There are few who are able to freely use their own hearts.

While the last episode introduced us to the basic premise of the Black Rose arc, this one introduces us to what will be the formula for the remainder of the arc (aside from a few filler eps) – that is, someone close to one of the previous Duelists fighting for them.

We start by establishing Mickey and Kozue’s relationship dynamic.

Mickey only seems to notice Kozue when she’s causing trouble (such as hooking up with several boys Mickey disapproves of, and not always bothering to break up with them afterward).

And she, in turn, seems jealous of the time he spends with his music and music teachers…

And since this episode is focused on sibling pairs, Nanami continues to be concerned about Touga’s position in the school after he’s been absent for weeks.

Nanami: (internally) Don’t worry, Big Brother…I’ll take care of the student council.

Meanwhile, Mamiya and Mikage are rethinking their strategy.

Mamiya: The student council! The council members…Swords strong enough to defeat Utena Tenjou may have crystalized inside of their hearts! That is what my black rose tells me…

Mikage: But they have already lost their duels. The weak-hearted fools…

Mamiya: There are few who are able to freely use their own hearts. This is especially true of young people. It would be better to entrust the swords of their hearts to others. That may result in the creation of strong Duelists.

Mikage: I understand. This is all to make you the Rose Bride. I’ll think it over.

Mamiya: But drawing the swords from them will require people who can grasp their hearts.

Then we switch back to Kozue, who has begun to take notice of Mickey’s interest in Anthy…

and then mickey comes over to ask anthy to play piano with him

Mickey: Um…Choo-Choo is really cute!

Utena: It’s not Choo-Choo, it’s Chu-Chu. “Choo-Choo” is the sound a mouse makes!

Anthy: Oh, but I think that Choo-Choo is a nice name, too.

Mickey: You really like the name Choo-Choo, Himemiya-san? […] Well, I like it, too! We have similar tastes. I’m sorry. That was a weird thing for me to say…Listen!

Anthy: Yes?

Mickey: Himemiya-san! Will you play the piano with me after school tomorrow? I’d like to introduce you to my music teacher! I think he’ll be amazed when he hears your playing! So…Please!

Mickey is adorable, and this would probably be something like I would try to court a girl I was interested in.

But as long as Kozue’s still around, being the object of Mickey’s affection is somewhat perilous. And Juri confronts her about rumors regarding Mickey’s piano teacher.

Kozue: What can I do for you?

Juri: Last week, when that teacher fell down the stairs…I’ve heard rumors. That it wasn’t an accident. That he was pushed. […] But last night, he got a phone call saying that next time the “accident” would be worse.

Kozue: I’m impressed, Arisugawa-senpai. You know everything about it.

Juri: Not everything. For example, why do you hate him so much?

Kozue: Because that man was always…!

Juri: Always what?

Kozue: I can’t forgive anyone who would hurt Miki!

It’s unclear if that teacher ever really hurt Mickey (beyond what would be expected for a teacher who wanted to get the best out of their students), but her real issue is clearly just that he spends so much time with Mickey.

Then we get a look at their room, which looks as if it’s intended to be a sort of castle in the clouds.

Mickey: I made a milkshake. Want some?

Kozue: I can’t drink something that sweet.

She regards a milkshake as something childish, when her whole deal from what we’ve seen of her is that she wants to act “grown up”.

And the next day, he’s playing piano with Anthy, and Utena spots Kozue lurking about.

Utena: Oh, I see. You must be Kozue-chan! Mickey told me all about you. Wow…you really are twins. If you were a boy, there’d be no difference between you two.

Kozue: Miki and I are nothing alike. That girl with the glasses, what’s her name?

Utena: It’s Anthy Himemiya. What about her?

and of course she gives anthy a death glare

Then, we finally get another student council meeting, and Nanami’s taken charge with little fuss.

Nanami: If it cannot break it’s egg’s shell, a chick will die without being born. The chamber of freedom and the cage of freedom. Without revealing the vastness of the sky, both care for the chick. Smash the world’s cage!

All: For the revolution of the world!

This line is significantly different from Touga’s, which expressed a desperate need to “break the world’s shell” or die, while Nanami’s monologue expresses almost contentment with the freedoms they’re denied (“the cage”). Juri and Mickey make no protestations, except to point out that they haven’t even been getting letters from End of the World, which is ostensibly why the student council was formed in the first place.

and now utena’s taken to visiting akio on her own, because why wouldn’t she trust her friend’s big brother?

Akio: Oh? There’s a boy who’s attracted to Anthy?

Utena: And you’re worried about it, right?

Akio: Well, she is my sister, after all. But if she’s enjoying her life here as a student, then I’m relieved. Especially if she’s making friends with girls like you.

Utena: Akio-san, you really care about your sister a lot, don’t you? 

Akio: Do I?

Utena: I don’t have any siblings, so I don’t really understand it. What sort of relationship does a big brother have to his sister? What’s that? It’s the moon, right?

Akio: You don’t normally think about it and it doesn’t really serve any purpose. But still…from time to time, you look up at it, and it makes you feel better.

Honestly, that’s totally different from my own experiences with siblings – he’s basically saying that he remembers he has a sister every once in a while and appreciates it. With me, my siblings have been one of the only constants in my life, for better and for worse.

But this is significant for Utena because she clearly takes Akio’s word at face value, and Akio’s kinda romanticizing the sibling bond.

And Kozue’s taking to “romanticizing the sibling bond” too, with the implication that she might have kissed Mickey while he was sleeping (though almost all sexual acts in this series are merely implied).

While Mickey focused on playing piano as a formative childhood experience with his sister, Kozue seems to have fixated on the milkshakes they drank afterward – a more sensual experience.

Then Anthy walks in on them.

Kozue: You saw? What is it? You want to say something, right?

Anthy: Say something…?

Anthy seems to be surprised, but chooses to ignore it rather than bring it up to Mickey after he wakes up (or, you know, any adults).

then she goes to an interview with mikage

Kozue: Miki is my twin brother. He’s always been very good to me, ever since we were little. He’s put on the appearance of being all right lately. But when I get hurt or disgraced, it hurts Miki terribly inside! I’m all he’ll think about! And that’s why I intentionally date boys I know he disapproves of. But…

Mikage: Deeper…go deeper…

Kozue: But Miki’s heart is drifting further towards that girl…further and further from me!

Mikage: I understand. Your only choice is to revolutionize the world. The path you must take has already been prepared for you.

She wants to hurt him, just to prove that she has the power to make him feel something, anything. But now that he’s transferring his affections to Anthy, that hasn’t been working so well for her. What she really needs is to form new relationships that have nothing to do with her brother, but in this show, they’ll always take the unhealthy option (at least at first).

then she plays the piano perfectly to lure him in. and then she tries to kiss him.

Mickey: Kozue…Kozue? W-what are you doing? That ring you have…!

Kozue: Isn’t it nice? It matches yours. And this is the rose which blooms at the End of the World…

Mikage: That is your new power. Go on…don’t hesitate to take it!

And this might look awfully familiar if you’ve seen Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. While I don’t think the filmmakers mentioned Utena specifically as an influence, they were going for an animesque aesthetic, and this show IS very anime.

So Kozue draws a sword from Mickey’s heart, symbolizing the power he holds within him, the unfettered desire to change the world.

Then the Shadow Players show up (along with the duel notice), with a play set on a train, with a passenger and a concession trolly.

Passenger: I’m the only person in this car, you know.

Concession Girl: Hot coffee, sandwiches, and cold beer for sale!

Passenger: Shut up! I don’t want anything to drink! I don’t want anything to eat!

Utena: So ignore her.

Passenger: Ooh…! Excuse me! Coffee and a sandwich, please!

The implication is clear: Kozue claimed that she didn’t want Mickey to get hurt, but what she really wanted was for him to pay attention to her, and if she had to hurt him in the process, that was fine.

Utena immediately recognizes Mickey’s stance.

Kozue: Upon the Black Rose, I swear, I shall win this duel and kill the Rose Bride!

Utena: It’s that black rose doing it again, huh?

Anthy: That may be.

Kozue: Now, Utena Tenjou! Draw your sword! Do it, or else I’ll take the Rose Bride!

And there are milkshakes on the desks this time (which Anthy proceeds to drink). Notably, it’s only Mickey’s glass (Kozue has a pink one), perhaps meant to emphasize how Mickey’s not ready to move on to more adult beverages (or pastimes), or maybe to recall a time when they did enjoy the same things.

Time machine! To the past, to the future! Whoosh! Zoom!
Time machine! Back to when I was a precious young child.
On a carpet of lotus blossoms.
Playing with my dolls.
That wonderous spell! Fi! Fi!
Hard candy...that pretty dress I wore.

But Kozue is a far more formidable opponent than the last, so Utena has to pull out all the stops.

Anthy provides her protection to the sword, but Utena makes the action seem far less degrading for Anthy (and doubles down on the imagery as some sort of sex act).

And of course she wins.

Utena: For her brother…

And when we return to Mikage, the coffin he burns contains two bodies (evidently twins)

Mikage: A failure…but that was only the first. There are other members of the student council.

And when we return to the twins, after Kozue blacked out following the duel.

Mickey: What happened to that black Rose Crest ring?

Kozue: What Rose Crest ring?

Mickey: Forget it. It’s nothing.

Kozue: Did I really faint from anemia?

Mickey: Yeah. So just take it easy, all right?

Kozue: Hey, will you make me a milkshake?

It isn’t clear if this is because making her forget about the duel also made her forget why she was pushed to fight in the first place, or if she just wants to spend some time with her brother now, but either way, this doesn’t permanently solve their relationship issues.

And then Utena’s left alone with Chu-Chu to ponder sibling relationships…

Utena: Always there for you. You don’t usually think about it and it doesn’t serve any real purpose, but from time to time you look up at it, and it makes you feel better, huh?

because of course anthy’s with her brother

Akio: Come to me, Anthy. Tonight, as always, I will comfort you…

Anthy: Choo…Choo…

She seems to be making herself (or perhaps her feeling) smaller, imitating a mouse, but also remembering time she spent with friends.

Until next time…