Cool, you're posting the Animate tape. I got it from Nico Nico Douga, by the way. I haven't listened through it thoroughly, but it features a Student Council meeting with actual Student Council business, namely recording audio messages to be broadcast throughout the school - morning encouragements, and the like. Not shockingly, Saionji has blown it off, so they call in Utena to help them out instead. Like the Utena and Anthy Real Model CDs, it's all very tounge-in-cheek.

I still have a longer project in the air that I should be working on, but I wouldn't mind giving some of these a shot at some point, if I have the time and energy. The question is what people are interested in.

Giovanna wrote:

The Way of the Rose

I'd call it "The Rose Revelations" or something: we're looking at "bara no mokushiroku," with "mokushiroku" being the same "apocalypse" word we all know so well. 

Don't get too worked up. I bought a copy a little while ago and glanced through it, and not all of it is as awesome as it sounds. The character bios and duel summaries are pretty factual, not interpretive, and even the lists of symbols didn't seem all that interesting when I glanced through it a while ago. The relationship chart is also pretty straightforward, though amusing in some of its details (for instance, the one-directional love arrow from Touga to Utena is labeled "baby, you set my heart on fire").

The interviews with Be-Papas folks and J.A. Seazer are likely more interesting, not that I've really sat down and tried to read them. Most of the little comics are drawn by Chiho Saito, and I remember that one is about Be-Papas getting their pictures taken for the Utena Carddass trading card series. And like Gio said, there's tons of random stuff scattered about the book.

Anyway, thanks, Dani, for sacrificing your physical copy of the books for the almighty Gallery!

SKU interview from Animage

This looks really awesome! Thanks, Clarice!

Last edited by Dallbun (08-29-2010 12:03:46 PM)

Hello!

I'm posting my translation of  SKU interview from Animage. I divided it similarly to how it's divided in the file.

Please forgive me any grammar/vocabulary/etc. mistakes as English is not my native language ><!

I'll try to translate other stuff too when I have time (though when that'll be I can't tell for sure -_-")


Hope you enjoy reading this!


sku04
Having entered the season 3 “Ohtori Akio Arc” “Revolutionary Girl Utena” is becoming even more suspicious and even more surrealistic with even more high tension!
There has probably never been such a strange anime before!
NOW, ALLOW US TO INVITE YOU, TO THE WORLD YOU DESIRE!
LET’S GO TO “THE END OF THE WORLD”

sku06
Only those who hold beautiful memories are allowed to wish. Wish things like: if only that moment could last forever… If only present could be still the same way as it was at that moment…

sku07
Laboratory of Playwriting or Revolution of Production
People make various expressions. Baby when feeling hungry calls his/her mother by crying loudly – act like this is probably the simplest example of “expression”. In that way, every person is making “an expression”.
When growing up people start to make more complicated expressions. Women wearing makeup and dressing up is a form of expression, as is sport player’s competing for a record. Among various people who make expressions those who make outstanding, meta-“expressions” are called “creators” and among them some percentage is called “artists”.
Baby’s crying and author’s conveyment of social themes through his/her work, though the level is different, does not change the fact that both are “expressions” which one person uses when interacting with other person. Also, similar to novels and movies, works of animations are also types of entertainment and at the same time, “expressions” of author.
And so, here we have “Revolutionary Girl Utena”. We can probably say that this work is very enthusiastic when regarding the relation between “reality” and “story”. Things like, railway crossing located without any explanation in Student Council room and which indicates the passing of train. Baseball match taking place nearby the members of the council. Touga who rides a car towards “The End of the World” with, for some reason, unbuttoned shirt. Akio Ohtori making an ecstatic face while sitting on a bonnet. Or existence of Shadow Girls. Or cars sprouting on a dueling arena.
Here what staff is pursuing is not to make “expression” of something through a story, but to play with the expression itself. In episode 22, “pointing finger mark” which appeared on a screen and pointed at a lipstick stain on a coffee cup or cats outside the window, was invisible. It was to show something, that had no meaning (even if, like Ikuhara-san himself has said on the next page, it had in fact a meaning from storytelling point of view) like it was something very meaningful. Or to emphasize audience’s incapability to understand. In other words, it is interesting because from the storytelling point of view it has no meaning; because the “expression” exists apart from the story - it was to show this sort of thing. It was this kind of a acrobatic (?) playing.
What creator should show is not necessarily a “neatly written story”, but a far more excellent “expression”. And if that “expression” is interesting it will also have value as a commercial work.
Something like “neatly written story” is nothing more than a kind of form.
But “Revolutionary Girl Utena” is by no means a work that prioritizes the expression or that denies the story.
Each duelist’s individual episode is very dramatic. For example, episodes like 28 and 29 in which Shiori, Juri and a new duelist, Tsuchiya Ruka show up can be said to be extremely dramatic. Also, the story concentrating on Utena is going to truly start from now on.
A thorough prioritizing of expression which could destroy the story and a dramatic story. These two dragnets (?) are probably the true essence of “Revolutionary Girl Utena”.

sku8
Conversation during Driving
Ikuhara KunihikoxSaitou Chiho
VIRTUAL STAR EMBRYOLOGY
Right now, it’s the normal scenes that are much less frequent, isn’t it?
The car is running through “The End of the World”
Ikuhara Kunihiko who is driving a car towards “The End of the World” and mangaka, Saitou Chiho. Let’s GO to “The End of the World”!
AM – So, this time, it’ll be a conversation during a drive while discussing the content of the third season of the story.
Ikuhara – So, Saitou-sensei, let’s go.
Saitou – Ok.
(Ban, ban, ban, car is starting to run)
Saitou – Woah, what a speed! Aren’t we speeding up?
Ikuhara – It’s alright. We still haven’t reached that high of a speed.
AM – Talking about speeding up, recently “Utena” is also speeding up more and more.
Saitou – I was a little surprised when a railway crossing appeared in Student Council room (episode 22) (laugh).
Ikuhara – Yes, it was strange, wasn’t it? (smile)
Saitou – Ikuhara-san, I thought that you really are speeding up. Recently, ‘speeding up’ scenes is appearing rapidly. Student Council scenes are speeding up, Shadow Girls scenes are also speeding up and even duel scenes are speeding up. And drama is moving around somewhere between those ‘speeding up’ scenes (laugh).
Ikuhara – Certainly. The proportions inside the whole story are being reversed (laugh).
Saitou – I’m enjoying watching it while wondering how far will it go. Because in my case, I’m turning the typical drama elements in my “Utena” manga that I’m drawing into manga (?).
Ikuhara – The typical scenes that can be used in manga are almost non-existent in anime.
Saitou – That’s right. That’s why, how to say it… I think that it’s a work worth of doing (laugh).
All – (laugh)
Ikuhara – I’m really sorry
Saitou – No, no, when it’s the anime that is speeding up I start thinking something like “I’m not gonna lose!” and I gain more motivation for making my manga. I think something like “If anime is going that way, then I’m going this way”.
AM – In the beginning, the scenes with Shadow Girls were the ones that stood out very much, but now other scenes are even more surrealistic.
Saitou – Right, now scenes with Shadow Girls look almost dimly in comparison. It’s frightening how easily people can get used to things.
(Ban, ban, ban, the car is running)
Saitou – The pointing finger mark at the end of the second season (episode 22) was also interesting.
Ikuhara – Interesting, wasn’t it?
Saitou – Is there a meaning in it?
Ikuhara – Yes, there is. It points at things that are epoch-making (laugh). Usually, when people are watching a particular work they feel and decide on their own what and how something is interesting, but here it is producers who are pointing “Here, this is interesting”.
Saitou – So that’s how it is… (laugh). I thought that it maybe holds a very deep meaning, like maybe a hint to solving some of the mysteries.
Ikuhara – Of course, it has a meaning.
Saitou – Really? So, why the number of cats outside the window increased?
Ikuhara – In the beginning, one cat met a cute little kitten and they fell in love. And so, as the time went on, they had children.

sku09
Saitou – So, that finger is showing the passing of time?
Ikuhara – As expected, you’re smart (laugh). Certainly, all of them have a connection with passing of time, no doubt about that.
Saitou  - The theme of second season was “time”?
Ikuhara – Hmm, it wasn’t a theme, but “time” is quite an important thing in this series. Both “memory” and “time”.
(Ban, ban, ban, the car is running)
Saitou – So what will be the theme of the third season?
Ikuhara – Cars (laugh).
Saitou – Is that so? Really, cars will be the theme? (laugh)
Ikuhara – Of course. The theme will be a sport car that Ohtori Akio drives. That’s why we’re talking like this while driving, aren’t we?
Saitou – What does sport car symbolize? Male person? Authority?
Ikuhara – When I was little there was a supercar boom. Maybe because of that, even now such a car is something that satisfies childish desires in the adult world. A car seems like that sort of thing. As you grow up toys tend to disappear quickly from your life. Even if, as a child you wanted a model of robot, when you’re an adult these sort of things that you want seem to disappear, isn’t that so? Well, you may want something like a house, but obviously, it’s a little different from wanting a toy. My idea of a car is something that is exceedingly close to an adult’s toy.
Saitou – Hmm. So, when Akio is riding it  what does it mean?
Ikuhara – It means status. Obviously, you can buy toys when you have lots of money (lit. when you have composure). So, a person who have a car of high status brand is someone who has lots of composure and that’s why the car is depicted as a symbol of calm and composed adult.
Saitou – So car is adult’s play and adult’s toy.
Ikuhara – Right. It gives a feeling like “He’s really showing off”.
Saitou – Hmm.
AM – Moreover, Akio and other guys bare their chests while driving. Is that also a way of showing off?
Ikuhara – Yes, it is. And what’s more, they sit on a bonnet.
AM – I see. It is certainly a showing off.
Saitou – And they do it all while driving (laugh).
AM– As a director, are you depicting it as something cool?
Ikuhara – Of course.
AM – Even that moment when Touga is baring his chest every week?
Saitou – Eh? He bares his chest every week?
Ikuhara – Yes.
Saitou – I can’t wait to see that (Saitou-sensei is staggering)
Ikuhara – Yeah, it’s sexy.
Saitou – Hmm, in other words, what’s the meaning of having an adult’s toy and baring one’s chest? Does it mean that all the pleasure lies there?
Ikuhara – Yes, that’s probably how it is. I think that in this world there are only few people who are allowed to return to being a child. Because only if one has that much of composure he can return to being a child. In that sense, I feel that those who ride naked on a luxurious, high brand car must really have lot of composure.
Saitou – Yes, that may be true. So something like that is close to your ideal adult, right Ikuhara-san?
Ikuhara - Yes. But only if we’re talking about ideal that exists in a fantasy, a virtual ideal. Even apart from his actions, Ohtori Akio himself is my virtual ideal. Because he is a virtual star.
Saitou – So, when Touga and others ride in that car that symbolizes Akio’s status or when it appears on the dueling arena and they ride in it, that also has a meaning, right?
Ikuhara – Yes.
Saitou – And Utena will be tempted by Akio who knows such adult pleasures, right?
Ikuhara – That’s how it’s going to be.
(Ban, ban, ban, the car is running)
AM – From now on, “Utena” is heading towards the climax, but can you give us more details about it?
Ikuhara – From episode 30 on, Utena and Akio’s quite deep relationship will show up, so look forward to it. I’m going to do even something that will make people say “Now way, something like that too!”
Saitou – About the climax, will it be different from the one in the manga?
Ikuhara – Basically, the story itself is identical. The only difference will be in how it’s going to be presented, but what I’m going to do is not going to differ that much.
AM – In case of manga, we’re already right before the climax.
Saitou - Anime’s scenario moves on simultaneously with manga. After Enokido-san (scriptwriter) finishes up the script I draw the manga while trying to make use of it as much as possible.
Ikuhara – If the basic plot is the same, you can just draw it whatever way you like, Satou-san.
Saitou – I don’t think I could draw it in exactly the same way as anime, because I want to match it with drama’s conclusions and I don’t want to lose to anime in terms of highness of tension.
Ikuhara – I look forward to it. Ok, I’m going to speed up now
Saitou – Please go wherever you’ll be able to go.

sku10
I’m going to show “The End of the World”… to you too.

sku11
Let’s go to the End of the World!
Go Go! “The End of the World” is The End of the Heart, Go Go! “The End of the World” is a despair! Go! Let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”, let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”, so let’s go, to the world you desire!!
It looks like “The End of the World” that manipulates Duelists is Anthy’s brother, Ohtori Akio. Go Go!
Whether the academy grounds or roadway, Akio seems to appear in his car, takes young people with him and shows them “The End of the World”, Go!
Young people who saw “The End of the World” take swords and once again challenge Utena to a duel, Go Go!!
With “The End of the World” meet those who have romantic hearts. Those who pursue their dreams, Go Go! Every person has “The End of the World” in his heart. Every road leads to “The End of the World”. “The End of the World” feels good. “The End of the World” feels like a lukewarm bath. It’s a world where you don’t need will or making decisions. Go Go! Go Go!
What is “The End of the World” that they saw? If Akio is “The End of the World” why does he call himself “The End of the World”? In the end, can Utena win with “The End of the World”, can people win with “The End of the World”?
Let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”! Let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”! Go Go! “The End of the World” is The End of the Heart, Go Go!! “The End of the World” is a despair! And, and, “The End of the World” is “The Reality”! Go!!

sku12
“UTENA” Q&A CORNER: BRING YOUR HEART CLOSER TO A MONKEY.
Members of Be-Papas answer the questions from readers.
AM – Let’s start the Q&A corner.
Ikuhara – Please, be gentle.
Q – Do you have favourite character in “Revolutionary Girl Utena? (reader from Chiba prefecture)
Enokido (scriptwriter) – Every character is my favourite.
Ikuhara – But isn’t that obvious?
Enokido – We have to start from a light jabs (laugh).
Ikuhara – As for me, Anthy is probably my favourite. And then, the frog that appeared in episode 9 (laugh). I like it, especially that sound of crunching the insect, I like it very much.
All – (laugh)
Hasegawa (character designer) - For me, it’s Utena, because I had the most hard time creating her character design.
Q – Is it true that Saionji is crying in the opening? (reader from Aiwa prefecture)
Ikuhara – He is crying indeed. Hasegawa did it at the stage of creating animation.
AM – So it’s not a sweat that’s scattering but tears. Why did you make him cry?
Hasegawa – Because he obviously has a bad luck.
Ikuhara – (laugh)
Hasegawa – Saionji is turning into a troublesome child when things aren’t going the way he wants.
AM – So it was an adlib animation.
Ikuhara – That’s right.
Q – Who came up with that venomous lines from episode 9 “Those who really believe that friends exist are idiots”? Enokido-san or Ikuhara-san? (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Ikuhara – Enokido (bluntly). Basically, I think that friendship is something very important.
Enokido - People who says things like that are the most dangerous ones.
AM – Does real friendship exist in this world?
Ikuhara – Of course. If it wasn’t so, such groups as Be-Papas wouldn’t even exist, would they? We’re tied with bonds of friendship.
Hasegawa – Really, was that so?
AM – Enokido-san, you don’t need friends?
Enokido – Someone, please teach me how to make friends (laugh).
Q – To Ikuhara-san. Please tell if there were any scenes where you thought like “I aimed at something like this, but seems I missed”. (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Ikuhara – The episode in which Nanami turned into a cow – she turned into it much more than I expected.
All – (laugh)
Hasegawa – Yes, certainly too much was shown. Though we tried to hide it more.
AM – You made the drawings for the scenes with cow, but didn’t intend to show them on the screen.
Q – Please tell what is every member’s so-called “my boom” (=current obsession) (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Hasegawa – Japanese alcohol. Especially Ginjo sake. I drink it every day.
Ikuhara – Bruce Lee.
AM – In what way do you turn Bruce Lee into “my boom”?
Ikuhara – I watch films with him, wield a nunchaku and all-around act like a Bruce Lee (laugh).
AM  - It’s your way of living.
Ikuhara – That’s right.
Enokido – Well in my case, when I finish the script for the last episode I’m probably going to party like crazy.
Ikuhara – That’s not a “boom” (laugh).
Q – In “RGU” world, do all the monkeys look like Chuchu? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Enokido – First of all, is Chuchu even a monkey?
Ikuhara – Dunno.
AM – Real monkeys like ones we know probably don’t exist in that world.
Hasegawa – No, a real monkey appeared in scenes with Shadow Girls.
Enokido – Oh, that’s right. Even in “Utena”’s world, there are many kinds of monkeys.
Hasegawa – Chuchu might be a specific Chuchu-kind of monkey.
Q – I wonder if Utena will continue wearing boy uniform even when the Prince appears. (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Enokido – Now, that’s a sharp question. I can only say “Look forward to it”.
AM – The next question came up most often.
Q – What does Miki measure with his stopwatch? (reader from Hokkaido)
Ikuhara – Let’s just say that it’s connected with the structure of the world.
All – (laugh).
Enokido – That’s a really hard-to-understand answer.
AM – This one also came up very often.
Q – What is the origin of Be-Papas name? (reader from Yamanashi prefecture)
Ikuhara – It has a considerably deep connection with whether a friendship exists in this world.
All – Eh?
Ikuhara – (laugh).
Enokido – And also some connection with themes of “RGU”.
Hasegawa – I think it should be taken literally.
Ikuhara – Well, it can mean that we just want to do things from subjective point of view.
Q -  Please tell how does Chuchu feel to touch in TV series. (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Enokido – That’s something I’d like to know too.
Ikuhara – No amount of words can express how wonderful it is.
All – (laugh).
AM – Even so, Utena doesn’t seem to touch Chuchu that often.
Ikuhara – No no, she touches him so much that he gets numb.
Hasegawa – To tell the truth, Chuchu kinda feels like this (this said, he slowly he takes out a certain thing).
AM – Oh, this?
Enokido – I see. This is certainly how Chuchu feels like in TV series.
Ikuhara – Yes, this feels great.
AM – I see, but what is “this” thing?
Enokido – We can’t say it in a magazine, can we?
Ikuhara – It’d be awkward if we did.
Enokido – Because there are also children reading this magazine.
Hasegawa – Those who don’t know what we’re talking about will get to know it when they grow up.
All – (laugh).
Q – During the gym class, does Utena wear things like tennis skirt, bloomers or school swimsuit? (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Ikuhara – I haven’t thought about it.
Enokido – Bloomers would be weird.
Ikuhara – I think she doesn’t wear bloomers, because during the baseball or soccer classes she was wearing shorts.
Hasegawa – I think that during tennis class she wears boy shorts too.
AM – The problem is, what is she wearing during swimming classes?
Hasegawa – It’d be good if she wore a boys’ swimsuit, but please everyone (=readers) make her wear whatever swimsuit you like.
Q – What was the “eternal thing” that was shown to the girl from episode 9? (reader from Gunma prefecture)
Enokido – Look forward to episode 34.
AM – This one was easy.
Q – How do you decide on songs for each duel? Do you match them with personality of  particular character? (reader from Kobe prefecture)
Ikuhara – We match them with character’s personality.
AM – So does that mean that in the second episode, Saionji who holds “paleozoic within his body” is an ammonite?
Ikuhara – He is an ammonite.
All – (laugh).
Enokido – It means that he’s bound by old-fashioned ideas.
AM – Oh, I see.
Q – Chuchu is a male or a female? (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Enokido – In episode 20, when Onion Prince stared at Chuchu he turned red, right? When Saitou-sensei saw that she was surprised and asked if Chuchu wasn’t a girl.
AM – But the truth is, he’s a male, right?
Ikuhara – Probably, he’s a male.
AM – He’s a male but when being stared by Onion Prince he turned red and put on a skirt.
Ikuhara – That’s right.
Q – To Enokido Jouji-sama. Do you do any kind of writing besides writing scripts? Please tell if it’s not a nuisance. (reader from Hokkaido)
Enokido – Besides writing scripts, mainly I write a dairy. Well, I could probably say something like “Look forward to my activity from now on”.
Q – What kind of person is Yamaguchi Ryouta who always writes Nanami’s story? (reader from Hokkaido)

sku13
Enokido – Even if you ask me what kind of person he is…
Ikuhara – He likes animals very much (laugh). That’s why animals always appear in scripts he writes (laugh).
Enkido – Oh, that’s right. He’s a friend of director’s pet (laugh).
AM – What pet do you have Ikuhara-san?
Ikuhara – I have a raccoon. It’s really hard to keep.
AM – You probably met Yamaguchi-san at pet hospital or somewhere like that.
Ikuhara – Oh, yes, that’s how I met him and asked him to create a script for me (laugh).
Q - Who came up with the names of albums and names of every song on them?
Ikuhara – That was me.
AM – The title of second album “Virtual Star Embryology” is impressive, as is track 23’s  “Gougai Shoujo (Saru)”.
Ikuhara – I made that one too. Cool, isn’t it?
Q – Anthy isn’t a virgin anymore, right? I’m a little curious about that. (reader from Tokyo)
Enkido – I’m also curious about that!
Ikuhara – Of course she’s not a virgin, is she?
All – (laugh).
Hasegawa – It’s obvious (laugh).
Q – Could it be that Chuchu is a very important character who holds a key to the whole story? (reader from Tokyo)
Ikuhara – Giku! (startled) Now, that’s sharp (laugh).
Q – Anthy-chan doesn’t have any personal clothing? Are there rules that say Rose Bride has to wear specific school uniform, sport clothes, etc. anytime? (reader from Mie prefecture)
Hasegawa – Please everyone (=readers) make her wear whatever you like.
Q – To my blonde haired, cool, manly, smart Ikuhara-director-sama whom I love. Are you married? I’m ready to be your partner. If marriage is not an option please tell me everything about yourself. I love you, Ikuhara-director! (reader from Ibaraki prefecture)
Ikuhara – Thank you. I’m not married. But right now, I’m sacrificing everything to my friend raccoon, so I can’t tell you everything about myself.
Q – What should I do to be able to receive electromagnetic waves from C-ko-chan? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Ikuhara – You should bring your heart extremely close to a monkey.
All – (laugh).
Hasegawa – It means you should live by your instinct.
AM – If I do that, the waves will come to me?
Ikuhara – Yes, they’ll start coming to you.
Q – In season 2, when Utena saw the planetarium projector why did she ask “Is that your brother?”? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – I just want to say that this line wasn’t in my script.
Ikuhara – Because well, Utena is a bit of an airhead.
All – (laugh).
Hasegawa – Yeah, she’s an idiot (laugh).
Ikuhara – But come to think of it, people probably do say things like that (laugh).
AM – Oh really?
Ikuhara – Girls I fall in love with tend to say things like that.
Hasegawa – I thought she meant it as a joke to make Anthy laugh.
Ikuhara – It’s nothing like that. It was good, I like it. I think that it was an extremely good portrayal.
Q – Is Anthy near sighted or far sighted? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – To tell the truth, she doesn’t really have a bad eyesight.
Ikuhara – Actually, she can see everything.
AM – But didn’t she say “I can see so much without my glass” in episode 8’s preview?
Enokido – Saying things like that is Anthy’s scary aspect.
Q - In the first episode Wakaba said something like “Anthy and Saionji are in the same Student Council, that’s why they’re together” but if that’s so, does it mean that Anthy is a student council’s member? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Enokido – She’s not a member of Student Council Executive Committee, but it seems that she’s a part of lower structures.
Q – What is Akio-san’s faculty? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Ikuhara – I think it’s astronomy.
Enokido – It might be veterinary.
AM – What about his club activity?
Ikuhara – Lambada or something like that (laugh).
Hasegawa – Yes, he’s probably into that sort of things.
AM – So it’s not a car club.
Ikuhara – Yes, he’s extremely good at dancing lambada.
Hasegawa – Especially the way he moves his hips.
Ikuhara –He’s trained in it. He’s so acrobatically trained in it that he can dance lambada everywhere.
All – (laugh)
Q –Many relationships, not only between men and women, for example Utena and Anthy, Mikage and Mamiya, Juri and Shiori and also between brothers and sisters, appear frequently in this series, but is there any deeper meaning to this?
Ikuhara&Enokido – Of course.
AM – Please explain it a bit more.
Enokido – It has definitely a deep connection with director’s own trauma.
Ikuhara – Trauma? I don’t have one.
AM – So the reason there’s so many brother/sister relationships is because of Enokido-san?
Enokido – That’s not the case either.
Ikuhara – The reason there’s so many of them is because they have close connection with the themes of these series.
Enokido – I think I’ve already discussed it somewhere before, but I have a particular interest in human relationships at the time when there is no confrontation in them or maybe better said, peaceful human relationships at the time of childhood when there was no confrontation are most easily understandable through the relationship of brother and sister – and that’s why there are so many of them.
Ikuhara – And maybe because those relationships have connection with feelings of searching of one’s prince that appear so frequently in these series.
Q – In the first episode, we saw Saionji being engaged to Anthy, but with whom did he fight a duel and won her? (reader from Chiba prefecture)
Enokido – It’s a secret.
Ikuhara – Saionji surely must have brushed his teeth everyday.
AM – What is that suppose to mean?
Q – Are Ikuhara-director and Enokido-kun in love with each other? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – It’s already thing of the past (laugh).
Ikuhara- Even now, I take bath everyday.
Q – Ikuhara-san, do you have any relationship with “The End of the World”? (reader from Tokyo)
Ikuhara – He’s my friend.
AM – Your friend? So does it mean that you sometimes receive phone calls from him?
Ikuhara – Yes, I do.
AM – You don’t make phone calls to him?
Ikuhara – Sometimes I do, but when I’m listening to a CD during work before I notice that CD turns out to be a CD of “The End of the World”.
AM – You’re scary, really.
Q – Please tell about impressive events that have recently happened in your life.
Enokido – I swam in the sea. It was fun.
Hasegawa – The color manuscript I was creating all day long has been torn to pieces.
Ikuhara – I’ve started keeping a tadpole.
Q – What kind of girl is your type? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – If we’re talking about RGU, then my type is Kozue.
Hasegawa – I think for me it’d Utena. She doesn’t seem like a type who will cause troubles in the future and I’d like to drink sake together with her.
Ikuhara – Obviously, Anthy, both in terms of looks and personality. The runner-up would be Shiori, but instead of having her as my girlfriend, first I’d would get her and then I’d send her away to my rival’s house and tell her to prepare a poisoned meal and feed it to him. I think such kind of dating would be good.
All – (laugh).
AM – But Utena is also a type of girl you like, right?
Ikuhara – Yes. I like idiots. I want to be an idiot too.
AM – So, it’d ok with you if someone came to the Be-Papas studio and asked “Is this Ikuhara-san?” while pointing at the film projector?
Ikuhara – Yes, but if someone really said something like that I’d hit that person from behind (laugh).
AM – And finally, some questions from me, the editor.
Q – What kind of team is Be-Papas for all of you?
Enokido – “How beautiful congeniality is” – something along those lines.
Ikuhara – It’s filled with feelings of friendship.
Hasegawa – When we drink sake together we all seem to look like friends.
Enokido – It’s possible that there are in fact times when I think that we could be friends.
AM – Saying something like this means that members of Be-Papas are indeed looking for friends, right? (laugh).
Ikuhara – I don’t like it! (suddenly gets up from chair)
Hasegawa – Oh, my (laugh).
Enokido – We have this mutual agreement to betray each other depending on the situation and that’s probably why we get along so well with each other (laugh).
AM – I see. Could it be that you don’t like Ikuhara-san, Enokido-san?
Enokido – Giku! (startled). No, it’s nothing like that (laugh).
AM – Could it be that you don’t get along very well with Enokido-san, Ikuhara-san?
Ikuhara – Not at all. By the way, I went Enokido’s home yesterday and made him a meal. So I think that something’s going to happen eventually.
Enokido – Uuuh… I’m choking… (that said he starts wriggling).
Ikuhara – Here it is!
All – (laugh).
Q – What are the highlights of season 3?
Ikuhara – Anthy’s “this kind of things” and Utena’s “that kind of things”.
Hasegawa – I’m going to use lots of skin tone colors so look forward to it.
Enokido – I think that I’d like to betray all of yours (=reader’s) expectations in a good way.
AM – And the last words to our fans.
Enokido – From now on also look forward to our activity.
AM – Hey hey.
Ikuhara – I really believe that friendship exists so I want you all (=readers) to do your best in your life!
Ikuhara – (roar of laughter).
Hasegawa – It’d a boost of libido! Look forward to it.
Enokido – Please relax and watch seriously.

Last edited by gumi (09-18-2010 11:55:43 AM)

This is the first chance I've had to read these, and wow, just wow. Gio and I are picking out subtext like nuts-- and some of it is really interesting (although, as you know, pure speculation ).

Analyzing for subtext and/or interesting tidbits. I skipped over some pieces because they seemed pretty self-explanatory but you never know. If I missed something you want to see or have another interpretation, let me know!

gumi wrote:

Saitou – I was a little surprised when a railway crossing appeared in Student Council room (episode 22) (laugh).
Ikuhara – Yes, it was strange, wasn’t it? (smile)

Starting with a side note, not everyone may be aware that the SKU manga and the SKU series were developed at the same time. So as Ikuhara was directing episodes, Saito was writing the manga that thematically corresponded to them.

gumi wrote:

Saitou – I’m enjoying watching it while wondering how far will it go. Because in my case, I’m turning the typical drama elements in my “Utena” manga that I’m drawing into manga (?).
Ikuhara – The typical scenes that can be used in manga are almost non-existent in anime.

I’m not a mangaka, so I’m not sure exactly what kind of scenes they refer to here, but I’m assuming that they mean visual techniques indicative of drama, and composition of frames. Neither of those things would translate well into anime, or vice versa.

gumi wrote:

Saitou – The pointing finger mark at the end of the second season (episode 22) was also interesting.
Ikuhara – Interesting, wasn’t it?
Saitou – Is there a meaning in it?
Ikuhara – Yes, there is. It points at things that are epoch-making (laugh). Usually, when people are watching a particular work they feel and decide on their own what and how something is interesting, but here it is producers who are pointing “Here, this is interesting”.
Saitou – So that’s how it is… (laugh). I thought that it maybe holds a very deep meaning, like maybe a hint to solving some of the mysteries.
Ikuhara – Of course, it has a meaning.
Saitou – Really? So, why the number of cats outside the window increased?
Ikuhara – In the beginning, one cat met a cute little kitten and they fell in love. And so, as the time went on, they had children.

As discussed elsewhere on the site, the pointing finger indicates something of interest to both the viewer and Nemuro. ‘It points at things that are epoch-making’ could refer to the fact that these are the things that mark the end of the era of Nemuro and the beginning of the era of Mikage. The cats, again as explained elsewhere, represent Nemuro’s desire for family.

Paging Clarice for clarification on this, but I think that’s the gist of it.

gumi wrote:

Ikuhara – When I was little there was a supercar boom. Maybe because of that, even now such a car is something that satisfies childish desires in the adult world. A car seems like that sort of thing. As you grow up toys tend to disappear quickly from your life. Even if, as a child you wanted a model of robot, when you’re an adult these sort of things that you want seem to disappear, isn’t that so? Well, you may want something like a house, but obviously, it’s a little different from wanting a toy. My idea of a car is something that is exceedingly close to an adult’s toy.
Saitou – Hmm. So, when Akio is riding it  what does it mean?
Ikuhara – It means status. Obviously, you can buy toys when you have lots of money (lit. when you have composure). So, a person who have a car of high status brand is someone who has lots of composure and that’s why the car is depicted as a symbol of calm and composed adult.

A better word than composure here might be ‘control’. That’s not what Ikuhara says, but I believe that’s the idea that he’s getting at—money is a form of control and a veneer of respectability. Both of those things can fall under ‘composure’. And Akio does have both of them. The car is a symbol of his control over the Duelists, his power, and his delight in manipulating them, which is why Ikuhara describes it as a toy.

gumi wrote:

Saitou – Hmm, in other words, what’s the meaning of having an adult’s toy and baring one’s chest? Does it mean that all the pleasure lies there?
Ikuhara – Yes, that’s probably how it is. I think that in this world there are only few people who are allowed to return to being a child. Because only if one has that much of composure he can return to being a child. In that sense, I feel that those who ride naked on a luxurious, high brand car must really have lot of composure.

Basically what he’s saying here is that it takes a lot of power to do whatever you want. That Akio is a powerful character and that’s why he can do this sort of thing—and that the reason Akio would want to do so is because it is pleasurable.

gumi wrote:

Saitou – Yes, that may be true. So something like that is close to your ideal adult, right Ikuhara-san?
Ikuhara - Yes. But only if we’re talking about ideal that exists in a fantasy, a virtual ideal. Even apart from his actions, Ohtori Akio himself is my virtual ideal. Because he is a virtual star.

Akio is Ikuhara’s id. Ikuhara has made him to be the projection of the things he wants to do and knows are wrong.

gumi wrote:

Saitou – About the climax, will it be different from the one in the manga?
Ikuhara – Basically, the story itself is identical. The only difference will be in how it’s going to be presented, but what I’m going to do is not going to differ that much.

I would have to verify this by rereading the manga, but thematically the stories were very similar, if not identical.

gumi wrote:

Saitou - Anime’s scenario moves on simultaneously with manga. After Enokido-san (scriptwriter) finishes up the script I draw the manga while trying to make use of it as much as possible.

As said before, the manga was written simultaneously with the show.

Personal note: Saito’s wording may be a result of translation, but I get a very strange competitive vibe from her. She refers to it herself earlier, but even so, this doesn’t feel like a happy competition. This could be bullshit; I’m textually oversensitive and may just be picking up ‘noise’ from the fact that it’s translated.

gumi wrote:

Go Go! “The End of the World” is The End of the Heart, Go Go! “The End of the World” is a despair! Go! Let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”, let’s go, let’s go, to “The End of the World”, so let’s go, to the world you desire!!
[…]
With “The End of the World” meet those who have romantic hearts. Those who pursue their dreams, Go Go! Every person has “The End of the World” in his heart. Every road leads to “The End of the World”. “The End of the World” feels good. “The End of the World” feels like a lukewarm bath. It’s a world where you don’t need will or making decisions. Go Go! Go Go!
[…]
“The End of the World” is The End of the Heart, Go Go!! “The End of the World” is a despair! And, and, “The End of the World” is “The Reality”! Go!!

I am not even going to try. Seriously. There’s way too much in there to interpret; if we take this as analytical ‘fact’ about the show, we need to start asking whether this parallels mind control or whether there was volition from the students, in which state despair can feel good like a lukewarm bath (although from personal experience, that’s pretty descriptive of how I felt before I had a nervous breakdown), and if what Akio showed the students was what they truly wanted, or something awful enough to break their minds. Personally, I had always thought that Akio gave them a short glimpse of what it would be like to have their heart’s desire, but now I’m rethinking that.

gumi wrote:

Ikuhara – As for me, Anthy is probably my favourite. And then, the frog that appeared in episode 9 (laugh). I like it, especially that sound of crunching the insect, I like it very much.

Ikuhara is full of shit about the frog. He’s said at before that Anthy is his favorite character, but he doesn't identify with her as strongly as he identifies with Akio.

gumi wrote:

Q – In “RGU” world, do all the monkeys look like Chuchu? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Enokido – First of all, is Chuchu even a monkey?
Ikuhara – Dunno.

He does know. Otherwise he wouldn’t have okayed bananas spinning in the corners of the rose frame in Chu-chu’s shots. It’s a monkey.

gumi wrote:

Q – What does Miki measure with his stopwatch? (reader from Hokkaido)
Ikuhara – Let’s just say that it’s connected with the structure of the world.

Ikuhara gives various answers about the stopwatch. Many of them are true. The stopwatch is a symbol, though I don’t believe it’s as esoteric as timed lines. Your mods may have solved the mystery, but I need to go back and verify some things before we can comment. It will probably be an essay.

gumi wrote:

Q – What is the origin of Be-Papas name? (reader from Yamanashi prefecture)
Ikuhara – It has a considerably deep connection with whether a friendship exists in this world.
All – Eh?
Ikuhara – (laugh).
Enokido – And also some connection with themes of “RGU”.
Hasegawa – I think it should be taken literally.
Ikuhara – Well, it can mean that we just want to do things from subjective point of view.

Literally be papas (fathers?), huh? Ikuhara is full of shit again in his first comment, but the second might be true. Getting involved with your work the way a parent gets involved with a child? That’s pretty subjective.

gumi wrote:

Q -  Please tell how does Chuchu feel to touch in TV series. (reader from Kanagawa prefecture)
Enokido – That’s something I’d like to know too.
Ikuhara – No amount of words can express how wonderful it is.
All – (laugh).
AM – Even so, Utena doesn’t seem to touch Chuchu that often.
Ikuhara – No no, she touches him so much that he gets numb.
Hasegawa – To tell the truth, Chuchu kinda feels like this (this said, he slowly he takes out a certain thing).
AM – Oh, this?
Enokido – I see. This is certainly how Chuchu feels like in TV series.
Ikuhara – Yes, this feels great.
AM – I see, but what is “this” thing?
Enokido – We can’t say it in a magazine, can we?
Ikuhara – It’d be awkward if we did.
Enokido – Because there are also children reading this magazine.
Hasegawa – Those who don’t know what we’re talking about will get to know it when they grow up.

Subtext says Chu-chu feels like a penis. ‘No amount of words can express how wonderful it is’—orgasm. ‘Touches him so much that he gets numb’—common in the refractory period after orgasm. The use of ‘certain object’ implies that Hasegawa did not actually pull out his dick—the writer will pretend he did, but no doubt he pulled out some other more commonplace and far less dirty adult thing that made a good vehicle for a dirty joke.

Are you surprised that the creators had dirty minds? I’m not.

Also, I very much doubt this has any meaning in terms of the show.

gumi wrote:

Q – Could it be that Chuchu is a very important character who holds a key to the whole story? (reader from Tokyo)
Ikuhara – Giku! (startled) Now, that’s sharp (laugh).

No real answer here. That could imply that there’s more to analytical weight to Chu-chu than previously thought. Or, and I think this is more likely, that during the creative process they decided what function he played for Anthy and then let Chu-chu’s importance to the analysis develop naturally, so as not to overhint with him.

gumi wrote:

Q – What should I do to be able to receive electromagnetic waves from C-ko-chan? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Ikuhara – You should bring your heart extremely close to a monkey.
All – (laugh).
Hasegawa – It means you should live by your instinct.
AM – If I do that, the waves will come to me?
Ikuhara – Yes, they’ll start coming to you.

This validates the idea of the SPG’s as instinctive and archetypal knowledge of the characters.

gumi wrote:

Q – Is Anthy near sighted or far sighted? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – To tell the truth, she doesn’t really have a bad eyesight.
Ikuhara – Actually, she can see everything.
AM – But didn’t she say “I can see so much without my glass” in episode 8’s preview?
Enokido – Saying things like that is Anthy’s scary aspect.

Subtext says that Anthy’s glasses are symbolic of blinders that she willingly puts on.

gumi wrote:

Q - In the first episode Wakaba said something like “Anthy and Saionji are in the same Student Council, that’s why they’re together” but if that’s so, does it mean that Anthy is a student council’s member? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Enokido – She’s not a member of Student Council Executive Committee, but it seems that she’s a part of lower structures.

In short, Anthy serves no real purpose on the Council. She’s there because she’s the Rose Bride.

gumi wrote:

Q – What is Akio-san’s faculty? (reader from Tochigi prefecture)
Ikuhara – I think it’s astronomy.
Enokido – It might be veterinary.
AM – What about his club activity?
Ikuhara – Lambada or something like that (laugh).
Hasegawa – Yes, he’s probably into that sort of things.
AM – So it’s not a car club.
Ikuhara – Yes, he’s extremely good at dancing lambada.
Hasegawa – Especially the way he moves his hips.
Ikuhara –He’s trained in it. He’s so acrobatically trained in it that he can dance lambada everywhere.

Akio fucks everyone. We know.

Personally, I always figured tango would be his dance, not lambada.

gumi wrote:

Enokido – I think I’ve already discussed it somewhere before, but I have a particular interest in human relationships at the time when there is no confrontation in them or maybe better said, peaceful human relationships at the time of childhood when there was no confrontation are most easily understandable through the relationship of brother and sister – and that’s why there are so many of them.
Ikuhara – And maybe because those relationships have connection with feelings of searching of one’s prince that appear so frequently in these series.

No comment. Just figured it’s analytically important.

gumi wrote:

Q – In the first episode, we saw Saionji being engaged to Anthy, but with whom did he fight a duel and won her? (reader from Chiba prefecture)
Enokido – It’s a secret.
Ikuhara – Saionji surely must have brushed his teeth everyday.

There are two ways to interpret this, and they both come to the same conclusion.

a)    Saionji was a very good boy to be able to win Anthy away. He did everything he should in hopes that he would get her, even brushing his teeth every day. The only person he’d go to that much effort for in winning away Anthy would be Touga. The rest of the Student Council doesn’t make him unsure of himself enough to act that way about it.

b)    Saionji brushes his teeth every day after getting Anthy, symbolically washing the taste of the previous winner out of his mouth. Again, Touga. This time with a more disturbing sexual connotation—that, whether or not it happened, Saionji believes that Anthy had sexual relations with Touga.

gumi wrote:

Q – Are Ikuhara-director and Enokido-kun in love with each other? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – It’s already thing of the past (laugh).
Ikuhara- Even now, I take bath everyday.

Nope. But they’re good enough friends that Ikuhara can pretend that he’s traumatized by a relationship with Enokido.

gumi wrote:

Q – Ikuhara-san, do you have any relationship with “The End of the World”? (reader from Tokyo)
Ikuhara – He’s my friend.
AM – Your friend? So does it mean that you sometimes receive phone calls from him?
Ikuhara – Yes, I do.
AM – You don’t make phone calls to him?
Ikuhara – Sometimes I do, but when I’m listening to a CD during work before I notice that CD turns out to be a CD of “The End of the World”.

Ikuhara feels a very strong subconscious connection to Akio. As noted earlier, he considers Akio his id.

gumi wrote:

Q – What kind of girl is your type? (reader from Tokyo)
Enokido – If we’re talking about RGU, then my type is Kozue.
Hasegawa – I think for me it’d Utena. She doesn’t seem like a type who will cause troubles in the future and I’d like to drink sake together with her.
Ikuhara – Obviously, Anthy, both in terms of looks and personality. The runner-up would be Shiori, but instead of having her as my girlfriend, first I’d would get her and then I’d send her away to my rival’s house and tell her to prepare a poisoned meal and feed it to him. I think such kind of dating would be good.

Enokido wants a girl who puts out. Hasegawa wants an easygoing, fun girl. Ikuhara doesn’t actually want to date Anthy or Shiori. His id does (he speaks here as if he could manipulate like Akio) but he knows it would be wrong.

gumi wrote:

AM – But Utena is also a type of girl you like, right?
Ikuhara – Yes. I like idiots. I want to be an idiot too.

Intelligence hasn’t made Ikuhara’s life any easier. Conversely, it’s common for people to say things like this when they have contempt for idiots.

gumi wrote:

AM – So, it’d ok with you if someone came to the Be-Papas studio and asked “Is this Ikuhara-san?” while pointing at the film projector?
Ikuhara – Yes, but if someone really said something like that I’d hit that person from behind (laugh).

Like this.

gumi wrote:

AM – And finally, some questions from me, the editor.
Q – What kind of team is Be-Papas for all of you?
Enokido – “How beautiful congeniality is” – something along those lines.
Ikuhara – It’s filled with feelings of friendship.
Hasegawa – When we drink sake together we all seem to look like friends.
Enokido – It’s possible that there are in fact times when I think that we could be friends.
AM – Saying something like this means that members of Be-Papas are indeed looking for friends, right? (laugh).
Ikuhara – I don’t like it! (suddenly gets up from chair)
Hasegawa – Oh, my (laugh).
Enokido – We have this mutual agreement to betray each other depending on the situation and that’s probably why we get along so well with each other (laugh).
AM – I see. Could it be that you don’t like Ikuhara-san, Enokido-san?
Enokido – Giku! (startled). No, it’s nothing like that (laugh).
AM – Could it be that you don’t get along very well with Enokido-san, Ikuhara-san?
Ikuhara – Not at all. By the way, I went Enokido’s home yesterday and made him a meal. So I think that something’s going to happen eventually.
Enokido – Uuuh… I’m choking… (that said he starts wriggling).
Ikuhara – Here it is!

They are very good friends. Good enough to joke about horrible things and know they don’t mean a word of it. Those kinds of friendships are rare. It’s no wonder they made a show with such a strong theme of friendship; it’s obviously very important to them.

Clarice wrote:

I've got to get around to writing something sensible about that at some stage; I think I'll wait for the remasters, which is also when I plan to go all out and analyse every. Single. One. of the Shadow Plays.

I can't wait to see it. I've wanted to do that myself for quite some time. If you want someone to bounce ideas off, you know where to find me.

Clarice wrote:

Incidentally, the other thing I found particularly amusing about this interview was the thing about Saionji crying in the opening credits. I'd never noticed that before someone mentioned it at RoseCon, and...wow. That's fascinating. CRY, SAIONJI, CRY! (...at least there's no ammonia involved. )

I didn't try to analyze their bit on it, but Saionji crying in the opening is a rather big hint that he's not the evil monster he's portrayed to be; he is, in fact, just as hurt by the duels as anyone, maybe even more than most. His own personality contributes to that in a huge way. That's just what they're saying there.

Yasha wrote:

I can't wait to see it. I've wanted to do that myself for quite some time. If you want someone to bounce ideas off, you know where to find me.

I'll hold you to that, because while I know that I have a fairly good idea of what all of them mean, I know at least a couple are going to bug the hell out of me. But as I'm planning on doing it while having a massive rewatch of the whole series when I've got the remasters, anything that alludes me with the earlier ones will likely as not become clearer later on. As so much of this series does.

Yasha wrote:

I didn't try to analyze their bit on it, but Saionji crying in the opening is a rather big hint that he's not the evil monster he's portrayed to be; he is, in fact, just as hurt by the duels as anyone, maybe even more than most. His own personality contributes to that in a huge way. That's just what they're saying there.

Agreed. Saionji's a knee-jerk character in the beginning; I don't think the audience is supposed to sympathise with him at all. He's used immediately as Utena's foil, a dragon for her to slay in order to free the pretty girl. ...note the use of "free," not "save," there. Ha. But being that this series is all about the subversion of fairtytale tropes...Saionji's got his own dragons to slay. His tragedy is that he knows they're there, but he just doesn't want to know. He wants things to be simple, the way they were back before the coffin and the church.

...I admit, mind you, that I was first properly introduced to Saionji in Wakaba's episodes, so I've never had the initial WHAT A JERK!!! reaction to him. I saw the first arc long after I'd seen the rest of the series. Whoops.

Hiraku wrote:

This interview also inspired me to watch not just the episodes, but also the "Next Week" scenes. There's bound to be some stuff worth looking into in those dialogues, however off they may be from what the next episode really entails.

This is very true. Utena and Anthy talk about the episodes in a 'meta' sense in the previews; their characters don't have this knowledge in the episodes themselves. There is at least one where Anthy drops an analytical bombshell of some sort; I believe, I could be wrong, but I believe she says she hates Utena. Just like them to put that sort of thing in the previews.

Clarice wrote:

I'll hold you to that, because while I know that I have a fairly good idea of what all of them mean, I know at least a couple are going to bug the hell out of me. But as I'm planning on doing it while having a massive rewatch of the whole series when I've got the remasters, anything that alludes me with the earlier ones will likely as not become clearer later on. As so much of this series does.

No doubt. There are some that still boggle me, but they're probably the ones that you understand. So you're probably covered.

Clarice wrote:

Agreed. Saionji's a knee-jerk character in the beginning; I don't think the audience is supposed to sympathise with him at all. He's used immediately as Utena's foil, a dragon for her to slay in order to free the pretty girl. ...note the use of "free," not "save," there. Ha. But being that this series is all about the subversion of fairtytale tropes...Saionji's got his own dragons to slay. His tragedy is that he knows they're there, but he just doesn't want to know. He wants things to be simple, the way they were back before the coffin and the church.

...I admit, mind you, that I was first properly introduced to Saionji in Wakaba's episodes, so I've never had the initial WHAT A JERK!!! reaction to him. I saw the first arc long after I'd seen the rest of the series. Whoops.

I saw the series in order, but I don't remember thinking of him as a jerk once I got past the part with the coffin. It was a lot easier to see him as someone who felt things too much and couldn't control his reactions to them. I said Saionji's personality contributes to his own hurt, and it pairs nicely with what you've said about his dragons-- the difference between Utena's first dragon (Saionji) and Saionji's dragons is that Saionji will go out and feed his damn dragons with his own stubbornness, superiority, and unwillingness to be weak. Those are all defense mechanisms he's developed to protect himself, but they just end up making his dragons bigger and bigger.

That's a really good place to start. I don't know as much about Noh and Kabuki as I probably should, and I'd love to hear about the relationship between the arts and what the SPG's do.

She did say she hated Utena. That was the episode RIGHT AFTER Utena saw [spoiler]Anthy and Akio doing it.[/end spoiler]

Last edited by Hiraku (09-20-2010 12:10:32 AM)

Hiraku wrote:

She did say she hated Utena. That was the episode RIGHT AFTER Utena saw [spoiler]Anthy and Akio doing it.[/end spoiler]

Either it happens before then in the previews, or I'm mixing it up with something else. I know Anthy says some weird shit in there, though, and that there's at least one bombshell that was analytically important to an essay Gio was writing.

gumi wrote:

...and REALLY short notes on symbolism in Black Rose Arc, like for example about lilies in Kanae's duel that are supposed to symbolize, on one hand something beautiful and pure but on the other hand these are the flowers that sent by the dead person).

I WILL HAVE MORE OF YOUR BABIES. I WILL. As I said above I want to go through those desk-symbols in an essay, so the more information I have, the better!

...and yeah, Yasha, Anthy says some real odd stuff in those previews. I think Hiraku's right in where Anthy says she's always despised Utena (their relationship is...strained at that point), but the one that always got me was when Utena basically rolls her eyes and says "absolute destiny apocalypse, yeah, yeah, whatever." It's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.

Malacoda wrote:And the last one with the SPG cracks me up, always.

That one is my favorite preview. But who says the line about the power of miracles transforming her into a prince; is it Utena?

And could anyone please translate the UtenaCassette? I really want to know what does Anthy does to Juri during the message recording.