If dueling means letting some selfish adult use me, then I won’t do it.

We begin much like the last episode – with Akio and Touga in the car. But this time, they’re listening to “The Sunlit Garden”…

Akio: We need to defeat Utena Tenjou and engage the Rose Bride to someone else as soon as possible.

Touga: Isn’t Utena Tenjou the golden goose?

Akio: The value of the golden goose lies in the golden eggs it lays.

Touga: You’re a selfish man. So, which pawns will you use?

This seems to imply that Akio doesn’t consider Utena valuable – or rather, that he doesn’t think her a valuable pawn, as long as she keeps winning. Evidently, he wanted her to lose the last duel when the sword vanished…which also seems to indicate that Anthy might be acting against his will.

Anyhow, Kozue makes a scene by jumping out a window to rescue a nest of hatchlings from a tree that’s going to be cut down, but she makes it out with nothing worse than a sprained ankle (and with the chicks none the worse). This attracts the attention of Mickey, Utena, and Anthy, who all help her back home.

Utena: You shouldn’t have been so reckless. Your brother really worries about you, you know.

Kozue: Aw, are you worried about me, Big Brother?

She uses “onii-chan” here, indicating closeness more so than respect.

Note the reminder that Kozue was also associated with birds (as a child), but the cage is now empty. Also there are what appears to be yellow roses beside her, which might be there to bring to mind Nanami and her relationship to her brother, to imply that Kozue has more adoration for her brother than she expresses, or simply to highlight her jealousy…

Anthy: What about your little friends?

Mickey: Now that we have them home, what should we do with them?

Anthy proceeds to outline what chicks would need to eat.

Anthy: Since they’re chicks, you’ll need to feed them every three hours during the day.

Mickey: Right. Wow, that’s a lot of work.

Anthy: Yes, quite a lot.

Utena: (aside) That’s unusually straightforward for her.

Mickey: Have you raised chicks before, Himemiya-san?

Anthy: Never.

Mickey: Huh? But you know so much. You’re a real animal lover, aren’t you?

Anthy: You really should return them to their mother, but…

And that’s when Kozue gets up and starts to excuse herself, until she notices a letter.

Mickey: You read it now. It’s from our mother.

Utena: Boy, I’m jealous. A letter from your mom. I don’t have parents, so I envy things like that.

Kozue: We don’t need parents. We’re wild animals, after all.

Mickey: Don’t talk like that. Father and Mother always worry about us so much.

Kozue: Oh, no, now he’s getting too serious.

Then she throws the letter in the trash.

This might be the most relatable sibling conflict in the series (but really, it’s just rare for this show to have a sibling conflict beyond “incest”). It makes sense that Kozue has a very different relationship to their parents than him, because she’s the rebellious one. When she escaped the cage, she damaged her relationship to both her brother and her parents.

Utena: Hey, do you think this is the garden?

Anthy: Hm? What do you mean?

Utena: The sunlit garden. You know, from the title of Mickey’s song.

[…]

Utena: Was it in this garden? It’s all gone to seed.

Anthy: It’s just a memory now.

Utena: Maybe you’re right, but I was expecting something more…

Then we flash forward to Anthy discussing the conversation with her brother.

Akio: “Expecting more” what?

Anthy: Who knows? What did she mean? Even I don’t know.

Mickey clung to that memory – a memory of when everything was perfect, and simple. But the world moves on, and his idyllic childhood grew into the complexities of adolescence.

Akio: What do you think of her?

Anthy: In what way?

Akio: What do you think of her? Tell me!

Anthy: The tea-cup broke…

It seems as if Anthy (or at least a part of her) wants to protect Utena, but if that doesn’t include warning her about Akio, it won’t even matter.

…and speaking of Utena, she just happens to WALK IN ON AKIO ABUSING HER AGAIN.

Utena: Akio-san? You in here?

Akio: Yes, over here! What’s up?

Utena: Oh, it’s nothing important, but…am I interrupting some private brother-sister thing?

Akio: Interrupting? I consider the three of us to be practically family. You can be as open as you like here.

I get the impression that one part of Anthy is just dying for Utena to put two and two together already…and another part hopes she never discovers her shameful secret.

but it is not this day

And this is a shot of Utena and Anthy going to bed, which looks far more suggestive than it actually is.

Utena: Practically family, huh?

Anthy: I’m sorry. My brother didn’t really ask your opinion on that, did he?

Utena: No, it’s nothing like that. I don’t have any family, so it made me happy. I mean it. Akio-san seems so tolerant about everything.

Anthy: Yes, my brother is like that. Maybe because he’s an adult. He’s more like my father.

Utena: A father…do you think fathers and mothers always care about their children, like Mickey said?

Anthy: That’s probably due to genetics.

Utena: That’s a harsh way to put it.

Anthy: Forgive me.

Utena: You don’t have to apologize.

This episode brings up the idea of parents and family for pretty much the first time in the show…which also serves to highlight the general absence of adults. Aside from a handful of teachers, the only adults around are Akio and a few women he seduces. And that in turn highlights Utena’s vulnerability – she’s not only a middle-schooler, but an orphan with no one to look out for her. It makes an infuriating amount of sense that she’d want to be part of his “family”, and there’s no one else in the situation to intervene!

Anyhow, back with the student council, they’ve received another letter.

Mickey: Saionji-senpai hated the duels, but he fought again anyway. Could there be a connection?

Juri: It’s Touga’s behavior that concerns me. […] “Defeat Utena Tenjou for the good of you Duelists,” huh?

Mickey: I don’t like it! Adults who tell you that something is “for your own good” can never be trusted!

Nanami: You’re saying you don’t trust End of the World.

Mickey: Take it as you will. If dueling means letting some selfish adult use me, then I won’t do it.

Juri: It’s too soon for any decisions like that. End of the World’s true identity remains a mystery.

Nanami: Exactly! He may be a nice “Daddy Long Legs” for all we know!

The “Daddy Long Legs” thing actually refers to a relative of the North American kind, which looks a lot scarier, but is equally harmless to humans. Of course, Mickey’s totally right, and Akio IS just trying to use him as a disposable pawn, but that revelation will only come too late.

And Mickey passes by the tree that’s been cut down, reminding us of that he’s still in charge of some chicks at the moment whose home has been destroyed…

And then he goes home and talks to his father on the phone.

Mickey: Yes, it was in Mother’s letter. No, Kozue and I aren’t against it. Father, that’s up to you. We won’t be able to make the wedding, but we’ll at least send a telegram. Huh? With who? No, never mind about our new mother. Never mind about it. Father?

“New Mother”: It’s fine. It’d be rude to start calling myself his mother so soon.

This isn’t meant to imply that Anthy is literally marrying Mickey’s father, but rather to characterize the future stepmother in a similar way that Anthy is often characterized by the majority of the school — that is, something of a homewrecker.

And despite putting on a brave face for his father, it’s clear that Mickey is still upset, whether by the reminder of his parents’ divorce or even the fact that his father remarried. Divorce is rarely pretty, especially when the kids are still in school. Both Kozue and Mickey aren’t exactly predisposed to think charitably of their parents at the moment.

And Nanami runs into Kozue waiting outside.

Nanami: What are you doing? I heard you were hurt.

Kozue: Wild animals heal quickly.

Nanami: Okay, but only student council members are allowed out of their dorms at night.

Kozue: I’m waiting for someone.

Nanami: Who are you waiting for at this hour?

Kozue: Daddy Long Legs. Want me to introduce you to him?

because of course akio would pick up kozue

Meanwhile, Touga chats with Mickey. He brings along a wind-up toy chick, possibly as a reminder of the real ones Mickey’s caring for, but more likely as a reminder of his student council spiel back in the first arc — “If it cannot break its egg’s shell, a chick will die without being born.” Perhaps he’s highlighting Mickey’s inability to change things, just like the toy that can’t even move a chair leg.

Touga: Is something bothering you?

Mickey: No, nothing in particular.

Touga: I’ve heard you’ve given up being a Duelist. […] However, you’ve already chosen the path of the Duelist once. You know that there are things which you can only possess by taking them, don’t you?

Maybe Mickey’s feeling helpless about the situation with his parents, so he’s particularly susceptible to manipulation at the moment…

Mickey: Juri-san said you’ve been acting suspiciously lately.

Touga: A beautiful tone. But beauty alone cannot preserve beauty forever. […]

Mickey: What are you trying to say?

Touga: There’s someone I want you to meet.

Then he gives his new spiel about the sound that races through the End of the World, summoning Akio and his car.

And naturally, Kozue is much more comfortable in the car, because she’s comfortable with sex (even if, once again, AKIO SHOULD’T BE DOING HIS STUDENTS).

Mickey: What are you doing here?

Kozue: I’m on a date with Akio-san, of course.

because he just forgets that he has a fiancée when it suits his purposes

Mickey: Well, do as you like. Anyway, what do you want with me, Mr. Chairman?

Kozue: You love Himemiya-senpai, don’t you?

Mickey: H-hey…!

Kozue: What’s the big deal? Don’t be so embarrassed. If she’s important to you, make her yours. Akio-san says he’ll help you. He’s really something…

Clearly, Akio set Kozue up to deliver the proposal, since Mickey’s more likely to hear her out.

Mickey: I thought you hated Himemiya-san.

Kozue: I just want you to be happy, Miki.

Mickey: What’s brought this on?

Kozue: I’m always completely honest with my feelings. I never lie. You don’t trust me?

Mickey: It’s not that, but…

Kozue: Akio-san said it’s for your own good.

Mickey: But…he’s an adult.

Kozue: So what? When everything around you is impure, you’ll have to become impure as well. The only way to get what you want is to lose your purity.

Mickey: To get what I want…

Then he imagines driving the car with Anthy in place of Kozue…and he promptly realizes what’s going on.

Mickey: You were the one who got Saionji-san to duel, weren’t you? You seduced Touga-san, and have been interfering with the student council! Just who are you?!

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

his gut was right about akio, but everyone else got him to ignore it

Setting the nest box with Kozue has a twofold meaning: He’s in agreement with Kozue, and is trusting that the adults (in this case, the bird parents) will do what’s best for the children.

Utena: Hi, guys. Making a nest box? I wonder if their parents will come back. What’s wrong?

Mickey: Meet me after school. In the Dueling Arena.

This time, it’s a blue rose, signifying that he thinks this to be the logical option.

Then we drop in with the Shadow Players.

Girl B: Ooh…I’m betting my whole purse! Everything on black.

Hostess: Very well. Oh! Too bad, it was red. Miss, didn’t you say you had never gambled before, and that you hated it?

Girl B: It’s your fault for making me give it a try! Hold on! I’m gonna clean out my bank account!

Hostess: What a sucker.

The message is clear: The whole game is rigged, and no matter how many times he tries, Mickey will never truly win, because it will always be a losing game. But if that’s case, does Utena have any chance to win?

Now that we’ve established the new formula for the duels, let’s start digging into the symbolism. Notably, both Utena and Anthy get naked at some point during the duel preparation (naturally contributing to the sexual symbolism of drawing the swords).

And of course, the main reason Kozue was brought in was because she’s the closest to Mickey’s heart, and thus is able to draw his sword (however you want to interpret that).

But for what it’s worth, it looks like it’s more pleasurable for these two.

And once again, the duel theme starts when they draw their swords.

From top to bottom. Metamorphic heteromorphy.
Books. Pseudonyms. Self-indulgence. Disgrace.
This world does not change.
And I, I do not change.
Never change, never change, never change.

The theme of this song is things fundamentally (but naturally) changing, much like adolescence, while some things stay the same.

Utena: I thought you and I were friends now!

Mickey: Your sword will never defeat my sword! Today, I will make the Rose Bride mine!

And what with the childish assertion that his sword is just better than hers, it’s pretty clear that he’s the one who doesn’t want to change — doesn’t want to become a “selfish adult”.

And then Kozue proceeds to pick up Anthy in the car that’s running around the arena.

Kozue: They say those engaged to you get amazing power. What kind of “amazing power”?

Mickey: Kozue! What are you doing?!

and then she just starts hitting on anthy

Kozue: Show me that power.

Mickey: Kozue!

Kozue: Pay attention, or you’ll lose.

Evidently, Akio explained to her what the duels were really for, and that’s why she was suddenly on board with Mickey fighting to claim Anthy — because she has a use.

And whether it’s the prospect of his sister fooling around with Anthy or simply the thought that Anthy might not be as “pure” as he thinks (which he’s been struggling to comprehend from the start), in the end, he loses.

Utena: A child’s sword, huh? I wonder what made Mickey suddenly want to duel me.

Anthy: Who knows?

Utena: After all, Mickey is more…

Anthy: More…what?

He doesn’t want to grow up, but he’s approaching the age when that becomes inevitable — and if he really doesn’t want to become a selfish adult, he has to take it seriously.

And Kozue’s mad at him now, because he keeps refusing to grow up in the way she wants him to.

And back to the EDs, I was wrong about the videos not changing the song – they do change the song, but never show the animation. I was okay with them not showing the animation for the first ED, because it was honestly nothing too interesting, but the omission here is really a pity, because it’s the closest thing we have to a kiss between Anthy and Utena in the whole series (at least until the movie).

Anyhow, next time, we’re back to some relatively lighthearted antics with Nanami!

Until next time…