It should be noted that an onion's layers represent eternity and God's complexity in many cultures.  Wakaba seems to be a perky average girl but if you peel back her outward layers you find a girl who's desparate for attention.

A sweet, young shallot that caramelizes well, nothing like those terribly sharp red onions.
(in all honesty, that was what I first thought of when I saw the thread title)

Is this a valid interpretation of Wakaba, as a sort of gestalt of all of the characters? A foggy mirror showing their primary qualities in a muted form?

I think it does work as an interpretation, but I would caution you to remember that for all her normality, Wakaba still is very critical to the events of SKU - if it weren't for her confession to Saionji, Utena wouldn't have joined the duels in the first place, and as you noted, it was Wakaba's presence that helped snap Utena out of her post-Touga slump. So yes, while Wakaba may not be the flashiest student at Ohtori - a problem that's at the source of much of her angst - she is extremely important and, frankly, much healthier imo than the characters she reflects. Perhaps that could be drawn into something larger about moderation and the danger of excess, but someone else will have to do that, since I am far too lazy to do so at the moment For now, though, I guess I could see Wakaba as potentially emblematic of the importance of the everyman - she's *not* the best at anything, but damned if she isn't important.

Flah wrote:

This got me thinking that maybe Wakaba takes the role of every character in onion form. An Onion Nanami to Saionji's Onion Touga. A sad manipulated Onion Saionji to, once again, Onion Touga (who is himself an Onion Akio making this the Inception of onions). An Onion Duelist who proves to be so incompetent that she loses without Utena even having to draw her sword. Even her plain brown hair and standard uniform attest to this, whereas everyone else (except for Nanami's minions) has brilliantly coloured hair and unique clothing. The only reason that the Onion Anthy is so prevalently displayed in Wakaba is that the series does focus mostly on the relationship between her and Utena.

So, I ask the forum, as a new member: Is this a valid interpretation of Wakaba, as a sort of gestalt of all of the characters? A foggy mirror showing their primary qualities in a muted form? Or am I grasping at straws, trying to find symbolism that isn't there in a show that's already been analyzed to death?

I think you have found symbolism that is actually there, and I haven't seen it before!

I do think Wakaba is kind of a Gestalt Onion.  But I guess I wouldn't read her as being an onion to every character individually as you suggest.  While Wakaba certainly does serve as a foil for Utena, I don't think it's right to say that she's sort of the bland average of all the main characters, which I think is what you're saying.  On the contrary, there are areas where she is stronger or weaker than any of the main characters.  She's probably the best friend of SKU's regulars, certainly the most optimistic, possibly the neediest, and also almost completely guileless, sometimes to her own detriment.  In short, she's her own character -- not bland but piquant -- even apart from being an important mover of the plot, as you and Spinner and Raze have all pointed out.

Wakaba is a Gestalt Onion in a different way.  She is not the weak substitute for anyone (or everyone) in particular; she is the weak substitute for main characters in general.  Or at least that's how she sees herself, and the main characters (and writers) often treat her that way too.  The onion metaphor is yet another way of communicating that, while she's relevant to the plot, she will never be the subject of it.  She's not a special person, she feels inferior, her internal narrative is one where she is a bland and uninteresting vegetable in a world of exotic greenery, and she expects to be treated that way even as she tries to be more than that.  That's my read, anyway.

Last edited by satyreyes (09-06-2013 08:42:07 PM)

Decrescent Daytripper wrote:

They're like the "pants" of vegetation. Roses are the "dress."

"She stunned the room to silence, then sighs, with her gorgeous dress."

"She stunned the room to silence, then sighs, with her amazing pants."

Oh god, this captures Wakaba

She's a good-hearted (and tough) everywoman whose only character weakness lies in her admiration/envy of the elite - the weakness that gave room for Anthy/Mamiya to exploit her.  But I think she's gone past that after the BR eps.  Her flirting with Akio seems more like "for fun" than "for real ala Saionji-sama", and she's hanging out with a bland boy (Tatsuya) and NewBestFriend at Ep 39.

Last edited by gorgeousshutin (09-07-2013 09:50:22 AM)