"You have weird tastes. It's not good."

[snarp]

Getting close to the end of Utena!

I know that the symbolism in this show is pretty much continuous with reality, and I shouldn't question whether Akio and Touga physically seduce the people who get in the Doom Car with them. That's not the point!

But I do kind of wonder exactly to what extent we're supposed to believe that Touga and Saionji are doing it. Because based on the available evidence, Touga is the least straight male character in the series. His grounds for declaring himself the heteronormativity police are weak.

If we assume that Doom Car Reality is, in some sense, more real than physical reality, Utena hasn't actually slept with Akio yet.

Comments

[rachelmanija]

Have you gotten to Touga's carrot yet?

[mikkeneko]

Or the scene with the cactuses?

[snarp]

Yes. Yes, I have.

AKIO: So do we have enough opaquely meaningful props to get us through the next couple of days, or do I need to make a run to the store?
TOUGA: I think we're good. I've got a moped, a carrot, horses, microphones, a bunch of cameras, a reporter for NHK, a field of poppies, annnd I found all these potted cacti on sale!
AKIO: Oh, good! Those can symbolize the sexual threat that I present. Here, I'm going to lie down on the floor in a provocative pose, arrange them around me. Be sure to get one near my crotch.
TOUGA: Okay. I've also been teaching Saionji to do the thing where our shirts come open and blow in the wind -
AKIO: Hey, that was our special thing!

[snarp]

If you mean the one where he poses moodily with the carrot while Utena and Wakaba debate the merits of the earrings, then yes. I assumed the carrot to be FORESHADOWING of the horse. Horses are things that need foreshadowing!

[rachelmanija]

I assumed it was the least subtle phallic in the entire existence of the universe, including the rest of Utena, but that too!

[rachelmanija]

Phallic symbol. See, it was so unsubtle that it made the word "symbol" vanish!

[snarp]

That is like a metaphor for the whole series.

(I thought the thing with Anthy kissing the sword, while Touga held it at a certain angle, was the most unsubtle.)