brian said:
to the vampire caricature of the man she once loved.

Let it be duly noted that she's at a fault for Akio becoming the way he is now.

dlynnishmel wrote:

P.D.M. wrote:

Let it be duly noted that she's at a fault for Akio becoming the way he is now.

But her brother is not secured, not charmed "to love only her", and she doesn't admire his attention very much.

It's arguable that that it's "all her fault" but not obvious. Saying that seems to exonerate Akio and deprive him of all free will and moral accountability and that seems suspect and unfair.

When Anthy set things in motion she did not anticipate accurately how it all would turn out. That's true for a lot of things people start.

A lot of interpretation for this point depends on which version you are discussing. If you watch the movie, it sounds like Akio wasn't a prince at all -- Anthy just wished he was one. The manga version she also seems more of a victim, sacrificing herself to protect him. They seem more on equal footing in the anime.

In episode 34, we are presented with two distinct versions of "The Tale of the Rose."  In one, Himemiya solely and knowingly masterminds a scheme to keep her brother away from the world.  In another, Himemiya attempts to save her brother from the negative consequences of his dedication to Princeliness.  I believe it's generally accepted that the second version (the animated version, rather than the shadow play) is the less biased version (Himemiya's statement at the barn door continues to lend her actions all the necessary moral ambiguity needed).

Please give Himemiya the same credit you give Akio.  She did something--"crime" is far too strong a word--with presumably mixed motives: some good and selfless, some bad and selfish.  That action ended up warping (possibly even "destroying") the thing she loved most and was trying to save.  Save and have to herself?  Possibly, yes.  However, as a result, she got what she had wanted all along, but in a very corrupted form.  It's bittersweet and guilty.  That is also enough for an ideology crisis. 

Is it any wonder that Anthy thereafter sees herself as a dirty Witch deserving of punishment?  Our "hero" Utena, however, disagrees with Anthy's own assessment.  Our "villain" Akio even admits that he initially saw Anthy as "a goddess who sacrificed herself for the one she loved" and allows that she may have been exactly that, once, but that "now she is a Witch."  We're not bound to agree fully with either character's assessment, obviously, but if Utena isn't ready to write Anthy off as a "criminal" after all Anthy did, it's enough for a second look.

However, Utena is not terribly insightful, so I doubt her opinion as to whether Anthy wants to be the Rose Bride or enjoys being a Witch is necessarily accurate.  I have trouble believing that any person (and so, by extension, characters that represent people) ever takes an action for only one reason, pure or impure.  I refer to Anthy's own words for her feelings about being the Rose Bride.  "Because I'm the Rose Bride...because I'm a doll with no heart.  I thought that no matter what befell my body, my heart wouldn't feel the pain.  My suffering is my rightful punishment as the Rose Bride. ... I'm a dirty woman, I've betrayed you all along."  Doesn't sound like she 100% likes it or that she got exactly what she expected.

Last edited by rhyaniwyn (11-17-2008 04:51:56 PM)