Episode 2: For Whom the Rose Smiles

Himemiya and Utena move in together, and Saionji unsuccessfully challenges Utena in an attempt to win Himemiya back.

This is a summary of episode 2 of the anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena.  You are welcome to link to it, but not to repost it elsewhere.  For more information, and other episode summaries, see the index.

The episode begins with girls swooning over Utena; then we check in with Wakaba and see that she's more or less over her heartbreak, declaring that it doesn't matter Saionji is a jerk because Utena is her true love anyway.  Then we see a student council meeting.  The council members are playing cards and making incomprehensible speeches about how important it is to have "the power to bring the world revolution." It seems they're each receiving letters from End of the World, which tell them what to do - who shall challenge whom in the duelling arena.  The payoff is that the final winner of the duels will be granted, as well as the Rose Bride, this "power to bring the world revolution," whatever that means; and they all want either the bride or the power enough to be willing to follow End of the World's scheme.

Utena has been assigned to live in the East dorm, which has been disused for 10 years.  Wakaba teases her about living in a haunted house, but Utena says at least she's gotten a single room.  When she gets there, she discovers that she is the only person assigned to the entire building - or is she?  When she looks again (very dreamlike effect here) Himemiya is there, too, having magically cleaned up the decayed room in the space of a few seconds, and she tells Utena that they'll be living together.  Himemiya also introduces Chu-Chu, a tiny monkey-like creature.  They talk, and Utena tries to get her to explain why she participates in the student council's weird duelling thing, but Himemiya only gives cryptic answers.

Saionji insists, to Kiryuu Touga, the student council president, that the Rose Bride belongs to him, regardless of the duels.  He exhibits his cruelty by slapping around Himemiya some more, and steps on Chu-Chu, and Utena accepts his challenge to another duel for possession of the Rose Bride, under threat of being kicked out of school if she doesn't.  She declares that she will deliberately lose.

When the duel occurs, however, Utena is possessed by a spirit that looks a whole lot like her white-clad prince - described by onlookers as "the power of Dios" (the magical sword pulled out of Himemiya's chest is "the sword of Dios"), and she wins the duel.  She later tells Himemiya that she did it not for her, but because "Saionji would tease Chu-Chu" if Chu-Chu and Himemiya had to go back to him.

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