Relationship and Character Connection Essays

• • • Jury and Ruka: Miracles and Sacrifice
           by: Hugo Schmidt
           How and why did Ruka do what he did in those tense (and for him, possibly fatal) episodes? What was his motivation? Hugo explains it all, with bonus duel song analysis!

• • • A Link in Obscurity
           by: Yasha
           Well now, what do we have here? An essay about the way Miki and Touga act and react to each other? Of course we do. One of the most overlooked relationships in the series, explained for your perusal.

• • • Miki, Mikage, and Genius
           by: Giovanna
           Being as intelligent as Miki and Mikage are is rarely an entirely good thing. In this essay I talk about what genius has done to these two characters, and how it connects their situations together.

• • • Touga and the Fangirls that Adore Him
           by: Yasha
           Come on people, you know Gio would never write this. Li'l ole Yasha decided it was time to examine the peculiarities of Touga worshipers— fangirl analysis ahead!

• • • Akio and the Fangirls that Hate Him
           by: Giovanna
           Have you ever wondered why it is that no matter how sexy a villain is, most women will swear they're not attracted to them at all? No? Well I have, so I wrote this.

Symbolism and Story Essays

• • • Adolescent Apocalypse
           Coming of Age through a Depth Psychological Lens
           by: Danielle
           Movie symbolism analysis! Not just movie symbolism analysis, Jungian movie symbolism analysis! What can I say, I like 'em... wait... okay, no, I won't go there. *NEW STUFF*

• • • Fight/Flight, Rest/Relaxation
           by: Giovanna
           Saionji's strange behavior during his stay at Wakaba's dorm analyzed through his body language. How'd we get from slapping to sparklies, and what it says about Saionji. This essay's name refers to the nervous system responses to stress and calm.

• • • Things That Can Be Said Without Words
           by: Maarika
           Homework strikes again in this examination of the presence of non-verbal communication in SKU. After all, we know there's far more at play in the series than what people say.

• • • Pulling Swords Out of People
           by: satyreyes
           Who didn't wonder, just a little, what was so great about Tatsuya that Mikage let him go? Through Tatsuya, satyreyes uncovers the drives behind the Black Rose Duellists.

• • • The Prince Who Runs in the Night
           by: Celeste
          An in-depth look at the past, future, and undercurrents of the duels, drawn from the time and events of Episode 33.

• • • Motive and Source
           by: Giovanna
           Gio, in her ineffable wisdom, has decided to examine the circumstances and motivations behind the Seitokai members' drive to join the Seitokai in the first place. What strings did Akio pull to convince them to join in his game? Find out inside.

• • • Sex, Torment, and Body Language
           by: Giovanna
           'The' scene in episode 33 ("The Prince who Runs in the Night"), explained primarily in body language. This is the unnatural evolution of my old essay about how silly it is to think Akio rapes Utena. This one's a wee bit larger in scope.

• • • Mikage, Manet, and Titian
           by: Celeste
           This excerpt from Celeste's much longer Mikage/BRS essay discusses the connection between a specific shot of Mikage and the paintings that it refers to.

Theme, Philosophy and Other Essays

• • • Utena's Revolution
            or la Fin de l'Ancien Régime Romantique
           by: Etrangere
           Etrangere explores the correlation between relationships in Utena and the historical and political structures that SKU references. Fascinating stuff! *NEW STUFF*

• • • For The Garden Where All Love Ends:
              A Discourse Upon The Black Rose Saga Page 1 - Page 2
           by: Clarice
           The essay that schooled all of us on how it's done. This mammoth piece of work takes apart the Black Rose Saga, Mikage, the symbolism, and every subject therein. It has to be read; you try summarizing it in a sentence or two.

• • • En Garde!: Fencing at Ohtori Academy
           by: Leaf
           An examination of the art of fencing at Ohtori Academy, the characters that fence, and what can be drawn from their ways of doing so—straight from a real life fencer!

• • • In Medias Res
           by: Cat
           The fabulous Cat has given us an essay comparing Hinduism and Buddhism through the media of Utena. Philosophy students, take notice!

• • • The Failing Revolution?
           by: Spiral Artist
           Spiral Artist introduces some new analysis fodder-- could Utena really have been about the feminist struggle against the capitalist and patriarchal order?

• • • "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" Monomyth
           by: Rhyaniwyn
           The storyline of SKU explained in terms of Joseph Campbell's monomyth. For those out of the loop, Star Wars and The Matrix have been pointed out to fit his outline. They lack hot villains, though, and so are not discussed here.