path_unprepared | Black Rose Revolution Summary!

In the first 12 episodes of the series, Utena fights in turn against the duellist members of Ohtori's Student Council. Each of the SC members draw their desire to duel from some wish to grasp something pure and eternal in some form that has personal meaning for them: Miki's 'shining thing', Juri's 'power of miracles', and so on. But in the next round of duels, Utena fights against a different group of individuals who have the following things in common:

- with the exception of the first and final duellists, they all have some tangential connection to one of the SC members...and that connection allows them to fight with a sword forged from the soul of the other person -- and forcibly taken from that person
- instead of fighting from the pure desire to win that eternal something, the Black Rose Duellists are fuelled by emotions from the absolute darkest part of themselves -- fear, hatred, insecurity, twisted desire, whatever emotional demons are strongest within them are brought to the surface and used to fuel their power to fight
- in the Duelling Arena, they all greet Utena by saying: 'I swear by this black rose that I will triumph in this duel...and bring death to the Rose Bride!'

The black rose that had kicked off the Nyarlathotep plot was one of Anthy's. But this time, even she has no real control over the events that follow....

Sore wa, mukashi mukashi no hanashi desu....

As our story begins, Souji Mikage, charismatic and soft-spoken high school student at Ohtori Academy (and the shadowy individual behind the creation of the Black Rose Duellists)...

...wasn't having a very good day.

Suffice it to say that his defeat in the final Black Rose duel led to a place far different than he had ever imagined he might find himself. The path before him at Ohtori was no longer prepared, but a new path had opened up -- and he had no choice but to take it.

He stumbles, literally, into Milliways, just as the bells ring out signifying the end of the duel. How fortunate he is that the first person he encounters is another Ohtori student -- Anthy Himemiya -- though he does not recognise her for who she is at first. Once questions of identity have been cleared up, Mikage wonders how he might have arrived at the bar. Anthy gives him a brief explanation, with which Mikage seems rather less than thrilled, for he immediately asks how he might leave. Regrettably, the door has closed and disappeared behind him, and so there is little he can do but request a key and make his way upstairs. Anthy sees him off, and her reaction once he has left is the only appropriate response: Fucking Milliways.

Upstairs, Mikage has an uneventful first night.

The next day, Mikage meets both Guppy and Moiraine. He learns a little bit more about the bar and its denizens, as well as the fact that Anthy seems to be living at the bar. In a slightly less intense conversation shortly afterward, he also meets Susan Delgado. She asks him about the colour of his hair, which momentarily flummoxes him until Susan gently explains that there is a witch in the bar who can change her hair colour at will. Mikage then takes his leave of her and wanders off to contemplate the genetics of changeable hair colour.

After speaking to Susan, Mikage spots Anthy (or Mamiya) over by the observation window, and approaches. Their conversation starts off on a bleak and existential note, but quickly switches back to more mundane matters. Mikage mentions having met Moiraine and Susan, which causes Anthy no small amount of concern -- especially since he refers to the fact that there are witches who frequent the bar. Their conversation ends on a mildly disturbed (or disturbing) note.

(A conversation of note taking place shortly thereafter in Anthy's greenhouse involves, as its cast of characters, her, Roland, and milk carton with a photograph of River on the side. Roland promises Anthy that he will find a way to make her die if she hurts River. This conversation in turn has particular relevance when connected to Cuthbert's interrogation of Anthy over the black rose Famine left on Crowley's grave.)

He returns to the bar again on Sunday evening, and happens to fall into conversation with Roland. Mikage mentions that he knows Anthy, which immediately piques Roland's interest and sets off a line of questioning about exactly what Ohtori Academy is like. This leads to Mikage once again discussing his seminar, and how it helps students at the Academy develop their true 'potential'. The p-word sets alarms off in Roland's mind, and so perhaps it is fortunate for Mikage that he does not get terribly specific about what his seminars do for those who attend them. He leaves shortly thereafter, by which time Roland is likely wondering if everyone at Ohtori is as mental as Anthy and Mikage, or if it is only the mental ones who get to come to Milliways.

(Also that evening, a vision of him appears to River with something of a message for her.)

When he goes upstairs after speaking with Roland, there is a photograph on his desk that had not been there when he had left the room.

He returns to the bar again the next night, collecting tea and a different book and heading for a table near the observation window. And sitting at a table nearby is Miki Kaoru, the youngest of the Student Council members. Their conversation opens pleasantly enough, though Mikage seems more than a little inquisitive about how Miki is doing as a Student Council member.

Upon returning to his room that evening, he discovers that the photograph on his desk is not the same photograph that had been there the night before.

A quiet evening passes on the following night, though Mikage also receives an unusual milk carton from the bar. But when he goes upstairs that evening, there is another 'gift' on his desk -- one that's meant to be worn.

His new ring doesn't go entirely unnoticed -- certainly not by Miki, who seems more than a little disturbed about it. But shortly before that meeting, Mikage happens to have a fairly pleasant conversation with Kaylee where his signet ring also comes up in conversation. He mentions that in his opinion, more students at Ohtori should be permitted to wear the ring, because 'if something so small can make someone feel more important, it wouldn't be a bad thing, would it?' There's more talk of encouraging the potential of selected students, though Mikage would like to draw the line at saying that he 'fixes' them. And even though the discussion seems to leave Kaylee a little unsettled, they part amiably enough.

That night, Mikage returns to his room -- and this time he knows exactly what he will find.

The following night, Friday night, Anthy goes out to the greenhouse to water the roses. Mikage happens to be there to keep her company as she does so.

The next day, in a completely unrelated turn of events, Kaylee happens to be looking for the ladies' room.

She doesn't find it.

Shortly thereafter, Roland does a little exploring, and finds a part of the bar that he'd never knew existed. when Kaylee shows up, she takes something that belongs to him. But River feels it happening, and so she races in search of Roland...and finds a duelling area prepared for her, the participants all in place.

River, however, refuses to take the Sword of Dios from Anthy in order to fight Kaylee. She grabs a branch instead, and the duel continues. And in a twist which might be familiar to those who've seen the Black Rose Arc, River manages to disarm her opponent and win the duel.

There is a short graduation ceremony, with none of the usual pomp and circumstance.

Back outside the duelling arena, Roland regains consciousness and is Not Happy with what has transpired. But Kaylee's well-being is seen to, and everyone manages to keep their tempers though it's probably a good thing that Mikage is nowhere to be found.

Anthy, at least, is able to assure Roland that Mikage won't be a problem any longer.

Or so she thinks.

The chill ascends from feet to knees,
The fever sings in mental wires.
If to be warmed, then I must freeze
And quake in frigid purgatorial fires
Of which the flame is roses, and the smoke is briars.

- T.S. Eliot