Utena - obscure symbols

In the courtyard of Anthy and Utena’s empty dorm stands an obelisk surrounded by astrological symbols for the twelve constellations of the zodiac. See Mishima Yukio’s House for its inspiration. It stands for Akio and his stars. In episode 2 when Saionji comes to demand Anthy, the shadow of the obelisk falls on the symbol for Scorpio (♏︎). According to the Wikipedia article I just linked, in astrology Scorpio is associated with three animals: The scorpion that the constellation depicts, and also the snake and the eagle.

The scorpion is Saionji, who has arrived with his sting. The snake is Akio, who is tied to the serpent in Eden. The eagle is also Akio, through his name Ohtori. I wish I could make symbols like that.

Shortly after, Utena comes out to confront Saionji. The shadow has moved halfway between Scorpio and Libra (♎︎), the scales of justice. You thought the light was fixed to the building, and maybe it is though I don’t see it in the frontal view of the dorm. In Utena-world that does not stop it from moving around. Compare the impossible shadows of Utena and Anthy lying down in synchrony.

The following shot is from the side and shows the obelisk as a divider between Utena and Anthy on one side and Saionji on the other. They are being weighed in the scales: Justice and light on the left versus sting and darkness on the right. The shadow line is fuzzy. Utena is not entirely in the light, and Anthy is shadowed in darkness. We learn the outcome after the duel.

It’s super-cute and virtually impossible to figure out without study, an easter egg for those who look closely. Utena does this kind of thing all over.

In episode 1, we’re shown Utena’s specialness in a basketball game where she charges forward in a shower of rose petals past defending boys and outjumps them to score. (The 鳳 character on the basketball jerseys says Ohtori.) The sports super-skill and rose petals are typical genre elements, and it’s only later that we may realize more: Her win is a sign of her power of miracles; defeating the entire boys’ team is a miracle. The orange color of the basketball represents miracles. It’s also a metaphor of personally defeating organized sexism. The shower of rose petals is her connection with Dios, the rose prince and the former holder of the power of miracles. Afterward, she is crowded with fangirls.

I call the symbolism obscure because it took me a long time to realize. The disguise as a genre trope worked on me.

There are three basketball games (plus snippets of others in episodes 8 and 20). The second is in episode 30. Some of the same images repeat in the animation, this time without rose petals. Utena defeats the boys more soundly, not merely outjumping them but dunking the ball and grabbing the rim. Her power of miracles is stronger: Akio has been strengthening it through duels, to exploit for his own ends.

Then a vision of Akio distracts her and she falls, injuring herself. It is part of his plan to control her and exploit her power, and a metaphor of failure in the face of social control. Afterward, the boys stand around her, mildly concerned.

The third game is in episode 37, after she has decided on her course of action. The animation again reuses images, and added images emphasize her determination and show that she is undistracted by other thoughts. She has overcome her weakness from the previous game, and she has resolved her confused feelings from earlier in the episode. Afterward, she is alone. She becomes more alone as the show progresses.

Unfortunately, she is determined to do the wrong thing. As we see in flashbacks as she plays, she has made her decision without full information.

Every spherical object is like the egg of the world, and has something or other to do with revolution. The basketball represents Utena’s power of miracles, in the same way that Akio’s spherical hair tie represents Akio’s power of illusion, with his illusions (as hair) flowing through the world.

In the body swap episode 8, the basketball is prominent in the gym equipment shed behind Utena, who is in Anthy’s body. Utena is confident with the ball in her hands, or with a sword, but in the face of Saionji’s advances she seems to feel powerless. Utena as Anthy is capable of miracles; she played a basketball game earlier in the episode. Here the basketball is in storage rather than in use. Utena’s power is not always active, and she can be defeated. It comes with a hint that Utena is vulnerable to sexual temptation, showing how she can be defeated. Touga and Akio both exploit the weakness. The orange ball can also represent Saionji’s one-sided love, although the scene associates it with Utena. In storage, it looks brown for ordinariness.