(no subject)

[skygiants]

So I am currently in the middle of an epic rewatch of Revolutionary Girl Utena. And I just have to take a moment to note: it is really hard to ship non-canon pairings in Utena, because practically everything in Utena that you can think of is canon, to a more or less disturbing extent. And yet, as I watch, I have found myself shipping two emphatically not-even-close-to-canon pairings! Which I am going to ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE YOU OF today.

1. Saionji/Nanami

I think I started shipping this one during that egg-frying scene in the episode with Nanami's egg, which will never, ever not be amazing. My reasoning is simple: Saionji was Nanami's older brother's best friend growing up; that makes Saionji like Nanami's older brother, and he seems to treat her mostly this way; Nanami has an enormous older-brother complex; QED! Also they are around equally terrifyingly needy, so their issues might well balance each other out. Or explode in a glorious conflagration, either/or.

Okay, actually my reasoning is more 'it would be hilarious.'

BUT I also have other reasons! Which is to say they deserve each other, and I don't actually mean that in a negative way. Saionji and Nanami are treated very similarly in the show - they act like jerks, and the narrative (or Anthy, who controls a lot of the narrative, so) takes them entirely unseriously and makes them its chew-toys ninety-nine percent of the time, and you are heartily feeling like they deserve it, and then they do something unexpectedly human and all of a sudden your heart breaks for them despite itself. (Note: I actually love Nanami a lot, and my heart secretly breaks for her all the time. On the other hand, she drowns kittens.) So it would be strangely endearing to see them struggling to be unexpectedly human together!

Also, I mean, they have so many other things in common. Like their shared hobby of slapping Anthy.

2. Juri/Kozue

Look, I'm not saying it would be healthy, just that I think it's completely plausible. Juri has a type, and that type is cute, flirty, really passive-aggressive girls who are secretly kind of psychotic! Kozue has a type, and that type is . . . well, her brother. And Juri is close to Miki, so it's not like it's implausible that Kozue would try to seduce her just to break Miki's brain some more.

. . . okay, like I said, it would be totally unhealthy, but it might still be healthier than Juri/Shiori??? I don't know, I actually have a really strong fondness for Kozue and her habit of seducing everything that moves and shoving creeper teachers down stairs. And at least she keeps her psychosis a bit less hidden than Shiori does, so everyone would know what they were in for . . .?


I would say you can all feel free to judge me now, except that this is a show in which Nanami loses her symbolic virginity to an elementary-schooler (I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW DISTURBING THAT EPISODE WAS. BY THE WAY), so I'm pretty sure that if you already like Utena you can't actually judge me.

Comments

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Heh. You realize that both of those pairings might be better described as "threesome without the fulcrum"?

[skygiants]

Hah, possibly! Although when the fulcrum is Touga any threesome is better off without him, I firmly feel. BECAUSE HE'S A CREEPER.

[mercuriazs.livejournal.com]

I am in class, but I just want to say ...




I've 'shipped Juri/Kozue since I was 18.

So.

Yeah.

[skygiants]

I knew there was a reason we were friends.

[mercuriazs.livejournal.com]

I should dig up that old fic I wrote them ...

[skygiants]

!!! yes you emphatically should, I wish to see! FEED ME.

[themadpoker.livejournal.com]

Hey, Utena! I have made it all the way to episode five, yay me. I may even pick it up again after I finish Princess Ja Myung Go!

Which is to say I cannot judge you since I haven't seen enough of either duo to really know if they work. =D

[skygiants]

You should! I've told you this before, I think, but really need to get to episode ten or eleven - like, the first arc is cool and sets up a lot of stuff, but the second arc is where it starts getting massively weird and fascinating.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Awww. I ship Nanami/Miki and Utena/Mikage. Although I think Utena was set out to make you ship EVERYTHING.

[skygiants]

Utena is set out to make you ship almost everything that's not explicitly stated, and to make you shriek "OH GOD NO WHY!" at almost everything that is explicitly stated. ("OH GOD NO WHY AKIO/ANYONE!")

Haha, I ship Miki/puberty, since I think it is pretty clear that he has not yet achieved it yet - though Nanami's babycrush on Miki is probably one of Nanami's most adorable (which is to say, least destructive . . .?) relationships.

[gramarye1971]

On the Saionji/Nanami note, did you ever read the crack-fic 'Student Council President's Day'? It was one of the better fics to come out of the alt.fan.utena newsgroup back in the day, and is one of the few fics I know (cracky or otherwise) that gives a nod to that pairing. ^_^

[skygiants]

. . . I did not, and I feel I need to! (I haven't actually read much Utena fic at all, which is something I may rectify this time around.) Would you by any chance have a link?

[gramarye1971]

I don't know if it was ever archived anywhere, but I may have it saved down on Trefusis Mk. I (aka Old Laptop). I will investigate!

(I would link to the one awesome piece of fanart that someone drew for it, but it involves the best joke of the entire fic and I don't want to spoil it unless I can't find the fic itself.)

[skygiants]

(*laughing* Fair! I will try and be patient. :D)

[sandrylene.livejournal.com]

I love you and look forward to your crazy talk in person. :P

(But I would totally get on the Saionji/Nanami boat with you. It would be hysterical, and yes, I'm totally with you on the "they kind of deserve each other" rationale. And maybe it really would make both of them just slightly more stable. I mean, it could hardly get much worse, right? :P)

[skygiants]

I may make you join me in some Utena-rewatching this weekend! AT LEAST YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE IN FOR.

(EXACTLY! This is my thought! And, I mean, normally I would feel a little bad shipping Saionji with anyone because is a very explicitly terrible boyfriend, but if he tried to get up to any of that crap with Nanami she would just slap him back, so. He can perhaps be trained!)

[sandrylene.livejournal.com]

OH NO! NOT UTENA-REWATCHING! That would be TRAGIC! :D :D :D

Is can be friends and milkshakes time nao?

(Indeed. Her reactions are pretty much as far away on the spectrum from Anthy's as possible. :P)

[skygiants]

I SORT OF FIGURED THAT WOULD BE YOUR REACTION.

Soon! I AM EXCITE. :DDDD

(Saionji would be SO CONFUSED. He doesn't understand! This isn't how relationships work! Meanwhile, Nanami would be like 'why are you just standing there trying to look intimidating and not making me lunch right now. GET ON THAT.')

[nevacaruso.livejournal.com]

Kozue/Juri might be interesting, but I would equally happy for Juri if she found happiness with someone outside Ohtori. I am rather fond of Kozue/Shiori, though.

Also, I am the last person to wag my finger at you for shipping non-canon pairings, since one of my first obsessions in this fandom was Ruka/Mikage. Bwah.

[skygiants]

. . . man, my brain is kind of boggling at Kozue/Shiori. ALL THAT PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVENESS AT ONCE. I mean, I guess we already have Kozue/Anthy as canon, and Anthy is the reigning queen of passive-aggression, but nonetheless!

[gramarye1971]

Also, I am the last person to wag my finger at you for shipping non-canon pairings, since one of my first obsessions in this fandom was Ruka/Mikage.

*cackles with glee* I too will admit to this guilty pleasure 'ship. (Well, anything involving Mikage, but this pairing is especially enjoyable when I want to roll around in the angst.)

[shati.livejournal.com]

judging you rn

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

^ hilarious

[skygiants]

also I wear three pairs of long underwear