someday, together, we'll shine

My favorite SKU character is Anthy, followed by Utena and after them, Nanami and Juri.

But yeah, I love Nanami a lot, and one of the (many) reasons I’m not as big a fan of the Utena movie is because she’s not really in it. Out of all the supporting characters, her arc is one of the most interesting and layered—she starts out seeming like comic relief, and when she’s not owning slapstick episodes, she’s treating others horribly and generally being very fucked up. But before I knew it I got really attached to her—and really impressed with her story, how she becomes a dramatic mirror for Utena and foil for Anthy. She’s so much like Utena in that neither of them know who or what they’re fucking with, and both cling to their innocence in a way that makes watching them move through the world a bit like a watching a trainwreck. While at the same time you want to hug them tight. IDK IDK I’ve always wanted to make a post about this stuff and can never organize all the details, but I think it’s one of the more masterfully written things about SKU.

And just in general, Nanami is so much fun to watch. The show wouldn’t be what it is without her over-the-top-ness, her sharpness and bluntness, her innocence, her burgeoning maturity towards the end—and her LUDICROUS, genius episodes. Nanami is the greatest.