I never noticed until you pointed it out, but the student council is made up of a bunch of social failures. Sure they're looked up to, but no one has a desire to actually befriend them. Makes me think that's why Miki allows that pervert piano teacher to get close to him. Better to have a pervert want you than no one at all.

As for Miki and Juri I think you hit the nail on the head. Touga and Saionji just aren't very pleasing to have around and Nanami is too much of a stupid maniac to hangout with. The only option Juri and Miki have for companionship is eachother even if they aren't the best of friends. Juri sees Miki's vulnerability and faults and he's a rare species at Ohtori. Maybe she used to think the same way of Shiori? Miki may be looking for a big sister type since all little sisters seem to be twisted sex addicts. Despite being attracted to eachother they just don't have the ability or are too afraid to actually form friendships. So while we see them associate with eachother and act all chummy they will always keep a certain distance between them.

I just noticed Juri's jacket is unbuttoned in that first picture.

Anyway, I've always seen them as very close friends. Miki has shown admiration towards Juri, and Juri has shown very impressive understanding of Miki. ("Your imperfection is your strength. It's a power because of your purity. Your sword always has the force of your sincerity, and today it seems to be stronger than ever. Is it because of the girl whose answer sheet you're correcting?") They're often shown together during their free time outside the student council, either sparring or talking, so they obviously enjoy each other's company. I think they have a sort of "brother and sister" relationship... and no, not the usual Ohtori kind of. Juri watches over Miki and gives him advice whenever she can, and Miki looks up to Juri.

I always thought it was because both of them were so passionate about fencing. However, another thing they have in common is that they are perfectionists albeit for different reasons. Miki wants to please his parents. It's implied that he's the "good" child because he accomplishes so much. This is especially true in episode twenty-six when he defends Mr. and Mrs. Kaoru for writing to him and Kozue. Meanwhile, Juri simply wants to get stronger.

Moreover, I think Juri is friendlier than we think. She doesn't like Touga, Saionji, or Anthy, but that doesn't mean she's a grouchy hermit. Neither does it mean she's an untouchable arrogant celebrity. In fact, she goes out of her way to show other people that she's just as normal as they are. To illustrate, she nurses the hurt girl from the fencing club.

Chrome Homura wrote:

I wouldn't go so far as to say their relationship is akin to that of the traditional Brother/Sister sort (I.E minus the incestuous stigma of Ohtori) simply because they aren't entirely honest with eachother. They simply seem to have a mutual understanding that some subjects are not to be discussed, and they get along fairly well because they stick to that silent agreement.

I suppose it all comes down to what your definition of a brother/sister relationship is. I personally don't think that siblings have to be completely honest with each other or discuss everything that's going on in their lives. What I find so brother/sister-ly about the relationship is, like I said, how Miki looks up to Juri and Juri sort of watches over Miki. But yeah, each to their own for what they think the definition should be.

KaleMarsh wrote:

It's also worth mentioning that the only duel Juri watches from afar is Miki's.  She agrees with Utena when Utena declares that the piano suits Miki more.  I'd say that there's definitely some strong affection there.  Though it is strange, considering the fact that she frequently encourages his fencing.  I'm not sure if Juri thinks Miki shouldn't fence or if she thinks he just shouldn't duel.  While it's likely the latter, the former is interesting to consider.

She talks about that in episode 5, right after the quote I mentioned above she says: "However, your sword is not meant for real fighting." So yeah, I say it's the latter too.

Honey Bear wrote:

That's true. For some reason I often forget about Miki's fencing, probably because I've always got the sense he isn't quite as passionate about it as Juri is. Just like his duelling, it's always felt a bit half-hearted to me. I used to wonder if it were something he did just because his parents wanted him too. Even Juri tells him he's better suited at the piano (actually, I think this is a re-used line. Juri says in the movie, but I remember Utena using it in the series.)

But he does practice hard, and even beats Juri in one instance.  One of my favorite Juri and Miki moments is in Episode 10 where Touga announces that there will be another duel soon.  Miki raises the point that he's been wounded by Saionji, so he offers to duel again.  Juri puts him down, and the conversation pretty much derails into "NO SHE DIDN'T" while Touga delays telling them about Nanami.

I'd say Miki is pretty competitive when it comes to fencing.  It's just that he's better at piano, and these two activities seem at odds to almost everyone else in the series.  It's Miki's personal prince vs. princess dilemma.

Utena says the he's better suited to piano in the series, but Juri agrees from her ring-side seat.  So if she says it in the movie, she says it in both.

Last edited by KaleMarsh (08-16-2011 11:42:36 AM)

- fencing
- perfectionism
- outward coldness
- inwardly very fragile
- a strong desire to be stylish
- other people clinging to them
- a certain ruthlessness

And frankly I see them as a good romantic pair. They would probably be better for each other than some of the other prospects. I think movie-Juri was not kidding but only pretending to kid.