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The theme of Utena
Okay, this rant can be clearly blamed on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jmtorres, who mentioned her Revolutionary Girl Utena fic, Running Away, to me. (If you've seen the end of the series, go watch it. It's highly enjoyable with a very convincing Utena POV. If you haven't seen the end, why are you wasting time online when you could be watching a great series like RGU?!)
Anyway, between that fic and this rant on the feminism within RGU (Girl's Revolution:
An analysis of feminism in Shoujo Kakumei Utena) it got me thinking...
***
First off, I won't say that the essay is wrong, per se, just that that wasn't what I saw as the main message in Utena. Certainly, I can't deny that Utena, like most of the characters, goes through her own personal revolution, coming to terms with herself as a Prince. Certainly, the dichotomy between between Rose Bride/Witch can be seen as a clear reference to the old fashioned division between Good Girl/Bad Woman that permeates society, and was especially common during in the 1950s, and the series itself can say a lot about the status and the social interpretation of women, but it wasn't the main theme that stood out to me.
The main issue to me seemed not to be that girls don't need a prince waiting at the end of the road, rather it is a case of everyone occasionally needs a Prince. Or more correctly, that every occasionally needs to play the role of the Bride and trust a Prince to save them. This is not to say that everyone needs a man in their life, because we have seen through the series that the role of Prince is not gender specific.
Perhaps it would be better to say that the role is not sex specific. It does not rely on the actual biological sex of the player, but it does directly represent a certain gender roles, mainly that of the masculine hero. Just as the role of Rose Bride (or simply Bride, as I would define those who give up their sword to another) represent the feminine gender role, the passive and supportive lover. Although there are certain aspects traditionally associated with each gender role that are represented by the Prince and Bride, there are also similarities. Each role is protective of the other, willing to sacrifice their life to save the other.
Throughout the series, we see that the role of Prince and Bride are not sex specific, but rather are roles that typify the best and most worthy behaviour of each gender role. Just as one does not have to be male to a Prince, likewise, being male does not automatically make one a Prince. Sex has no correlation to the gender role. The roles themselves are taken on according to the situation, depending on the relationships involved. The roles are not permanent or predetermined.
This is what I consider to be the main message in RGU. It is not just a matter of choosing to be a Prince, as Utena did, it is the honest desire to be a prince to protect someone else, that makes you a Prince. A Prince is not dishonest nor scheming, like Touga. Being "chivalrous" and charming to women cannot make him a Prince, regardless of how popular he tries to be, because beneath it all is a self-serving desire to further his own interests, to gain power, to becaome a Prince for his own ego.
Saionji cannot be a Prince as long as he uses his power to dominate others, to physically bully them into submission. It is the protection, the honest striving to do well for someone else's sake that creates the Prince. Hence, it is only when Utena has given up on becoming a Prince, has lost faith in herself and her abilities, and yet struggles on to save Anthy regardless, simply because she cannot abandon her, that she becomes a Prince. It had nothing to do with wearing a boys uniform, being great at sports or admired by the girls of the school. It had everything to do with selflessly risking yourself for another.
However, the important thing to note is that a Prince is not a permanent role, it is not something that you try to be, it is simply something that you are when the occasion arises. You cannot try to be a Prince without there being some measure of ego involved, of self-profit, even if it is only feeling good about your actions. It is something that happens for a moment in time. You are not expected to continually be perfect, but it is those random moments of heroism that have the greatest effect on another's life.
The only two characters that attempt to honestly break this rule of temporary roles, is the Rose Prince and the Rose Bride themselves. They are set up as fairytales, as ideals, as perfect beings who can always be heroic and selfless. It is the clinging to these roles that dooms the two. From the flashbacks, we can see that together, the Rose Prince and Rose Bride were a formidable force. Considering that it is only with the Rose Bride that we see the sword of Dios, I have always considered that as much as the Rose Bride depends upon the Rose Prince, the Rose Prince in turn draws his strength from her. They are united as a couple, a perfectly matched pair that can withstand anything that the world will throw at them. Except change.
It is their refusal to change that dooms this ideal. Although we see swords and pitchforks in their scenes, we also see modern medical equipment, showing that this ideal is not as ancient, not as timeless, as we might otherwise assume. Or more correctly, that the ideal will survive as long as it is placed outside the real world, in "long ago times". I would note that we see proof of the passing of time, of reality as we know it, as they are forced to change. Once considered realistically, the Rose Prince will die if he continues to be a Prince to everyone. It is a burden that not even the ideal can achieve forever.
It is his refusal to change that forces the Rose Bride to change, to become the Witch. And, I would consider that the Witch is a seperate entity, just as Akio is a seperate entity to Dios. These are the fallen remains of our ideals. For everything good and worthy of admiration in them has been corrupted by neccessity. Everything about the Rose Prince that was honest, noble, protective has become devious, manipulating, callous of others. He has become Lucifer, the Prince of Lies, in the literal sense, and in the religious sense of having fallen from grace.
Likewise, the Rose Bride's traits have changed. The Rose Bride was gracious, caring, protective, like the Rose Prince she was honest and trustworthy. However, she too has fallen, has become the Witch, has become devious, scheming, uncaring, selfish. I cannot say that this is the all the Rose Bride's fault. She follows her archetype and protects her beloved, he however will not refuse others, he will cling to his role to the whole world until it kills him and leaves the Rose Bride abandoned. It is impossible to blame one or the other for their fall, it is simply inevitable. While the players are human, the roles themselves can only be temporary.
It is the clinging desperation to refuse to change that corrupts the ideals almost beyond recognition. The roles themselves can be taken on temporarily, when needed, but cannot be sustained permanently. The individuals themselves need to change, need to accept who they are and who they can be. They cannot simply cling to one role, but must aknowledge and accept that they have the possiblity within them to play both roles. In this way, there is an equalising force within and between the characters. It can be argued that the Rose Prince and Rose Bride would not have fallen had they allowed themselves to swap roles. If she had been allowed to stand as a Prince to protect him, if he had taken the role of Bride and supported her, and allowed himself to be saved.
It is this absolute force of change, and this need for balance and equality that is at the heart RGU. The characters who end up happy are those who are forced to relinquish the roles that they have claimed for themselves and to acknowledge their own ability to change. They are the characters who have stepped out of the roles they have created for themselves and become something different. They have faced the difficulty of change and have embraced both sides of the the traditional gender roles, their ability to be both a Prince and a Bride. It is the ability to be able to rescue, to support and to be rescued by those they care about that allows them to happily live within the world.
Alternatively, it is the one character who refuses to change, Akio, who is left as he was, trapped within the school and the duels, trapped with his own frustration and unhappiness, a coffin of his own creation. It is his refusal to consider taking on the Bride role that condemns him to this. Likewise, it is Anthy's determination to save Utena, to go beyond her own prescribed role and brave the outside world itself for Utena's sake, that finally cements her freedom and future happiness.
In the end, the message of Utena is highly positive one. It is one that promotes equality not just between the sexes, but within each individual. It shows the neccessity of change and adaption, the way that we defeat and doom ourselves by clinging to remnants of who we used to be. It shows us the learning and growing are things that must continue throughout our lives to remain fulfilled. Ultimately, it shows us that happiness cannot be achieved without facing the difficulty of changing, but that if we open ourselves to new experiences, if we do not limit ourselves only to the known, that happiness is waiting for us.
***
Or, that's my five cents worth anyway. Man, that took a lot longer than I thought. I'm going to bed now to watch Fifth Element (love that film!) and tape ASH in Spooks.
jmtorres, who mentioned her Revolutionary Girl Utena fic, Running Away, to me. (If you've seen the end of the series, go watch it. It's highly enjoyable with a very convincing Utena POV. If you haven't seen the end, why are you wasting time online when you could be watching a great series like RGU?!)Anyway, between that fic and this rant on the feminism within RGU (Girl's Revolution:
An analysis of feminism in Shoujo Kakumei Utena) it got me thinking...
***
First off, I won't say that the essay is wrong, per se, just that that wasn't what I saw as the main message in Utena. Certainly, I can't deny that Utena, like most of the characters, goes through her own personal revolution, coming to terms with herself as a Prince. Certainly, the dichotomy between between Rose Bride/Witch can be seen as a clear reference to the old fashioned division between Good Girl/Bad Woman that permeates society, and was especially common during in the 1950s, and the series itself can say a lot about the status and the social interpretation of women, but it wasn't the main theme that stood out to me.
The main issue to me seemed not to be that girls don't need a prince waiting at the end of the road, rather it is a case of everyone occasionally needs a Prince. Or more correctly, that every occasionally needs to play the role of the Bride and trust a Prince to save them. This is not to say that everyone needs a man in their life, because we have seen through the series that the role of Prince is not gender specific.
Perhaps it would be better to say that the role is not sex specific. It does not rely on the actual biological sex of the player, but it does directly represent a certain gender roles, mainly that of the masculine hero. Just as the role of Rose Bride (or simply Bride, as I would define those who give up their sword to another) represent the feminine gender role, the passive and supportive lover. Although there are certain aspects traditionally associated with each gender role that are represented by the Prince and Bride, there are also similarities. Each role is protective of the other, willing to sacrifice their life to save the other.
Throughout the series, we see that the role of Prince and Bride are not sex specific, but rather are roles that typify the best and most worthy behaviour of each gender role. Just as one does not have to be male to a Prince, likewise, being male does not automatically make one a Prince. Sex has no correlation to the gender role. The roles themselves are taken on according to the situation, depending on the relationships involved. The roles are not permanent or predetermined.
This is what I consider to be the main message in RGU. It is not just a matter of choosing to be a Prince, as Utena did, it is the honest desire to be a prince to protect someone else, that makes you a Prince. A Prince is not dishonest nor scheming, like Touga. Being "chivalrous" and charming to women cannot make him a Prince, regardless of how popular he tries to be, because beneath it all is a self-serving desire to further his own interests, to gain power, to becaome a Prince for his own ego.
Saionji cannot be a Prince as long as he uses his power to dominate others, to physically bully them into submission. It is the protection, the honest striving to do well for someone else's sake that creates the Prince. Hence, it is only when Utena has given up on becoming a Prince, has lost faith in herself and her abilities, and yet struggles on to save Anthy regardless, simply because she cannot abandon her, that she becomes a Prince. It had nothing to do with wearing a boys uniform, being great at sports or admired by the girls of the school. It had everything to do with selflessly risking yourself for another.
However, the important thing to note is that a Prince is not a permanent role, it is not something that you try to be, it is simply something that you are when the occasion arises. You cannot try to be a Prince without there being some measure of ego involved, of self-profit, even if it is only feeling good about your actions. It is something that happens for a moment in time. You are not expected to continually be perfect, but it is those random moments of heroism that have the greatest effect on another's life.
The only two characters that attempt to honestly break this rule of temporary roles, is the Rose Prince and the Rose Bride themselves. They are set up as fairytales, as ideals, as perfect beings who can always be heroic and selfless. It is the clinging to these roles that dooms the two. From the flashbacks, we can see that together, the Rose Prince and Rose Bride were a formidable force. Considering that it is only with the Rose Bride that we see the sword of Dios, I have always considered that as much as the Rose Bride depends upon the Rose Prince, the Rose Prince in turn draws his strength from her. They are united as a couple, a perfectly matched pair that can withstand anything that the world will throw at them. Except change.
It is their refusal to change that dooms this ideal. Although we see swords and pitchforks in their scenes, we also see modern medical equipment, showing that this ideal is not as ancient, not as timeless, as we might otherwise assume. Or more correctly, that the ideal will survive as long as it is placed outside the real world, in "long ago times". I would note that we see proof of the passing of time, of reality as we know it, as they are forced to change. Once considered realistically, the Rose Prince will die if he continues to be a Prince to everyone. It is a burden that not even the ideal can achieve forever.
It is his refusal to change that forces the Rose Bride to change, to become the Witch. And, I would consider that the Witch is a seperate entity, just as Akio is a seperate entity to Dios. These are the fallen remains of our ideals. For everything good and worthy of admiration in them has been corrupted by neccessity. Everything about the Rose Prince that was honest, noble, protective has become devious, manipulating, callous of others. He has become Lucifer, the Prince of Lies, in the literal sense, and in the religious sense of having fallen from grace.
Likewise, the Rose Bride's traits have changed. The Rose Bride was gracious, caring, protective, like the Rose Prince she was honest and trustworthy. However, she too has fallen, has become the Witch, has become devious, scheming, uncaring, selfish. I cannot say that this is the all the Rose Bride's fault. She follows her archetype and protects her beloved, he however will not refuse others, he will cling to his role to the whole world until it kills him and leaves the Rose Bride abandoned. It is impossible to blame one or the other for their fall, it is simply inevitable. While the players are human, the roles themselves can only be temporary.
It is the clinging desperation to refuse to change that corrupts the ideals almost beyond recognition. The roles themselves can be taken on temporarily, when needed, but cannot be sustained permanently. The individuals themselves need to change, need to accept who they are and who they can be. They cannot simply cling to one role, but must aknowledge and accept that they have the possiblity within them to play both roles. In this way, there is an equalising force within and between the characters. It can be argued that the Rose Prince and Rose Bride would not have fallen had they allowed themselves to swap roles. If she had been allowed to stand as a Prince to protect him, if he had taken the role of Bride and supported her, and allowed himself to be saved.
It is this absolute force of change, and this need for balance and equality that is at the heart RGU. The characters who end up happy are those who are forced to relinquish the roles that they have claimed for themselves and to acknowledge their own ability to change. They are the characters who have stepped out of the roles they have created for themselves and become something different. They have faced the difficulty of change and have embraced both sides of the the traditional gender roles, their ability to be both a Prince and a Bride. It is the ability to be able to rescue, to support and to be rescued by those they care about that allows them to happily live within the world.
Alternatively, it is the one character who refuses to change, Akio, who is left as he was, trapped within the school and the duels, trapped with his own frustration and unhappiness, a coffin of his own creation. It is his refusal to consider taking on the Bride role that condemns him to this. Likewise, it is Anthy's determination to save Utena, to go beyond her own prescribed role and brave the outside world itself for Utena's sake, that finally cements her freedom and future happiness.
In the end, the message of Utena is highly positive one. It is one that promotes equality not just between the sexes, but within each individual. It shows the neccessity of change and adaption, the way that we defeat and doom ourselves by clinging to remnants of who we used to be. It shows us the learning and growing are things that must continue throughout our lives to remain fulfilled. Ultimately, it shows us that happiness cannot be achieved without facing the difficulty of changing, but that if we open ourselves to new experiences, if we do not limit ourselves only to the known, that happiness is waiting for us.
***
Or, that's my five cents worth anyway. Man, that took a lot longer than I thought. I'm going to bed now to watch Fifth Element (love that film!) and tape ASH in Spooks.
no subject
Alternatively, it is the one character who refuses to change, Akio, who is left as he was, trapped within the school and the duels, trapped with his own frustration and unhappiness, a coffin of his own creation.
The one problem I have with this is that Akio plays havoc on everyone's minds at the end, wiping Utena from memory much as he did Mikage. The second to last episode(s) did show the duellists becoming... more accepting of life outside of duelling, happier with the thought of doing something else--but I wonder, after Akio mindwipes Utena from them all, and presumably the entire duelling mess--does this take the *choice* of change away from them? Does it matter whether they had already made the choice to change if the actual change itself is wiped away with memory of the previous state?
no subject
The one problem I have with this is that Akio plays havoc on everyone's minds at the end, wiping Utena from memory much as he did Mikage.
Now here, I think you have the advantage of a better acquaintance with the series. My memory is... sketchy at best. At the end of the Black Rose Saga, Mikage changed, left, and was forgotten by the others. However, it was my impression that the changes still stood. The other characters had dueled and changed...
the trouble is that off the top of my head, I can't say for certain that any of the characters retained the changes they made in the Black Rose Saga. Tsuwabuki seems to change from his romantic interest in Nanami to adopt a more brotherly role, but from memory, I can't be certain that any of the girls showed permanent proof of their experiences.
The second to last episode(s) did show the duellists becoming... more accepting of life outside of duelling, happier with the thought of doing something else--but I wonder, after Akio mindwipes Utena from them all, and presumably the entire duelling mess--does this take the *choice* of change away from them?
Well, I have an issue with this, simply because although he does mindwipe the school, it's not a case of they all simply forget her as they did Mikage. She has not become simply a myth from years ago, there are different memories of her. Apart from the inner duelists, she was easily recognised by the rest of the school, although not well-known.
Plus, the characters are shown changing, evolving, and I think it is the decision to change that weakens Akio's power over them. Those who change completely, leave the school and Akio's power over them cannot keep them there. But, those who cling to their old position, such as Saionji in the first arc who spends most of his energy trying to keep the status of Victor, seem to be most suseptible to Akio's power, most easily manipulated.
Of course, another theory is that without Anthy he would be unable to continue the duels and keep the school in continual adolescence. Anthy has always supported his plans as the Rose Bride/Witch, either in her own form or in that of Mamiya.
Does it matter whether they had already made the choice to change if the actual change itself is wiped away with memory of the previous state?
Because the change itself would be rendered useless because they wouldn't remember choosing it? It has to count for something. They still went through the experience of breaking through their own barriers. Very much like the Student council motto, if they do not break through their own shells, they will die trapped inside them. But if they break through once, I'm sure that even if they don't consciously remember it, it would make it easier for them to do so again.
I wish I could argue this with more coherency. There's nothing I enjoy more than discussing a series like Utena, if only because it really makes me think.
Re:
Mikage was wiped from history, from existence at all; Akio said so.
I've never been able to properly figure out if the black rose duels then actually happened, or not. The only shred of evidence I've got is that Utena knows about Juri's feelings for Shiori in like the third to last episode, when they're playing tennis--you remember that? The question of how Utena knows has two answers--either she remembers what she learned in the Black Rose Saga, or she found it out some other way along the way.
it's not a case of they all simply forget her as they did Mikage. She has not become simply a myth from years ago, there are different memories of her.
Actually, by contrast with Mikage (who, as I said, was removed from history by Akio), becoming a myth is kind of a fair description of what happened to Utena at Ohtori. People vaguely remember she was there, and someone says they think she left because she got sick and is in the hospital, but if I recall correctly, even those people who knew her personally don't know that she was stabbed in the final duel, with Akio and Anthy, don't remember her role as a duellist, and have forgotten how close they were to her. For some reason I think the blurring of memory is most pronounced in Wakaba, who never duelled (except in the Black Rose Saga) but I could be pulling that out of my ass. I do remember people not even knowing her name, talking about her as "some girl in the hospital" which strikes me as pretty darn erased.
I think it is the decision to change that weakens Akio's power over them.
I think that's true--but he still has the power to fuck with their memories, apparently. It could be argued that Anthy makes the most drastic decision to change, by refusing to be Akio's victim any longer, and that the measure and the specific nature of the change both contribute to the fact that she remembers everything while no one else does--or it could be argued that Anthy would have remembered even if she remained the Rose Bride, because she was... special, whatever she and Akio were.
if they do not break through their own shells, they will die trapped inside them.
If you put it that way... *chews on this* We don't remember being born, but that doesn't mean we weren't. If you wanted to say that as adolescents, the students were in some way emotionally embryonically, still partially unformed, but the choices they made on the way to adulthood were parallel to birth... or maybe rebirth... or... Hm.
I still want to say that I don't see how the choices, the changes, can be permanent if they're not remembered. Did the whole experience ingrain behavior modifcation even through amnesia?
I wish I could argue this with more coherency. There's nothing I enjoy more than discussing a series like Utena, if only because it really makes me think.
*grinning* Utena fun.