This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)

#1 | Back to Top12-07-2009 02:51:02 PM

minervana
High Tripper
Registered: 10-10-2009
Posts: 246

Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

My least favorite is Chu-Chu. As comedic relief he sort of falls flat, at least in the anime. His voice also irritates me.

EDIT - I didn't realize this was a sensitive topic. So, please read these guidelines:

If you dislike a character, please explain why. Avoid using swear words If someone lambasts your favorite character resist the impulse to get personal with them. Respect other people's opinions, and their right to have them.

Last edited by minervana (12-07-2009 07:59:44 PM)

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#2 | Back to Top12-07-2009 03:10:09 PM

winksniper
Qualified Duellist
From: Under the Cherry Moon
Registered: 09-11-2009
Posts: 764

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Nanami (+Aiko, Yuuko, Keiko), Shiori, Wakaba.

Nanami because:
-she's a bitch for no apparent reason.
-she has this "I'm better than everybody" air about her.
-she sucks up to everyone she thinks she can get something out of.
- & the other three because they're mindless followers who are only after her brother, which, I must admit, is one of the few reasons why I pity Nanami.

Shiori because:
-I'm a Juri fan.
-Shiori has a reason to be a bitch, but it's only a part of her own inferiority complex.
-She goes and does all this stuff to Juri, then expects her to be all buddy-buddy again with her when she transfers back to Ohtori and has no friends.
-In my opinion, there's no reason to pity her.

Wakaba because:
-She's too nice.
-She's too normal.
-Her voice annoys me.
-Her completely 100% positive attitude annoys me.
-The fact that she (and pretty much everyone else in Ohtori like her) is totally blind to the whole dueling thing.

Those were my opinions.
Please don't argue with me about them.

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#3 | Back to Top12-07-2009 03:28:35 PM

Alithea
Dark Whisperer
From: Westminster, CO
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 1152
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

This almost feels like a trick question...

Nanami has never been one of my favorite characters, but like all characters in the show I see her nesscessity. I also reveled in her episodes later in the series when comic relief was in need. I point to the egg episode.

Utena has also never been one of my favorite characters if only becuase there is naiveté  and then there is naiveté. I mean, really, but then over the years I've met people like that so there you go.

This still feels like a trick question mostly becuase after years of being in the fandom my reaction to characters has changed. I don't think there are any characters I actively hate, so much as I don't prefer. Although, in fairness Touga, Saionji and Akio used to cause major fan rage in me, so did Ruka for that matter. But now I can see the benefits and faults of the entire cast. I think Utena and Nanami remain at the top of my list mostly becuase I find it hard to write for them and really truly understand their point of view.

Ok that's enough rambling from me.


"The only reason to write is to write for love. Write for passion. If you have the privilege of being able to write, then don't do it for any other reason." - Stephen Sondheim

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#4 | Back to Top12-07-2009 04:33:00 PM

dollface
Postmistress Elf of Subtext
From: North Carolina
Registered: 11-17-2006
Posts: 5086
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Like Alithea, it's hard for me to point fingers here; in Utena, everyone is flawed, everyone is fucked-up, and everyone has a reason to be blamed. However, that adds to their character, and it makes them more realistic. There might be a character who makes my blood boil, but the series would not be the same without them. In that regard, it's rather hypocritical to point out the flaws in one character while overlooking them in the others. All in all, it's dangerous territory.


ah, man does not exist; ah, within the darkness; ah, the sound of the waves

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#5 | Back to Top12-07-2009 06:05:09 PM

minervana
High Tripper
Registered: 10-10-2009
Posts: 246

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

I agree dollface--except I don't think it's dangerous topic. You can have a least favorite character even if you understand why they're necessary. I don't really care for Saionji, for example, but I can appreciate what he adds to the story.

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#6 | Back to Top12-07-2009 06:11:18 PM

spoon-san
Someday Shiner
Registered: 03-18-2009
Posts: 3423

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Characters I hate?  Plenty. 

I hate Touga, Akio, do not care for Nanami at all, and Saionji is just a prick. 

It's not to say that I don't respect Akio's intelligence and class or Nanami's and Saionji's general lol-worthiness.  I just don't actually like them and feel no need to. 

Really, other than a few characters with enough good-naturedness or redemptive qualities, I just don't like a lot of them.  I'm speaking as someone who puts herself into the story when watching SKU and only a handful of the characters you meet are those I could imagine trusting or being friends with.  I really don't care if other people think the others are great.  I'm merely speaking from my own point of view and have no apologies about that.

edit:  And again, my sentiments have softened since coming here.  And I agree hate is a strong word.  Too strong for my own sentiments.  And I forget this is not like elsewhere on the Internet where people just say...stuff.  I'll try to be less liberal in expressing my opinion in the future and be a better self-censor.  I'm used to having my fav characters being called things like emo and such and I don't like it.  I guess I got 'used to it' and figure it's fiction, anyways.  Just throwing that out there.  But if these were real people, I would feel much this way.  Hence why I think their characters are written so well.

Last edited by spoon-san (12-07-2009 09:07:55 PM)

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#7 | Back to Top12-07-2009 07:14:03 PM

OnlyInThisLight
KING OF ALL DUCKS
Registered: 01-15-2008
Posts: 4412

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

I don't mean to be snicky here, is it okay if we not use the word hate in this thread?  One, it's a rather strong wrong; I may have those who don't interest me as other characters, or find myself often disliking a character's choice or behavior, but really, I can't hate them...they aren't real and it all comes down to taste.  All that word would do on this forum is inadvertently hurt a fan's feelings, especially since, like dollface mentioned, each character in Utena is flawed and to hate one and love another is to be hypocritical on some level, and an argument to love or hate any particular character can be made.   

I mean, this is a "who is your least favorite character thread"  not a "what a fucking cumrag useless piece of animation."  I know it's been a sensitive topic on this forum before, the line between being overly sensitive while posting and outright rude, but I feel that when it comes to such a masterpiece like Utena, the subject and it's character's deserve at least a little bit more thought.

Ultimately, what offends one is entirely personal, and on the other side people have a right to say what they wish and vent,  and whether or not this thread is for semi-or totally serious hate-filled rants is up to minerva.  If it is the latter I'll mind my own business and just have the sense not to look at this thread if I'm not comfortable with the content.

That said, my least favorite has to be Juri.  I don't dislike her, quite the opposite.  If I met her in real life I would probably find her pretty engaging.  But I love psychological train-wrecks and Juri was a bit too easy for me to figure out, and I've never been much into romantic plots, so while I can appreciate her character and the intricacies of it and her relationships, it's just not to my personal taste.  Her and Miki are my bottom two, Miki being there for much the same reasons.  There isn't really any character's in Utena I dislike, so saying that they are the bottom of my list is kind of like saying they are at the bottom of a top 10 bests list.

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#8 | Back to Top12-07-2009 07:55:07 PM

minervana
High Tripper
Registered: 10-10-2009
Posts: 246

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Ultimately, what offends one is entirely personal, and on the other side people have a right to say what they wish and vent,  and whether or not this thread is for semi-or totally serious hate-filled rants is up to minerva.  If it is the latter I'll mind my own business and just have the sense not to look at this thread if I'm not comfortable with the content.

I hope that everyone in this forum can keep it civil. If you dislike a character, please explain why. If someone totally lambasts your favorite character resist the impulse to get personal with them.

I'll post some guidelines in the first post; I didn't realize this was a sensitive topic. Here are some examples (opinions not mine, just examples):

Civil post:

I despise Touga. He seems like the kind of person who will never have to experience a consequence in his life, who'll sail into a prestigious university and then a well-paying job. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but it makes it hard to sympathize with him, and part of me wants to see him suffer, out of schadenfreude and hope that it will develop his empathy. I still wouldn't like him though.

Inappropriate post:

I despise Touga. He's a prick and an insensitive jack-ass. I can appreciate that he's smart and handsome, but he totally fucks over Nanami and everyone else in the show. In short he's a dick. A rich dick.

I'd rather not ban the word "hate." Let's just keep it civil folks.

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#9 | Back to Top12-07-2009 07:55:18 PM

SleepDebtFairy
Revolutionary
From: Washington DC
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2096
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Yeah. I agree with what others have said, I can't really "hate" or dislike a character in Utena too much because every character in the show is fucked up so pointing out the flaws in one character while every character is flawed is a tad hypocritical.. I mean, I guess to word it better I could say I dislike the flaws in a certain character while in another character I "forgive" their flaws or something. I am also realizing how this forum has changed my perspective on characters, giving me a deeper insight into each character, even as seemingly pointless of a character like, say, Keiko. (That essay on her was really good).

These are the characters that made my blood boil when I first watched the series, however. You know.. the first time you watch the show, when you don't understand it as much? Yeah, then:

Nanami and Shiori especially, and Touga and Saionji.. Akio too, but I understood he was supposed to piss me off.. these characters really pissed me off in the beginning. (well, except for the final episodes with Nanami in them. She grew on me a little, but I really really couldn't stand her at first.) Now I don't really hate these characters and feel like I understand them and sympathize with them better. Except maybe Touga.. Touga and Saionji are perfect examples of the misogynistic males that I hate (Saionji being more physically misogynistic and Touga being more emotionally and truly misogynistic) and I couldn't stand them at first... yet now I understand their purpose in that well, they're supposed to represent misogynistic males and have a purpose in the story. And that they're much deeper than that, of course.

I can't really go into character flaws too much, because hey, Anthy is my favorite character. etc-love And Utena.. well, her flaws I really love. A naive, innocent anime character that actually has the flaws of being innocent and naive instead of at the perfect time knowing what to magically say to make a person feel better.

Edit: As for a character I really dislike now.. I don't know! I have a little less sympathy for Touga than others, but methinks I just don't understand him as well.

Last edited by SleepDebtFairy (12-07-2009 07:57:29 PM)

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#10 | Back to Top12-07-2009 08:01:55 PM

Android raptor
Rose Smilee
From: North GA, USA
Registered: 08-11-2009
Posts: 126
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Ruka. If I were Juri, he would've ended up loosing his ability to reproduce, if not just as a side-effect of self defense. The guy made me really fricken' uneasy emot-gonk emot-gonk emot-gonk

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#11 | Back to Top12-07-2009 11:00:53 PM

Duelist Megu
Ruthless Deflorist
From: Calgary, AB
Registered: 12-07-2007
Posts: 303
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Android raptor wrote:

Ruka. If I were Juri, he would've ended up loosing his ability to reproduce, if not just as a side-effect of self defense. The guy made me really fricken' uneasy emot-gonk emot-gonk emot-gonk

I feel the same.  Even if he's ultimately trying to help Juri or whatever, he still has a strong "creeper" vibe, at least when viewed through the fourth wall.  I mean, not having that fourth wall I can totally see why Shiori was all over him.  But extremely "uneasy" what I felt in the scene where he pins Juri's hands or whatever...

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#12 | Back to Top12-07-2009 11:52:04 PM

Nilamarthiel
The Icon Icon
From: Northern Michigan
Registered: 02-05-2007
Posts: 3972
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

I can honestly say that I am vastly annoyed by Tokiko, and I really can't pinpoint why. There's something about her mannerisms that I Do Not Like. I dunno, she seems very robotic for someone who came from the "Outside World". Maybe "real" adults are supposed to be portrayed as somewhat mechanical? Because that's the vibe I get from her.

I don't really like Utena's Aunt Yurika very much, either. If I recall correctly from the manga [I haven't read it in sooo long. I should get it out sometime.], Yurika was planning on keeping her relationship a secret from Utena, possibly for a while, and was going to shack up with him in Amsterdam. Because that is exactly the kind of role model you wanna be, right? emot-rolleyes

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#13 | Back to Top12-08-2009 12:03:09 AM

Razara
Marionette Mistress
From: Wuzzy Happy Akio Town (What?)
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 4694

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

I've never liked Suzuki, Yamada, and Tanaka. Odds are, I never will.

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#14 | Back to Top12-08-2009 02:03:23 PM

Arreat
Ohtori Paramouri
From: Grans Pulse
Registered: 10-08-2009
Posts: 94

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Saionji. I've never really cared for him much.

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#15 | Back to Top12-08-2009 06:34:20 PM

Nights1stStar
Ballgoer
From: Clawing Out of Her Coffin
Registered: 02-04-2009
Posts: 157

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Akio Yes, some like him for being a souless shell of a man, but for others, it produces the opposite effect.


"To copulate is to enter another...and the artist never emerges from herself."
-Charles Bauldelaire

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#16 | Back to Top12-08-2009 06:48:51 PM

Katieryn
Rose Smilee
From: Not-the-City, NY
Registered: 12-08-2009
Posts: 139

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Nanami's henchwomen. Irritating, smarmy little suck-ups. Aside from Keiko Black-Rosing it, they serve no significant plot purpose that I can see.

Although I do like their male counterparts.


"If Utena was a novel, you'd be studying it in college." -- EM site info

We're patient for now, and we're patient for tomorrow, when the past will redeem all the toil extreme and all the sorrow.

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#17 | Back to Top12-08-2009 08:34:13 PM

hollow_rose
Egghead
From: Ohio
Registered: 10-26-2008
Posts: 1074

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Tsuwabuki.  Nanami has enough problems with Touga as a big brother, she didn't need to deal with him, too.


20 threads dead so far.

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#18 | Back to Top04-02-2010 11:32:00 AM

Maruku
New Student
Registered: 04-02-2010
Posts: 6

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

winksniper wrote:

Nanami because:
-she has this "I'm better than everybody" air about her.

Well she's a Leo, she can. emot-tongue

I can't be friends with Touga. He's the least interesting character for me.
Mainly because he represents everybody's darling because he's so "handsome".
Well for me he's not. Akio definitely outshines him.

Last edited by Maruku (04-02-2010 11:35:17 AM)

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#19 | Back to Top04-02-2010 02:15:56 PM

Arki
Dark Whisperer
From: Croatia
Registered: 10-28-2006
Posts: 1123

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

No... I can't say I dislike any character. But the title of the thread says "least favourite", so I'll go with that.

Ruka, Saionji and Touga.

I do believe I've actively disliked Ruka once upon a time, but... I've changed my mind since. I don't think any of the characters in the show are people I'd hang out with. Most of the show you don't even see them hanging out between themselves. They're mostly just duelling and trying to figure out their own shit while the other characters get in their way. Which is why that badminton scene comes as a breath of fresh air. Very significant. But you know, that's part of why I love this show so much.

Every single one of the characters is flawed. Even Dios was flawed in the sense of not being able to save everyone. Saying one character is more flawed or less deserving of being forgiven would be a strictly subjective opinion. I picked Ruka, Saionji and Touga because they're characters I've never felt compelled to analyse as much as I did with Juri & Shiori or Miki & Kozue. That isn't to say they're any less deserving of it, but it's a reflection of my own personality which finds some character dynamics more interesting than other. So yush. Me luffs me some Saionji and Touga, too.

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#20 | Back to Top04-03-2010 10:07:07 AM

HonorableShadow
Thorn of Death
From: Ohio
Registered: 11-03-2006
Posts: 482

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Probably Touga.  Not because he makes me angry or anything and I don't hate him.  But I don't like him because I find him so boring.  I mean, he's just there, and he seems kind of pointless to me.  I found it hard to care about anything he did.


I'll show you a sight you've never seen before.

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#21 | Back to Top04-03-2010 09:49:54 PM

crystalwren
Dark Whisperer
From: Brisbane
Registered: 04-21-2009
Posts: 1172
Website

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Saionji.

He's extremely well written and extremely believable, without a doubt. But he's an extremely well written and extremely believable wanking prat. This is weird even to myself considering I love Kozue and Shori, but I suspect that the actual physical domestic violence is a breaker for me.

Also not overly fond of Touga, the budding little organisational psychopath.

Don't like Akio much. Don't really get the OMG TEH SEXY. Man's a fucking paedophile.

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#22 | Back to Top04-04-2010 04:54:34 PM

Scortia
Rose Bride
From: Louisiana
Registered: 12-23-2006
Posts: 116

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Shiori simply is the one who pisses me off the most.  She's so self-serving in a very petty, realistic way.  It's like I've known dozens of people like her so I know how she ticks and it angers me.  I can't stand people who are vindictive out of jealousy of those who are more popular than themselves.  CAN'T STAND IT. 

Touga annoys the hell out of me.  His growth is somewhat interesting by the end, but he goes from a desire to be a useful prince to desiring too much power.  Too manipulative, manwhorish, eww. 

Tokiko just BOTHERS me.  It's like Uma Thurman, I have no idea why but I can't stand her. emot-tongue

Juri angers me the most in terms of being unable to get over her issues.  I want to shake her so she'll get over Shiori and live her life.

Nanami is such a target for jokes that I can't hate her.  So she was a kitty killer as a child, she was not raised in the best of circumstances and was a foolish child.  Meh, not a biggy.   Saionji, also, is pretty damaged goods.  As a kid he started on a complex that ruined him.  I always view Saionji as a person who has great intuition into other people's characters but no tact or patience to express it properly.

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#23 | Back to Top04-14-2010 08:36:46 PM

AsukaRen
New Student
Registered: 04-13-2010
Posts: 2

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

My least favorite character(s)

I guess Shiroi.  Perhaps it's because of how she is towards Juri or maybe it's because of her deep seated insecurity. 

Kozue is another one, I understand that feels shadowed by her brother, but perhaps my issue if how she deals with it. I wonder if she realizes that Miki wants to have a brother/sister relationship with her?  I don't know, maybe she does, but doesn't know how to go about doing that. 

Nanami, well I don't care much for her big brother complex. I also don't like how she thinks she's somehow superior to everyone else. Though I find it funny when gets picked on by Anthy.  emot-rofl  So I can't really hate the poor girl.

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#24 | Back to Top04-14-2010 09:14:41 PM

OnlyInThisLight
KING OF ALL DUCKS
Registered: 01-15-2008
Posts: 4412

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

Scortia wrote:

Touga annoys the hell out of me.... goes from a desire to be a useful prince to desiring too much power.

I think you've got that switched around.

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#25 | Back to Top04-15-2010 05:35:05 PM

poetoffire
Mikage Mistruster
Registered: 01-27-2010
Posts: 65

Re: Who's Your Least Favorite Character?

After watching Nanami's first duel episodes, I said to myself: Touga likes cats and is sarcastic and I think he's an awesome character.  Nanami killed a cat and is annoying and spiteful and useless, I'll never feel anything but hatred toward her.

By the end of the series, yes, Nanami's episodes still irritated me because they're a little too much sometimes, but when her Akio duel came around I felt such pity for the poor girl who had her entire life broken down by the person she most cared about because he was so self-serving and power hungry.  After that, Touga never redeemed himself in my eyes.  I saw his sudden romance with Utena as him deluding himself and I believed he would never truly be capable of that emotion in those circumstances.  He's no better than Saionji idolizing Anthy in that respect.

So:

Touga, for what he did to Nanami and his total disregard for others
Chuchu, for generally being creepy-looking and not adding enough to the plot (I get he might have symbolism, but honestly, I think the narrative would be better if he wasn't around so much)
Shiori, for reasons previously mentioned by others.  I understand why she does what she does, but that doesn't mean I have to like her as a person.  As a character...I guess I'm looking for a little more depth, like Kozue protecting the baby bird.

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