* Icons * Himemiya Anthy *
The mysterious Rose Bride (Bara no Hanayome) is the figure at the center of the storm that whips through Ohtori Academy. What is her secret? Her past? Why is she the prize for the Duelists to battle over? Anthy is probably the character with the most mysterious and complicated past. (She's also my favorite ^_~)
PAST:
Anthy is the Rose Bride, but you already knew that, didn't you? But what exactly is the Rose Bride? Akio reveals in his phone conversation to Touga the story:
The Rose Bride locked up the Rose Prince in their castle. She was the only one who truely loved him. The people were angry, ringing the doorbell, banging on the gates, and trying to get in. "Return the Prince!" they cried. "Witch... Witch!" Anthy wouldn't let them in, however.
Unknown to the others, the Rose Prince was really the King of Flies [a reference to Beezelbub, the devil, which is also mentioned in the title of the song, Kessen - Beezelbub's Royal Castle, the music played when the Castle Car first appears.] When Anthy lost her magical powers, the Rose Prince (Akio) reverted back to this form. (For more info, see the page on Akio.)
Jump ahead some time. There is another secret between Anthy and Akio, as revealed by the Shadow Girls' scandalous video. Akio and Anthy seem to be a normal family, with Akio taking good care of his little sister. Or does he? He fills two glasses with water - and then drops a tablet, a drug, into one of them. The tablet fizzes as it dissolves. Later, the video shows the two glasses - one of them is empty - the one that Akio dropped the drug into. Akio approaches his sister, who is lying on the floor apparently under the influence of the sleeping drug. But Akio suddenly realizes she's not asleep at all. She's been awake the whole time and knows what Akio wants - and she's willing to do as he asks because she wishes to please Akio, her prince. Akio will have none of this, however, and he stabs her in the heart.
It was at this moment, Anthy reveals to Utena, that the castle first appeared in the sky. Eternity, miracles, shining things are all locked away in the castle, even though Anthy has never been in the castle. This is why there are people willing to duel her - for the person who wins the Rose Bride can enter the castle and have any wish come true.
PRESENT:
When we first meet Anthy, we see an energetic young woman who smiles kindly to Utena and strikes up a conversation. She appears to be an average, ordinary person who's quite outgoing. As in the television series, she's the keeper of the Rose Garden, although the movie's rose garden is also the dueling platform. She tells Utena that it's the roses that bind her to Ohtori Academy.
However, Anthy is also the strange and mysterious Rose Bride, the prize for whoever can win the duel. Unlike her persona in the television series, however, Anthy first tries to stop the duel between Utena and Saionji (because Utena has no idea what she's getting into) and is willing to throw herself into the fight to make the outcome go her way - saving Utena and giving her the Sword of Dios to defeat Saionji.
Anthy's personality only becomes stranger as the movie continues. When Utena moves into the dormitory with Anthy (as she does in the tv series), Anthy invites herself over. When Utena asks what the Rose Bride is supposed to do, Anthy smiles and caresses Utena gently. Utena is quite angry at this, but Anthy tells her she will do as the winner of the duel wishes. However, this only serves to drive a rift between the two girls, which widens when Touga appears at the pool and flirts with Anthy. Utena is convinced that Touga, who bears the Rose Signet and thus is eligible to duel for possesion of Anthy, had previously won her and slept her. She blames Anthy for Touga's strange actions and for her abandonment.
This rift begins to close as Anthy and Utena dance on the dueling platform at night. It is here that Utena angrily accuses Anthy of changing Touga into someone she hardly recognizes anymore, and cries out that there is no prince before falling into a crumpled heap among the roses. Anthy floods the platform with water, reflecting the stars that Utena had so wanted to see with Touga. She was the one who reached out to take Utena's hand as the two began to waltz among the roses. Utena tells Anthy the next day that it made her feel a little better. The rift continues to close as Anthy reveals the secret of the Rose Bride, showing Utena the hole in her heart where Akio stabbed her. The rift is finally closed when Utena goes up to the platform after her final encounter with Touga. She takes Anthy's hand and urges her to go to the outside world.
Utena is, of course, transformed into a car, but it's Anthy who takes the driver's seat. She realizes the key Akio was trying to find was actually Utena's rose signet. Putting pedal to the metal, the two make their escape.
Anthy is an extremely strong character in the movie. In the tv series, she always calls Utena 'Utena-san' or 'Tenjou-kun'. In the movie, Anthy does not use any honorifics at Utena's request, showing that the two consider themselves to be equal. Her actions in the duel between Utena and Saionji and in the final drive to the finish proves she has the will and the guts to command her own life. She may do as the winner of the duel wishes - but she also has her own plans in her mind, and will take any opportunity to implement them.
