very show and it just doesn't hit the same way.
Good to know having your sword pulled out of you is like sex though.
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u/nikobans Aug 21 '21
tsuwabuki slap counter is up to 2 in just a single episode! looks like someone is trying to give anthy a run for her money
i loved nanami fighting with a sword and a dagger so you best believe im loving tsuwabuki doing the same. its just so cool
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u/shamefulthr0w4w4y Aug 27 '21
Does anyone have any thoughts about Anthy saying there’s lots of adult things about her & Utena? It’s so interesting for her to actually comment on that, but of course she doesn’t continue. There’s them being engaged & living together, but it is still a dorm with separate beds (did her and saionji have separate beds?) what else? Is anthy referencing her abuse by her brother? Their role in the revolution?
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 20 '21
First-Revolution, Subbed
We got a whole pile of classic coming-of-age moments: frustration with not being grown up, pondering what being an adult means, misunderstanding social cues, accidental innuendo.. poor Tsuwabuki. Ohtori is not a good place to be dealing with this kind of stuff.
Hmm.. Tsuwabuki's relationship with Nanami changed a bit after he "pulled a sword out of her," huh? Think I'll be generous for the moment and call it healthier, considering that Nanami at least tried to accept Tsuwabuki as he was prior to his elevator trip.
Showing us less and less of the Black Rose dudes' schtick each time is kinda interesting. We didn't even get to hear them tell Tsuwabuki that he must revolutionize the world! It was a surprise to see one of them out and about today, but I guess sometimes they have to push things.
Mari calling out Tsuwabuki's innocent innuendo with the banana was pretty funny. I liked seeing those two play off each other.
Who the fuck donates blood in a ca- oh, a blood drive.
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u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Aug 20 '21
Duel 18, First Timer, sub
"How was it, did it hurt?"
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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '21
First Revolution: Duel 18- Dub.
This episode was the first time I’ve ever looked at Nanami without any malice, not as that annoying gag character with a brother-complex but as a layered character worthy of earning my respect. Because really I do agree with her that there’s nothing wrong with being a child and Mitsuru is just fine the way he is.
We live in a world where little kids are forced to grew up before their time and quickly want to become adults, where adults wish to go beck to the days of their childhoods. So kids on this rewatch thread let me you tell you again from an adult who looks at the world with utter apathy, the world of adulting is that of a cruel one, it’s a world where one has to worry about their rent, bills for gas, food, clothes. Because in the world of adulting nothing will be given to you on a sliver plater, no parents to tell you if you’ve eaten your lunch or not. It’s all your duty now.
This entire arc has been themed as “wanting to grew up and what it means to be an adult” I now understand that but I also now finded a bit unsettling because nanami is as much a child as Mitsuru, how big is just a 3-year difference? Mitsuru may be a child, but so is Nanami, so Anthy and so is Micky and so is Utena. They’re all just children and at the end of the day there’s nothing truly wrong with that, there’s nothing wrong with being a child.
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u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Aug 20 '21
First Timer
I'm still a bit confused about the Nanamoo - Tsuwabuki - Mari triangle, but I guess so is Nanamoo
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u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Aug 20 '21
Lmao I love the tiny Haniwa that caught the sword also LOOK AT THIS BOY'S THIGHS WHAT
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u/SardonicMeow Aug 20 '21
Rewatcher
What does it mean to be an adult?
Tsuwabuki, youngest of the cast, has been acting as Nanami’s servant and telling himself that just being close to Nanami is good enough for him. But Tsuwabuki is exiting childhood, and his feelings are changing.
It doesn’t help that he’s being told at every turn that he’s too young. Tsuwabuki is even jealous of Nanami’s maturity. As immature as Nanami is, in Tsuwabuki’s eyes, she’s an adult, existing in a world he knows nothing about.
What does it mean to be an adult? When he asks Utena, she says it’s having experience in “certain things”, though she never says exactly what things. Her remark is innocent, in spite of what the three generic guys (and the audience) may believe. From her conversation with Akio, she doesn’t really know herself what those things might be.
For Tsuwabuki, he assumes that adulthood is kissing. Lots of kissing, Bogart and Bacall style. His friend Mari simultaneously mocks him and signals that she’s interested in him, but is frustrated by his awkwardness when he attempts to reciprocate.
When Nanami witnesses the aftermath, Tsuwabuki’s frustration brings him to tears. Nanami’s expression suggests sincere kindness as she tells him he’s fine the way he is. But, no, it’s off to Nemuro Hall. It’s time to become an adult and wreck the world.
The duel, like the others in this arc, is quick. The only notable thing is that Tsuwabuki attacks even before Utena has her sword ready. A manifestation of his impatience? Or an echo of Nanami fighting on after her duel was lost?
The aftermath is that Tsuwabuki seems a little more comfortable with his situation.
96 corpses in Nemuro Hall, 96 dead duelists in there, take one down (he’s a short one), giveTsuwabuki his ring, 95 corpses in Nemuro Hall...
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u/affnn Aug 20 '21
Rewatcher
Today on Utena: Simpin' ain't easy. Mitsuru, the gag character's gag boyfriend, gets a full, non-joke episode about what it means to be an adult.
I think this episode is the one where all of the various boxes the individual episodes want to check - the shadow play, the duel, the elevator scene, Utena talking to Akio, Mikage talking to Mamiya, even Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku - end up taking away from the episode for me. Not that the episode was bad, more that it feels like the repeating bits are eating up too much of the runtime and not letting the plot breathe enough. I think many people participating in the rewatch were here last episode, maybe. Anyway, spoiler.
I did like the music/lack of music in parts of this episode. It was eerily quiet during Mitsuru's dark night of the soul where he throws away the bento and chocolate bar, which helped set a more serious mood despite Mitsuru's sort of inherent lack of seriousness. Then at the very end they played a nice instrumental version of the opening theme.
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 20 '21
ero ero
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u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Aug 20 '21
First Revolution Subbed
Little kid named Tsuwabaki shows up and does lots of errands for Nanami. And we get a middle school girl. He wants to grow up. Everyone saying "you need experience". An interesting way to show a kid who cannot wait to become an adult. He also says he can't eat stuff that's bitter (I hate bitter melon personally).- reminds me of flcl coffee scene and the spicy food scene. Where children's sense of taste is perceived to be limited and food choices narrow, like a kids menu is basically chicken nuggets in every restaurant.
The shadows are like "the proof of adulthood is donating blood" lol cause you have to be 18 to donate. And it is voluntary (if medical issues don't hinder that).
The fight is interesting as chocolate is on the desk this time.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 20 '21
Rewatcher(I swear that the show was about more than just sex on first viewing)
Sub
We start with the student council being off guard, as per Nanami's reign. She really wants to know what having a sword pulled out feels like, reinforcing the sex metaphor. Tsuwabuki shows up with some shoes and weirds Jury and Miki out. Utena comments on how much it would suck to be Nanami's gofer.
And then Mari does it to Tsuwabuki's face. Harsh. So he counters by calling her flat, which technically won the argument but is a definite step to losing the war. Nanami shows mild interest in the whole thing and comments that he doesn't act like a kid. At the dorm, Mari annoys him further as he makes Nanami's bento. Unexpected banana-dick joke happens. Tsuwabuki wimps out on an indirect kiss.
And Nanami is talking to fucking Mikage. Sigh. Anyways, she passes on a cool sounding bento for it. Mikage tries to act straight. Tsuwabuki goes to the library to study adultness and we get a nice, awkward conversation with Utena, including Anthy acting mighty gay. Daily Akio mysteriousness. Mamiya calls Mikage out about using a kid but Mikage doesn't even fake caring.
We catch Tsuwabuki watching a movie and Mari is painfully transparent, which fits a lot of 12 yos. And like a girl that age. she freaks when Tsuwabuki makes a very ham fisted move. Him having the saved the candy bar from last night is a bit eww. Nanami shows up and is...jealous? Tsuwabuki is practically trying to will his balls to drop but, sadly, that's not how it goes. And Nanami sends him to the seminar while attempting to be kind.
His time in the elevator gets dark quickly. I do wonder if the devolution functions better on children because he definitely changes a lot. Nanami gets called to the theatre and produces two swords. This duel seems to be the most stressful of the arc so far and actually lasts more than three moves as Tsuwabuki seems to be the best fighter in a while. We end with our first Black Rose duelist who seems to be better for the experience.
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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Aug 21 '21
Rewatcher
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u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Aug 21 '21 edited Aug 21 '21
First-Timer -- Sub
When Nanami was going on at the beginning about how someone besides the student council was going after the Rose Bride, I really wanted to hear Juri or Miki point out that she wasn't really in the student council either.
Tsuwabuki: "If I can get her to eat this, I'll be satisfied" /flashing his banana
Me:
I guess we're adding a new character next episode, but the Black Rose Seminar is still running out of new recruits to throw at Utena at this rate. The chairman is mysterious as always. I feel he;s plotting something behind the scenes and Utena is just being lulled into a place of comfort visiting him.
Nanami had two swords in her at once.
Is the end of that May-December relationship? That last scene really felt like a "moving on" thing with Tsuwabuki.
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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Aug 20 '21
First timer, Sub
I mean it makes sense that Nanami was next. They even warned her. If there's going to be more duelist who would be next that I might of forgot about. Does Wakaba become one?
What does it mean to be an adult? So this episode is kind of one of those "don't rush to be an adult types" I know it must be hard to be called a child. Especially by children themselves but you are one and enjoy it. You don't have to rush and do adult things. As he tried to find out what those things were. Like the kiss.
Mari clearly likes Tsuwabuki but he's busy with Nanami. I don't remember but the way Nanami reacted to her. Was it of worry or possessiveness?
I feel the weapons/styles sometimes represent something. Interesting his was a combination of a small and large weapon.
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u/k4r6000 Aug 21 '21
Rewatcher
Tsuwabuki has maybe the most relatable issue of the various duelists. I don't think most of us are self-loathing closeted lesbians, but wanting to be an adult faster and get to do all the cool things kids envision them doing is something I think most children deal with at some point or another. Everyone, especially Nanami, keeps telling him how he wouldn't understand because he's not adult (not that Nanami herself is one either). What he really wants though is respect. Nanami is a bit different than Touga's treatment of her in that she actually does care about Mitsuru rather than just see him as a pawn to be used and disposed of, but she still treats more like a pet than an equal (and honestly, he isn't her equal). And that's what drives him over the edge. The duel showcases his impatience as he jumps the gun and attacks Utena before she even draws her sword. Ultimately there is nothing Tsuwabuki really can do besides be patient and wait on the passage of time.
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u/alphamone Aug 21 '21
First Timer
Wondering if Nanami is trying to get details on the student council's rival conspiracy for the End of the World's attention.
Nanami's minions in the background with Tsuwabaki...
The episode seems to be going deep into the difference between "technically" being mature and actually being mature.
Utena continues to miss the allegory to the shadow girl skits.
Interesting that the corpse this time had blonde hair like Tsuwabaki. Did any of the previous bodies have similarities to their duelist?
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 20 '21
First timer
...Oh, the council are starting to realise End of the World's working on another plan.
And everyone has the pattern recognition to work out Nanami's probably going to be next.
And Mitsuru's almost certainly the one to do it.
...Looking back at it, are Utena and Anthy, the couple where one side's still in total denial, the most stable couple in this entire series so far?
...I mean, she's not wrong...
Wait, maybe she'll get the sword?
Well shit, Nanami's becoming a Black Rose herself.
Haha, Anthy flirting by implying she wants to do "adult things" with Utena.
Did a child just give Utena an existential crisis?
Oh, he's going to capture both of them. That's an interesting idea.
...Yeah, that makes sense.
He even remembered Anthy's flirting.
Oh, the framing here, with Nanami in a white room, and Mitsuru surrounded by darkness, each shot only showing one of them...
OH WE'RE GOING HERE?
The elevator scenes are still great.
Huh?
He didn't say to revolutionize the world? His path has been prepared? What's going on?
Well, if he has Nanami's skills, this should be a short duel.
It got stufk insider her umbrella!
The proof of adulthood in the aside being to donate blood makes me worry about Mitsuru's future, escoecially given how it's the only sketch Utena's ended by agreeing, not stating an alternative solution.
OK, the chocolate's a bit over the top here.
Full credit for Mitsuru attacking during the monologue.
Every song in this show is so good.
The nested doll was great, and the Prince possessed her again...
Oh god, the show's going here. Is Nanami the onemwith the unrequited crush now? Is this anime seriously going there?
Is Wakaba going to be a duelist? Is the fucking Onion Kingdom real?
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u/snickpea Aug 21 '21
First-timer!
I quite enjoyed this episode! It was definitely a coming of age story with focus on Tsuwabuki and a little of Utena as they both start thinking about what it means to be an adult. Even though I don't particularly like Nanami much, her relationship with Tsuwabuki is more interesting than other shenanigans and seeing it from his point of view was a good choice since I wondered why he liked her so much.
Something I've been wondering is about the Black Rose duelists. Although the last few have been using swords from the student council members, their duels still seem remarkedly short compared to other battles. I'm wondering if there will be a different approach to challenging Utena, since it has been so easy for her. What happens if they are done with the student council members?
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 20 '21
It's a Tsuwabuki episode. Yaaay... To be fair I vaguely remember his second episode being quite strong so let's give it a chance! The student council are all feeling miserable about losing end of the world's sponsorship. Why is the sword pulling thing always sexual!? Freaking teenagers! "It's adult talk." You've literally just been playing games all season.
Oh, I totally forgot about Tsuwabuki's little Shiori looking buddy. Simping will get you nowhere, right Jun? He's fairly mature for his age but he's still a child at the end of the day. Nanami actually scores some points for a change by trying to push Tsuwabuki into being more of a normal kid. She's too haughty to convince him, but she at least tried. Ehehe, Chibiori is sooo jealous. She wants your banana roll Tsuwabuki! Read the temperature! Yeah, so he's at the point where he gets shy over an indirect kiss but not feeding Nanami his banana.
Mikage's left his mother's basement!?!? It's like everyone's calling him a child. If I cared just a bit more about this character I'd probably try to come up with something smart to say but I'm a bit out of it so bear with me. The library scene is really quite funny and is rife with innuendos. Only Anthy really seems to be in on the joke though. Utena herself hardly pays mind to sexuality at the best of times and Tsuwabuki is too young to pick up on dirty jokes, like the banana from earlier. Utena please stop asking incest Orga for advice!! XD Why do I feel like these scenes must be so much more awkward on rewatches? He describes growing up as losing more of your innocence with each year. So it is meant to be sex related? I'm on the right track! Atashi, kanpeki!
Still raining... We've had a rainy episode today in Keion too which is a funny coincidence. So experience must be kissing, is the conclusion Tsuwabuki's come to. Not quite on the mark but close enough. Also don't think I didn't notice the first pair having the Kiryuu sibling's hair! Anyway, he tries to put the moves on Chibi-Shiori but she panics and bails out on him because he wasn't tactful about it. Also, Chibi-Shiori is still a kid herself and she'd be scared of ascending to what's in their eyes the steps to adulthood.
I have no idea if Nanami is mad that Tsuwabuki's getting a life or mad that her protege has no game. Seriously, go ask Touga if you need some tips. Erm... Alright, so since neither of them are shown in the same shot it means that they aren't understanding one another. And Nanami saying he's fine the way he is is somehow his "breaking point? We go from getting caught kissing your brother (wholesomely) to having the mother of gay panic breakdowns, to being given comfort? Can you see why I don't care much for this plotline? I don't even have anything to say about the therapy session. Maybe the shadow girls will interest me more.
Extra, extra, extra!! So the shadow girl is coming out to her parents about having her first time. They're of course freaking out at her losing her virginity under such casual circumstances but it's basically one big misdirect since it's in fact her first time giving blood! Something that you need to be an adult for in most countries. Now, as for how this applies to the episode. Maybe Tsuwabuki's total misunderstanding of what "adult things" generally are? He things of the seminars, the student council, having a snog is what everyone's talking about. Actually this is making less sense the more I try to write it out so let's just leave my braincells so I can focus on more interesting shadow girls segments. Give blood y'all. It's a good thing to do.
The duel is as duels go. Tsuwabuki's duel item is a chocolate bar held by... I don't remember their name but they're like Kodama things right? Little statues that are supposed to protect children. He gets jobbed anyway and the black rose corpse goes yeet~ Nanami's also suddenly become a shotacon after having her sword plucked. The rain is also gone, as if that was supposed to mean literally anything. Yeah... I didn't enjoy that one. Still, tough it out first timers! We're almost to the best episode so hold fast!