Ivy-chan wrote:

The many phallic symbols that tend to flock to Akio like moths to a candle. Seriously, the first line in an Utena drinking game I could make would be: 'one drink whenever Akio is positioned near something phallic'.

I loved the rose vine growing through Anthy's empty school uniform. I like the flames on Anthy's candelabra flickering and dying, one by one. I liked the warped imagery in the movie, the unrealistic proportions of the school and the constantly moving chalkboards.

The bird shaking it's broken wings on the ground at Shiori's feet.

Anthy drinking the milkshakes one by one. It gave me a lovely little shudder.

The clay dolls in Tsuwabuki's black rose duel.

Anthy's rose bride umbrella.

Any shot that focused on the lips.

I don't have much to add except.. I love all of those too.

I often like I want to have sex with this series. And that's something I don't usually say.

My favorite images are the little things. Of course I love the stars, and the Akio car, and the swords and roses...but the little things are the ones that really stay with me.

-My favorite, I don't know why, is during Shiori's duel. The birds on perches remain PERFECTLY STILL throughout the match, despite the motion and speed and clashing blades. When Dios comes down from the casle, however, they all turn their heads up at the SAME TIME to look at him. The motion of their heads is even audible. And then, the way they don't take off until Shiori's rose has been cut...as a lover of visual symbolism, that scene was practically an intellect-gasm for me.

-I love during the other black rose duels, the way the desks clash together into 4 neat groups during the end, and the sound they make...and how the duelists fall, sleeping, to fit perfectly into one of the dead body outlines.

-When Tsuwabuki has his sword knocked away, and it smashes a clay doll on one of the desks...if you look, you can see a much smaller clay doll inside the smashed big one catch the blade and hold it there. I laughed so hard at this...the tiny doll is so cute.

-When Mikage holds up a tear inside his elevator, and it does a close-up on the tear resting on his finger...YOU CAN SEE THE PLANETARIUM CASTING LIGHT BEHIND IT! I swear that this is completely true. I didn't catch it until I rewatched the series, but realizing that they put one of the biggest answers in the series RIGHT there, so early on...it gave me chills.

-Anthy bending to put her lips to the blade when serving as Touga's bride. It was obviously sexual in nature, and just so degrading... and even as I was shocked by it and thought that, Utena looked away and closed her eyes as well. And the way Anthy numbly put her fingers to her lips afterwards...I don't know how to describe the feeling that gave me. Just degrading and creepy.

-Akio feeding Kanae the apple. When it does a close-up on the apple, it's jabbed in countless places all over with little forks, a reference to Anthy and the Swords of Hatred.

I'm sure I could remember more, but it's late...

Actually, i was watching 'the tale of the rose' ep. and was wondering what the significance of the printer/fax machine thingy in the log cabin where dios and anthy are. has it got something to do with the way it keeps issuing paper? i thought it might have something to do with dios keeps giving and giving like the printer shooting out paper. <cough> ....or perhaps not.

if anyone knows what it means, please tell all.

There is always some visual weirdness whenever those 3 guys with glasses who are obsessed with Nanami decide to stick their noses in where it don't belong.

A prime example of what I mentioned can be seen during the episode [b]'Mitsuru's Impatience' where Mitsuru asks Utena about what it means to be an adult, when she answers, the 3 guys suddenly get very interested. *hehe*

Last edited by Tamago (12-31-2006 07:23:36 AM)

Sanguine_Rose wrote:

Actually, i was watching 'the tale of the rose' ep. and was wondering what the significance of the printer/fax machine thingy in the log cabin where dios and anthy are. has it got something to do with the way it keeps issuing paper? i thought it might have something to do with dios keeps giving and giving like the printer shooting out paper. <cough> ....or perhaps not.

if anyone knows what it means, please tell all.

Actually I figured it was just to show you how desperate people were for Dios, they were banging on the door, flooding the barn with faxes...

Now that I think about it, why would they have a fax machine in that barn? It suggests Dios lives there. ...would that be entirely surprising, that people would mistreat him that much?

As for me, definitely the shot of Akio and Anthy where you see Anthy under him and he's a silhouette of the night sky. First it set off my space nerdiness, then...well...the whole thing is just horrible. AUGH. I'm not going to elaborate because I'll sound weird and embarrass myself.

Giovanna wrote:

Actually I figured it was just to show you how desperate people were for Dios, they were banging on the door, flooding the barn with faxes...

I also took that fax machine to be a sign of the desperation of the masses: that each of those faxes was a wish or need from a 'princess' or someone else, and they were flooding and overwhelming him with their needs. I don't think the fax machine was actually there when Dios fell, but it was placed there for imagery' sake, to give the audience a clear picture or what was happening. Also, it helps with the nebulous flow of time here, we don't know *when* Akio and Anthy became what they are, whether they're from ages ago, or if they're more recent.

Ivy-chan wrote:

Also, it helps with the nebulous flow of time here, we don't know *when* Akio and Anthy became what they are, whether they're from ages ago, or if they're more recent.

That's definitely a major theme in SKU, it's hard to pinpoint a time period to set the series in since there's evidence of several, or like time passes in Ohtori and since it's so relative to the two people who stick around, the technology becomes all mushed up. A lot of it seems to be like people who have lived over long periods of time picking and choosing things they liked best along the way. Like the record player instead of a modern stereo; it's an old technology, but ask any audiophile and they'll tell you nothing plays like a good record on a good needle. Akio's car? Do you really think any modern day wussy little fiberglass gas efficient seatbelter would handle how Akio drives?

There aren't many pieces of technology that break with that, where the old technology can't be considered in some way superior. Off the top of my head, that'd be Touga's cell phone (if Akio's got a laptop, Touga could have a much slicker phone) and Akio's car phone. WTF, boys.

I'm not even going to get into the projector, since it's a whole other ball game.

azuresquirrel wrote:

Giovanna wrote:

I'm not even going to get into the projector, since it's a whole other ball game.

That sentence just made my day.

The best (worst) puns are the ones you make on accident. Oops. (Damn I'm funny.)

azuresquirrel wrote:

Another favorite image of mine is from episode 38 when Utena is in the Rose Bride-esque dress and she takes the sword from Akio. The combination of her badass facial expression, the sword and the beautiful dress makes it one of my favorite images from the series.

OH OH OH You reminded me of another, I guess the flipside of that one.

Utena's expression (left) in this shot, I was totally floored the first time I saw it; it's hard to explain, except that the conversation turns to Anthy and Akio and all of a sudden Utena looks...like a woman. Like a pissed off, incredibly jealous woman.

My personal favourite visual in is the last sequence of the acension to the duel arena -- mostly because it proves what an absolute twat I am. When Anthy and Utena reach the top in this stock footage, they come into view in a dramatic shoujo display of petals. I never paid much attention to it until I was watching it one day with pen and paper in hand, and my flatmate comes wandering in. I usually fastforward these sequences, but as I was scribbling the remote was being ignored. My flatmate, who had never seen the series, frowns at the tv at that particular moment and goes "hey, it's like those two girls are getting married or something."

I fell off the couch.

...ever since it's been one of my favourite visual moments. Because I'm a blind idiot.

My favorite off-the-wall visuals would have to be...

- the hands pointing to objects with the beeping

- the bug in the frame that changes forms in the Nemuro elevator

- the lighted message board in the movie (when Utena is going to "movie-Nemuro" to see Touga in the elevator)

Oh oh! Creepy moment: The pictures on the wall in Nemuro Hall that Utena's looking at. They're actual pictures of people.

Imaginary Bad Bug wrote:

My favorite off-the-wall visuals would have to be...

- the bug in the frame that changes forms in the Nemuro elevator

Has anyone figured out what it means? It seems to me that it's a caterpillar evolving into a butterfly, except the whole process goes the other way around which makes it bizarre.