Hey, if he'd go for Wakaba, I don't see why Akio wouldn't go for Nanami. She's much more attractive - physically and personality-wise (dominatrix anyone? ) - and even jail-baitier! If I were him, I'd want her to be under the same roof as me too. Only I'd do something about it before she saw me fucking my sister.

Possibility two is really the most realistic in my eyes.

Also, Nanami is just special. She's the only duelist not to have been active since the beginning of the series.

It's probably not related to the fact that Akio got directly involved, but I see the Nanami project as an opportunity for Touga to be the one pulling the strings. Or at least, most of them. The sex-on-a-bed conclusion scene seemed to imply that the ruination of the poor girl's soul was her big brother's doing and not Akio's.

I'm not saying that Akio wouldn't, per se, but from the short time she spends with him, I see no real indication of seducion or intent to seduce.

But hey, I've been wrong before.

satyreyes wrote:

he would've known that he had no chance with her once she saw that

Ah but wouldn't that make for quite the chase?

I think the bottom line was she needed to be there to catch Akio and Anthy, which was needed for her to realize what was wrong with her own feelings. I don't think his hitting on her really had any backing to it, it was more just a seductive creature doing what it does best; no real intent to make good on it, just a habit of behavior he saw no reason to restrain. He treats her rather stereotypically as a princess he must save. He might have been poking fun at her (and Dios) by treating someone he was leading to the slaughter like a princess.

I had posted this in another thread but it fits here much better:

I think that it is very possible that Nanami saw a darker reflection of her own relationship with her brother in the blatant incest between Anthy and Akio. One of the reasons why she was so utterly shocked is due to the fact that it resonated very powerful with her situation, she suddenly saw it as something wrong and twisted. Once she sees lust externalized in an incest context she is able to assess her situation and is forced to acknowledge the full import of how she feels toward Touga.

I think that it is very possible that Nanami saw a darker reflection of her own relationship with her brother in the blatant incest between Anthy and Akio. One of the reasons why she was so utterly shocked is due to the fact that it resonated very powerful with her situation, she suddenly saw it as something wrong and twisted. Once she sees lust externalized in an incest context she is able to assess her situation and is forced to acknowledge the full import of how she feels toward Touga.

Absolutely. Agree one hundred percent. The comic episodes are actually vital to understanding Nanami as a character by portraying the full extent of 1) her naivete and 2) her obliviousness. She does not really understand that most others would perceive her adoration and possessiveness as lust for her brother. I think a good deal of her hatred for her brother's lovers is not for the sexual attention they receive, but for sullying her perfect illusion of her brother, much like purplepolecat said.

Also explains her affection for Miki, a kind innocent boy who probably reminds her of the compassionat memory of her brother. Someone who seems non-threatening and safe for Nanami to be around.

So the fact that Touga is her brother makes the relationship "safe" because she has a legitimate reason for never consumating it, because incest is an unbreakable taboo.

Absolutely. It's ironic that Nanami, of all people, would probably be the purest sexually of all the characters in Utena. Even more so than Miki.

purplepolecat wrote:

Many girls idolize unobtainable guys for similar reasons.

Absolutely. I suspect a lot of Miki's fangirl army is motivated in some way by this. Miki is far younger than many of the girls that crush on him, and so obviously nowhere near sexual maturity or interest that it's pretty safe to crush on him. As opposed to Nanami's darling brother. You could say nothing of your crush on him to anyone ever and he'll manage still to find himself alone with you in a dark room.

As for Nanami's attitude about the floozies, I think this kinda explains it:

Nanami:  What a waste for Himemiya Anthy to have such a kind brother like that.

I think it's always confused Nanami that her Great and Awesome brother seems to prefer the low grade drecks of floozies to Nanami. By her perspective, Nanami got dumped for a bunch of airheads with holes between their legs. It doesn't make any sense. So why should Anthy, who she also considers below her (oh those crazy Kiryuus) have a brother that by all appearances is filling the role in Anthy's life that Touga should fill in Nanami's? Of course when she finds out exactly what Akio's filling in Anthy's life, she realizes that's not quite what she was after, but at the end of the scene prior to this comment, Akio and Anthy have established themselves as having the sibling relationship Nanami does truly want. But Anthy doesn't deserve it. Nanami does.

The Kiryuu siblings both have enormously overblown egos, but in Nanami's case, the cracks being made in it over the show really make you wonder where she's going with it. Touga's behavior methodically puts in her mind that she's below floozies, but we see her fight stubbornly to ignore this. She succeeds for the most part, when she blows her fuse in the Akio Arc, she seems inclined to toss out the whole pot and start over. ('I'll beat you, and then my brother, myself up to now...everything...')