To be each other's heroines rather than be a Rose Bride：Utena & Anthy

To be each other's heroines rather than be a Rose Bride：Utena & Anthy

Among the vast array of animated heroes (usually male) that have captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, one stands out as a truly unique and compelling character: Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena). Directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara and Naoko Yamada, Revolutionary Girl Utena first aired in 1997 and has since become an iconic anime classic, cherished for its iterative and progressive storytelling structure (A typical Japanese TV anime characterister with extensive use of bank system[1]), thought-provoking themes, and gorgeous animation art with hyper realistic style. Utena Tenjou, the protagonist of this animation work, is a courageous character whose journey challenges traditional gender roles, confronts the complexities of identity, and ultimately seeks a revolution—not for the isolated world (the Ohtori Academy), but for her love (Anthy) and herself.

When Utena Tenjou was a child, she was given a rose-engraved signet ring by a traveling prince, who promised her that they would one day meet again. Inspired by the encounter, Utena vowed to one day "become a prince" herself. From this we can get the picture that one of the central aspects of Utena’s character is her defiance of traditional gender expectations. In a world where women are often depicted as passive and in need of protection, Utena stands apart. She aspires to be a prince, not a princess. This idea is revolutionary in itself;In the beginning she has rejected traditional feminine roles that society expects her to adhere to, which claimed that a woman’s value is just waiting to be rescued and protected by someone. This rejection not only manifests in her decision to adopt a more traditionally masculine appearance, including a school uniform designed to resemble a prince's attire; but also manifests in that she defines her own value through her actions, her courage, and her desire to be a leader, even if that means stepping into a princely role that is typically reserved for men.

Years later, teenage Utena has become a student at Ohtori Academy, an exclusive boarding schoolor ratheran isolated "Hakoniwa"[2]. Soon She finds herself drawn into a sword dueling tournament with the school's Student Council, whose members wear signet rings identical to her own. The duelists compete to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a mysterious student known as the "Rose Bride" who is said to possess the "power to revolutionize the world". Utena’s reason for picking up the sword was simply out of indignation for Anthy's profile; meanwhile she emerges victorious in her first duel; As a female fighter, she challenges those who represent oppression and injustice. Obliged to defend her position as theRose Bride, she decides to remain in the tournament to protect Anthy from those who seek the power of the Rose Bride for themselves. This caused Utena to engage herself into endless challenge from a variety of opponents. Throughout this process, Utena also proves that she has the strength and determination to defy the world’s rigid expectations.

At the same time, Utena Tenjou’s personality is one of striking contradictions, a Paradox of Strength and Vulnerability, whose dual nature resonates deeply with audiences because it mirrors the human experience. On the surface, she is a strong-willed, confident, and courageous individual. However, she is not immune to fragility, doubt, pain, or confusion. Especially when Akio Ohtori tempted her and wanted to seduce her into a sexual relationship, with the admonition that she didn’t have to be the prince who holds the capability to rescue someone. Utena’s journey is not just about fighting external battles but also navigating her internal struggles, making her one of the most multi-dimensional and compelling characters in anime.

To be the prince or princess, Or neither? Does she have the right to choose? When she was enjoying her role as a "woman", she, just like Anthy, whom she was supposed to protect from the system, has "fallen" and became Akio's plaything, almost betraying her love and her own purpose. Utena’s outer persona is always one of fierce determination, while her inner journey is one of self-discovery. After all, at the bottom of her well of deep desire is her longing to become the "prince". This vision leads her to confront profound existential questions about identity, love, and fate. She wrestles with her beliefs and values, realizing that the world she is fighting against is far more complicated than she first imagined: She gradually discovers that the rule that the prince could only protect the princess by fighting constantly is just a conspiracy, made up by Akio who aims to finally obtain the "power of eternity".

Whereupon we turn our attention to Utena’s relationship with Anthy, the "Rose Bride," it further highlights their resistance to societal expectations. At first glance, Anthy appears to fit the traditional mold of a passive female character who needs rescuing. But as the series progresses, it becomes clear that she is far more complex than she initially appears, and Utena’s role in her life is not just one of saving her but also of challenging her perceptions of love, power, and self-worth. As a response, Anthy appears to thwart Utena's altruistic rescue efforts, yet in reality, she discourages her from engaging in futile discourse, effectively disabling Utena's participation in the futile act of her preservation. The dynamic between Utena and Anthy blurs the lines between protector and protected, showing that both characters need each other in different ways. Utena’s commitment to freeing Anthy from the oppressive forces of Ohtori Academy is not only an act of love but also a symbol of her desire to revolutionize the world around her. At the same time, Anthy leaving the academy means to create a new reality where both women can be free from the constraints of traditional gender roles，not just by imitating a male’s representation and then getting rid of it.

As a result, we discovered that in Revolutionary Girl Utena, the fairytale about Prince-Princess is being repeated again and again, meanwhile, the idea is gradually being replaced with an anti-enlightenment story just about Utena-Anthy, a female prince and the cursed sorceress. They resisted the fate set by the system for them, the so-called mutual salvation: power to revolutionize the world and the liberty of the Rose Bride as bargaining chips on both ends of the scale. Instead, they broke the hypocrisy of the prince-princess myth in one fell swoop and cut off from the cycle, walks out of Ohtori Academy hand in hand with sorrowful memories , never looking back, never reconciling.

Note:

1. bank system (バンクシステム), or bank(バンク) for short, is a system in video works, especially in animation and Tokusatsu(特撮／とくさつ), where the animation or background of a particular scene is stored like a "bank" and used in another part of the film. It is sometimes used for different works. Some cartoonists also make use of this system.
2. Hakoniwa(箱庭 / はこにわ）In contrast to the ‘open world’ concept of ACG, the flow of time inside the Hakoniwa is stagnant in the daily cycle, and the time that is still flowing outside is intentionally hidden. In Japanese anime, the concept of Hakoniwa is often closely associated with high school campus.

written by ToumingCabinet