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 Top04-28-2016 07:13:31 PM

DrCornelius
Saionji Slapper
Registered: 06-15-2010
Posts: 26

Utena vs Zombies

Had a fun little idea earlier : What group of Utena Characters would be best suited to survive a zombie apocalpyse?

Here's my choices, with reasoning;

1.Utena

All-around probably the best pick. Skilled fighter, and cooperative without any major hang-ups. Friendly with all the other members except Saionji. Main flaw is a lack of foresight and not thinking things through - Miki's presence as a strategist would help.

2.Juri

Another great pick - An intelligent and skilled fighter. Less cooperative than Utena, but has a rational mindset most of the time, would be willing to work together for the greater good. She seemed to have a fondness for Miki, I could see her being like a bodyguard of sorts for him. With Shiori gone, I could see her maybe redirecting that affection towards Utena/Miki/Wakaba...or falling into a major depression. But their positive influence might prevent that, or at least help her out of the slump.


3.Miki

The smartest member(?). Very valuable asset. Has combat, investigative and planning skills. Gets along with everyone else in the group, very cooperative. Might be considered physically weak by Saionji, but I think he could prove himself if forced to. If not, he would still be too valuable for the others to abandon him. Main flaw is a lack of confidence but I think Juri in particular would help remedy this.

4.Saionji

The strongest member physically(?) but also the least stable mentally. He's a risky addition, but could potentially pay off big time.
His interest in traditional values and explosive rage could be useful, in making him act like a protective father for the group, and redirecting his anger against zombies could be very effective in fighting them off.
Since there's no other BIG STRONG MEN in the group, this could provide a confidence boost.

5,Wakaba

Likes all the other members - very good for social cohesion.
Appears to have some level of experience in intelligence gathering, which will be very useful.
Very fond of Saionji, which will be very important in keeping him from abandoning the group or doing anything too crazy. Following that line of thinking, Wakaba would certainly be willing to be Saionji's wife - which Utena and Juri would not. I could see this being a major source of contention later on, which Wakaba's presence would prevent.
Not much of a fighter - but this is made up for by the presence of Utena and 3 student council members. If Saionji is "Group Dad", she would be "Group Mom".



So what are your picks? What set of 5 do you think would be LEAST suited to survive?

Last edited by DrCornelius (04-28-2016 07:16:13 PM)

Offline

 

#2 | Back to Top04-30-2016 08:26:08 AM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
Website

Re: Utena vs Zombies

That's a seriously good choice of group.

DrCornelius wrote:

Since there's no other BIG STRONG MEN in the group, this could provide a confidence boost.

And the rest of the group is three women and a seventh-grade boy who most non-anime-fluent viewers assume is a woman for the first four episodes.  At such a time as this, protecting women and children is the cumbersome but honorable burden of a man of the house of Saionji!  emot-rolleyes  The only problem with him is that Utena and Juri are not going to be all "Saionji-sama, thank you for rescuing me" -- I suspect they'll rescue him more often than vice versa, because his damn fool head is going to get him into trouble -- and that will threaten his ego.

If I'm putting together the most survivable group, I want to swap out Saionji for Ruka.  Ruka is at least as strong a fighter as Saionji, but has a cooler head and will stay unconditionally in any group that has Juri in it.  You don't need Saionji to keep Wakaba, because Utena is still here.  And with both Ruka and Juri here, I feel less like I need Miki, which is good because I think he's very likely to crack under pressure.  The problem is who to replace him with.  I've been staring at a list of characters for several minutes and I can't find someone who I think is better for the group than Miki.  My best try is Tokiko, who (at her age at the time of the series) is wily enough to think up unconventional plans and is likely to take her responsibility as an adult seriously.  But as far as we know she can't fight, and she might be too old to run away from zombies every day, clamber up buildings to escape the walking dead, etc.  Plus none of the other four knows who she even is, though I bet she could tell them some seriously good campfire stories.

Worst group?  I don't think there's one unique worst group, because there are so many ways to create the world's worst social dynamics.  Akio, Anthy, Utena, Mikage, and maybe Touga seems like a good try.  But just for poetry's sake, my pick would be to start with your best group -- Utena, Juri, Miki, Saionji, Wakaba -- and then just trade Wakaba out for Anthy, a substitution that instantly turns a very good group into a very bad group.  If Wakaba is social glue, Anthy is social poison, at least among those five.  If I want to tweak it a little more, I'd also switch Touga in for Juri, because no one in that group hates Juri, while Utena and Saionji both have problems with Touga.

And just for fun, how about a pick for the sleeper best group?  Wakaba, Tatsuya, Nanami, Tsuwabuki, Kanae.  There are advantages to having a group of "normal" people; I actually think they're more likely to be able to cope psychologically with the zombie apocalypse than people like Akio or Touga.  The only strong ego in this group is Nanami's, and Nanami doesn't have a social hierarchy to protect here; I think under those circumstances Nanami would be a good leader, as far as balancing the group's needs.  She might not be the most tactical-minded, but that's why you have Tsuwabuki to be the power behind the throne.  We don't know much about Kanae, but from her episode I see her as someone able to both fade to the back when that's a good idea and step forward when she's needed.  Wakaba and Nanami don't have much on-screen interaction -- do they have any?? -- but I think they'd be fast friends.  Tatsuya, of course, would follow Wakaba anywhere, and I think he's socially adept enough to get along well with all the others.  This group's Achilles heel is the ability to actually fight zombies, but it's a slow build.  If Tsuwabuki can protect them for the first couple weeks -- and I wouldn't bet against the little bastard -- then Tatsuya and Nanami are both people who would train hard to be able to defend the others, and I see Kanae as the one who sneaks around to the other side with a baseball bat and clonks the last zombie on the head as it's about to finish off Nanami.

Last edited by satyreyes (04-30-2016 08:33:11 AM)

Offline

 

#3 | Back to Top05-14-2016 09:27:52 AM

Nocturnalux
Qualified Duellist
From: Portugal
Registered: 09-10-2007
Posts: 741

Re: Utena vs Zombies

At first I was sure Nanami would kick the bucket right away but there is a chance that she might cope better with the sheer insanity of violent, animated corpses then the more reasonable characters. She might very well take it in stride.

But this whole premise now has be seeing Utena as Yuki from Gakkou Gurashi. Once thought it cannot be unthought. Hidden depths, pink hair, zombies...I see this working.

I agree that as part of a group Mikage might not fare too well but I suspect that he is the most likely to not only analyze the living dead as to maybe even harness them as his personal army. Let that highly comforting image linger for a bit.

Offline

 

#4 | Back to Top05-15-2016 05:05:11 PM

kamikazefinn
New Student
From: Georgia
Registered: 05-15-2016
Posts: 2
Website

Re: Utena vs Zombies

Utena's naivety would be her undoing.  She's the kind of person that is like "Why are the Shadow Girls shambling towards me?" before being chomped in the neck. 
Saionji would rage kill anything and preemptively kill anyone with anything resembling an infected bite or scratch. 
Miki would hole up well enough and come up with a good plan to leave but he's going to be chomped up before making it out.  Thanks for the brains!
Touga, I think about the slimy teacher in High School of the Dead that convinced all of the girls and some boys in some weird safety plan and I think that's a role Touga would try and emulate.
Nanami would have been with Miki's crew so she's got the plan, she got the ability.  She's no slouch.  Possible escape into a safety zone for her.
Wakaba would be in Saionji's group tailing behind him as he kills a straight path.  She actually helps to keep him sane so that he doesn't teeter into simply killing everyone and everything that he meets.  He cries when he has to kill her when he accidentally gets scratched because he slouched on defending her.
Black Rose Duelists are our patient zeros.  Mikage tried a different approach towards the seminars this time and this is how we got into this situation to begin with.
Ruka died prior to these events in my mind so we're not even going to consider him.
Anthy watches solemnly from the observatory as Akio looks over the data at his desk, he's the one that manipulated Mikage into trying this "new research" to bring the world revolution.  She doesn't flinch or move an inch as the zombies devour her brother after breaking down the door.

Offline

 

#5 | Back to Top08-23-2016 10:37:25 PM

Riri-kins
World's End
From: Cloud Nine
Registered: 09-22-2008
Posts: 2354

Re: Utena vs Zombies

I think there would be three main groups of survivors.

1. Juri, Miki, and Kozue

Juri is rational, observant, and athletic. Her and Miki's fencing skills would be great in fighting off hordes of zombies. Her and Kozue's sharpness would be useful when deciding which survivors to trust as well as being on zombie watch. Miki is also smart enough to learn to be a group doctor/cop/etc. If Juri and Miki died Kozue could always sleep her way into another group.

2. Nanami, Tsuwabuki, and Keiko

Nanami leads this mini gang of nomadic thieves during the apocalypse. Tsuwabuki occasionally mentions to her that he doesn't like to steal unnecessary things but he is too much in love with her to really press the matter. Keiko has survived by being the biggest sycophants in town and out of sheer luck. They are redeemed when defeated trying to rob Juri's group.

3. Akio and Touga

Akio is the richest man in the state so he already lives in a huge gated compound. Of course, all that land won't take care of itself so he offers survivors shelter...for a price. He's basically a baron with tons of indentured servants. Touga is his main goon and muscle who threatens any rebellious tenants. He secretly has been planning to assassinate Akio for years.


Proud Saionji and Mikage fangirl
My Utena fanfiction: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2000115/Riri-kins

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB 1.2.23
© Copyright 2002–2008 PunBB
Forum styled and maintained by Giovanna and Yasha
Return to Empty Movement