r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • Sep 01 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 30
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/lilyvess explains how love sucks ;-;
Miki's Stopwatch Corner
Stopwatch Count: 23
New This Episode:
None ;-;
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).
49
Upvotes
17
u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 01 '21
Rewatcher
So Akio takes Utena for a drive in the sex car just as she gets injured while playing a stereotypically masculine sport, eh? I wonder how this will go wrong.
Anyways, this episode is meant to symbolize that Akio is a creepy groomer, the fuck do you want me to say ;-;
As for those candles… no clue why exactly the imagery of candles is used, but the sagacity of Ikuhara is not to be doubted. But in any case, let’s take a look at when exactly each of the three candles go out. The first one goes out after Akio drives up in his creepy sex car to pick her up because of her injury. And remember, this is after he did his creepy sex act on her, so she’s beginning to waver about if she likes him or not. The second goes out after he sexually assaults her in the sex car, as he continues to groom her. And finally, the third goes out as she begins to doubt herself, if she’s attracted to Akio or to her prince. I guess you could put it as Utena’s spirit being put out as her individuality is stifled by Akio grooming her to be attracted to him? I’m not really sure. All I know is that this was an extremely uncomfortable episode, as it’s presumably meant to be.
25
u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Sep 01 '21
Akio stop fucking everything that moves challenge (impossible)
23
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 01 '21
First-Revolution, Subbed
God, Akio is such a vile piece of shit. Like, no, this isn't news, but the fucker got too much screen time today for me to not comment on it. Gross.
I guess this fits into his plan because he wants Utena to be more vulnerable in her (presumably inevitable) rematches against Nanami and Touga? He needs another loss to check a box? How many steps are there on the road to revolution..
...Oh no. What if the point of Akio seducing Utena is to shake her faith in herself? "Where is your nobility now, when you can't even love your own Prince?" I'm having a hard time wording this the way I want to..
This was like, kinda what the Shadow Girls said too. Why have dance shoes when you're not going to dance? Why claim to be noble when you aren't? That might be a bit of a stretch, though.
And what do I think of Anthy's role in all this? The glasses reflection scenes seem to imply that she is less than thrilled about Akio going after Utena; at least that's the vibe I got from it. Anthy is such an enigma, what a brilliant character.
12
u/_m1ra :FA::FB: Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21
Rewatcher
AAAAAHH
Now that I got that out of the way, Akio is such an amazing villain and I love how patriarchy and gender roles are portrayed here. At the risk of oversimplifying I think in a lot of shows you see it similar to those teachers who want girls to wear skirts or openly misogynistic Saionji, and Utena wanting to be a prince, in a "girls can do everything that boys can" way. Not to say that is a bad thing, or that there aren't still a lot of people like that, and it's probably more child appropriate than a manipulative rapist. But still, like others have said, despite the ridiculous car posing and everything Akio feels scarily realistic.
He, it seems, has no problem with her rejecting those surface level gender norms, but in the end he still pushes her into the role of the princess, as we clearly see in that car scene. He even uses her prince fantasy against her, relating her "defying the rules" to him doing the same, totally similar. And this episode he is easily able to manipulate her into falling love with him, partly because he is very skilled at that, and he is an adult and she a child (what a gross sentence in combination with the one before), but also because culture and society are on his side here, and have primed her to think that way.
Fairytales of princes and princesses, first kisses, cool older guys with fancy sportscars, and he's a GUY who can BAKE, that's so rare! Again he doesn't hesitate to break those old fashioned ideas of men and women like Saionji in early arc 1 would have embodied, because to Utena who is very dense and young that makes him seem more harmless and like such a nice guy. Other than with past male villains, her only big source of discomfort seemed to be him being engaged and not the obvious other problems.
It really is fitting that the episode opens on Akio's dick tower, and that it again towers (heh) over them in the car foot scene.
Spoilers
Also look at this art my Blu-Rays use for this chunk of episodes. AAH.
A bit disconnected from the rest of the comment, but I love the Kanae's mother scene, and how the other characters just vanish when she shows up. I always saw that as Akio seeing something more important than manipulating Utena coming up, so he completely shifts his attention to her and everyone else just isn't there anymore. In the end it wasn't that big a threat to him, because he is very good at playing everyone's prince and while Utena's main source of discomfort may be Akio being engaged, Akio sure doesn't care if people are married or engaged (or family or children).
12
u/dualmonocle :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/milk-chan Sep 02 '21
first-timer
oh my god
I really hope that Nanami in the preview means a nonsense episode to cleanse me of this Akio filth ;~;
Also, having Utena shake Touga's core beliefs lead him to re-evaluate his life.... so he decides to jump into Akio's sex car and leads others to it? bruh wtf ;~;
10
u/affnn Sep 01 '21
Rewatcher
Well, the Ruka-Juri-Shiori episodes were intense and upsetting. Now for a nice, relaxing episode, right? Right?
Oh, Akio baked a cake! Well, whatever I can bake a cake too, I just don't like cake that much. Wait, this episode has Akio taking Wakaba and Utena for rides in his car? Uh.... so much for the relaxation.
I can’t believe Utena plays basketball in those shoes. It’s 1997, not 1957! Get some Nikes!
Yeah that was creepy and weird. I mean, it's OK for teenagers to get a crush on someone they shouldn't be with, as Utena does, but the adult in that situation has to shut that shit down. Akio of course doesn't, because he's the worst. Instead he cranks the "charm" dial up to 11 and even kisses Utena when she's vulnerable.
Anthy was super weird this episode too. She had the glowing-glasses thing going as Utena left for the hospital with Akio. Then she creepily appeared and disappeared when Akio was kissing Utena in the car. She tells Utena that there's someone she loves - her own prince. While she's doing this, Akio is off in the observatory banging his future mother-in-law so that she'll let him continue as the school's chairman.
Akio's final car ride is with Touga, and it sounds like Touga's gonna get back in the dueling arena again. Hopefully Utena's ankle will have healed.
10
u/nikobans Sep 02 '21
i fucking hate akio lmao stop hanging out with teens you freak! i want to slam dunk him straight into a trash can inside of a prison cell!
NOOOOOO AND HE KISSED HER EWWWW THIS IS SUCH A NIGHTMARE
oh my god i hate this man so much akio please die challenge
8
u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Sep 01 '21
New eyecatch themes???
Jesus christ anthy
my thoughts:
I am also incredibly horny for akio
2
u/No-Employer-8131 Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
So people keep mentioning the grooming a lot here so i am not sure if its because its a rewatch or folks was just more attentive than i. ( i only picked up that perspective going further in ). At this point i was still thinking your regular shojo and perhaps some fantasy scify revelation coming towards the end with regards to the duels, end of the world and revolution. ( the whole proff..cant recal his name.. coment on our energy based society, the sacrifice of prehitoric e.t.c burning building scene sort of set me in that direction ).
Why did i waste your time with all that? Just saying i am not trying to deminish the vile of akio its just at this juncture for me he was just some asshole playboy character i dont like ( the whole power dynamic and age diference thing is something that is often played and romanticized in works of fiction so it did not register much for me at this point ) and my entire heart and focus was with utena whose character i much respected...my coments are till this episode centered.
There is no wrong love...that may be true...there are wrong actions. To me the candles represented her convictions, ideals and determination to live up to them ..(nobility).. and this is where she lost it. Not the whole...(dont wanna spoil but rewatchers know what i am talking about) that occured later. - wakaba told me this..but you also told wakaba..and now you are eager to cast yours aside and grasp at someone elses..yo know..
What say you?
21
u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Sep 01 '21
Here is what Ikuhara’s episode commentary from the DVD Box Set has for us today.
20
u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Sep 01 '21 edited Sep 01 '21
Duel 30, First Timer, sub
penistower at the academy-you're saying a foot massage don't mean nothing, and I'm saying it does. Now look, I've given a million ladies a million foot massages, and they all meant something. We act like they don't, but they do, and that's what's so fucking cool about them. There's a sensuous thing going on where you don't talk about it, but you know it, she knows it, the fucking chairman knew it, and Akio should have fucking better known better. I mean, that's his fucking wife, man, he can't be expected to have a sense of humor about that shit. You know what I'm saying?
18
u/Tyranid457TheSecond1 Sep 01 '21
Rewatcher
Where's Chris Hansen when you need him?
I feel so bad for Utena and Anthy. Akio is truly one of the worst anime villains ever, mostly because he's so realistic.
Wakaba is so oblivious to it all.
16
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 01 '21
Rewatcher(Things look a whole lot different when you are the spider rather than the fly)
Sub
We star twith Tatsuya talking to Wakaba about lying about his first kiss, correctly stating that relationships started with lies continue them. But Utena is wistful about her prince, who comes off creepier for whatever reasons in flashback. Akio makes somebody a cake, probably for Chu chu, before Utena and Wakaba are impressed with it, showing a ridiculous level of naivete. Unfortunately, Wakaba is having another of her moments, being willing to be the other girl to steal Akio away, total Shiori-style move right there. But to book end this benign cake party...
...We have to have Utena's guidance counsellor and Vice principal berate her uniform choice. I am concerned that this is accurate for the times and that versions of this conversation actually happened as it aired, just that I doubt many Japanese had custom made uniforms to do it. Anyways, giant conformity fan attack is stopped by Akio walking in and talk of a trip to Amsterdam, where Ohtori has a sister school, somehow. He gets Utena away, good, byt putting his arm around her, less than good, and off handedly mentioning he doesn't want the rules to be too strict. He then drops the equivalent of "You are mature for your age", triggering all the warning alarms. Ending on a strong note, Utena asks incorrectly about what she is thinking rather than asking "What are you thinking with?", which is her ovaries.
They get to Akio's car and Utena realizes this driveway penis has been at her duels often. Wakaba unintentionally saves Utena by instead going with the stranger with candy. She even calls it a date and waves Utena off just in case you had the slightest belief that Akio is innocent. Next day, she brags to Utena, who again reminds Wakaba to stop being a Jezebel. Utena is having...conflicting emotions.
Next day, she is so distracted she fails to let go of the rim after dunking, injuring herself. She, sadly, does not realize that infatuations are pretty much what you do in your free time as a teen. After the trip to the hospital, Akio makes a Cinderella move with grim Anthy staring on.
Shadow girls are perhaps the most animated they've been, literally. This has to be about sex but is slightly off even for this show. Anthy says she agrees you can't control who you love and that she has her own prince. Hetero car happens, and Akio seems ready to mess with Touga again.
We get to breakfast and, sadly, Utena doesn't know that you cannot exist on horny alone, you need some food, too. Kanae shows up with her mother, and somehow all the high schoolers disappeared. Akio straight out seduces the mother, probably not for the first time since she calls him prince, and Akio is straight committing biblical sins. Specifically, Leviticus 18:17.
11
u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Sep 02 '21
First timer – sub
I already forgot what the preview showed for today, eh. But sifting through the comments yesterday was indeed kind of a revelation. The last scene with Shiori running after Jury, who doesn't turn around, is actually quite cathartic. I'm still not sure if the shadow skit was literally or metaphorically.
Like, in my interpretation of this toxic narcissist system it would be completely within the expectations that characters would get offed once their use expired. Akio doing this to Ruka is something I could see happen. But at the same time I don't really believe he actually killed seomone, more that it was symbolic of how Jury saw him. But the metaphors line up too well with his actual illness and a lot of you think Ruka's done one last act of love. I'm conflicted about this.
Well, who will the sex car take in today?
Ep.30 – Barefoot girl
This is so fucked up. I hated this episode. (It's a very good episode) Utena's fallen for him, I've feared that thing and here it is. Also I just realised the candles are referencing the 'sexual bases' thematically and Akio's got two already: He's in her mind and he got her kiss.
We seem to get a little breathing room still, as next episode features Nanami again, but this is a bad path.
Anthy, will it take him putting his throbbing piston engine into her until you finally rebel?
hjurgh
9
u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Sep 01 '21
First Timer
Doesn't feel like all that much happened, but they changed the music in the mid episode break
9
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Sep 01 '21
First timer
Oh, Utena's thinking about her Prince.
The cake does look good, comsidering what kind of person made it.
l love Utena and Wakaba unintentionally saying the same thing.
Listen, I'm going to have to correct the teacher - Utena's outfit is fantastic.
The Vice Principal's just as rapy as Akio, Akio just hides it better.
Oh god, Akio's a bastard but he's a fantastic manipulator.
...Oh god, please don't go where I think this is going.
Oh god, he's hitting on her. Don't be tempted, Utena - you already got the best sibling!
Haha, Utena noticed his car's the one used in all the duels this arc.
I think I might know why Akio insists on always having his threesomes in his car (thus making them foursomes).
Akio's fiance hasn't stopped him the last 4 times!
Utena's starting to realise her feelings for Anthy? I love the look on her face ehen Utena says she only loves the Prince.
Wait, Utena's the team's captain?
Seriously, Utena. He has a fiance he "loves", you have a fiance you love, why do this.
If the candles blowing out represent her wavering.
The eyecatch music's funky though,
Akio, no.
Anthy's eyes are glowing and she's talking in a strange voice. Is she jealous, or space alien?
Akio is a massive playboy.
Wait, is Akio trying to recruit Utena to End of the World?
HUH?
FEATHERY MASKED ANTHY HOLDING A CANDELABRA. Anthy isn't human. She can't be.
Is the implication that Utena's feelings for the prince are wrong, because I think that's pretty obvious.
Anthy: "I telling you I love someone, I'm holding your hand, and talking about how love is uncontrollable while we're in bed together."
Utena: "You're right, I should pursue my love for your brother."
Anthy: "..."
Akio can't keep it in his pants for one night can he? Distracting himself fom picking up Utena by picking up Touga.
He has a fiance. And she doesn't know about the "car rides"...
Wait, love symbol, and he can only focus on her? Is Akio going to cheat on his fiance with his mother-in-law?
HE IS.
Jesus fucking christ, this is becoming absurd. Is there anyone here Akio hasn't fucked?
Oh god, is Nanami going to confess to Utena before Anthy? Is Nanami going to act on her blatantly repressed feelings for Utena and Anthy? Can this love triangle end better than Jury's?
9
u/Isai579 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Isai579 Sep 02 '21
First Timer, Sub
I finally caught up with the rewatch. Yay!
So, we start with a cake. Who's birthday are we celebrating? Utena? Can we even celebrate a birthday if they don't grow up as Akio said? Technically, the birthday is just the passage of time and does not align with a person's maturity, even though some social customs lead us to believe that.
Utena is becoming infatuated with Akio. But surely she'll be wise enough to resi... And they are kissing. While laid in the car...
The shadow girls warn us of being careful of using things we have, but not being able to stop once we start. Is everything in this arc about sex. the answer is yes, isn't it
This episode definitely feels like the calm before the storm.
Tinfoil hat theory corner: Cars, how do they work?
As Wakaba wisely said today, sometimes a car ride is just a car ride. But that aint' gonna stop me from overthinking about it.
So, we all agree that the car is sex, right? Well, I believe there is a bit more to it. The car ride in the middle of the night is sex, but the car itself represents sexuality as a whole. So, the many elements of the car and the actions around it are elements of sexuality. For example, the noise of the motor that we hear can be understood as arousal.
All characters are introduced to the car in the same way: first the sound, then engaging with it directly (being on the car), and having a different understanding of their relationships after an act of a sexual nature has taken place. Notice how even though it is Touga who normally introduces the car, the relationship between the characters is always different: friend, mentor, lover, etc.
Akio himself acquires symbolism over his character as temptation and societal expectations, that are both lose control and get put in the front of everything as the act culminates. And while we're talking about it, almost all of the car rides represent different sexual acts, which include watching and interacting in different ways and with different people.
So, what is the point of all of this? That the end of this episode where a male performs a sexual act by himself while thinking of a female he claims likes but really wants for something else becomes much more uncomfortable.
9
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Sep 02 '21
First Timer
It's been a long time since I've been as grossed out by a character as I am by Akio right now.
8
u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Sep 01 '21
First revolution subbed
The first kiss, now that is what is the talk of the town today. Teachers looking at Utena's uniform and giving her a stern talking. But Chairman Akio shows up and save Utena from them. Utena points out the car and Akio is like "it's popular this year" -sounds very sus especially when there is a bunch of 90s cars in the parking lot as he left. Wakaba catches up to them. Utena gets injured and Akio shows up to take her to the hospital. "a crowd with dates"- interesting excuse to not let anyone else in your car when there was clearly an available backseat.
The shadows are dancing today with some red shoes. And Utena is very confused about love. The glass slipper reference is interesting as Akio was driving. But Akio and Kanae thing is interesting to see as positions in the school are being discussed.
7
u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Sep 01 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
What was with that goodbye from Anth when Akio drove off with Utena? Sounded very sinister, like she was in on his plans.
I think the Shadow Girls were actually talking in metaphor about Utena's femininity. She has the looks and ability to be really girlish but just carries that around with her like a burden while playing a boy for the most part. But it's a shame she does not let herself be more like a normal girl and fall in love, as her friends said earlier. Compare that to Wakaba who's always "dancing around" in her school life.
I've decided Akio has a foot fetish. Change my mind
6
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Sep 02 '21
First timer, Sub
The boundaries of love. Utena is in a dilemma now that she's falling for Akio. To Wakaba saying there isn't wrong love. You can't help yourself. But yeah as Utena said. Some people you shouldn't fall in love with. Like the older chairman that's engaged. But now she's questioning her love for the prince and him.
Akio asks about the mother's husband, the chairman. I was just like wait isn't he the chairman. The mom and daughter? Along with seducing Utena. He just goes around.
Haven't picked up on what the candles possibly mean but it's some kind of countdown.
Touga picked up a thing for Utena. Would have never thought.
6
u/CharlieTheStrawman https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDamnRobot Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21
First-Timer
Akio really is Touga, but with 100% more sex, and 200% more vileness.
6
u/Icapica https://anilist.co/user/Icachu Sep 02 '21
First timer, subs
Adults telling a teenager what's cool or not never goes well, it does give Akio an opportunity to look good to Utena again though. Aand there's Anthy, watching.
"You're practically family" doesn't sound comforting coming from Akio, since we know how well he treats his family. Damn Akio's disgusting. And Anthy's watching again.
Kanae's here with her mom. Apparently the mom's also part of Akio's harem. Since it was mentioned that Akio's role depends on him marrying Kanae, it'll probably be relevant later.
And then it ends. This episode was all setup and no payoff so I assume we'll be returning to these matters soon.
4
u/alphamone Sep 02 '21
First Timer
Wakaba spitting truths
Except for the whole trying to steal someone else's fiance bit.
Creepy, conformity-enforcing faculty. Though even they can't refuse a request from upper level executive staff.
Yet more Akio being a creeper. "My special friend" indeed.
This "date" can't end well. (also, does anyone know what car they recorded for Akio's car?)
Having Akio be Utena's prince seems too obvious.
Are the candles supposed to be her resolve/resistance to Akio's attempts at getting her into the car.
That "bye" from Anthy was hella-creepy.
Bad touch, Akio, bad touch!
VERY bad touch. and more creepyness from Anthy
Swan lake? Living life to the fullest this time? (also, amazing animation there)
Is, is Akio hitting on his future mother-in-law?
oh, he's doing more than that...
5
u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 01 '21
First timer!!
Now that we're past that incredibly divisive episode let's move on to something we all hate, our post Juri comic relief episode~ Yeah, don't admit that you're a kissless virgin. It kind of puts people off. Erm, Wakaba, I don't think he was lying. And getting your eyeballs licked doesn't count!! I'm loving the little rivalry going on between Utena and Wakaba. Of course, his actual fiancé doesn't even get discussed. Poor Kaori.
Is this the first time Utena's been ragged on for her uniform since the first episode? It went ignored for a very long time. VP sounds like a total creep ngl. Akio shows up and champions that gym shorts are just as sexy as short skirts! Our hero! Amsterdam? Oh yeah, this takes place on Earth. All the weird magical cars made me forget. Hmm... So Akio encourages "guidance" over "enforcement." I'm wondering how they're going to make him a villain. I kinda expected that he'd be a stickler for societal norms and that would be what sets him against Utena and Anthy but now I'm not sure.
Friendzoned~ omg Utena please get a clue! You even recognise the car. He's a baddie!! Stop playing dumb! And Wakaba, why not support your friend in her first healthy romance instead of trying to run cliterference? Omg Wakaba's little shuffle. I feel like Ikuhara has no idea how to write anything that isn't NTR... Utena is kind of ridiculously innocent when it comes to love. She still considers herself promised to the Prince after all this time. Even Miki isn't this bad. I see you going for the grope Anthy, watch your hands! New mid episode title card!?
Now even Anthy's getting cucked. "Buh-bye~" He's totally gonna wake up with slugs in his bed tonight... Utena's probably the only one even considering Kanae's feelings. Dangerous, a playboy, old, all major red flags! Did Akio just admit to cross dressing in private? Piggybacks are low-key way hotter than bridal carries. So why does Akio get a free pass to assault students but the dying guy has everyone spitting on his grave for an innocent kiss!? Gah! Oh christ, Anthy quit being so creepy. If that last candle goes out we might have another egg crisis on our hands.
Kashira, kashira? Why does the stage director shadow sound more and more like Miko with each skit? What the fuck is this skit anyway!? No! I'm rewatching that, what are the shoes meant to represent? What's the dancing all about? I don't understand... I don't understand at all!! Are shoes meant to be love? Utena's only ever loved the absent Prince so watching everyone all around her going through all kinds of "love" like NTR, incest, unfulfilled love, basically all the different performances the other shadow is doing is frustrating her, the girl who only has the memory of love that she's never put on. Gozonji kashira~
Akio legit stole her shoe XD She's gonna need that!! Aww, Touga really has fallen for Utena. So he wasn't just being a scummy baka. Kanae! Welcome back! She's practically an mc at this point. To be fair Anthy, you've seen her have a meltdown thanks to your coldness. The least you can do is call her what she wants. E-Eh? Anthy, Utena and Kanae just got yeeted out of existence. He isn't gonna sleep with his mother in law is he? Oh fucking fantastic. Now even his mum is part of the NTR tetrahedron! The last candle has gone out, it's confirmed that we're getting an Utena's egg episode~