#n the dubious racial element. the perception by ikuni + bepapas that these vaguely desi charas is ‘eternal’

[blueiight]

i do think some of the old guard of utena fans underestimate the sheer level of anthy’s disempowerment & what that entails for her. once again its the assumption that observing how & where a fictional character is a victim is somehow a remark on the moral superiority or ‘inherent goodness’ of a character when nobody is saying such. we talk about the duelists projecting on her but what r the rammifications knowing & being fully aware of how literally everyone around u sees u as a tool? there is nowhere anthy can actually claim power of her own no matter how malicious or well intended until damn near the end id argue. shes constantly forced to wear diff. costumes for purposes that risk her own self w no benefit or power bestowed upon her. abuse on some level requires the benefit of power, the gaining of control over somebody bc ur brutally reminding them ‘of their place’ & theres not a scene where anthy has this. she reminds utena of ‘her place’ & betrays her in ep38, but anthy receives no benefit. in fact, ‘humbling’ utena also comes at anthy’s own expense. shes being stabbed by the swords of hate & locked in the coffin.. nobody thinks shes ‘virtuous’ for being a victim. ppl r able to recognize her capacity for cruelty, but r also cognizant on how this is not the same as abuse, bc she reaps none of the control/ power abuse bestows upon its actor.

#even when she rubs it in utena’s face in ep11 thats like. her responding to utena projecting her identity on her #and utena dont realize that she wanted to save anthy for her ego to be the prince until ep30sum when anthy try to kill herself #n the dubious racial element. the perception by ikuni + bepapas that these vaguely desi charas is ‘eternal’ #yn. #ANTHYS MALICE.. and its her reacting to abusive cruel situations. shes just matching their energy #the best mirror there ever was.💔 #touga receives structural benefits from abusing his little sister + roster of gfs bc hes a boy. #anthy receives zero benefits for being cruel towards nanami & shes matching nanamin energy toward her anyways.. #anthy himemiya #rgu