I promise I’ll shut up about Utena after this but I just have to talk about my two absolute favourite moments of the final episode.
First, Utena pushing Akio away like he doesn’t even matter. Because he doesn’t; he’s just a selfish, abusive man playing at being a prince and he is not going to stand in her way.
Second, the entirety of the final scene because it’s such a flawless conclusion. Everything about it fits so well.
Akio remains trapped in the cycle of his own making, ignorant to the fact that Utena did revolutionise the world because it wasn’t in a way that he could comprehend. Utena didn’t save Anthy, but she inspired Anthy to save herself, and Akio is incapable of understanding that. He relied so heavily on having Anthy as a puppet to do his bidding, so the moment Anthy decides for herself to leave, he’s rendered powerless.
I especially love the focus on Anthy setting her glasses down on the table and that she lets her hair down. Given they were such a constant part of her appearance for so long, plus the way her glasses were often used symbolically, it really makes it feel like she’s physically shedding Akio’s control over her.
Don’t even get me started on the weight of Anthy using only Utena’s name with no honourifics for the first time, instead of her surname or a title…
[ID: A top text and bottom text style meme. The picture is of the fairy tale sequence from Revolutionary Girl Utena. A close up of Prince Dios’ hand is putting the Rose Signet ring on a young Utena’s finger on a black background. He is wearing white gloves. Bold white text reads: “Woe, Gender roles be upon ye” /end ID]
