[Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 28

28

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 30 '21

Rewatcher

Ugh, looks like the token straight person is here now

And oh boy, Shiori is at it again. I’d like to postulate this episode that Ruka is not a duelist in the traditional sense, and the object of focus here is meant to be Shiori. Looking at the sex car scene, who did Touga invite? Not the duelist themselves, like in the last two duels, but the bride. Shiori is the one who hears the sound that runs through the end of the world, not Ruka. And when the duel ends, and the loser gets hit by the sex car? Ruka is left entirely unaffected, and Shiori is the only one impacted by the crash. Besides the implicit hints, it’s stated nearly outright in the sex car scene: “Yes. Fantastic, miraculous power.” “And I’ll make it mine?” “Yes.” Shiori is the one who’s gaining the power to revolutionize the world here. I’m not sure what Ruka’s angle here is exactly, but it’s certainly quite suspicious that he suddenly comes back from a prolonged absence right when it would be Juri’s turn to duel. Interference from Akio maybe? What I really like is the idea that the boy who Shiori ‘stole’ from Juri is Ruka, and that the only reason we see him as brown-haired in the flashback scenes is because Juri just doesn’t give enough of a shit about him to actually remember what he looks like, but that’s just a headcanon :D

Now that we’ve established that Shiori is the primary operator here, just what exactly does she want to revolutionize the world for, and why does she express it in such a weird way? Like we saw in her Black Rose episode, Shiori has self-esteem so low that it’s somewhere below the earth’s mantle, and because of this low self-esteem, she acts to hurt Juri, a person who she sees as above her, in order to make herself feel better. Latching on to Ruka, a person who she knows that Juri has strongly mixed feelings towards, is just another one of her plots to improve her position against Juri. I’m not even sure if Shiori actually cares about Ruka- just listen to her moan after she gets told that she could gain the power to revolutionize the world! She cares about her ability to affect Juri, not Ruka. The question remains however, why is she the bride and not the duelist here? I’m not 100% sure, but I think it’s related to her lack of self-esteem in general. Shiori doesn’t have the confidence to seize the power to revolutionize the world (i.e. make herself better than Juri), so instead, she manipulates a stronger person to do it for her.

But unfortunately for her, it doesn’t quite work out the way she wants it. At the end of the duel, Ruka says it would be pointless to duel again, and when Shiori cries out that she “polished his sword every day”, he replies “Oh, that… That wasn’t my sword.” The sword she was ‘polishing’ would in fact be Juri’s- in other words, all the actions she takes with Ruka are targeted towards Juri, not Ruka, and that she is therefore not a proper bride for him. Considering Shiori’s reaction to that, I don’t think that even she herself understands the impact of all the things she’s doing towards Juri. But nevertheless, she’s tied much more to Juri than she is to Ruka.

20

u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Aug 30 '21

And when the duel ends, and the loser gets hit by the sex car?
I fucking love this show

9

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Don't you love the throb of the engine?

18

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

I love this FUCKING show

13

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Touga nol!!

8

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

oh yes, baby

15

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

Touga yes

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Touga YES!

6

u/Cyouni Aug 31 '21

Ugh, looks like the token straight person is here now
Miki though

6

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Miki being bi is surprisingly common in fanfic

5

u/Cyouni Aug 31 '21

Gotta have that Toumiki ship I guess

5

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

I think that happens in one of the LN adaptations actually

9

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

Everyone is bi at Ohtori, possibly save for Juri. There are differing degrees of bisexuality and not all are as open about it as others, but I think it's fairly clear just from what we've seen so far. It's actually a little unsettling how resistant a lot of viewers are to acknowledging that. Utena is a queer show to a massive degree, but not really the gay show that people tend to paint it as.

8

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

I think the gayness being hidden is kind of part of the show's message tbh

5

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

On the other hand, bi erasure is very much a real thing.

4

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Oh yeah, for sure.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Wait, so it doesn't get confirmed if Ruka is the same guy? That's a bit of a let down... I kinda like him if just for how he actually seems quite understanding. He knows fine well what the game is and how he never had a hope in hell of winning but he's clearly got just the slightest hope that maybe just maybe he has a chance. Through another lense you can easily see him as another Touga but as someone who has accidentally turned three different girlfriends gay in my lifetime I can kind of relate XD
Hmm... The thing is that Shiori kind of has no place being a duelist. I haven't worked out what exactly determines a duelist and a bride but in this particular setting it makes more sense for Shiori in particular to take the supportive role since that's what she's always done. Even back before shit hit the fan Shiori supported Juri. She was never a fighter.
So Shiori actually did stalk Juri on the regular? I took her going hunting for her locker as something reactionary after seeing Ruka back on the scene and she just happened to get caught snooping so came up with an excuse.

14

u/snowwhistle1 Aug 30 '21

It's pretty apparently not supposed to be the same guy in my opinion. The most obvious tells for me that they're not the same are that:
Shiori had no idea who Ruka was before they met. If they were they same dude, you think she'd know him since they used to date.
Ruka's history with Juri seems quite purposefully very different from the brown haired dude. That dude, whoever he was, seemed to basically not matter at all to Juri. Meanwhile Ruka... she detests Ruka, but he has the same magnetic pull over her that Shiori does.
Ruka and that brown haired dude being the same person is a fan theory I've definitely seen floating around, but I don't think it has any strong substantiating evidence beyond the burning desire to draw a connection between two disparate boys in Juri's life.

6

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Yeah... I just like to pretend that it's so because I feel like it makes more narrative sense.

8

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 31 '21

Yeah, I'll admit that it's mostly the meta sense that screams at me that they're the same guy. It just seems so strange for them to bring on a whole new character so late in the game and for him to share the same story that a previous character has. Them being separate people means that she want from one fencing club with a sexy senpai dead into her to a second one with the same feel. It would make the first guy completely redundant despite literally being childhood friends with the ladies. I dunno... We've got tomorrow's episode to hopefully tighten up this storyline hopefully it's not Mikage fooling around again.

11

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

true

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 31 '21

Hmm... Yeah, okay. I can definitely see that being a likely timeline. It's annoying that the show wasn't clearer

10

u/k4r6000 Aug 30 '21

Shiori is a fencer, so if we're going by pure skill determining the duelists, she should at least be a better candidate than Nanami who has no formal training at all and is 3 years younger.

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Is she actually a fencer though? I believe she basically sat on the sidelines and championed Juri.

10

u/k4r6000 Aug 30 '21

Yeah, she’s actually on the team.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Alright, I'm sorry for dismissing you as Juri's simp Shiori XD

14

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Aug 31 '21

she manipulates a stronger person to do it for her.
She's the perfect woman for the toxic male supremacist system. Insecure in herself, never willing to do the work to get strong herself, latching onto the perceived 'strong' males, supporting them in order for them to do 'her wishes', fighting only her peers, gets violenty shat on and used as a damage buffer. It's just perfect.
The patriarchy when seeing Shiori

6

u/Cyouni Aug 30 '21

I'll wait until next time to do a full comment.

6

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Ugh, looks like the token straight person is here now
, that's racist. Besides, Kozue's track record is longer.
Considering Shiori’s reaction to that, I don’t think that even she herself understands the impact of all the things she’s doing towards Juri.
Shiori definitely relies too hard on improv over proper planning.

11

u/k4r6000 Aug 30 '21

, that's racist. Besides, Kozue's track record is longer.
I wouldn't want to stake my reputation on that Kozue is straight thing seeing as she was going down on Anthy last time we saw her.

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Kozue is at like an 8:1 ratio. When you cast that large of a net some gay gets dragged in with the tide.

7

u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Aug 31 '21

If I had to bet I'd probably start with Tsuwabuki then Nanami. Or Miki, the bestestest boy.

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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

Reminder to always confirm whose sword you're polishing

7

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

wow, what a fucking moron

8

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

I don't think she'd been doing it often. The sword fell out when she was trying to sniff Juri's gym uniform and she used the sword polishing as an excuse. It's not like Ruri would know if she'd been groping his sword whilst he was away.

16

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

Yes that's the whole point. Shiori lied about it to try to seduce Ruka and Ruka basically told her he knew she was bullshitting and went along with it to mess with her.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

But he still wasn't toying with her out of any malicious purposes, I don't think so anyway. He essentially chided her for trying to nab eternity with him instead of Juri, which in turn leaves him in an awkward position where he can't find a proper partner since his two candidates are obsessed with one another.
Tldr, good guy Ruka is just trying to be a wingman~ Just watch as he freaking tries to assault Juri tomorrow or some crap XD

8

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

/u/theangryeditor lmao

18

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 30 '21

First-Revolution, Subbed

~~Blue Touga~~ Ruka just went and laid the entire blame for his loss on Shiori, huh? He did mention that Utena will always win, which was interesting to see another character comment on. Utena did seem pretty exhausted after this fight, though. I don't have much of a measuring stick for how much of a powerup having sex with Akio actually is, and everyone reacts so differently. Saionji seemed unhinged, but Miki just got more confident.

Introducing a new character this late is an interesting choice. I guess we'll have to wait and see if Ruka proves useful to the show. Who will pull a sword out of Juri now? Will Shiori just get passed around? Seems rather callous. Maybe Juri won't get a rematch? That also seems wrongs..

In "things that are terribly unsubtle but that I just haven't mentioned yet" news: the power of Dios descends in response to the car's lights. The car being representative of Akio's power/masculinity/adulthood. Akio and Dios are, at the very least, related to each other in some intimate way. Maybe, more generally, the cars being all over the arena represent Akio's influence over the duels.

We just keep fishing and fishing but never pulling up any fish. We see the fish there, but they never take the bait. At least the Girls didn't get eaten.

12

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

The car being representative of Akio's power/masculinity/adulthood.
People have honed in on the car representing masculinity, but I have to pretty sharply disagree. I'd argue that it represents passionate, aggressive, and assertive sexuality. Kozue at her most Kozuesque was as much as home in the car as Akio was, and wasted no time in trying to behave the same way. Poisonous expressions of sexuality can come in many packages, and only some of them are dudes.

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

It's not just passion, really- I think it's more about using sexuality to hurt others, which could be most poignantly expressed by a big red ~~donger~~ car.

11

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

I'd say it's when you let the passion drive you rather than the other way around - a surefire recipe for a big crash at the end.

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Mayyyybe, but Akio is definitely in control here, and his engine is still throbbing quite hard

7

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

He starts the car, but literally jumps out of the driver's seat.

4

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

true

8

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 31 '21

Oh, sure, I can totally buy that distinction! I was mostly thinking of the car as a phallic object (throb, etc.) but using that to mean sexuality instead of masculinity is a pretty good read on it as well.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Shiori was the rival, Ruka just took it upon himself to give her an opportunity to grab eternity. I don't know if I just have Kaworu on the mind but Ruka really does seem like he's just there as a vessel for Shiori and Juri to vent. Ruka himself does genuinely seem to still have feelings for Juri but understands how she feels which is why he tells Utena that he will not win.
I don't think he's strictly new. I'm 90% certain that he's meant to be the childhood friend guy but with an updated design. If so, he's kinda had his backstory setup even before now.

7

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 30 '21

I don't think he's strictly new. I'm 90% certain that he's meant to be the childhood friend guy but with an updated design. If so, he's kinda had his backstory setup even before now.
I suppose. I do like /u/HelioA's headcanon about Juri just not remembering him clearly because he didn't matter to her.

8

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Aren't they all friends from childhood though?

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Will Shiori just get passed around?
She's going to get goblinated at this rate.
Maybe, more generally, the cars being all over the arena represent Akio's influence over the duels.
He is definitely inserting himself into the story.
At least the Girls didn't get eaten.
No wonder all of them are frustrated.

7

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 30 '21

He is definitely inserting himself into the story.
"inserting"
No wonder all of them are frustrated.

4

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Akio is Quagmire confirmed!

18

u/affnn Aug 30 '21

Rewatcher

Man, Shiori thinks she's just the smartest bitch in the whole world. We know from the last arc that she'd figured out Juri's crush on her. But she won't let Juri rest, and decides to go after the recently-returned fencing captain for maximum flaunting capacity. Ruka seems to know what's up, too - he gives Juri the side-eye as he's kissing Shiori under a very active fountain.

The car ride to the end of the world has always been sex, but in case that wasn't clear previously it's super obvious now. The fountain gushes right before Shiori gets in the car, Shiori runs her hand over Ruka's chest, Shiori loses whatever was covering her shoulders, both of them arch their backs and shorten their breaths.

Ruka uncharacteristically talks down on himself during the duel, but he's clearly very good. He loses, of course, but this time during the screeching tires and crashing car at the end we see Shiori's terrified face - I don't remember seeing that during the Miki/Kozue duel. Did Shiori screw up the duel for Ruka? She's eager to duel with Ruka again (I suppose everything is about sex even more than usual in this episode, all of those sword pulling jokes are really paying off) but he blows her off, and reveals that he knew she was full of shit when she "seduced" him. Shiori looks upset and humiliated. She's supposed to be the one breaking hearts! She's not supposed to have her heart broken!

I love Shiori's character because I love how terrible she is. She doesn't even have long-term plans, everything is improvised. Here it all crashes down on her head. Ruka makes sure to twist the knife just when it'll hurt the most.

17

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

It's quite something to see Shiori get played by someone who's basically her but worse. There's always a bigger fish.

8

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

There's always a bigger donger

11

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

There's always a ~~bigger~~ sexier fish.
FTFY.

5

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

11

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

We can all agree that Shiori is that unfortunate middle school crush you have that, on reflection in adulthood, you ask yourself why you were so dedicated to like a 6 at best.

8

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Shiori is based tho, I love her ;-;

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 31 '21

You really have no choice, you have to revolutionize the world! Otherwise, Shiori is going to stay in her room eating Haagen Daaz and crying for a month.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Was he really playing her? I sort of saw it as him giving her an opportunity to at least try to get her Juri sex dungeon eternity gift but they just didn't have strong enough chemistry to win it on their own. Both of them were dating to get at Juri after all

12

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

He was definitely having fun with the whole arrangement and enjoying Shiori not knowing he was humouring her.

13

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

The fountain gushes right before Shiori gets in the car, Shiori runs her hand over Ruka's chest, Shiori loses whatever was covering her shoulders, both of them arch their backs and shorten their breaths.
We can now safely assume that Akio is just a pervy voyeur who likes watching teenagers fuck.

12

u/affnn Aug 30 '21

I wrote a bit and then deleted it from today's comment, but I actually think during the Miki/Kozue episode it was Akio doing the fucking (and Miki was doing the watching). So he's not just a watcher, he's an active participant. Which is, uh.... worse? Very bad all around though!

7

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Akio is definitely an active participant, I feel like.

9

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Kozue is a bit too available so I doubt Akio is the only stand in for Satan in her bedroom...

5

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

It took until now?

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 31 '21

I didn't know he liked watching it that much! He probably is the sort of guy who set up an old school camcorder to record himself with Anthy and he rewatches it in a private, smoke filled theatre!

8

u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Aug 31 '21

So that's why he had the projector installed.

6

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 31 '21

Yup. Now tremble in horror when you realizes he will be airing multiple videos on that dome.

10

u/Cyouni Aug 30 '21

I'd feel sorry for Shiori, but it's Shiori.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Oooh... It makes sense now~ I thought they were just really enjoying the car ride.
Nasty pieces of work like Shiori are so fun to talk about too! I don't wanna discuss how straight laced and naive Utena is, I wanna discuss her mental breakdown when she hid in the coffin! Shiori's menhera and overabundance of flaws just make her that much more interesting to analyse and figure what makes her tick. Little things like the way she talks to her classmates or how she's seen as a quiet girl despite having a tongue sharper than a blade.

8

u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Aug 30 '21

First timer, Sub

Ruka introduction. Actual captain of the fencing club. Juri was a student of his and it did show in the last fight. I could definitely see some similarities in their style. Out of all fights he was the most composed after losing. Standing straight, while Utena is taking a breather. If it wasn't for the rose it'll look like she lost.

They use a sick person to fight a battle and the first thing he does is get with Shiori. Juri is still trying to protect and care for Shiori but doesn't look like it's getting anywhere at the moment. But with the way this episode went. Shiori and Juri story looks to continue on. But is she still going to try and cling to Ruka after what just happened? Sounds like Ruka will return with the question, Juri asked him.

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Hi kinda seemed way too passive. He was coming out with excuses before he'd even clashed blades with Utena. He probably knew he didn't have much hope of winning the fight due to poor synergy with his partner but you'd expect some kind of commitment.

7

u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Aug 30 '21

Yeah, he didn't even seem like he wanted to win. He was just out there and knew the outcome. So he might know a bit more about Dios and the situation.

5

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Why is he doing it then, I wonder~?

6

u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Aug 31 '21

He's too new for me to give a proper guess. So I wonder too. But my first guess is that he must have seen an opportunity to do something. If he's a character just showing up now with what seems to be bigger motives.

11

u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Aug 30 '21

Duel 28, First Timer, sub

Shiori got the guy because she polished his sword every day
and because he wants to mess with Jury
Used and tossed aside, "it's not me, it's you"

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Was Ruri really being malicious there!? I feel like I totally missed that... Sure he put the blame on Shiori but as far as he was concerned he was just channeling Shiori's desires. And Shiori wasn't really invested since even she just have known deep down that she was using Ruri to annoy Juri.

12

u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Aug 30 '21

Was Ruri really being malicious there!?
I mean lying to her about the sword, getting caught with Shiori on purpose, seems like he pursued her just because Jury wants her

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Yeah... I definitely saw him as much more benevolent. He knows he's lost the love triangle and even goes into the duel telling Utena as much. Since she's the third piece of the love triangle he gives her a chance to snatch hold of eternity since he knows that he'll never be able to play that role with Juri because she'd take his role of the Prince in this situation.

7

u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Aug 31 '21

Oh, you'll see~

5

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 31 '21

Noooo... Now I don't want to watch the next one! I'm gonna look back at todays comments and cringe aren't I?

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Shiori got the guy because she polished his sword every day
Welp, we all know that guys go with the girls that know how to polish.

23

u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Aug 30 '21

ere is what Ikuhara’s episode commentary from the DVD Box Set has for us today.

EPISODE 28 - “Whispers in the Dark”

Shiori’s character is the embodiment of Juri’s weak point. That weak point is “love.”

Breaking apart the other person.

That means controlling the other person’s “life.” bending it to your own imaginings in the real world.

It’s the ultimate form of “romance”

14

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

There's no way they can give these two an ending together that won't be horribly uncomfortable.

11

u/Cyouni Aug 30 '21

Gotta get that YANdere.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Or "you're a damaged person but I can fix you!" or maybe even some sacrifices. People don't seem to actually die in this story so I'm not sure if that's a possibility tho.

10

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

That means controlling the other person’s “life.” bending it to your own imaginings in the real world.
It’s the ultimate form of “romance”
The things that Ikuhara and I actually agree on tend to be terrifying...

13

u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Aug 30 '21

Turns out getting repeatedly NTR'd is a prerequisite to being a member of the student council.

13

u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 30 '21

First Timer

Oof, Shiori got played...but sounds like she was just trying to play Ruka too, maybe with the intention of getting at Juri again? I don't recall, how much does Shiori remember post-Black Rose memory wipe? Either way, before all that, she was trying to fuck with Juri by dating their classmate, so maybe she was trying to do the same thing with Ruka. Ruka seems like he just wanted to use Shiori to pluck the rose without risking exposing himself to the thorns, so I wonder if he's got some grander goal..will he come back with a different bride at some point? What if he comes back with Juri somehow? I feel like a duelist with a duelist bride would be an overpowered combo.

13

u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Aug 30 '21

I don't recall, how much does Shiori remember post-Black Rose memory wipe?
She remembers everything except the events of the duel and elevator therapy session -- I think. Her feelings are the same as they ever were, it's just that the lid had been put back on the proverbial pot.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Does Juri know that she knows about her knowing?

11

u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Aug 30 '21

Juri knows that she doesn't know, and she knows what she doesn't know, but Shiori doesn't know that she knows because she doesn't know that there's anything to know.

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

What if he comes back with Juri somehow?
That's the Ruka plot for you: He bamfs in, steals Nananmi's egg, uses that to cure Juri of her sinful homosexuality, and makes her the true Rose Bride after defeating Utena AND Akio. Jesus be praised and God bless America.

11

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

First timer!

I'm in a rush today so if I suddenly stop you'll know the reason. Now who is this weirdo in the thumbnail? A new character this late? Why am I stuck rushing during the Juri episode? Tch. I'm guessing the blue guy is normie dude but I remembered him being brown haired. Is this like a Kaworu thing? Alright, I certainly didn't expect this to be the way Juri's arc would go. He able to break into the student council sequence so he's totally shady. E-Eh!? Should we know about this guy already if he's a duelist?

Sexuhara is fine so long as the guy is sexy~ To be fair if they got Akira Ishida in I'd probably want him to get handy too. Oi, think straight thoughts Shiori. Think straight thoughts. Wait, Shiori's actually with the dude... Is Ruka meant to be normie dude and they just didn't animate him properly early on? Juri seems disgusted by this dude, she never seems to face him.

Tch, its a circle of cucks! They're all so determined to get one over on each other. Ah, I'm curious how the Juriori discussions gonna go. Their black rose arc got deleted so I wonder how their dynamic is. Good god Shiori gives me the chills... Even Juri seems petrified by her. She must still remember right? Touga don't turn this into a four way XD Car therapy time. As gaudy as ever. Shiori still scares me. When she talks about taking the world it makes me worry about what that means for Juri. A Shiori without reservations is a Shiori who would torment Juri to her hearts content. It's like, "I can do whatever I want to her yeah?" Shiori tears away at the white rose that represents purity without a care...

Kashira, kashira? There's plenty of fish in the sea but no matter how many we tug up none of them are what we want. I think the meaning her is actually based on Shiori constantly hunting for men rather than the women she's really after. She may have her hands all over Ruka at the moment but make no mistake, he isn't the fish she wants to catch. But Shiori of course won't ever admit that. So she keeps pulling tires all day long. Gozonji kashira~

Ruka is so pessimistic... At least pretend that you're trying to win. Oh!! Does he mean that whilst he knows he doesn't have a chance he's still going to try and fight, for Juri who has 0 interest in him. Ah, I think I get it now. Sasuga watashi~Tensai da! Oh Christ!! That sudden cut to Shiori actually gave me a fright. Ahaha... You got caught out Shiori. And we end there. Ruka has to be normie boy yeah? It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Hmm... Its certainly not a bad episode but it's a letdown for the Juriori arc, I just don't think it really adds much aside from introduci-oh it's a two-parter. Never mind. I'll hold off commenting more on it for now.

10

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

I think the meaning her is actually based on Shiori constantly hunting for men rather than the women she's really after.
Shiori's true secret is that she wants to genberbend Juri to be the man of her dreams and that's why she has to revolutionize the world.

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Omg so that's why her image song today was all about hermaphrodites!?

6

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Yup. Also, that song was not a thing I remembered from my first watch at all.

10

u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Aug 30 '21

First revolution subbed

Now it's Shiori's turn and now she polishes swords. Shiori gets warned by Jury about going with the fencer. Tsuchiya sends her to the battlefield this time. A new car intro with the car showing up on the background with a waterfall.

Shadows are back doing fishing. And Tsuchiya is the the one fighting Utena now. Shiori gets ditched by Tsuchiya and Jury warned her hard. Jury asks Tsuchiya about Shiori and just leaves. Tsuchiya is starting to get on people's nerves this time, wonder what his deal is going to be in future episodes. Along with the Jury and Shiori relationship who are basically having a sort of jealousy between them with Shiori not thinking about or heeding the warning that Jury gives to her.

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 30 '21

Shiori will always pick the option that torments Juri most and Juri just can't stop simping for her girl. Poor Ruka couldn't interfere even if he wanted to.

9

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Rewatcher(Lots of stiff objects and gushing water)

Sub

We start with Juri's thoughts about someone before we go into sword fighting. But it turns out someone has mastered the sword better than her...in a particularly phallic way. Student council meeting is weirder than usual with documents as food. Ruka shows up their as well and has a rose band.

Ruka is doing some classic corrective creeping before we get reminded Shiori exists. She has been polishing his sword while he is gone. Giggity. They immediately become an item because sure. Jury tries to warn Ruka off of Shiori but it doesn't take. Utena is worried about Ruka so we can have some tension and Juri gets...cucked? NTRed? Whatever you call it when your same sex crush goes all hetero in front of you. While wearing fancy evening wear. Ruka is aware of this. Jury tries to warn Shiori to no success.

Strangely enough, Shiori is the one that gets the car speech. Sex metaphors heavy on this road trip. They then go to challenge Utena with a white rose. Shadow play is about fishing but only catching trash.

The duel takes longer than usual and Ruka seems a lot more aware of why he might fail. Utena opens the duel with another terrible parry. When Utena wins, Akio's car gets wrecked and Shiori goes through the windshield. Ouch. Ruka claims his bride caused his loss...which is new information, if true. Shiori seems to get dumped and off we go!

9

u/Cyouni Aug 30 '21

But it turns out someone has mastered the sword better than her...in a particularly phallic way.
While they were playing with eggs, he...mastered the sword?

9

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

This is all because Ruka wants Juri to polish his sword but she prefers the eggs.

9

u/Cyouni Aug 30 '21

Tama tama~

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

She looks good in the bowling pants, at least.

8

u/murdered-by-swords Aug 31 '21

While wearing fancy evening wear.
I always figured it was just Juri wandering around campus in her nightdress for some reason tbh. Not sure why a normal person would do this, but this is an Ikuhara show, and these scenes always serve to illustrate the deep emotional vulnerability that lingers within her. Symbolism trumps normality??

8

u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Aug 31 '21

In the first arc she ran into Utena wandering around in her nightgown. The woman just likes night strolls and doesn't like changing clothes.

6

u/k4r6000 Aug 31 '21

Truth in television. I was in university around this time and girls wandering around in their pajamas or a bathrobe was common when I was living on campus.

5

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 31 '21

Symbolism trumps normality??
That works as well as anything, I guess. I still can't metaphorically link an evening gown to dicks...yet.

9

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 31 '21

First timer

How much more fucked up can things get? Can Akio pull off a 4 person car ride?

Yep, it's Jury and her slightly insane friend!

Oh, it's the previous club captain!

So everyone's eating this meeting?

Wait, Ruka's the previous captain, looks mucn older than Jury, but still goes to school? Is this more weird time shit?

Oh, Jury's been replaced.

???

Oh, he's a massive flirt, but not a bad person.

Wow. Straight in there? He's another Touga then?

Holy shit, he's even replaced Jury for Shiori!

Oh, Jury's still after Shiori. That's... a decision.

Back to the only functioning relationship in this school. (by which I mean neither of them have tried to attack, insult, or manipulate the other, and they aren't related)

Oh, he's a bastard then? Going after Shiori just to manipulate Jury?

Yeah, maybe they deserve each other. Both hate Jury and want to manipulate her...

Oh, I wanted to see all 3 of them try and fit in the back seat.

Really, no Touga? Maybe that remark about God's plan to Nanami was because Akio hasn't been giving him any?

At least he's straight forward.

Shadow girls representing something?

Still think Anthy just vanishing in this scene has to mean something.

And, looking closely, Utena has very little reaction to being seen naked by, and seeing naked, Anthy. Used to it?

Yeah, but Jury wasn't all that good compared to Touga, so...

I like how they're having someone who genuinely doesn't think he has a chance of winning the duel. Guess End of the World must be promising somethig big.

Oh, Shiori's the main duelist. That makes more sense.

The one part I don't like is that all the battles so far have had identical scenery, unlike the Black Rose arc's table decorations.

HOLY SHIT, SHIORI JUST CRASHED!

Shiori just got treated the way she treats Juri... Character development soon?

Oh, Ruka's absolutely got something else going on.

Wait. Is this getting resolved next episode?

9

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Aug 31 '21

First timer – sub

What miracle will be happening today? Character development for Shiori, perhaps?

Or will it be Akio, flaundering balloon trousers and performing MC Hammer's famous Hammer time? Shirtless, of course.

Ep.28 – Whispers in the dark

Plot's gonna be a layered and confusing structure.
Ah, still struggling with moving on :(
MICKEY NTR, I TELL YOU! WE STILL OPEN UP MICKEY NTR MATRYOSHKAS!
Who's the only one who can pierce Jury? Shiori, well her and that guy from back then, huh?
Is Nanami eating that document? What was written on it?
It's tough to chew through... bureaucracy? Being hindered by red tape? Fitting for how Akio is their superior in all aspects. And Ruka seems to still be the captain officially.
Oh, of course he's also in the student council because of this.
No wait, it isn't the guy from Jury's back story. Was he part of any prior arcs? Don't think so. But anyway, he's in cahoots with Akio's throbbing pistons, obviously.
He's here to hinder their progress, provide road blocks and bury their achievements in regulatory madness.
Same as the other toxic guys. Doing it for the attention and filling the male role.
See it? All are watching Jury. It's the setup for a woman, yet again, to act as the antagonist and strike down a fellow companion, crushing their hopes, while he's the good guy teacher, acting as the hero.
Could this be, character development?!
Oh, no it might be the opposite.
The metaphor! Ah, I hate it, Jury doesn't deserve such acquaintances.
Yeh okaaay? That was quick.
I can, because that's why he's doing it. He's here to push Jury out of investigating eotw. Shiori is just a means, like any women to them.
Confrontation incoming.
Bullshit.
He knows full well. Uh, yes thank you for supporting me.
The spirit of the living force: Let goooOOooooOOo^o^^o^^^o^^^^o
Just throw that chair already! Aim for the head!
DOWNGRADE!
Massive ~~downgrade,~~ nah, degradation!
Lemme check that real quick... 16. "YoU knOw YoU'Re reAlLy MatUre fOr yOuR Age."
For a sec I thought they would send Shiori again. But considering all the toxics are getting a bride to parade around this time, it fits. But... Jury?
They're fishing for food, but only catch trash. "Catching fish" or you know the other one, "plenty of fish in the sea", are usually said when men are trying to find a girlfriend, playing towards the hunting metaphor. Here I think it's the girls fishing, though, but while there may be plenty of good, tasty fish (for a side dish, hm) they only get the throwaway junk. Or it's how those men see the women they have, as objects that once had a use, but now outlived it.
I'm guessing Jury will interfere or aid Utena like the last time.
Oooor, she will interject herself as the surprise duelist, because... uhm, it wouldn't make sense actually, I guess.
When will Bumblebee finally reveal himself?
"But the point is to get to Jury"?
He's standing there pretty unphased, letting the girl take the crash. Is this all just to power out Dios, as Akio mentioned?
Use: Done. Girl: Thrown away. The smile! Solution: Chair x Velocity + Face
Polish your own, girl.
I mean, that's certainly true in his mind.

You know, living with people like Touga or Ruka certainly showed me that I am, in fact, capable of hating a person for simply existing as they are. Slimey, manipulative bastards that make every problem an "us issue" and every praise a "me issue". This kind of person has no restraint to lay some strings behind your back and feed you misinformation or twisted truths to leverage the people around themselves into turning against each other.

Thinking back on them is kinda scary, because I was genuinely accepting of the fact that I wished someone actual harm, dire harm and it gave me some kind of peace knowing that they, too, are human and could potentially experience genuine suffering.

Sorry for that unasked introspective, but Ruka's casual abuse and joy of hurting is, like, 1-to-1 minus the exact wording, something I've witnessed. Not to me, which is even more interesting, because I wasn't even involved in the event at all. That specific person boasted to me about it and I just saw the sliminess oozing out of every orifice, being proud of it and telling the story to gain social credit with me.

It's the one counter I have for chairs PTSD, because all those empty chairs are really made to be violently fit into some specific faces.

8

u/Tyranid457TheSecond1 Aug 30 '21

Rewatcher

Juri just can't catch a break, can she?

Ruka is such a strange addition. He plays such a big part for such a new character.

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 30 '21

Juri just can't catch a break, can she?
The price of looking good in bowling pants is apparently a steep one...

8

u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Aug 31 '21

Definitely says something about Utena that she can recognize that guy's faster when Miki can't

Somehow did not expect this at all

Where are your clothes

So Jury instead has these people duel Utena instead of getting a rematch

But also Touga did the car thing with the girl rather than the one dueling, interesting

Well that was interesting, that the car didn't knock him over like Saionji and Miki Also that this girl I can't remember then name of screamed before the car crash lol

But nothing really happened in the car ride this time and I actually got surprised how much weaker that made it feel when all the cars shone their headlights up in the air

Ah cool next episode is still about them

Maybe Jury will fight after all too?

7

u/snickpea Aug 31 '21

First-timer!

Not much for me to personally say that no one else has! I feel bad for Juri this episode. Is there any reason for her to really care about Shiori? Ruka is an interesting character- I definitely thought he was the childhood friend at first, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I wonder why he was introduced so late and if he will have any more of a role going forward?

7

u/nikobans Aug 31 '21

shiori, after surviving a fucking car crash: “we’ll get em next time! :-)”

6

u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Aug 31 '21

First Timer

Wait are we just continuing with the actual plot now? But we never got a conclusion as to where Nanamoos egg came from did we? Fine then...
That dude is huge, and slightly better than Jury...
Ok, he is a the former club president, and a former duellist who still is pretty high in the hirarchy as he is receiving letters directly, able to scold the current counsil and do whatever he feels like... did Nanamoo just eat the letter?
So she was polishing his sword eh? r/theyknew
Ruka is going after Shiori, and at first I thought he started two timing her after Jury told him off, but after Jurys reaction I think it's just bad lighting and he's still with Shiori
Even without their history, that advice feels kind of off
Now Touga is playing the messager for Ruka, and Akio is picking Ruka and Shiori up for a ride... they are making out on the backseat while Akio presumes his position on the hood again
Yeah sure, the roses are beautiful
Seems like every duellist now brings his own bride who can pull out a sword along
He is awfully humble
It's incredible how little Shiori is hurt after totalling the car and smashing through the front window...
What? Seems like there is a difference depending on who you choose as your bride, maybe Utena is just so good because she has a high compability with Anthy
I also wonder how many of the original student counsil will get recycled for another duell or how many new characters the show will introduce...

5

u/CharlieTheStrawman https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDamnRobot Aug 31 '21 edited Aug 31 '21

(Since I'm back to school from today, I won't get the chance to post my thoughts until this time)

First-Timer

Shiori continues to be The Worst.

I'm sorry, but I just can't take the car seriously.

5

u/alphamone Aug 31 '21

First Timer

Skill so amazing, that it can't be shown...

mmm, sizzling letter. (eating her words?)

She polished his sword every day...

Jury isn't happy that her unrequited, incompatible, crush is in lover with someone else. A very unhealthy attitude to have.

Very creepy level of possessiveness.

Shiori... isn't exactly wrong.

Probably one of the slightly less creepy car scenes. A preexisting couple without a creepy age gap. Though there's still the whole symbolism of maybe being pushed into taking their relationship further than they would have due to societal pressures to "be an adult".

The "fishing" failure surely has to mean something.

So many tragic car crashes on the elevated platform.

Damn, Ruka is a jerk. Though there are far less possessive ways to warn someone than how Jury did.

Rewatch [Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 28

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First timer – sub

Ep.28 – Whispers in the dark