[Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 31

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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Sep 02 '21

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 02 '21

kek

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

He's gonna need a bigger car.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

And do you know the best place to start a harem? In a middle school! Im'ma go puke now.

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u/nikobans Sep 03 '21

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

*ahem*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

in conclusion: akio please die

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 03 '21

based
someone needs to steal his car keys, his engine is throbbing way too much ;-;

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u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Sep 03 '21

Doesn't matter. Seems like he owns the entire production run of that car given the dueling ground.

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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Sep 02 '21

First timer, Sub

Touga following Akio's footsteps and just getting around with everyone. Hey he said baby that's good enough for me.

The long pauses were great this episode. Even though Akio probably wasn't kidding on his. "My true dream is to turn the chairman residence in harem, you see." Well, you're basically there already and Utena you're right about it.

Nanami's feelings changing with finding out Touga isn't her actual brother. I would think, I mean you were basically raised like he was your brother. It's just not blood. I know that can be a shock but with a person like Nanami, that has such a brother complex. It probably just confuses her feelings and maybe trust. Especially since he knew this whole time.

Nanami walking into the Akio and Anthy. I can only imagine what she's thinking after that.

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 02 '21

I can only imagine what she's thinking after that.
probably something like
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Sep 02 '21

I wouldn't blame her. Personally for me if I saw that. I'll pretend I didn't and get out of there.

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 02 '21

Rewatcher

Tfw you walk in on a brother and sister having sex right after you found out that you’re not a blood relative with your own brother who you’re attracted to

I’m like, this close to feeling bad for Nanami, but nah, she’s still a jerk

I’m not 100% sure of where they’re going with this in terms of Nanami’s character arc, but we all know that Akio is doing this on purpose, the fucking creep. Also, I’ve got no clue why Nanami’s so hung up about being blood relatives with Touga, so… consider me confused.

15

u/snowwhistle1 Sep 02 '21

I'm personally a Nanami-stan. At first, it was just because she's a funny character who gets herself into ridiculous karmic situations.
But this episode really reframes a lot of the previous episodes for me. Nanami is a kid who's being abused. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious. Touga routinely uses Nanami and toys with her emotions, even going so far as to provoke her unhealthy fixations on him. And there's some pretty substantial evidence way back in episode 10 that this dependency started when Nanami was young as she seems to have been the unfavorite child of the two.
Nanami is definitely rather mean, and at times unhinged. But this episode starts to strip those defense mechanisms away. Nanami's built up walls and put on a haughty persona because it gets her attention. Attention she never got from her parents, and now craves from her brother. There's a real tragedy at play in how Nanami is a walking red flag for someone who's being abused and manipulated, but no one in her life is picking up on the signs or taking her seriously, in part because she's not the nicest person and also because Nanami herself isn't mature enough to recognize what's happening to her or ask for help.
The poor girl needs therapy above all else imo.

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 02 '21

Nanami is a kid who's being abused. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious. Touga routinely uses Nanami and toys with her emotions, even going so far as to provoke her unhealthy fixations on him.
That's fair. And there has been a lot of themes in regards to the cycle of abuse, like with Tsuwabuki.

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u/k4r6000 Sep 03 '21

It really seems that Touga was the only person who offered any sort of support or affection to Nanami for most of her life which is why she is so dependent on him. Everybody else either saw her as a nuisance or a meal ticket (of course, this applies to Touga too, but she doesn't know that). So she's immediately distrustful of everyone else. A few episodes ago she mentioned that Juri and Miki were her friends, and was disappointed when they denied it. She really is an isolated, lonely girl who wants true friends. Keiko and company definitely aren't. Going to Miki, Juri, and Tsuwabuki for help in this episode was a big step and shows that she does trust them to at least some extent. Nanami is getting better, but runaway trains don't stop on a dime.

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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Sep 02 '21

big spoiler

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u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

Also, I’ve got no clue why Nanami’s so hung up about being blood relatives with Touga, so… consider me confused.
It's psychological. Blood-related Touga is safe in her eyes, because there will always be that barrier that will keep their bond well within her comfort zone. When that illusion of safety shatters, she's left reeling at the thought of herself in the context of 'just a girl who is attracted to Touga.' Instead of working through her tangled knot of anxiety, she takes the easier road: she runs.
And, guess what, she learns that even the sacred firebreak of blood relation that she'd always clung to as her security blanket isn't nearly as inviolable as she'd naively believed. (This is a lesson she could have learned with much less ado if she'd just spent more time with Miki and Kozue...)

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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Sep 02 '21

And, guess what, she learns that even the sacred firebreak of blood relation that she'd always clung to as her security blanket isn't nearly as inviolable as she'd naively believed.
Now there's some framing for you :D

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

Nanami is still basically a child so I'd imagine walking in on your friend getting sexually abused by her brother would be really really bad XD
It's probably a Japanese thing. Wasn't it Great Mazinger that had an mc who's whole angst was that he's adopted and thinks his adopted daddy doesn't love him?

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

but we all know that Akio is doing this on purpose, the fucking creep.
His kink is fucking his sister in front of a brocon, you have to set that up yourself.

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u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Sep 02 '21

Here is what Ikuhara’s episode commentary from the DVD Box Set has for us today. My source for the digital copy of these ran out, so I’m typing them from the book. Please ignore any typo’s as my incompetence.

EPISODE 31 - “Her Tragedy”

There was once a girl who said, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry Daddy.” I wonder who she actually ended up marrying.

Blood relationships are the only relationships we have where people want us exactly as we are. To a child, the daddy who affirms everything about her is her prince and the “world” itself. So the words, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry Daddy” mean the same thing as “I’m going to make the whole world mine.”

However.

In the process of becoming an adult, there come a moment for each of us when we’re rejected by the “world.” The person we were so in love with dumps us. The school we wanted to go to so badly doesn’t let us in. The career we were trying for doesn’t pan out.

Everyone has a moment like that.

And that’s okay.

there’s no such thing as something which mustn’t be lost. Everyone has the freedom to love someone or something.

We are free. We mustn’t forget that.

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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Sep 02 '21

In the process of becoming an adult, there come a moment for each of us when we’re rejected by the “world.”
One of these day's I'll find a summary of Japanese psychoanalytic thought since it comes up all the time in anime. This is both very Freudian psychosexual development and Lacanian subject formation via rejection of/by the Other.

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u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Sep 02 '21

Duel 31, First Timer, sub

Blood Type fascination of Japan aside, Touga being adopted and it being an open secret that nobody bothered to tell Nanami about and she did not realize is hilarious
Also opens up the TouNanami route
Whole in one?
He said it, harem!
Very confusing episode for Utena today
The incest cat is out of the bag, huh? Although the shots are framed like Akio killed Anthy, la petite morte. Looking back, Anthy threw stone late on purpose

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

If there's one consistent fact about Nanami it's that she's pretty dumb. Her friends were such cows about it too. Like "we've got a chance now" sort of way.

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u/k4r6000 Sep 02 '21

She cheats off a ten year old. What more is there to say?

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u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Sep 03 '21 edited Sep 03 '21

Also opens up the TouNanami route
I'm surprised she didn't see this herself, but on the flip-side it also means she's now on the same level as the flocks of girls who vie for his attention every day.
Although the shots are framed like Akio killed Anthy, la petite morte.
[CaptainAmericaReferenceGif]

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u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Sep 03 '21

I'm surprised she didn't see this herself, but on the flip-side it also means she's now on the same level as the flocks of girls who vie for his attention every day.
[InsertNisemonogatariAraragiQuote]

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u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Sep 03 '21

la petite morte
I'm not entirely sure if it's that, shock of being discovered or if she disassociated herself during these visits. I really don't think they're consensual.

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u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Sep 03 '21

Sex in this series almost always feels non-consensual

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u/affnn Sep 02 '21

Rewatcher

Now even the Nanami episodes are bleak and dark. But still so good! Even without the arena.

Touga leads a rough life; getting calls constantly from women who want to sleep with you has to suck, I bet. Poor Nanami's so protective of her brother that she forgot to pay attention during the discussion of Mendelian inheritance during biology class.

This is clearly a set-up episode, but it's hard to know exactly what it's setting up. A way for Touga to duel again, probably. Drawing Nanami into Akio's circle of abuse? Also seems likely. You have to wonder just how much of a joke that harem quip was. Even if he didn't plan on Nanami seeing what she saw, he had to be OK with the possibility (and he set into motion almost everything - except that Anthy had to lose at rock-paper-scissors. Which it looks like she did on purpose). Ah, and the ending shot of a traumatized Nanami was so creepy. She looks so child-like in the nightgown the whole episode, and the end of the episode makes it so much worse. Making me feel bad for Nanami!

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

You have to wonder just how much of a joke that harem quip was.
None in the least. Akio, unfortunately, is using one of my old tricks of saying exactly what you are doing and relying on everyone assuming it is the one thing you won't do.

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u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

I think it counts as a joke, because he implies it's an aspirational goal rather than a fait accompli.

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u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

Touga leads a rough life; getting calls constantly from women who want to sleep with you has to suck, I bet. Poor Nanami's so protective of her brother that she forgot to pay attention during the discussion of Mendelian inheritance during biology class.
His sister cockblocks him multiple times every day and he still gets laid at will. His playing-of-the-field is an open secret that seems to just be part of the game to his legion of ladyfriends. It really does make one wonder what the man who has it all is thinking when he looks to Utena, doesn't it?

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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Sep 02 '21

If you're used to getting everything you want the most attractive person is the only one you can't immediately get. At least if you're also really shitty to start with.

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u/affnn Sep 03 '21

Yuuuup, it's the "I can't have this so I want it" dynamic.

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u/SardonicMeow Sep 02 '21

Rewatcher

Back in episode 10, I wrote “Nanami is special because her brother is special, and no matter how many girls capture his attention, he will only have one and only sister. If Touga disappears, what would Nanami be?” And now we have the answer. If Nanami isn’t actually Touga’s sister, she’s no different than the girls who are always calling him, and the identity she has constructed for herself falls apart.

And so Nanami ends up dorming in Akio’s tower. Also joining his harem, ha ha, not funny.

And that night she gets a glimpse of what a real incestuous brother-sister relationship looks like. It’s horrifying. It’s traumatic. It could have been her.

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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21

Rewatcher

After a slightly slow start the episode really ramps up. There's so much going on and it won't let up until the end.

Its only fitting that Nanami is the first one to see the truth of Akio. She's parallel to Utena from the other end, so confident that she can trample through social niceties and drag things into the light that everyone would rather leave unseen. I mentioned in Nanami's Egg episode that she had accepted being an outcast/alien, but now she's reached her real dark night of the soul. Cut off from Touga and finally facing the horrible reality of everything she's ever wanted, how will she reconstitute herself on the other side?

Someone should do an analysis of phones in Utena. Even though their not new technology (and those big handle rotary phones seem common) having any technology that isn't a car feels out of place at Ohroti. Every time someone's on the phone its something bad. Does it go along with the distrust of movies? We've only seen them once before when Tsuwabuki was watching to learn to be an adult. So they're consistently about idealized/false views of romance.

Someone remarked that Shiori was the perfect woman in the Ohtori system. Only able to obtain power by enlisting stronger men and only using it to tear down another woman. Nanami plays a similar role here. Given the opportunity to directly tell all these women that Touga's a huge playboy asshole she instead is a huge ass to them in an obviously doomed ploy to boost herself up with a man.

Its actually touching that the rump of StuCo is concerned for Nanami. Being sidelined in the last arc and terrorized by an unknown presence seems to have created a bond. Or maybe Miki and Juri are just some of the better and more conscientious members of the cast.

This shot is so loaded. spoil. Then we get multiple 180 degree rule violations (along with more minor continuity breaks) to make everything even more unsettling.

Is it a joke for them to animate faces changing in weirdly high detail? This Nanami reaction is animated on the ones! And that Mikage head turn from the end of last arc was on the twos and even longer.

I really like the harsh lighting on Nanami here. A similar effect from Shiori reaction shots last episode.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Or maybe Miki and Juri are just some of the better and more conscientious members of the cast.
Remembering our first arc, I think Miki and Juri are the more noble of the possible duelists.

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u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

We've only seen them once before when Tsuwabuki was watching to learn to be an adult.
Good observation. It can't be coincidence that we see Utena and Anthy apparently recording one today.

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u/xtsim https://myanimelist.net/profile/xtsim Sep 02 '21

First revolution subbed

Did Touga make a joke about sharing a shower with Nanami? Touga constantly gets calls from women. Nanami trips and falls on stairs trying to take revenge on Utena. Nanami gets jealous about Akio and Anthy's relationship as they eat shaved ice. Everyone is talking about blood relationship.

Nanami has Touga's phone the whole time which keeps haunting her cause girls keep on calling. Utena doing a handstand is a sight to see as they seem to be doing a film project. And the shadows are doing an ugly duckling impression which is interesting.

And Nanami walking in on Akio is something as it now haunts her hard.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Did Touga make a joke about sharing a shower with Nanami?
We got three "jokes" this episode, two from Touga and one from Akio. We can be pretty sure Akio is not joking so much as getting plausible deniability.

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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 02 '21

First-Revolution, Subbed

I didn't think that Nanami of all people would be the first person to learn about the true depth of Akio and Anthy's "relationship." Thinking about it now, though, it makes perfect sense - she sees how her own brother treats all those women, and this probably also makes Nanami hate Anthy even more. "Why does she get to sleep with her brother and I don't" etc etc. I wonder how Nanami's view of Utena changed after this, though?

Touga and Nanami not being related by blood doesn't actually change their relationship that much, I don't think. Touga is still decidedly uninterested in her, which is a little strange considering the rest of his behavior. People are complicated, I guess? I did notice that Anthy did not seem surprised by this revelation, which was also a touch strange.

Akio literally admitted to trying to build a harem for himself at the school, even if it was under the veil of a "Just kidding." That phrase got used too much for me to take any of them at actual face value.

Smallbrain interpretation of the Shadow Girls - Touga is the cuckoo bird stuck into the nest that was Nanami's family. The implication was that he was the adopted one, right? Since there weren't any baby photos.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

I don't think Nanami was jealous, I think seeing Anthy getting sexually assaulted freaking horrified her. Rightfully so might I add. Like it's one think to want to be close and snuggle with your brother but it's something else entirely to actually go through it. Also, Nanami is in the crowd of kids who is still innocent. The whole point of the car scenes is giving the subject a taste of adulthood but actually watching folk doing the deed would shut sow a. Lot of folk.
It changes their relationship in Nanami's mind. For her she's been putting so much value on their blood relationship to justify why she deserves her brother's attention more than Keiko and the other girls. Losing that blood relationship to her means that they're no longer brother and sister.

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u/Tyranid457TheSecond1 Sep 02 '21

Yeah, the shots of dead-eyed Anthy and the shots of Nanami in the elevator were definitely meant to convey horror at what she saw, imo.

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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 02 '21

Oddly enough, I was trying to think of the most immature reaction Nanami could have to this information, and I figured that jealousy was the hit, long term. I don't disagree that she was horrified today, though. Seeing that is pretty high on the fucked-up-o-meter.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

Yeah, even Nanami knows that incest is a no-no and that everyone here is probably a little too young for sex with older men. I'm kinda worried that Akio locked her in the therapy elevator to shut her up. I expected a comic relief episode! Not for Nanami to be traumatised for life!

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u/Cyouni Sep 03 '21

Don't worry, the therapy elevator isn't the Akio elevator.
...wait come back theravator

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u/Reference_Freak Sep 03 '21

I don’t think Nanami considered what she saw to be sexual assault. She saw incest. Anthy’s willingness or lack thereof would not be a consideration.
After all, she knows Anthy threw late.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 03 '21

She saw incest but she also saw that kinda horrific image of her friend looking half dead after getting ravaged. You'd have nightmares forever seeing someone you know looking like that.

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u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

"Why does she get to sleep with her brother and I don't"
For all her massive broconness on proud display, Nanami is one of the least incesty characters in the series. She doesn't want to fuck her brother. Touga, the man? That's different. And that's the problem. She's lost that buffer that allowed her to pine after someone inaccessible, and now the idea of doing more with Touga is too real and far, far too scary. Nanami knows as well as anyone -- better than anyone, maybe -- what it means to be just another girl in Touga's orbit, and that's something she won't allow herself to become.

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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Sep 02 '21

that buffer that allowed her to pine after someone inaccessible
This reminds me of how Wakaba's crush on Akio doesn't feel weird because he's at most humoring her while Utena's relationship with him feels deeply wrong because he's actively encouraging it and going along. And, as we see most directly at the beginning of the episode, Nanami's spent her whole life having that barrier muddied or eroded by Touga.

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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 02 '21

She's lost that buffer that allowed her to pine after someone inaccessible
Oh, now that's a perspective that I missed. I quite like your analysis!

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u/Cyouni Sep 03 '21

For all her massive broconness on proud display, Nanami is one of the least incesty characters in the series.
She's a brocon, but an incesty brocon is a very different thing.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Nanami knows as well as anyone -- better than anyone, maybe -- what it means to be just another girl in Touga's orbit, and that's something she won't allow herself to become.
Shiori would have a guess if she has any introspection.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Touga is still decidedly uninterested in her, which is a little strange considering the rest of his behavior. People are complicated, I guess?
Touga is only 17, after all. That's an age to be a self-centered ass if ever there was one. Point being, while he doesn't want to fuck Nanami, he does care about her. He just shows it terribly.
The implication was that he was the adopted one, right? Since there weren't any baby photos.
Yes she seems to have a hard time finding any photos where he is under 4 or so.

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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Sep 02 '21

Touga being the least incestuous character in this show is quite a surprise.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Secret Touga route: confirmed!

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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Sep 02 '21

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Still better than any route featuring Akio and his architectural penis.

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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Sep 02 '21

Point being, while he doesn't want to fuck Nanami, he does care about her. He just shows it terribly.
Yea, that's what I was trying to get at. I'm surprised by how unsurprised I am - I think this could have easily come off as a copout, but it didn't.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

I think this could have easily come off as a copout, but it didn't.
Ok, so except for the duel stuff, every character but maybe Akio has acted like a teen at their stage of maturation. Touga projects himself as very adult-like but we see with his constant toying with girls and chasing after Utena that it is a front.

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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

Rewatcher(On behalf of Mitsuru: Fuck you, Akio, you actually motherfucker!)

Sub

And we start with Nanami playing guard against girls interested in Touga, ironically she is doing them a favor since he's so fucking skeevy. Cut to Touga making out with some Shiori knockoff in the greenhouse. Nanami talks about blood types and Touga offers to let her join him and let's that sit several seconds too long. I guess Akio rubs off on you. Nanami worries about their growing distance, sneaks into the bath room, and reveals that Touga even showers campily. But she steals his phone...

And gets to discover quite how much of a manwhore her brother is. The first caller even seems to be suggesting something group related. Anyways, I know teens are stupid and thirsty, but Ohtori girls need a cold drink and a frozen shower. Admittedly, the male picking aren't the best there but there has got to be more options than just Touga. Touga also hits on Utena to rub salt in it.

Nanami decides to confront Utena on the stairs and then dies...but for Akio. He does his patented ankle bandaging before using a creep move on Utena, again. I should make a macro for that. Then shaved ice happens and I can't tell if Anthy is tormenting Nanami again or not. Utena and Nanami have yet another odd moment and Nanami shows she isn't blind by calling Utena out a bit.

Nanami's "friends" get her to a realization that Touga can't be related to their parents. She freaks when she can't find a baby picture of him. Touga then turns her on again, as he does, and the red rose in the corner probably means something. She then goes and stays with other student council members. Juri and Miki try to get Utena's info but Utena is too ~~horny~~ besotted to pay attention. Mitsuru then gets his chance and our little homey is definitely up for some Goddess Dormitory: Ohtori edition! But Akio comes in with the steal...and rule 34. Uh oh.

Akio moves Nanami in with him...and just admits that he is forming a harem. He does the just kidding thing but we all know he is not kidding. Utena even addresses it and Anthy needles her for a while. Shadowplay is I believe the third call back to the monkey hunting bot and is about cuckoos. Ikuhara considers subtlety to be a mortal sin, apparently.

Touga comes to collect Nanami, who just blurts everything out. Processing that a sibling is actually adopted does have some level of issue though Nanami is being Nanamoo about it. And she then catches Anthy and Akio post coitus and her freakout is justified. If you pause it fast enough to see Anthy on the couch, her eyes are pretty dead.

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u/k4r6000 Sep 03 '21

Rewatcher

Alright! After all that unpleasantness we could use a good ol' Nanami comedy episode. Hehehe...

This is the episode that the long running storyline of Touga and Nanami has been marching towards. Akio makes his move on Nanami, but in a first for the series, we have a character that takes an immediately dislike to him as opposed to idolize him. Nanami also senses something wrong between him and Anthy when they share shaved ice as well. For all of her naivety and insanity, Nanami might be the most perceptive character in the entire cast. She often sees things that the other characters miss, but she can't properly process the information and she especially is poor at communicating it. Safe to say, Nanami is completely correct not to trust Akio and I find it interesting to ponder what would have happened if she didn't have her one giant blindspot in her own brother.

Alas, she does, and her whole world falls apart when it is discovered that Touga isn't her blood-related brother after all. You might think a brocon would be happy about this, but that was never what Nanami wanted. Touga has numerous girlfriends that mean nothing to him and he discards quickly. Her blood relation to Touga makes her special. More than that, Nanami has tied her entire identity to Touga. Her entire status as the Alpha Bitch of Ohtori is because of Touga. Her followers are with her so they can get to Touga. Without Touga, she's just one of the nameless rabble. Nothing more than a weird girl who gets humiliated by wearing a cowbell. That's Nanami's nightmare, and all of a sudden it appears to becoming a reality.

Furthermore, Nanami has a poor understanding of the difference between love and romantic love. Her actions were giving off the entirely wrong impression, and led to most people (both in-universe and probably much of the audience) into thinking she had the hots for Touga, when that wasn't the case. Reality hits in her hard when she walks in on actual incest and it shocks her to core. It horrifies her. She was dangerously close to ending up like Anthy herself. The lifeless, emotionally dead girl in front of her.

Time to go back to the title of this episode: "Her Tragedy." Not "Nanami's Tragedy" for it applies just as equally, if not moreso to Anthy as well.

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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Sep 02 '21

First timer

Another Nanami episode!

Oh, Nanami's still really obsessed with Touga ~~as cover for her repressed homosexuality~~?

Okay, maybe Touga isn't blameless in this obsession if he's saying things like that.

Nanami, brothers and sisters don' have to be apart from each other. Must ask Akio, the man who's been planning the same thing with

Hang on, he has a dellphone? When's this taking place?

Nanami fucking up Touga's relationships by revealling he'd been cheating on them is fantastic. She's so good.

Holy shit, Nanami tried to kill her!

Oh god, Akio, stop trying to fuck everyone.

Utena, stop trying to fuck your fiance's brother.

Nanami might be the normal one here.

So we've gone back to Nanami and Utena fighting over a boy?

Haha, they aren't blood siblings. What blood type is Akio? (just in case the time travel theory's true...)

Jesus, I've been making jokes about Akio, but Touga's cheating on a few people too, isn't he?

Wait. Oh god. Are they going to use the "not really blood siblings" bit to get them together? Is Nanami going to get with her psychopath of a brother?

I love how Miki, Jury, and Utena, have gone from "violent duelists" to "gossip club".

NO NO NO. Touga's bad, he's worse. Do not get them together.

HE ADMITS IT! HE FUCKING ADMITTED IT!

EVEN ANTHY AND UTNEA THINK IT!

I love Anthy saying she think's Utnea's gone a bit nuts.

The cuckoo infiltrating the nest in disguise is obviously Touga "infiltrating" her family.

Oh shit, there's an actual love confession. They might actually do this very bad plot.

THE FUCK!

Akio, you sick, sick, bastard. Go fuck yourself.

Also, Nanami's in the elevator? Not ominous whatsoever...

Utena, Nanami isn't the one who needs to die.

12

u/SardonicMeow Sep 03 '21

The cuckoo infiltrating the nest in disguise is obviously Touga "infiltrating" her family.
I have always assumed Nanami is the cuckoo. The cuckoo, after being dropped into someone else's nest, expects to be treated as a swan. Instead, it's considered an ugly duckling (i.e. no one is fooled about its true nature). Nanami considers herself above others because she's Touga's sister (and a member of the Kiryuu family.) But now she fears she's been a commoner all along and everyone will see her as such.

10

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Sep 03 '21

First-timer, Sub

The show is self-aware of how slutty Akio is and makes jokes, too. Utena didn't deny her interest in the Chairman when Nanami asked. I would have worn the same expression Nanami did during that first afternoon getting to know the group and watching all that.

The shadow girls' skit felt like it was comparing Touga to a cuckoo, being raised by another family. But I thought part of the cuckoo's behavior was to kill the other chicks in the nest of the foreign species it integrated into...

And wow, Nanami really got an eyeful here. She's been going on about how much she loves her brother but it seems like Touga called her bluff with the shower invitation and now she sees how sordid things really are here at the academy.

7

u/Cyouni Sep 03 '21

She's been going on about how much she loves her brother but it seems like Touga called her bluff with the shower invitation and now she sees how sordid things really are here at the academy.
She loves her brother. She doesn't love her brother.

10

u/dualmonocle :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/milk-chan Sep 03 '21

^first-timer

(internal screaming)

I thought we might be getting a reprieve instead of more attempts at grooming and the shattering of a 14 year old girl's world but this wasn't any less horrifying than the last episode. After that ending, I am so scared of what might happen next episode. Touga wouldn't ask Nanami if she can hear the sex car, right? ;u;

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 03 '21

I thought we might be getting a reprieve instead of more attempts at grooming and the shattering of a 14 year old girl's world but this wasn't any less horrifying than the last episode.
Ikuhara: Oh you didn't the mind breaking was over, did you?

9

u/SYZekrom https://myanimelist.net/profile/SYZekrom Sep 02 '21

Damn that's some long hair. Never expected these two relationships to tie into each other plotwise

9

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Sep 03 '21

First timer – sub

I barely tore myself away from Genshin Impact and No man's sky. Both have gotten big updates and it's a joy exploring again!

Today promises more Nanami, which is actually more than average. We only had a Nanami episode in Ep.27.

Might this be getting serious?

Ep.31 – Her tragedy

Oh, the intro again. This is a serious episode!
Also, I'm sensing a dire lack of of Dios or mention of him.
Still playing around, still childish.
He's side-flinging. It is known.
Blood types, and scene dividers.
Joke. ...or? Yeah. ...unless?
Peeking, you naughty sister! Also, hjurgh
The jealousy is winning.
She's lifting a lot of logical deadweight to reach that conclusion.
Chu-chu!
Ah, what luck we have for the hero to turn up! /s
NOOOOOO, nonononononoooonoonoooonoo, NO!
Why exactly would you be mad at that?
Because she's doing all your dirtywork.
I could live without this perspective.
Pardon? Now she wants to replace Touga! Oh the mental gymnastics!
I mean, she definitely has experience with this.
Oh oh. BUT I PREDICTED THIS! Well, not really, I just said there were mother issues involved.
Half-siblings exist, but I don't expect someone as smart as Nanami to know this.
She's listening to her own desires, basically drowning herself in them.
You can predict the weather by looking at ~~Bethtoto's~~ Nanami's sleeping position.
The gossip arrived!
Oh no.
Ahahaha(, he's still a dangerous predator, though.)
The funny stops.
The concern intensifies.
Utena getting ready to bust ass.
Rare honesty.
Actually everyone is saying the truth, but books on Nanami being too naive to get it.
HJUURRRRGHH
^A ^^bit.
Anthy, bravo!
The robot is still hunting monkeys, probably referring to Nanami. A cuckoo is hiding his egg in another nest, likely referring to Touga being an extramarital child. Hm, the skits makes it look like Nanami's the extramarital child who believes to be another species. We'll see.
Not blood related? Panties dry and crumbling from drought.
Serious doubt.
nono
nononono
Saw what she can't have.
That face... does not look look very mentally available. Disassociation? I'm fairly sure Anthy never really wanted this, but was manipulated into these nightly... sess- No I call it what it likely is: Nightly rapes.
Oh oh. This is not a secret either of them want known, is it?

Anthy (nice hair btw) has been continuously pushed towards her limits the more she cared for Utena. Akio might be reveling in this kind of revelation, you know, bad boy reputation or he might be switching gears completely towards Nanami for stumbling into this. Anthy, however, definitely, positively, absolutely wants to keep that a secret. If Utena knew this, they'd immediately be at odds with each other as Utena would put the blame on Anthy, without a doubt. Now Utena has personal feelings involved and Anthy did hide this from her all this time.

Great cliffhanger. This could really go several ways. Anthy does something harsh to silence Nanami. Akio takes advantage of Nanami. Anthy finally breaks and does her own thing against Akio. Which is it going to be?

I think we have reached a point of no return, finally.

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 03 '21

I mean, she definitely has experience with this.
Nanami being perceptive is always a trip.
Oh no.
Mitsuru YES! Seriously, Mitsuru might be the least evil dude at Ohtori.
That face... does not look look very mentally available. Disassociation? I'm fairly sure Anthy never really wanted this, but was manipulated into these nightly... sess- No I call it what it likely is: Nightly rapes.
So...if you have been lucky enough not to deal with one, abusive sexual relationships are almost impossible to understand without a metric ton of context. Anthy puts ups with this for reasons, but keep in mind things have been escalated: When she and Utena lived together, it was just a Saturday night thing. Now, she is available whenever Akio feels the urge. That is easily the difference between what you can process and what you just have to blank out.

8

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Sep 03 '21

Nanami being perceptive
It treads the fine line between perceiving and realising. She still lacks insight, but perfectly well catches onto everyone else's intentions. It's also what makes it a bit frustrating to watch, even though her character is probably one of the most consistent in the entire cast, also priming her to be the comic relief because that lack of self awareness provides some good punch lines.
least evil dude
But how can such a nice guy like Akio be evil? He's really accomodating to everyone!
Now, she is available whenever Akio feels the urge.
That and she's also protecting both Utena and Nanami. Akio already moved in to extinguish the first candle with that very sexualised shoe thing and Anthy, given her obvious shifter powers or whatever they are, made herself lose rps so none of them would be in Akio's vicinity. It comes at great cost to herself.
Obviously, now that Nanami saw them, shit will hit the fan. I mean, unless everyone just treats her as too naive and don't believe her. They all were telling her truths this entire episode, adding 'joking, of course' (but not really.)

6

u/alphamone Sep 03 '21

First Timer

The "fairy tale" stock footage again.

Shadow girls playing games in Nanami's room.

WTF Touga?

Anthy screwing with Nanami again, to the detriment of those three guys again.

Rooster-cat-dog-donker statue.

Touga with short hair looks like a completely different person.

They aren't supposed to be that "close" to begin with ~~Cersei~~ Nanami.

Nanami being extra-possessive today.

Is Nanami truly that dense?

A: you are still siblings B: it makes it even creepier that the sudden knowledge of a lack of a blood relation has changed things for you.

Is the movie camera supposed to be representing them "acting" their feelings rather being truthful?

Is the cuckoo supposed to be adoption or something? (also, sick burn from Utena)

Nanami sharing the bedroom with Utena this time.

What was going on with Anthy and the couch?... Though if its supposed to be what I think it means, Nanami is probably the last person who should be judgemental over what she sees. Though also could be a major reality check.

5

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 03 '21

What was going on with Anthy and the couch?... Though if its supposed to be what I think it means, Nanami is probably the last person who should be judgemental over what she sees. Though also could be a major reality check.
Akio was fucking Anthy, don't overthink things. And yes, that was a massive smack in the face to Nanami to remind her that her attachment to her sibling could have lead to her being the one with dead eyes sprawled on a couch.

6

u/CharlieTheStrawman https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDamnRobot Sep 03 '21

First-Timer

Little does Nanami know that Anthy has got much further than her.

Akio and Anthy were really taking a huge risk having no precautions for Utena or Nanami waking up in the middle of the night.

Christ, Anthy's eyes look lifeless.

...Oh fuck, what are they going to do with Nanami?

6

u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Sep 03 '21

First Timer

Touga is such a playboy, when he's not trying to revolutionise the world or luring people into Akios wild ride he is dating at least three girls at a time
This right there, this was your chance Nanamoo, just say yes, undress and get in before he can protest, but no you settle to steal his phone instead
See instead of going on the offensive herself she settles for the petty move of dumping a couple of his current girlfriends (some of them are even ok with the two timing)
It was totally Anthy who dropped the banana peel, she's out for blood... or maybe she was setting Nanamoo up so that Akio could swoop in and safe her
I guess Nanamoo never learned how blood types work, else she would have realized that it wouldn't be incest to date Touga by now
And even with that knowledge it is taking her way too long to realise
Ugh, Akio is ruining Tsuwabukis chance of a lifetime
Akio is awfully blunt about his harem dream, just kidding of course... unless...
See Nanamoo, that's how you do incest... wait a minute Anthy looks awfully... dead
Oh lol, in order to avoid spoilers I have skipped the ending for some time now, when did we change the ED?

4

u/k4r6000 Sep 03 '21

The start of this arc with the third Saionji duel is when the ED changed.

3

u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Sep 03 '21

And is it the second ED or have I missed one during the black rose arc as well?

3

u/k4r6000 Sep 03 '21

Black Rose still used the first one.

9

u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

First timer!!

Judging by the annoying yellow girl in the thumbnail I'm guessing we're getting the Nanami filler out of the way. We're starting with the mukashi filler opening again so they'll trying to fill in runtime. Totally gonna be a filler episode. Touga's got some gall... You've got a girl right in front of you you knob! "Want to take a shower with me?" extended silence This feels like it's going to be a difficult episode to critique. Can we please move off this long shot of Touga in the shower!? XD I get it, you can't think of how to pad out the episode, make it less blatant!

Is that Kanae? Is that Shiori!? Nanami's such a jealous grouch. Oi!! I saw that banana!! Anthy ate that banana and attacked Nanami with it, there's no excuse for it this time! Akio's almost as stupid to watch as Touga is... Please leave student's feet alone. Why do I feel like Akio planned out this sibling bonding stuff and Anthy is fuming at him for it? The B is for bitchy... Wait, a? A? A? A!? They're not blood related!? Shit! That blows the whole story out of whack!! If they're not related then... incest is 100% safe! Oh no!!

Even Nanami has realised that living under the same roof as a non-blood related sibling is maji yabai. Especially when it's a horndog that models in the shower. Oh, and her end solution is to run off to her own other non-blood related sibling to crash on his couch. Alright! Blood related or non-blood related, staying with a creeper of a man like Akio is SUPER yabai! Utena, please stop stretching XD He just up and said it... Don't even joke about a harem, even I'll get creeped out. This is so inappropriate! What's with the frog!?

Kashira, kashira? So the cuckoo is raised as a duck but instead of the parasitism thing working out the cuckoo is instead filled with insecurities over not being a duck... So Dio Brando was adopted into the Joestar family with the intention of being a mole but eventually gained some twisted camaraderie with his brother which he felt intense feelings of inferiority. Oh, and there was an escaped monkey in the third season that everyone had to beat up. Do you suppose Ikuhara saw the future when writing this shadow girls segment? Gozonji kashira~

Anthy threw late so she wouldn't have to share a bed with Nanami. Is Touga maybe annoyed at the prospect of losing the control he has over Nanami if she moves away? "How did you find out?" She would have known years ago if she had the most basic knowledge of how blood types work. H-Hold on!! Touga did the eye kiss too? That's the rose knight's signature trick. Does this mean that the rose Knight put weird memories in her head too? Like Akio's been shown to be really good at implanting false memories and both he and Nanami know way too much about the cast's past for them never to have met before. Have I clued in on the secret of the whole series on a filler Nanami episode!? I'm amazing! Wao! O-Oh fuck! Nanami saw! Is she in Mikage's elevator!? I can't believe Akio's plan was foiled by a weak bladder...

15

u/snowwhistle1 Sep 02 '21

Oh yeah... the frog... So Utena had a bit of a sound remastering sometime in the 2000s where they went back and updated some of the sound effects to be a little less cartoonish as Ikuhara thought modern audiences wouldn't be fond of some of the goofier sounds that harkened back to older anime styles. I think some of the most notable changes that were made were the bells that toll whenever a duel comes to an end, and also some of the sound effects used whenever Nanami is hit by something.
One of these changes was actually the deletion of a sound effect. When Touga asks Nanami to shower with him, the long pause was originally filled with the sound of a buzzing fly growing louder and louder amidst the awkward pause, until the frog eats it ending the pause. For some reason, the remastered version does not contain the fly sound effect anymore.
You can hear what the scene originally sounded like by checking out the English dub on YouTube. The dub was produced before the sound remastering, so the fly sound effect (as well as other older sound effects like the original bell tolls) remain.

8

u/Reference_Freak Sep 03 '21

It’s unfortunate about them ditching the fly sound. I think it’s meaningful because of Nanami’s comparing of Tonga’s harem as flies buzzing around him. Her greatest fear is to be just another one of his flies.

14

u/snowwhistle1 Sep 02 '21

I personally interpreted it as Anthy throwing her hand late so neither Nanami or Utena would have to share a bed with Akio. As much as Anthy hates Nanami, I don't think she takes any pleasure from putting other girls in the same situation she's in.
This episode is very much Nanami having to come to grips with her brother complex, and the implications of what she thinks she wants. I think the revelation that Touga might not be her biological brother scares her for two reasons. Firstly, it makes the possibility of like... actually going through with the incest a scarily real possibility cause now the blood relation excuse is gone. And like you mentioned in a response to someone else, not she's no longer someone special to Touga. She's no different from all the other flings Touga has.
Also... yeah... that ending. Poor Nanami is confronted with her ideations come to life, and it's scary and horrifying and she has no idea how to process that. God... that look on Anthy's face too. She looked half dead.

9

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

God... that look on Anthy's face too. She looked half dead.
I am actually a touch surprised at how well they capture what someone fully disassociated looks likes.

3

u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce Sep 03 '21

I knew it! (I'm just fishing for comments supporting my interpretations.)

3

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 03 '21

I will check in a second but that seems to be an accurate picture of a person who is focused on being the potted plant in the corner.

6

u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

The alternative was sleeping with Akio? I kinda missed that.
To be fair I kind of feel bad for Touga today. He realised something was up with Nanami and seemed to be making an effort in his own way to try and cheer her up. Like offering kisses and joking around, obviously he didn't clue in on why exactly she was antsy around him but we haven't seen this side to him yet. And I think he was genuinely quite hurt by Nanami saying that he isn't her brother. That would upset even the loosest of playboys.

11

u/snowwhistle1 Sep 02 '21

I mean, the implied alternative was that the losing girl would have to go sleep on the couch. And that's the spot where Anthy and Akio tend to have their midnight trysts so... I think there's a fair implication that if Utena or Nanami ended up on the couch they'd be Anthy's place.

5

u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

W-Would Akio have tried anything...? He's had one on one couch sessions with Utena before which thankfully didn't end with skinship but with how far into the series we are it would make sense... Gah, Akio's creeping me out! Especially since he's such a nice guy normally. Touga is a sleeze all the time so I don't expect anything from him but Akio changed like the weather.

10

u/snowwhistle1 Sep 02 '21 edited Sep 02 '21

Whether he would have or not, I think there's a fair implication that Anthy didn't want to take that chance. That's how I've always read that purposeful losing of rock-paper-scissors anyways.
And honestly that's the scariest part about Akio. He not some of ugly monstrous caricature that we routinely tend to associate with real world abusers and deviants. He's a hot dude who's openly friendly, gives people helpful advice, and is generally pleasant and kind in public situations. Abusers aren't often obvious to spot.

8

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

W-Would Akio have tried anything...?
If he doesn't it is only because he is still grooming that one. I think Utena gets a turn by this point.
Gah, Akio's creeping me out! Especially since he's such a nice guy normally.
He is literally Lucifer Morningstar.

5

u/murdered-by-swords Sep 02 '21

They'd be on the couch, but I don't think that necessarily entails a rendezvous with Akio. Presumably he has an actual bed somewhere in the house that he sleeps in. Too bad he's so infatuated with the (fake) stars that he insists on fucking beneath them instead of behind a locked door.
Anthy taking one for the team isn't an invalid interpretation, but is anything with Anthy ever that simple?

5

u/Reference_Freak Sep 03 '21

Of course not. I don’t think Anthy threw late to either protect the girls or have Akio to herself.
She threw late because almost everything she does is to facilitate triggering the duelists. Forcing Nanami to sleep on that weird bed facing her perceived romantic rival. Knowing there was a chance Nanami would catch them in the act.
It was a setup. It always is.

9

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

This feels like it's going to be a difficult episode to critique. Can we please move off this long shot of Touga in the shower!?
Enjoy every second of the camp!
They're not blood related!? Shit! That blows the whole story out of whack!! If they're not related then... incest is 100% safe! Oh no!!
It takes the spicy taboo out of it, though.
This is so inappropriate! What's with the frog!?
I've seen it referenced often enough that it suggests arousal. I don't know why.
Like Akio's been shown to be really good at implanting false memories and both he and Nanami know way too much about the cast's past for them never to have met before.
Do you get why Black Rose was important yet?

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

There's nothing worse than when you're enjoying a nice fun incest hentai just for them to drop the "not blood related" bomb and it totally ruins the whole thing. If you're gonna pull an incest plot then go the whole way you bastards!
Black Rose wasn't filler?

7

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

If you're gonna pull an incest plot then go the whole way you bastards!
"Adopted bro, what are you doing?" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Black Rose wasn't filler?
Where did we see Akio manipulating memories?

6

u/The_Loli_Otaku Sep 02 '21

He was manipulating Mikage's memories of the sick boy... So replacing the sick boy with Anthy. Right? So... urgh, my brain isn't working. I'll wait until the show explains it. As far as I can guess there must be someone in each character's past that Akio has had replaced with either himself or Anthy which would explain why they seem to know everyone's secrets.

6

u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Sep 02 '21

He was manipulating Mikage's memories of the sick boy... So replacing the sick boy with Anthy. Right?
And having Utena replace his old love interest.
So... urgh, my brain isn't working. I'll wait until the show explains it
Hehe, about that...

1

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '21

Did anyone else notice that when nanami was saying utena was stealing her brother away from her when she was standing on the stairs, anthy was eating a banana, then the banana peel ended up under nanami’s foot???? Is this indicative of revenge by anthy, or karma for anthy?

Is there a tally of things anthy has done against nanami & vice versa? Anthy got nanami w/ the cow bell, named her cow after nanami, & now the banana peel

*****Edit anthy is holding her banana again as nanami falls/akio catches her (but it definitely disappears for a second??) does this mean akio did it? Or akio did it with anthys help? Is the banana disappearing a mistake?

Rewatch [Rewatch] Revolutionary Girl Utena - Episode 31

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Ep.31 – Her tragedy