As far as brother and sister relationships go, Shoujo Kakumei Utena tends to embrace the dysfunctional. Perhaps the most disturbing brother/sister relationship is the one between Akio and Anthy. While it may have never been a perfect relationship, the dysfunction has certainly increased over time. Perhaps the most discomforting fact is that they regularly engage in sexual activities.

There is not a lot of information concerning their relationship before they took their places as Rose Bride and End of the World. What is known is that as Dios, he saved princesses at the expense of his own well being. The one who truly loved him was his sister, and she could never be his princess. When Anthy found that she could not persuade him to stop, she sealed him away and faced the angry mob alone.

It must have been lonely, seeing her brother save all of those girls. It must have been infuriating to see how ungrateful they were; how little they acknowledged his sacrifice. They continued to demand his help, despite his suffering and weariness. He saved them, and they sharpened their swords of hatred. None of those princesses really loved him like she did, but she was the one girl he could never turn into a princess. Perhaps he was the one person who had ever shown her kindness. In that case, he was her eternal, shining, miraculous thing, and she would do anything to protect him.

As he his life slipped away in a barn, she made a choice. She sealed him away from the mob and faced them alone. They backed away from her for a moment, but when she told them what she had done, they stabbed her with the Swords of Hatred. He had been the one she loved most in the world and his drive to save the weak girls of the world almost lead to his death. Still, it was her choice. She became the Rose Bride and Dios became Akio.

Along the way, their relationship became darker. Perhaps she was always a bit dependant on him, but some how they became co-dependent and each used the other’s dependence as a weapon. She needed him enough to tolerate his abuse, but he needed her more and that gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction. No matter what happened to her or what she had to suffer, she was detached from everything. In the stagnation, there was comfort.

He used her power, her knowledge, and her body. He dangled her like a prize in front of damaged people so that he and Anthy could manipulate them. He promised Revolution, but really, he enjoyed the stagnation. He had sex with her. He dominated her. His world revolved around her. Yes, he needed her a lot more than she needed him.

The number of years she spent as the Rose Bride is never stated. Perhaps there had been many duels and many attempts at revolution, but all of them failed. They cycled around—setting up the duels, manipulating the duelists, reaching the great door, and failing. Through all this, she remained safe in her coffin, away from the responsibility of living.

At some point, she changed. Utena inspired her to leave the comfort of her coffin the stagnation of her brother’s game. She realized that she could leave and survive without him, while he would remain in his fantasy world.

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