Personally, I think the Shadow Girls are the Ohtori Drama Club. Episode 34: Two girls with bodies, hair styles, and voices matching A-ko and B-ko's invite Utena to their school play, which just so happens to be told by the Shadow Girls. Later in the episode, when the Shadow Girls appear in their actual segment, they are in a bath tub, commenting on how "today's act went perfectly!"

However, I do have another impression of them. A-Ko and B-Ko may be what is going to happen to Utena. Perhaps, once upon a time, they, too, tried to save Anthy. There's not really any concrete reason why they couldn't have been champion duelists. I've heard people say they believe the Shadow Girls are ghosts, and I think that's a pretty plausible idea as well, so this doesn't seem too far-fetched to me. Utena, we assume, didn't DIE, but she isn't really living either. We are led to believe she is alive outside the world of Ohtori, but since Anthy never technically found her on screen, this can be debated. I do think Utena went into the real world, but perhaps A-Ko/B-Ko didn't. Champions who failed to bring revolution. So now, they embody themselves in the shadows, telling the story that they already know.

But then, that's the great thing about SKU: Symbolism leaves much room to interpret.

(Edit 10+ years later: Yep, still grooming for grammatical errors and overall bad word-choice.)

Last edited by dollface (06-04-2017 01:05:38 AM)

http://ohtori.nu/gallery/moviedvd/MovieScreen038.jpg

Xu Yuan wrote:

Haha! I just noticed while watching the English dub, (21 gun salute, to my forehead...) That one of the girl's that call Touga and get Nanami, is the exact same voice as B-ko, so apparently Touga can mingle with the... formless... I can't tell if it's the same voice in Japanese though, anyone able to verify this?

You mean the scene where Nanami has Touga's cellphone and answers it in middle of the night and when she asks who is there, the voice changes into Akio's and says "the Ends of the World"? Yeah, that's a Shadowgirl-voice, all right. Perhaps Akio is doing Terminator-style voice-imitation, there?
Or else he bribed the Shadowgirls with whatever they could be bribed with to make that phonecall. Or else they're figments of his imagination, come to life. Or something.

Hmm? Well actually I was referring to the scene where Nanami is watching Touga outside the school window when the phone rings the... second time, it sounds like B-Ko calls, and then later, it also sounds like she calls before Akio...invades? The line?

Well twice... that would be very strange if the only ones that call Touga on his cellphone are the Shadow Girls. Though I believe it's only B-Ko since, A-Ko's voice would be noticablre in a second.

Simply referring to those two times.

Though it's really hard to imagine the Shadow Girl's playing along with Akio's games, since normally they appear to be vehemently against it, and of Dios's new form. This all goes back to what they were saying in their play, "There was a time when all of the girl's were princesses. That's because  we were all protected by the Rose Prince." Now i'm still under the assumption that they are two fallen champions. the evidence of this is that C-Ko is new to even A-Ko and B-Ko, if we say that C-Ko represents Utena, since previous to that episode we hadn't seen her since the end of the Kurobara Arc, and the only person that could see those shadow plays were Utena... and apparently once Wakaba. As well the two Shadows also take having no friends (apparently not even counting eachother) with dignity, as if it's something special to them. this is also displayed way back in episode 9 during the flying saucer skits, that's probably one, if not the saddest Shadow Play,

A-ko- Hey look it's a UFO!
B-ko- It's a Shooting Star.
A-ko-But it's zigzagging!
B-ko- Fine, then it's a zigzagging shooting star... This reminds though...
A-ko- What?
B-ko- Back in Kindergarten, when I found out there was no such thing as Santa Claus!
A-ko- Oh come on...
B-ko- But that's okay...
A-ko- We know now...
B-ko- That Princes on White Horses..
A-ko- UFO's...
B-ko- And true hearted friends don't really exist... so please, just leave us the flying saucers.


this shows a large betrayal of faith on the behalf of someone, I'd have to say Anthy if they were in fact two previous champions. I'm not quite sure what else would make them view the world in such a way. Unless they are purposely adopting Saionji's views of the world for their play. Though that wouldn't make much sense... since later they appear offended when C-ko, says they don't have many friends, B-ko says "definitely" in a very stuck up tone. Very strange to hear.

Hmm, I never caught that those voices were actually the Shadow Girls, hah... but yes, I jumped the gun too quickly, I forgot that all of the times they show up are simply plays, even the one's about true friends.  But they as seperate parts of Akio and Anthy make sense as well, but I'm not sure Akio would ever portray himself as a woman who does nothing but write plays. Of course in a way he's doing that himself. It also adds some credence telling himself that he sounds sexy. Though Akio is very perturbed at the play. Though if he has no control over  their actions this would make sense.

The thing that gets me the most is their absence in Season 2 with the appearance of C-ko. though C-ko only appears in two episodes in season 3. 34 and 39, I cannot recall for the life of me the Shadow Play in Episode 38.

Perhaps the SPG are just that...shadows. I've been mulling over the earlier posed idea that they could be shadows of former duelists. Or in someway, shadows of our three main characters. Reflections of who those three used to be.

While, on the surface they all clearly function as narratorscommentators. Their direct interaction with Utena, Akio, and Tokiko builds the case that they are actual students. Yet, they prove their insightful-ness over and over again, by seeing past the surface and trying to get the other characters to do the same.

They also clearly show that they are untroubled by Akio's comings and goings. Their radio show/conversation with him has always appeared like a small duel in it's own way. Here they show themselves to be two of a very small group of people who aren't completely under his thumb. Akio does win the "duel" by cutting them off, and showing that he has power over them. But still, they remain a trio of girls who have a fairly accurate handle on things. Which most likely unnerves Akio somewhat, as these are the only girls who haven't fallen for his charms.

This, coupled with their clear and insightful perspective on the duelists saga, helps to bolster the idea that they could be former/failed duelists. People who have walked down that road, and had their eyes opened to the games Akio plays. Shadows of people who went before Utena, who are clearly trying to help open her own eyes.

On a side note- I always found the fact that A-ko and B-ko are named Utena and Anthy in the movie very interesting. As they again seem to benefit from the "outsiders" point of view.

You have noticed that Aiko, Keiko, and Yuuko actually spell the first three letters of Ikuhara's last name? (Ai=I Kei=K Yuu=U) Also, I know Iku is a colloquialism for orgasm.

As for the two Shadow Girls from the movie, I thought they were known as E-Ko and F-Ko before we found out they were Anthy and Utena?

There is very little proof to support this, but there is some, Keiko, Aiko, and, Yuuko's voice actresses are also the same as the Shadow Girls. As well one of the voices that call on Touga's cell phone seemed to be either Aiko or B-ko... actually iif I recall the only people that seemed to call Touga's cell phone was the voice of the shadow Girls?

I thought their names were Echo and F-cho. 

Yeah, they also say those names, themselves in their first radio-broadcast. I'm assuming the names A-ko, B-ko and C-ko never get actually mentioned because of copyright-issues. After all, there is such series as Project A-ko, out there.

The idea that the Shadowgirls would be Nanami's henchgirls is interesting and amusing, but very unlikely to be true. In an interview Ikuhara has stated that they represent the director's point of view - that sounded reasonable enough for me to actually believe him. And it's very difficult to conceive the circumstances where Keiko, Aiko and Yuuko could also have such roles. There certainly isn't any physical resemblance, either.

If the voice-actors are really same (English or original Japanese version?), there's propably been joking about it among the creators, as well, but I doubt that was the Shadowgirls' true purpose.

I just re-watched the series this weekend, and it occurred to me to wonder why the last arc's shadow plays (almost) all begin with the Shadow Girls "spaceship" crashing into the Chairman's tower?

Are they attempting to emasculate Akio?

Are they trying to escape Ohtori, but Akio is "blocking" their way?

(In the last episode, it's hard to tell who is talking--whether it's "random students", the Shadow Girls, or Keiko, Aiko, and Yuuko.  I pretty much decided it's mostly Keiko, Aiko, and Yuuko and it's interesting that they're shown changing with their shadows against a curtain.)