A revolution can be two things. The first is a complete cycle of events such as the movement of the Earth around its axis. In this sense, the events simply repeat themselves and come full circle, creating no real evolution because the truths that unfold simply fold back into themselves. Stagnation remains and no one is any better off than when they started. This is the revolution of Akio, who quit growing and changing and still wants to play house with his little sister. He doesn't really want any change and perhaps he doesn't even believe it is possible because for him it always returns to the beginning. Anthy is the unchanging, eternal body which all these events cycle around and in this situation she is just as trapped as those who revolve around her.

The other revolution is a sudden change and this is the revolution of Utena. There is no cycling in this case because the evolution is permanent and the progress is real. Not only is there change, but there is a possibility for even further change and development and an end to stagnation. Utena isn't personally invested and entrenched in the unprogressing cycles and can therefore work for real change. The other duelists sought only to satisfy themselves within their endless self-destructive cycles, but Utena destroyed them.

The revolution of Utena was a change in perspective; a desire to grow up and away from that which hurt and imprisoned. While Anthy could have stayed in her coffin and not felt pain, she would never get the chance to live. Utena helped her decide that she did have a choice between stagnation or progress, or in other words, living death or really living. She is able to leave her brother and his endless revolutions to seek out Utena and everything she represents.

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