Utena 28-30
May. 31st, 2024 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizardjayAkio makes his move :(
EPISODE TWENTY EIGHT AND TWENTY NINE
M and I spent these episodes under the (presumably incorrect) belief that Ruka was the same boy from the backstory love triangle.
"Wasn't his hair different in the flashbacks? I guess he dyed it while he was in the hospital... and Ruka and Shiori must have broken up when she changed schools, and they're reconnecting now?"
Anyway, based on this we interpreted some events differently. You might say 'wrongly', but I say: what if Akio just selectively erased their memories to make this work? Akio might do that because it's funny! Or because he thought it would give them more thematic resonance or something, which of course directly translates into Duel Power. You never know.
Ruka is an ASS. Why would you insult Juri after seeing her for the first time in a while? You guys were friends, right? And then, who starts a conversation with a stranger girl (Shiori) by leading her into a lie? Sure, Shiori walked straight into it, but you were the one to offer it to her. Because you knew Juri was into her?
This made more sense in a way when I assumed they were exes XD
Of course, with later revelations, we know he's doing all this in an attempt to get Juri the nebulous prize at the end of the duels. He had a line in there, something about sacrifice being necessary? I forget the exact words. Anyway, he's being so awful in a calculated manner. Does it make it better if we know he's probably not getting enjoyment out of it? Not.... really.
I want to see how End of the World (aka Akio, right???) manipulated him into this scheme. How much did it take?
I love how Ruka said "Touga, say your line" to let Touga finish announcing the car. It's Touga's only narrative role these days, let him have it!
(My brother suggested that perhaps Ruka was the previous Sexy Car Showgirl Assistant before Touga, and that's why he knows all the lines.)
Of course, all of this only makes me think again of the timeline. How long have there been duels? How many kids?? The only external info we really have is how much Mikage's love interest woman aged, which is like... 20 years maybe? But again, Mikage no longer exists, so basing anything on that is shaky. Still, Ruka is acting very confident about the nature of how things work. He theorizes on the nature of the relationship between a duelist and their bride and how the bride's strength can affect the duelist; this is a guy who knows about the brides and the duels. You could say he was there last year as one of them, which makes sense... but even then, at the beginning of this year that doesn't really seem like a topic anybody else is theorizing about!! Idk though. Touga, Saionji, and Juri don't tend to monologue about their thoughts. It makes me think that Ruka was in another cycle all together, that got to the point of the car. Or maybe all of them were in that cycle and don't age at all, Mikage style.
I appreciate his train of thought from 'I need to team up with Juri' --> 'I shall be Juri's bride'. I mean, he doesn't say that, and the show TRAGICALLY doesn't put him in the rose bride dress. But there's a world out there where Juri had to be the bride.
(I wonder if there's something gender-wise to say about the only (?) male bride being someone with some kind of disease. I guess I'll see after the Nanami duel. I'm unsure if Tsuwabuki's going to get dragged in.)
I looked up their names and both Juri and Ruka have lapis lazuli in their names! I guess I could look up gem meanings.... Also, I should probably think about any parallels with Miki, since both he and Ruka are blue.
EPISODE THIRTY
All I'd written in my notes immediately after this episode was "AKIOOO STOPPPPPPP".
I'm sure I've forgotten so many things but. Akio fucking his own fiance's mom. Akio driving Wakaba around (Wakaba!!! my girl Wakaba T_T) And then, of course. UTENA. AAAAGUGHHHHHH!!!
This has been a long time coming, of course. He moved them into his house.
I HOPE AKIO WRECKS HIS CAR AND DIES (UNSEXILY) and Anthy gets an enormous life insurance payment so she can do whatever she wants. And the magic around the duelists dissolves. Also Kozue should push the music teacher down the stairs again. Maybe some other people too.
M and I spent these episodes under the (presumably incorrect) belief that Ruka was the same boy from the backstory love triangle.
"Wasn't his hair different in the flashbacks? I guess he dyed it while he was in the hospital... and Ruka and Shiori must have broken up when she changed schools, and they're reconnecting now?"
Anyway, based on this we interpreted some events differently. You might say 'wrongly', but I say: what if Akio just selectively erased their memories to make this work? Akio might do that because it's funny! Or because he thought it would give them more thematic resonance or something, which of course directly translates into Duel Power. You never know.
Ruka is an ASS. Why would you insult Juri after seeing her for the first time in a while? You guys were friends, right? And then, who starts a conversation with a stranger girl (Shiori) by leading her into a lie? Sure, Shiori walked straight into it, but you were the one to offer it to her. Because you knew Juri was into her?
This made more sense in a way when I assumed they were exes XD
Of course, with later revelations, we know he's doing all this in an attempt to get Juri the nebulous prize at the end of the duels. He had a line in there, something about sacrifice being necessary? I forget the exact words. Anyway, he's being so awful in a calculated manner. Does it make it better if we know he's probably not getting enjoyment out of it? Not.... really.
I want to see how End of the World (aka Akio, right???) manipulated him into this scheme. How much did it take?
I love how Ruka said "Touga, say your line" to let Touga finish announcing the car. It's Touga's only narrative role these days, let him have it!
(My brother suggested that perhaps Ruka was the previous Sexy Car Showgirl Assistant before Touga, and that's why he knows all the lines.)
Of course, all of this only makes me think again of the timeline. How long have there been duels? How many kids?? The only external info we really have is how much Mikage's love interest woman aged, which is like... 20 years maybe? But again, Mikage no longer exists, so basing anything on that is shaky. Still, Ruka is acting very confident about the nature of how things work. He theorizes on the nature of the relationship between a duelist and their bride and how the bride's strength can affect the duelist; this is a guy who knows about the brides and the duels. You could say he was there last year as one of them, which makes sense... but even then, at the beginning of this year that doesn't really seem like a topic anybody else is theorizing about!! Idk though. Touga, Saionji, and Juri don't tend to monologue about their thoughts. It makes me think that Ruka was in another cycle all together, that got to the point of the car. Or maybe all of them were in that cycle and don't age at all, Mikage style.
I appreciate his train of thought from 'I need to team up with Juri' --> 'I shall be Juri's bride'. I mean, he doesn't say that, and the show TRAGICALLY doesn't put him in the rose bride dress. But there's a world out there where Juri had to be the bride.
(I wonder if there's something gender-wise to say about the only (?) male bride being someone with some kind of disease. I guess I'll see after the Nanami duel. I'm unsure if Tsuwabuki's going to get dragged in.)
I looked up their names and both Juri and Ruka have lapis lazuli in their names! I guess I could look up gem meanings.... Also, I should probably think about any parallels with Miki, since both he and Ruka are blue.
EPISODE THIRTY
All I'd written in my notes immediately after this episode was "AKIOOO STOPPPPPPP".
I'm sure I've forgotten so many things but. Akio fucking his own fiance's mom. Akio driving Wakaba around (Wakaba!!! my girl Wakaba T_T) And then, of course. UTENA. AAAAGUGHHHHHH!!!
This has been a long time coming, of course. He moved them into his house.
I HOPE AKIO WRECKS HIS CAR AND DIES (UNSEXILY) and Anthy gets an enormous life insurance payment so she can do whatever she wants. And the magic around the duelists dissolves. Also Kozue should push the music teacher down the stairs again. Maybe some other people too.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-01 04:09 am (UTC)... although Akio certainly manages to out-worse him in every way!! D:
no subject
Date: 2024-06-01 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-06-08 04:30 am (UTC)"Akio stopppp" is pretty much the tagline for the series I think. This last arc is so wild but sooo good.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-10 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-06-14 10:22 pm (UTC)