This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)
Going through the ohtori.nu galleries I just saw something I've never noticed before, and never would have noticed if it weren't for the thread "A newbie's conversion to Utena" and the liveblogger in question pointing out that Wakaba has a coffee maker that looks like a kappa (which is very cool).
You probably recognize this frame from the last episode: Nanami making tea while Saionji and Touga practice kendo in the background. Nanami is holding a tea pot, there are at least three teacups in front of her ... and there's Wakaba's coffee maker!
Here's a frame from episode 20 for comparison: http://ohtori.nu/galerie/v/series/episo … 5.jpg.html
And another one; as you can see, it's from Wakaba's room while Saionji was staying there: http://ohtori.nu/galerie/v/series/episo … 2.jpg.html
What does this mean? What is Wakaba's coffee maker doing in the dojo? Did Nanami borrow it, or is Wakaba there in the room but off-screen, or did Saionji borrow it? It doesn't seem to be Nanami's style, so I don't think she simply has an identical coffee maker. I kind of hope that this is a sign that Wakaba and Nanami are close now, because I think Wakaba would be a good influence on Nanami. I could also see a somewhat darker interpretation, with Nanami and Touga as replacements for Anthy and Akio and with Wakaba taking Utena's role in the dueling game, but I don't really believe this given that Akio (and Anthy, until now) are still in the school and that Akio still talks about sending out letters and bringing about Revolution. (It could be a fanfic waiting to happen, though.)
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When I first saw the thread title, I thought it was another botvertisement.
Story explanation: Nanami and Wakaba became friends after the Revolution. For...some reason.
Probable explanation: Animator laziness.
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Atropos wrote:
When I first saw the thread title, I thought it was another botvertisement.
Heh. I should have thought of that.
Atropos wrote:
Story explanation: Nanami and Wakaba became friends after the Revolution. For...some reason.
Yes, I wonder how they would have got to know each other. Maybe they both take tea ceremony lessons or something?
Atropos wrote:
Probable explanation: Animator laziness.
Hmmm ... Really? It's not that easy to draw, and it's seen from a different angle from the one in episode 20, so they would have had to draw it again. Surely there must be easier designs for coffee makers, such as simple black ones? I think this is supposed to mean something.
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I think a more likely out-of-story explanation is that someone on staff really liked a coffee maker like that and wanted to put it in.
As an in-story symbolistic explanation it could mean lots of things. Maybe that Saionji's time with Wakaba isn't entirely forgotten. Maybe that Wakaba is influencing Nanami in some way. (Do they actually exchange two words throughout the series? I can't think of a scene where they do, but my memory is not always very good.)
If you ignore symbolism, which is pretty silly to do while watching SKU, I want to pretend that Saionji stole Wakaba's coffee maker. Seemingly out of character, but in truth it was because he didn't want to leave that room; where he could be happy in a way he doesn't allow himself in the outside world.
Alternately, maybe it's actually Saionji's kappa coffee maker to start with. Is there any indication that Wakaba has it in any other episode?
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If Penguindrum is anything to go by, Ikuhara probably just like Kappas.
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What's a kappa? Is it some kind of half duck creature?
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A kappa is a creature in Japanese myths/folklore. It is a mischievous, sometimes malevolent, river creature. They are often blamed for drownings, much like sirens or mermaids, but are not completely antagonistic to humans.
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Maybe Kappa tea makers are just trendy in Ohtori. Just like cowbells.
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I like to think Nanami is, somehow, the true "Wakaba" Saionji was narratively meant to have (and the other way around). She's the younger sister of his best friend, she's the only one that calls him by his given name, so on and so on. It might just be a trope in shoujo stories, but that's how things "were meant to be" in the first place.
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I think the Kappa brand was just something popular around the Ohtori campus lol!
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