This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)
So I was looking through some things, checking out symphonic metal bands I hadn't heard of. There's a relatively recent visual kei band(2007-2012) called Versailles that has a song called "Sekai no Hate." Given that they're most likely named after Rose of Versailles since its the most famous shoujo of all time, it doesn't seem at all outside the realm of possibility that they'd be aware of SKU--given that the two works share a lot of the same sensibilities. Given some of the lyrics, you could reeeeeeally see this coming from the point of view of Anthy at the end of the series. I've gotten my translation from here:
http://crystalscherzo.blogspot.com/2012 … ation.html
If you are there at the edge of this world,
I'll become a bird with you. Yes, soon,
There won't be anything to lose, anything to fear.
I'll go anywhere to meet you.
The part at the end about burning everything threw me for a loop at first...though I did remember that Anthy as Mamiya certainly doesn't have any proclivities against it. Though which world they're talking about could determine whether the song means to be ultimately tragic.
But then again, the reference could just be the title alone and the rest is from their own imagination, who knows. Thoughts?
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Sekai no Hate a.k.a. 世界の果 a.k.a. End(s)/Edge(s) of the World?!
Talk about a song about . . . well, going against Akio for/with a special someone, whoever's POV that might be.
Should there ever be an SKU rebuilt or sequel, this is so the OP.
Thanks for sharing, F E!
Last edited by gorgeousshutin (09-12-2013 05:11:12 PM)
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Those lyrics are pretty awesome. It sounds like a description of the riding through the clouds part of the OP and the end of the Virtual Star ED, don't you think? But I think it's probably coincidental...
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The song is on YouTube here. The heavy metal doesn't scream SKU on first listen -- this is not exactly Toki ni Ai wa -- but I think the musical setting is compatible with SKU, as long as it's going mostly for the flavor of Utena's emotional struggles within Ohtori rather than Anthy's escape from it. As someone completely ignorant of visual kei, I wonder whether this band is more likely to be taking its name from a thirty-year-old shoujo manga or a symbolically charged palace in France.
Offhand I would say: not a reference, but very good AMV material!
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I would say there's a pretty good chance they're at least otakus. I mean, their name is Versailles.
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Versailles is also a Visual Kei band, one of those that actually includes crossdressing boys.
It's worth remembering that this is actually a man:
Screw you, Anthy, this guy looks hotter in a frilly dress than you ever did.
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"I'll become a bird with you", huh? Well, the bird breaks out of the egg to revolutionize the world, after all, and when Utena and Anthy escaped, Utena certainly became... something. A car is not a bird, but... well...
Versailles probably does come from the place and not the manga, honestly, just from glancing at the band's "aesthetic", so to speak.
I think it's possible that this is inspired by Utena, but it's also possible that it isn't.
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