|
A-ko: I wonder, I wonder... do you know what I wonder?
B-ko: I heard that meddlesome brave warrior won yet another duel.
A-ko: Might is right!
B-ko: And losers are bottomfeeders.
A-ko&B-ko: ...and when she walks, she is as the lily.
A-ko: But dear brave warrior...
B-ko: Hey, you, no more sidetracking!
A-ko&B-ko: I wonder, I wonder... Do you know what I wonder?
(Translator's Notes): We know that the last sentence doesn't really make sense to you.
The original Japanese is "Aruku Sugata wa Yuri no Hana," and we just faithfully
translated it. This is actually a part of a saying. The complete saying is:
"Tateba shakuyaku, suwareba botan, aruku sugata wa yuri no hana."
A faithful translation would be:
"Standing, she is like a (herbaceous) peony; sitting, she is like a (tree) peony; and
walking she is like a lily."
It's a stock phrase to describe such a radiant beauty that every movement adds to her
charms. The reason why they say that phrase here is that...well, that's an open question.
And so the Student Council Arc comes to a close with what amounts to a clip show.
This play puts forward a nice point - Utena, the heroine, is winning the duels by force.
The heroine of a story is always in the right. So, therefore, might is right. This is an
example of the constant contradictions within Utena - she is literally "fighting for
peace" (peace for Anthy, that is). We have to wonder what Utena is gaining by winning
a bunch of swordfights to posess Anthy as opposed to just trying to become her friend
through other means.
The losers are definitely bottomfeeders. They are all just obstacles who want to posess
Anthy for unjust reasons, in Utena's mind. As it is revealed in the end, Utena's caring
for Anthy was (mostly) just to feed her ego. Utena doesn't seem like a self-centred
character, but for all intents and purposes she believes that everyone is beneath her.
Only Utena is capable of taking care of Anthy. Utena knows what is moral and true and
right.
As for the lily line, I suppose it would make more sense to be if I were familiar with the
original Japanese saying. But here I think the lily takes two meanings:
Lilies (in Western culture at least) symbolize purity - as Utena symbolizes purity.
Also, later in the series Akio talks about how Utena is one of the "special people" who
naturally draw attention. It's not really physical beauty that the shadow girls are talking
about but the inner strength and charisma that draws people towards Utena. This beauty
is apparent when she is still, but she is strongest when she acts.
Utena is referred to a number of times as the "meddlesome brave warrior" by the shadow
girls - the "but brave dear warrior..." line is probably a warning of the trials yet to
come. Now that the Student Council's little show is over (for now), Daddy Longlegs is
coming into the scene.
Back to Kashira
|
