I think that's the big point, though, that Anthy is passive voluntarily and then chooses at the very end not to be. And if you look, it's not solely for Utena's sake, either, but what Utena shows Anthy her own life can be--if that makes sense? Anthy chooses to let go of her life as the Rose Bride and stop punishing herself in her roles after a sure chance with Utena is past. She goes out into the world maybe hoping to be reunited, knowing Utena wants to be with her, but not having any kind of certainty they will meet except for her own feelings. So it's her leaving for her own sake.
I haven't read a lot of meta, but the series itself really resonated with me--all the female characters at least.
Anthy does choose, in a way, to accept the role of witch to save her brother, but it's not true agency like I know you often discuss. She slips into a role that is labelled and defined by outside society--by the prince's admirers, by Akio, by anyone who knows the stories. She stays there under a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy whereby she decides she "deserves" this. It can be tricky to get past something like that, because in your mind, you feel like this is the life you created. You're in charge, even if you'r not empowered.
Anthy at the end truly is empowered, and it happens after both Utena has let go of her idealism towards Anthy, and Anthy herself has rejected Utena. To me, that's what I see in your piece here, is an Anthy that realizes what her position has been, but is reclaiming her experiences to build a new life.
I do think a piece about Utena where she comes to terms with being receptive and passive in general without feeling weak or feeling she needs to resort to a kind of femininity that doesn't feel authentic to her (reference to when she switched to wearing girls' uniforms in the show).
If you look at it very simplistically, it's about both of them finding balance. Though as I like to see it, it's about both of them learning the art of becoming--both of them being transformed through their experiences with each other, for the sake of themselves as individuals. If that makes any sense. XD
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I haven't read a lot of meta, but the series itself really resonated with me--all the female characters at least.
Anthy does choose, in a way, to accept the role of witch to save her brother, but it's not true agency like I know you often discuss. She slips into a role that is labelled and defined by outside society--by the prince's admirers, by Akio, by anyone who knows the stories. She stays there under a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy whereby she decides she "deserves" this. It can be tricky to get past something like that, because in your mind, you feel like this is the life you created. You're in charge, even if you'r not empowered.
Anthy at the end truly is empowered, and it happens after both Utena has let go of her idealism towards Anthy, and Anthy herself has rejected Utena. To me, that's what I see in your piece here, is an Anthy that realizes what her position has been, but is reclaiming her experiences to build a new life.
I do think a piece about Utena where she comes to terms with being receptive and passive in general without feeling weak or feeling she needs to resort to a kind of femininity that doesn't feel authentic to her (reference to when she switched to wearing girls' uniforms in the show).
If you look at it very simplistically, it's about both of them finding balance. Though as I like to see it, it's about both of them learning the art of becoming--both of them being transformed through their experiences with each other, for the sake of themselves as individuals. If that makes any sense. XD