If your soul has not truly given up, then you can hear the sound that races through the End of the World!

Heading into the last arc, we finally get a glimpse of the big picture…

We open the episode with Akio taking Touga for a ride in his snazzy sports car.

Akio: The throb of the engine feels good, doesn’t it? Care to take the wheel?

Touga: Hm? But I’m not old enough…

Akio: How upright of you.

Touga: That wasn’t a fair proposal, Mr. Chairman.

Akio: My Ohtori Academy values the independence of its students, Mr. President.

Evidently you have to be 18 to get a driver’s license in Japan…emphasizing the fact that Akio is an ADULT and Touga is not. And if driving around in a sexy car sounds like it might be a date of some sort…you wouldn’t be wrong…

Thus begins the final arc, officially titled the Apocalypse Saga, and unofficially dubbed the “Akio Car arc” (for obvious reasons).

anthy and utena are moving in with akio, to begin with

But at least Wakaba comes around to lighten the mood.

Wakaba: This place is great! Way better than that haunted house you were in!

Utena: It’s a little big for my tastes.

Wakaba: Even so, it’s totally beautiful! You guys are so super lucky to be here!

Utena: I guess. It is a nice room, isn’t it?

Wakaba: I don’t mean the room! […] Gorgeous…

because of course wakaba only gushes over akio

Wakaba: That smile…is that what they mean by an angelic smile? Oh, if a guy like that was living under the same roof with me, just think of the romantic possibilities! I’m jealous.

Utena: Oh, cut it out, Wakaba. Akio-san’s already got a fiancée.

Wakaba: He does?! Why are all the hot guys in the world always taken?

and i’m reminded of when i used to think that…when i was still in denial and thought that if i just met the “right guy” i could be happy with a man

But this helps set up how the other students at Ohtori Academy perceive Akio — he’s a cool, attractive man that Utena should be glad to get attention from…much like a lot of real-life teachers that prey on students.

Akio: I don’t have any other family, so I really wanted to have my little sister near me. Still, I felt bad about separating her from her dear friend, so I imposed on Utena to move in as well.

Utena: You’re such a nice brother.

Wakaba: Oh, um, I’m a good friend of Anthy-san’s, too!

And as Wakaba fumbles around trying to prove her friendship with Anthy, Anthy laughs…

Prompting THIS look from Akio.

yeah, this is the episode where things get serious

Meanwhile, the student council has finally received a new letter from End of the World.

Saionji brushes off questions about his whereabouts during his absence.

Saionji: In any case, I’m through with the duels!

Nanami: Meaning what?

Saionji: It means I can’t trust what’s written in these letters!

Juri: You were fooled by a phony letter before. You seem to have learned from the experience.

Mickey explains that he actually investigated the letter’s claims by checking out the dueling arena, which has changed from what they knew before…

Saionji: Whether the letter’s content is true or false doesn’t matter. I never signed up to be End of the World’s lackey! There’s no way I’ll fight because someone orders me to!

Nanami: Kyoichi!

Saionji: Don’t try to stop me!

Nanami: Jeez…it’s not like I want to do it, either!

Mickey: (internally) And besides that…

Juri: (internally) Who exactly is “End of the World” anyway?

Akio: Look. Over there. You see? Just look where I’m pointing. That star which is brighter than any other. That’s Venus.

Utena: Oh…

Akio: The Morning Star. My name is derived from its Japanese name.

Utena: It’s kind of romantic, isn’t it?

Akio: The Morning Star has another name…Lucifer. […] The star was once an angel, yet chose to be King of Hell. Looking up at it from this world, it’s always at the sun’s side. A star which cannot shine unless the sun sets. What must it think as it shines in the sky…?

See? The Paradise Lost references are intentional!

And knowing that Akio’s name is based on the Japanese name for the Morning Star, I can finally dissect its meaning. “Ake” can be translated as “dawn”…but also “end”. And “Akio” also contains the character for “male”. “Anthy”, on the other hand, can be translated as “night vision”, and sounds like the word for “death”…

And Utena and Anthy have this odd sleeping arrangement…

Utena: Akio-san’s a really nice guy, isn’t he? […] Except…

Anthy: Except?

Utena: Whenever Akio-san talks about the stars, he gets a lonely look in his eyes. Like he’s lost something very precious…Still, there’s something about him that seems so familiar to me.

Anthy: There are time you seem very familiar to me as well, Utena-sama.

Utena: I do? […] You don’t usually say stuff like that.

Anthy: I’m sorry.

Utena: Don’t be. I’m glad you did. Listen, if you ever have a problem, come to me first. We can help each other through anything. I want us to be friends like that.

Then Anthy gets a flashback to her prince…which looks an awful lot like Utena’s prince.

Young!Anthy: I understand. From now on, we’ll live to help each other.

Anthy: Utena-sama…the truth is, I…

Utena: What is it?

Anthy: Never mind.

She clearly wants to talk candidly with Utena, but she hasn’t had anyone else to rely on before, so she bottles it up like usual.

Meanwhile, Touga’s back to manipulating Saionji, bringing up the upcoming Kendo tournament.

Saionji: In the end, the only the truly strong will end up being the winners. You may be proud of your little schemes, but never forget that you lost to Utena Tenjou.

Touga: That’s true for both of us. And yet, one of us seems to have abandoned the duels. At the very least, I haven’t given up. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.

Saionji: Someone I should meet?

Touga: Even you haven’t really given up, have you? There…can’t you hear it?

Saionji: Hear what?

Touga: If your soul has not truly given up, then you can hear the sound that races through the End of the World!

Then we hear the engine revving on Akio’s car…

Saionji: Are you insane?! What the…? What is that?!

Touga: Come! Come with us! Follow us to the world you seek!

its somehow both cheesy AND cool

So Akio picks up Saionji and takes both him and Touga for a ride…

And about the car. Some viewers have taken “riding in Akio’s car” to automatically be a sex metaphor (as in, they couldn’t get away with showing a ton of sex, so we’d be meant to interpret it as Akio having sex with whoever’s in the car). I’m not inclined to go THAT far — the car is often a prelude to sex, sure, but those are always separate scenes.

Touga: Do you want the Rose Bride?

Saionji: What do you mean?

Touga: Exactly what I said. What do you want? What do you aspire to?

Saionji: What’s the point of asking those questions? First of all, I don’t trust you.

Touga: Oh, please. Aren’t you my only friend?

Saionji: True friendship doesn’t exist in this world.

Touga: You think so?

Saionji: I know so.

Touga: Is that…is that what you really believe? […] Then why are you trying to reach the castle where eternity dwells? Is it because something eternal exists there? You believe you can find eternal friendship, perhaps? Do you remember that girl we found in that coffin?

Saionji: Did that even really happen?

Touga: The girl said she wanted to see something eternal, didn’t she?

Saionji: Maybe. I don’t remember it that well.

Touga: That night, it was Akio-san here who saved her from that coffin. […] Akio-san showed the girl something eternal and saved her.

Saionji: He what?! Just who the hell are you?!

Akio: The throb of the engine feels good, doesn’t it?

Saionji: What are you talking about?!

Akio: I reveal the End of the World. To you now, as well.

So Akio all but stated that he is both End of the World AND Utena’s prince. I mean, he IS the only white-haired guy we’ve met (aside from that sleeping prince who’s hanging around somewhere).

Anyhow, the next day, Mickey fills Utena in on the letter from End of the World.

Utena: You said something about the stairway to the Dueling Arena.

Mickey: Well, you know how the stairway is built around a central pillar? There’s some sort of gondola inside the pillar.

Utena: Gondola?

Saionji: Exactly! That Gondola is the wings which will fly to the End of the World. It will carry the Rose Bride and I to the castle where eternity dwells.

Utena: Saionji!

Mickey: You gave up the duels, didn’t you?

Saionji: Unfortunately, I’m not the same man I was yesterday.

Mickey: How are you different?

Saionji: You can’t tell?

Mickey: No.

Utena: I don’t understand a word of what you’re saying!

Saionji: I see. You don’t understand. You couldn’t understand, even if I explained it to you.

pretty rich coming from easily the dumbest of the high schoolers…

But he promptly shows he means business by knocking Mickey down and grabbing Anthy.

Saionji: The Rose Bride belongs to me.

Utena: Let her go, Saionji!

This naturally leads into a duel — and a good old-fashion Shadow Play!

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

Girl B: There’ll be another duel today in the forest behind the school!

Girl A: It feels so nostalgic to say those words again! Two people are better for this job than one. Half the suffering…

Both: And double the pleasure!

Then they bicker a bit about things that happen when you live with someone.

Girl B: Anyway, brave hero…

Girl A: It’s hard to work as a team.

Girl B: I wonder if you know that?

Both: Do you know? Do you know? Do you know that, too?

and once again, if you think this sounds like a sex metaphor, you’re not wrong

There is quite a bit going on with the imagery for this new entrance to the Dueling Arena, but I’ll save that for later, and just mention the full-bodied Apocalypse Theme and much higher platform (accessed via gondola, as Mickey explained earlier).

And unlike in the first arc, Anthy makes no show of impartiality now, standing by Utena the whole time, as opposed to offering roses to both Duelists (evidently Saionji already has his).

Utena: Saionji, you’ve got to learn to let this go. If you really love Himemiya, look at it from her point of view!

Saionji: I did. I, too, once considered the Rose Bride’s feelings. That’s what inflamed me so! But now I know better! The Rose Bride has no will of her own!

Utena: I’m gonna have to beat you to make you understand, huh? Himemiya! The sword!

Notably, they skip the animation of Utena drawing the sword here, but she’s wielding it all the same.

Saionji: I’m no longer the man you beat before! The reason is because…! I saw it!

He uses “ore” here, indicating some sort of confidence boost.

Utena: “Saw it”?

Saionji: Exactly!

Utena: What did you see?!

Saionji: The world…

saionji just sucks at explaining stuff

Then her sword vanishes…

Touga: The Sword of Dios has vanished!

Because OF COURSE Touga is spying on her again, this time with Akio for company.

And then the Duel Theme finally starts (which will also serve as the ED from here on out. This is an interesting one, but I’m going to focus on the ending for now (and hopefully I’ll get back to the rest later).

And then...the endless surface of the torus.
A single organic mechanism.
A single perpetual motion machine.
Ah, it is empty movement.
Just empty movement. Empty...

A “torus” is shape formed by revolving a circle in a three-dimensional space, often taking the form of a ring-shape. This hints at the cyclical nature of revolution in this show…

Naturally, Utena struggles without a sword, and Anthy thinks back to their conversation last night…

“Listen, if you ever have a problem, come to me first. We can help each other through anything. I want us to be friends like that.”

Anthy: Utena-sama…!

Then, for the first time, Anthy physically interrupts the duel, embracing Utena…

Anthy: Utena-sama, together…! Rose of nobility, please, come forth!

Both: Grant us the power to bring the world revolution!

Thus Anthy draws Utena’s sword, and then she makes quick work of Saionji.

Touga: Oh, Saionji, after all I did to be your friend.

Akio: Are you enjoying this game?

Touga: Of course.

Akio: Then what’s the problem? Be kind to your friends.

and now these two are clearly banging. allow me to remind you that TOUGA IS HIS STUDENT

Touga: You’re an evil man, aren’t you?

you have no idea

And that evening, he has a chat with Anthy…

Akio: The Sword of Dios did not appear. The Sword of Dios did not appear…and yet she still won the duel. Oh, it was magnificent…Come here, Anthy.

Akio: Come here!

And this is when it becomes undeniable that Akio is ALSO having sex with his sister.

There is a point to the including incest here beyond shock value: It is a rare case when a heterosexual pairing is almost universally regarded as WORSE than plain old homosexuality. They might still go overboard with this, but at least I get the point now.

Utena: What’s keeping Himemiya?

until next time…