Together with Anthy, I will take possession of eternity.

In this episode, we get our first glimpse of the main plot as Utena starts to remember things she locked away…

But in terms of craft, this episode is the first from Takuya Igarashi (with a script by Enokido). For some reason he worked under a different name for Utena, but he similarly worked on Sailor Moon and Ouran High School Host Club, and continues to work in anime to this day. He serves up some striking imagery in this episode as director and storyboarder.

We open with a kendo duel between Saionji and Touga, the central figures in this episode. Significantly, the schoolgirl fans in this scene are depicted as kendo blades – indicating that, at least to Saionji, they’re only useful as a means of winning against Touga (also they’re phallic symbols, but we’ll get back to that later).

Anyhow, Touga wins the duel.

Touga: Come, come. Don’t look so angry with me, old friend.

Saionji: Who’s your “old friend”?

Touga: How cold of you. Aren’t you my only friend?

Saionji: Shut up! You’re the one person I absolutely won’t lose to!

Utena happens to see the duel, and when one of the girls calls Touga a “prince”, she naturally thinks of her own prince.

Later on, Saionji approaches the greenhouse where Anthy’s working, and curses Chu-Chu for always getting between him and Anthy.

Saionji: Why must you always come between me and Anthy, damn you!?

Utena: That’s your own fault! Your stubbornness is your worst trait, Saionji.

Just a reminder that Chu-Chu generally represents feelings that Anthy won’t (or can’t) express herself, thus indicating that she doesn’t really want to be with Saionji…

Saionji: So, it’s you, Utena Tenjou. Don’t be so sure of yourself. I swear I’ll beat you in our next duel. And then I’ll take Anthy back. […]

Utena: I wonder if you even can beat me. You couldn’t even beat Touga Kiryuu just earlier.

Saionji: You saw that? We’ve faced each other hundreds of times over the last ten years. Today was a fluke.

Utena: Oh? You two have known each other that long?

Saionji: I won’t lose to him! I will possess the Rose Bride.

Utena: Do you really love Himemiya? Then why are you trying to win her in a duel?!

Saionji’s feelings for Anthy are complicated, but if it even is love, he’s not really in love with her…

Saionji: Because if I don’t win the duels, I’ll never beat him!

Utena: Him? You mean Touga, right? You’re just competing against Touga?! Himemiya’s just some pawn for you?

Saionji: You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Together with Anthy, I will take possession of eternity. […] Yes. She told me that she, too, desires something eternal.

Then, we go into a flashback of Touga and Saionji.

Touga injures Saionji’s hand in a duel, but binds it up for him…

Then they ride a bike home (with Touga pedaling and Saionji in the back), and encounter a funeral at a church.

Again, note that Saionji remembers this part clearly, as indicated by the full faces.

Adult: Have you seen a girl about your age around here?

Touga: What’s wrong?

Adult: A girl lost her parents in an accident today. She disappeared after we let her out of our sight.

[…]

Saionji: One of them just said she might have been spirited away. Touga?

Then Touga heads into the church.

He notices three coffins, when there were only supposed be two dead people (the girl’s parents), so Touga goes to open the third (much to Saionji’s distress).

Girl: Don’t open it. Please, don’t open it.

So this is clearly Utena – just after her parents died. But Saionji doesn’t remember her face (even though you’d think the hair would be a dead giveaway, but apparently pink hair isn’t that uncommon in this universe).

Touga: Everyone’s looking for you.

Utena: Will you tell anyone that I’m here?

Touga: No, I won’t tell anyone. […] I’m always an ally to girls. I’m chivalrous, after all.

Saionji: But why are you hiding here?

Utena: Because I belong here.

Touga: What do you mean?

Utena: Because they’re in the coffins next to me. My father and mother died today. But there was an extra coffin here. It must be meant for me. Living on…it’s just making me sick. […] Why does everyone go on living if they all have to die someday? Why didn’t I realize it before today? That there’s no such thing as something eternal.

Saionji: Something eternal…?

Note that Touga tries to grab her hair like this when he first meets Utena in school, indicating that he remembered her…

Utena: So I’ve had enough. I’ll never come out of this coffin.

Saionji: But somebody’ll find you in there!

Utena: Then I’ll find another coffin to hide in. I don’t want to be with anyone anymore. I’ll never come out into the sunlight again.

Then Touga just walks away.

Saionji: Wait! We can’t just let that girl do this crazy thing!

Touga: Then show her something eternal.

The next day she leaves the coffin, which we know was because of the visit from the prince, but Saionji thinks Touga must have done something, but of course, Touga denies it.

Saionji: But then I thought that he had. He must have! He must have shown that girl something eternal. Touga Kiryuu…he’s always been ahead of me. Always living in a world I can’t imagine.

Anthy: “Someday, I’d like to go to that castle floating in the sky. Something eternal dwells inside it.”

Then we return to the present day

Saionji: You’ve also seen that castle floating in the sky. Eternity dwells within it. She and I will go there together. I won’t lose to Touga!

So it seems that Saionji does consider Anthy a pawn in his game with Touga on some level, but not just a pawn. Somehow, she managed to encourage his feminine side (represented by the diary), and that’s what she is to him: a safe place to be whoever he wants to be, to let down his walls of masculinity and be vulnerable.

And that brings us to phallic and yonic symbols. The swords as phallic symbols are pretty obvious symbols of masculinity – objects meant to hurt and generally accomplish things. But equally important here is the yonic symbol: The rose. In the duels, the rose is always placed above the heart, representing the vulnerabilities of the duelist – their femininity.

Anyhow, Juri relays to Touga the story of Utena’s prince, which seems to connect some dots in his mind, spurring his actions in the remainder of the episode…

And Saionji keeps a photo of Touga in his room, indicating that he’s the one he’s actually in love with, and I’m having some serious Catra flashbacks and whyyyyyy

Anyway, the plot! Saionji gets a letter addressed from End of the World, and naturally acts as it instructs…

Then we get the shadow play, which begins the Shadow Players subplot about aliens (yes, really)

Girl A: It was back in kindergarten…

Girl B: What was?

Girl A: When I found out there was no such thing as Santa Clause! […] But that’s all right. I know, now!

Girl B: Know what?

Girl A: That wizards, and fairies, and princes on white horses, and kind-hearted true friends…they only exist in fantasy.

Girl B: But it’s all right.

Both: We know that now!

Girl A: So, please, can’t you just leave me UFOs?

Utena still clings to the belief in her prince on a white horse, and Saionji’s clinging to the belief in Touga as a “true friend”…

Anthy’s gone somewhere without Chu-Chu, which will generally signal that something serious is going down…

And then Utena gets a phone call from someone who declines to identify himself (but we see that it’s Touga).

Touga: Anthy Himemiya was spirited away tonight.

Utena: What?

Touga: Check out the dueling arena.

Because of course Touga orchestrated all this.

Anthy: Stop this, please, Saionji-senpai! You’re hurting me! If I don’t get back, Utena-sama will be worried!

Saionji: I don’t care about “Utena-sama”! I’m keeping my promise to you!

Anthy: Promise?

Saionji: Yes. Tonight we’re both going to the castle where eternity dwells.

Anthy: Stop this! It’s forbidden for me to be taken to the arena by someone I’m not engaged to, especially when no duel is scheduled!

Saionji: End of the World told me that tonight the castle would come down. I won’t let anyone have it! The one you will gain eternity with is me!

And he just hits her…and Saionji uses “ore” for the first time here, seemingly in defiance of Touga.

And when Utena arrives, Anthy’s gone, the door’s open, and Saionji is lying in a pool of water.

Utena: Where’s Himemiya? […] What were you doing? You can’t take her without beating me in a duel, right?!

Saionji: What are you doing here?

Utena: I was told to come here because Himemiya had been spirited away!

That’s when Saionji realizes Touga set him up, but he seemingly hasn’t grasped the depth of his betrayal.

And this is what they see when they enter the arena.

Utena: “Don’t open it. There’s no such thing as something eternal.”

The white roses here could simply be a reference to Anthy’s relationship with Utena’s prince, but in this particular context, it’s also eerily reminiscent of the white lilies commonly used in Japan to represent death.

Utena: What’s going on here? Anyway, I have to save Himemiya!

Saionji: The castle…the castle is coming down. I’m here! End of the World, keep your promise to me! Give me eternity!

Then a tower from the floating castle falls on Saionji…but doesn’t seem to hurt him.

Utena: Himemiya!

and this is the first time they hold hands and i can’t

Utena: Hey! Speak to me, Himemiya!

Saionji: Not like this…I was the one who was supposed to save her this time. The castle where eternity dwells…the power to bring revolution to the world…it is all to be mine! The one Anthy is to go to the castle with is me!

Again he uses “ore” here…and is more angry at Utena for saving Anthy herself than, you know, WORRIED ABOUT ANTHY!

an then he goes to attack utena

While the red washed background makes it hard to tell, these are red roses, as Touga takes the strike Saionji meant for Utena. And suddenly, Utena seems to remember that scene with the coffin earlier, and finally thinks that Touga might be her prince after all…

Utena: Touga! But why?

Touga: Because your prince was a guy like me, wasn’t he?

Saionji: Why…? Why do you always…?

Touga: Because I’m chivalrous.

and because touga will always choose the girl over saionji

Then Touga talks on the phone with “End of the World”, indicating that this mysterious person might be nearer than he’s been made out to be.

Touga: Yes, it’s me. Yes. I sent the letter Saionji received tonight. Yes, in your name. No, it was a shallow wound. Well, I suppose I have a flair for the dramatic. Yes, Saionji’s being expelled. I doubt it. A person who truly believes in friendship is a fool.

and suddenly i’m feeling sorry for the guy that was just an abusive jerk before this episode

this show

until next time…