minervana wrote:

I'm inclined to agree with this view. But if that's the case, why can't Akio tell Anthy to draw forth the sword of Dios for him? Wouldn't he be able to wield the sword, and regain his old power, instead of using the duelists as a proxy? Or would the sword just mysteriously disappear again into Anthy's body?

I think the point of Anthy holding Dios's sword comes in the idea of her acting as the sheath -- but she's not just a place for the sword to rest until it is needed, as such. She keeps it to herself. The implication, to me, was that Anthy understood all along that you can't just go around saving people, because it will destroy you in the end. Despite that, because she was branded as a "witch," Anthy wished that someone would save her. I suppose maybe she hoped that one day someone who COULD use Dios's sword -- her brother's sword -- would come along and do it. But not even Utena could do that. Even when Utena used her OWN sword, she couldn't do it. A person must save themselves. Which brings into question this -- where the hell is ANTHY'S sword?

wrote:

Also, what happened to the power of Dios in the end? Was it "released" into the world? Was it an illusion all along?

It's not an illusion, I think it's just what is made of it. It's inspiration, rather than a tangible thing that you can yank out of someone's chest and wave around until the dragon falls dead. Maybe that's why Akio wept when he said there was never any such thing as the prince in the first place. He fell not because his sister took his noble heart from him. Perhaps he fell just because princes can't really save people who don't want to be saved in the first place.

/crazy rant

...it's really too late in the day for me to writing this sort of thing.

Ashnod wrote:

Akio fights the Duel Named Revolution using the Sword of Dios. We see him draw it from Anthy without her consent while she is upon the sofa. He can obviously get to it without her drawing for him.

Okay, but was it really the Sword of Dios? It mimics the Sword of Dios in form, but not in color. The guard is black and purple. The blade takes on a darker hue, as well. It reminds me a lot of the Black Rose signet rings. Perhaps, in that same regard, the sword is corrupted under Akio's touch?

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, I've come to assume that the Anthy Akio pulls the sword from is a more honest representation of her illusion. Her hair is down and her glasses are gone, she's whimpering in agony, blades grow from her chest, and they quiver and shimmer agitatedly. But when Akio starts to fight Utena, Anthy, for all intents and purposes, is put together and assuming her role as Rose Bride just fine. I interpret that as a return to her completely illusory state. She is Akio's marionette again.

With all of this, I'm somewhat concerned as to where the sword she uses on Utena comes from. It looks identical to Akio's. Is it her heart-sword? That shouldn't make sense if what Mikage said holds true in the previous post. Did Akio give it to her, considering she's again mostly under his control? I guess it's possible, but the shot of Akio pushing Anthy to Utena shows him holding his sword, if only implicitly.

I really don't know whose sword that is.

Edit: Shit! I completely forgot. After Anthy discards, tossing into the shadows of tower/dueling arena, she gives Akio Utena's heart sword. A sword of a prince. That's great and all and kind of ruins the whole "Sword of Dios" being truly Dios' sword rather than an abstract prince's emblem of status, but it lets me forget about the blackened sword. And then the a million swords of hate debut, all of the horrific imagery and ominous mixing taking my mind off of the sword still.

When the scene pans to Anthy's naked, strung-up body, the sword that's skewering her wrists in place is that blackened sword. Is it her sword because she chose this position? Is it Akio's sword because he binds her to this life? Seriously, whose sword is that? Do they share it because of how dependent they are on each other? Is there a primary owner?

Last edited by turkicnomad (03-14-2015 12:48:56 AM)