Look, despite appearances, I’m a totally normal girl.

This episode, we take a break from the duels to examine Utena’s social position, and begin interrogating her sexuality.

The episode begins with the prologue again, framed as if Utena dreamed of her long-ago encounter with the Prince.

Utena: All I have really is this ring. It’s the only proof that I actually met him. The dueling arena. The Rose Bride. Could this ring have led me to all of this?

Recall, too, that the Prince’s stated intent for giving her the ring was so that they could meet again…

Utena: Morning and night…will we ever have company at our meals?

Anthy: Isn’t it nice how quiet it is?

Utena: Listen, I know you keep to yourself in class, but do you really have no friends at all?

Anthy: I do. Right here. [Chu-Chu]

Utena: Well, I suppose he is, but…

Seeing as she’s presumably been handed around quite a bit as the Rose Bride, it makes sense that Anthy wouldn’t have many human relationships…but that also brings up the idea of exactly how long this has been going on, which the show isn’t ready to address.

Meanwhile, Utena tries to establish some boundaries with Anthy.

Utena: Would you please stop calling me “Utena-sama”?

Anthy: I shouldn’t?

Fangirls: It’s Utena-sama! Good morning, Utena-sama!

Utena: […] Okay, okay, they can call me Utena-sama. But it’s not a joke when you say it.

Anthy: But I’m engaged to you, Utena-sama-

Utena: Would you give it a rest with that “engaged” and “Rose Bride” stuff? […] Look, despite appearances, I’m a totally normal girl. I don’t want a bride. All I want is a totally normal boy!

Touga: Well, I’m glad to hear it. Hi there. I’m Touga Kiryuu, student council president and totally normal boy.

well she just walked right into that one.

Of course, Anthy recognizes and greets Touga, leading him to mention that he’s also involved with the duels.

Touga: Have you told anyone about it?

Utena: You think I’d tell anyone about something that crazy?

Touga: Good. My, my, even angry, your face has a wonderful nobility to it, Utena Tenjou-kun.

Then he touches her hair, leading Utena to slap his hand.

Utena: You’re a bit too forward, Mr. President.

Touga: Don’t be like that. Let’s be friends. It’s not as though we don’t share a bond.

Utena: You…why do you have that?

Touga: So I could meet you, of course. […] I’d like to get to know you much better.

So naturally, she thinks Touga might be her Prince, but has enough sense to still mistrust him. After all, this is their first meeting, and he’s already touching her inappropriately (even if it’s just her hair), and “-kun” is a more familiar honorific, if one more often used for boys. But he also seems to know details about her long-ago meeting with the Prince…

Anyhow, there’s another student council meeting. They establish that, after losing to Utena, Saionji’s confined himself to his room (and hasn’t been to class).

Juri: What about Utena Tenjou? Is she trying to bring revolution to the world, like we are?

Touga: No, she’s different from us. It looks as though she hasn’t gotten a letter from End of the World.

Juri: Then why is she wearing a rose seal?

Touga: Well…why, indeed?

It seems as though the Prince from her youth intended for Utena to get involved with this “dueling game”…but for what purpose? That is a question that will only be answered towards the end of the series!

Anyhow, Utena’s interest was officially piqued by her conversation with Touga.

Wakaba: Oh-ho! Spying on Touga-sama, huh? Oh, now I get it.

Utena: Oh, now you get what?

Wakaba: You’d better forget about him, though. He’s the biggest playboy on campus. There are rumors about all the hearts he’s broken here.

Utena: No way a playboy like that can be my prince on a white horse.

Significantly, this is the first episode where Touga isn’t framed with white roses…

Wakaba: By the way, who’d you get paired with in your dorm, Utena?

Utena: Anthy Himemiya.

Wakaba: Really? Too bad.

Utena: Too bad?

Wakaba: I hear lots of bad rumors about what she did to a popular boy.

and by this, she naturally means “she broke up with saionji”

And that’s why these girls are harassing her.

Keiko: We want our old Saionji-san back!

Aiko: C’mon, say something!

Nanami: What are you doing?

Aiko: Nanami-sama!

Nanami: Now, what can be causing such an uproar? If you have any problems, go to the student council with them.

This gets the girls off her case…but since they called her “Nanami-sama”, in this case, it seems to indicate that they see her as their “boss” in some sense…

But about those yellow roses. They might have been trying to throw people off, since it’s fairly well-known that in Western flower language, one meaning of yellow roses is “friendship”, and Utena’s been harping on Anthy making more friends. But in Hanakotoba, they represent “jealousy”…

Nanami: Are you alright?

Anthy: Yes, thank you. Your name’s Nanami-san, right?

Nanami: I’m starting to see why you’re so popular with the boys, Himemiya-senpai. You’re even most popular with the boys in the freshman class. That’s probably why you’ve been nominated to be this year’s dance queen.

Anthy: Dance queen?

Nanami: They’re going to be choosing the school dance queen at the dance party this weekend. You’re one of the girls who’s been nominated. You simply must come. The boys would be so happy. And I’ve wanted to be your friend for a long, long time, Himemiya-senpai.

Now, we’re starting to get a feel for the setting. Similar to shoujo classics like Dear Brother and Boys Over Flowers, this show is set in a classy, elite school, where, evidently, balls and fancy dance parties are fairly common. Some of the musical themes back this up (like the mid-episode break stinger).

Anyhow, after Utena bugs Anthy again about her concerning lack of friends, they get a messenger carrying two packages.

Messenger Boy: As you’ve been nominated to be the dance queen, the committee would like you to wear this dress. The committee asks that you wear it to the dance this weekend, and they look forward to seeing you there. […] And this package is for Utena-sama, from President Kiryuu.

Utena: Huh? For me? But I’m not involved with it. I didn’t get an invitation.

Messenger: I believe there’s an invitation and a message card in the box.

Naturally, this seems to be just Touga wanting her to “act like a girl”, but Utena’s hardly thrilled by the prospect.

Utena: Ugh! What is this thing? Does he think I’d go to any party where I’d have to wear this?

Anthy: You’re not going?

Utena: Right. Not my style.

Anthy: Then neither will I.

Utena: Huh? But why? Come on, you’re nominated to be the dance queen, right?

Anthy: But I don’t care for places with lots of people. Everyone’s face begins to look the same, and I get scared. […]

Utena: No! You should go! You have to go! You need friends! Yeah, I know, but you have to make a lot more!

Anthy: If you say so, Utena-sama.

It’s clear that Anthy doesn’t want to go, but she considers Utena’s wishes to be law (which Utena hasn’t realized herself). But she does seem to take pity on Anthy, and goes to the dance with her.

Then the shadow girls show up to talk about balls.

Girl A: Do you know? Do you know? Have you heard the news?

Girl B: Oh, dear lady, what do you know?

Girl A: The upcoming ball is the talk of the town.

Girl B: They may call it a ball, but it’s much easier to just call it a man trap. It has all the girls in an uproar.

Both: How shameless can they be?

While they seem to be saying that it’s a trap to “ensnare” men, in this particular ball, it seems more like a trap laid by a man (Touga).

And it turns out that these two are siblings!

Nanami: Guess who?

Touga: Cut it out, Nanami.

Nanami: Isn’t it a lovely night, Big Brother?

Touga: How did I get such an adoring little sister?

If you read the old Tokyopop translations of Fruits Basket (or watched the anime with subs), you’ll know that there are different ways to refer to a big brother/sister in Japanese. Yuki called his older brother “Nii-san”, very formally, to indicate his strained and distant relationship. Nanami refers to Touga as “Oniisama”, and it’s not a coincidence that the girls often call their crushes “-sama”, too…

Anyhow, the Utena fangirls get a treat to see her “crossdressing” for once, despite the fact that Utena is rather uncomfortable in this getup. But Nanami thinks that Touga’s staring at Anthy, completely oblivious to the fact that he’s only got eyes for Utena.

Utena: I knew I shouldn’t have worn this thing!

Anthy: Forgive me, Utena-sama. You’re embarrassing yourself all for my sake…

Utena: Embarrassing myself? Is it that bad?

Nanami: I’m so glad you made it here, Himemiya-senpai. […] That dress is just perfect! It suits you so well. 

Then Nanami shuttles her off, and of course Utena’s glad that she apparently has a friend, but Touga swoops in on Utena and makes her very uncomfortable.

Touga: Magnificent! Better than I imagined.

Utena: Well, I don’t know exactly what you were imagining, but this thing doesn’t suit me at all!

Touga: Don’t be silly. You’re the queen of this campus! It would be my pleasure if you danced with me in that dress. Don’t you think we make a picture-perfect couple?

Meanwhile, Nanami takes Anthy to the middle of the room and just LEAVES HER THERE.

and then anthy’s social anxiety kicks in

And to top it all off, the girls who were harassing her earlier (and are clearly Nanami’s lackeys at this point) mention that Anthy’s wearing a “special dress”…

Nanami (internally): The girl who stole my brother from me is about to be humiliated.

If this sounds a bit incesty…it’s complicated, but very intentional.

But back with Utena and the creep.

Touga: Shall we dance?

Utena: Stop it, please. Look, I’m just not into these sorts of parties.

Touga: Then why did you come?

Utena: Well…[…] In case you were…

Touga: What about me?

She obviously wants to know if he’s the same Prince from her childhood…but that’s not the only reason she came.

And then, Nanami arranges to spray Anthy with champagne, and the dress falls apart. But Utena isn’t about to let her be humiliated like that, so she just instantly changes into her boy’s uniform and runs to her aid (it’s shoujo anime, just go with it).

and she just makes a dress out of a tablecloth and starts dancing with her and it is perfect.

Touga: Nanami, show some restraint in your pranks.

Nanami: Oh, whatever could you mean? By the way, who’s that girl dancing with Himemiya-san?

Touga: Utena Tenjou. […] Isn’t she exciting? Still, it’s a shame she took off the dress I sent her.

And it’s only now that Nanami catches on that Touga’s more interested in Utena (although she’ll still be intent on getting back at Anthy for a while yet, seeing how this prank turned out).

Honestly, this dance wasn’t nearly as iconic as it could have been, considering that the animation budget for this episode was clearly working on thin margins, so not only does the dance consist entirely of still frames, but they actually repeat the exact same shots at least twice. We’ll have to wait until the movie for a REAL dance scene between these two.

Until next time…