I like to think that he went off hunting for a new rose bride, twisting the story of Utena and Anthy until it makes him look good. Like ... he did so much for his sister, the witch, out of love, trying to make her better. And then a false prince came along and ensared her under a spell, stealing her away from her kind and loving brother, and locking away his powers and life behind a gate barred with thorn of evil and hatred and death.  And only the True Love of a Kind Princess will help him get bak what he lost. And hey, I have this dress, wanna try it on....?

But that's wishful thinking on my part. He could never go back to being a Prince. He's forgotten self sacrifice and wouldn't deign to learn something like that again.

Last edited by morosemocha (03-09-2007 10:28:14 AM)

I say he poisons Kanae once more, and in her state on intoxication, makes her the new Rose Bride. After all, she fits the role of princess perfectly, as is explained in the Kanae thread. But, seeing as Akio is untrue to her and uses her, doesn't that mean she isn't a real princess? So, in the world of SKU, she must become a witch, in some sense. That sounds crazy, I know, but I could never get over my Kanae Rose Bride dreams.

Akio would either say something like "Well thats screws up my Saturday nights, I guess Kanae gonna get some extra loving from now on." ...somehow I don't think so.

More likely its gonna be like:
"This is bad, this is really bad, without Anthy, people will start to remember shit that I don't what them to remember, Kanae might start to become more demanding and insist that she gets some loving, the Chairman will recover and I lose my position of power, my 'dalliances' with my underaged students will cause me a heap of trouble with the law and if I am really unlucky, my next 'dalliance' will be with a 300lb mass murderer named Tiny...ewww, not to mention those bloody Swords of Human Hatred might seek to turn me into a human pincushion."

Last edited by Tamago (03-09-2007 02:03:55 PM)

Oh, wow! I like the Kanae as a rose bride idea. Huh. That sounds pretty interesting. I'd like to read a fic like that.

As for what I think? Hmmmm.. I'm not sure. I definitely don't think he can return to being Dios, though. Once you have lost innocence, you cannot return to it. Besides, Anthy has/is the Power of Dios, which was taken from him and that was when he turned into Akio/Ends of the World.

I'm not sure if the magic and glamour of Ohtori and it's never-aging thing was Anthy's power or not..

Hmm. I'll have to ponder on this subject. Good thread!

I think the point, or a point, of Akio's character in the series was to show us how pathetic and absurd escapism in its extremes can be. After the series, I suspect Akio will do exactly what Anthy said he will. Continue playing prince in his coffin forever. Given a few years, he'll no doubt have convinced himself that Anthy's leaving was his own design to begin with. He didn't lose. He won. He wanted to get rid of Anthy. Beyond that it depends on what you think happened to the swords. Are they gone? Do they still hunt him down? I think what's truly pathetic about Akio is that it probably won't matter. If they do still hunt them, he'll replace Anthy with a new Rose Bride or a constant stream of them, eternally worming his way behind a constant shield of women tricked into thinking he's worth it. If they don't, he'll replace Anthy anyway. In his mind, the swords will still exist, and he'll still position for himself a 'Rose Bride' that will shield him from them. Whether she suffers the pains or not, whether he inflicts them himself subconsciously or not, he'll continue to have a Rose Bride because without one, he can't hide from the fact that there's nothing to need to be shielded from anymore. If the swords are gone, then...they're gone. They don't care about skewering him anymore. He knows even in the series he's not the prince anymore, he's shifted his self-worth away from the 'prince' part of him, but without the swords to hate him...what is he? Nothing. Having a million swords of hate wanting a piece of you is hardly pleasant, but it certainly gives you a means to build self-worth. You must be pretty hot shit if you're in a situation like that. Anthy herself drew from the same source for her sense of superiority. But with the swords gone, Akio doesn't have that anymore. He's a child with no one looking over him or protecting him. There's nothing to be protected from anymore, but that leaves an undeniable void Akio will eternally manage to fill whether the whole thing is truly an illusion or not. I wouldn't put it at all past Akio's abilities to project that will on others such that his Rose Brides do indeed feel the swords of hate, and he doesn't realize he's creating them himself. He can't. It would ruin everything.

Edit: That said, the Mary Sue-style retarded fangirl in me likes to think he moved his operation from Ohtori to NYC and started playing his games with adults who he'll be amused to find act no different at all.

And the cynic in me thinks he'll 'grow up', only to find he never stopped being the prince in the first place. The definition shifted. As an archetype the prince is only what the princesses wanted, an ideal. But in this world, do you ever really see a woman that wants a prince? No, they all end up with assholes. Mrs.Ohtori calls Akio a prince. Maybe it's true.

Last edited by Giovanna (03-09-2007 03:00:53 PM)

I'm glad others agree on the Kanae Rose Bride theory. Though I admit it's full of holes.

I'm also in the "Kanae as the new Rose Bride" boat because I think he'd get himself a new Rose Bride and keep playing his little games, and Kanae's just there so why not? She's devoted to him in her way and she's easily used.

I don't think Akio grew up because he didn't want to grow up. Anthy showed him that he was just playing pretend the whole time, and he knew it even before she showed him but he chose to stay behind. If he wanted to grow up he would have done it a long time ago.

Hysterical Woman wrote:

When Anthy left, Akio just took another Anthy out of the Anthiqurium.

An Anthquarium huh? What an interesting idea.

Razara wrote:

I know I probably shouldn't post pictures of Sims on other threads, but I just had to put an image to this idea.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/ … een622.jpg
She wouldn't stop smiling. Do I have to stab her with a million swords before she'll frown?

Can I tap that?

Maybe he jumped off the cocktower. Suicide is a fitting end, presuming he isn't immortal anymore.

Unless he learned his lesson and turned all good n 'stuff. But that's no fun.

Yes he does. He learned his ABC's and his 123's and how to seduce women and men all over the campus.

I truly believe that Akio doesn't have much power without Anthy, which ironically parallels to what his said about Dios as a prince without power.  Anthy is the source of power behind everything in Ohtori.  That was the reason why Akio used her for his own benefit.  I tend to think that Akio will find a replacement for rose bride, but realizing he doesn't really have much power left, he can only create a fantasy for himself, making himself the hero of the story, while nothing meaningful can be done.  It is just to make the school and students to follow him as before and making himself look good.  I also like to see that maybe after a little while somebody smart will find out Akio is really nothing behind his pretty mask and then Akio turns into a miserable old man and disappear.