Episode 21: Vermin

Nanami's lackey Sonoda Keiko has a crush on Touga, and the Black Rose necromancers use her as a zombie Duellist.

This is a summary of episode 21 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.

Nanami is always accompanied by her three lackeys:  Aiko, Yuko, and Keiko.  We've seen them in several previous episode - they generally do the dirty work of Nanami's schemes.  This episode starts with a flashback to the time Nanami first enrolled at the school; upon finding out that she was Kiryuu Touga's little sister, they decided to become Nanami's faithful supporters in order to be close to him.

Nanami decides to give a party, hoping it will cheer up Touga, who has been gloomy since episode 14.  Her lackeys invite everyone to attend, get the room and food prepared, and so on.  We watch Keiko through most of this as she chooses a new dress and thinks to herself that even if Touga never notices her, she wants just to be near him.  At the last minute, Nanami orders Keiko to skip the party and go to school to finish up some student council paperwork.  Keiko goes off, brooding on the situation.  She comes back just in time to look in the window and see Touga, at the party, talking and laughing with Utena and Himemiya.  Then she runs off.  As she undresses for bed, she thinks to herself that she and Touga live in different worlds and it's foolish to think she has any chance with him.

After the party, Nanami and her lackeys harass Utena and Himemiya for having had the nerve to attend the party (after having been personally invited); Nanami swears that she won't let any such "vermin" around her brother.  Then Utena and Himemiya visit Akio's planetarium and look at the Plieades.  After Utena leaves, Akio tells her seriously that he wants her to stay good friends with Utena.

Touga goes walking in the rain without an umbrella.  Keiko encounters him and offers to share hers.  Nanami sees them together, and throws her weight around to have Keiko ostracized by everyone at school - including Aiko and Yuko.  Keiko takes a Black Rose interview and becomes a zombie.  She pulls a katana from Touga's heart and uses it to duel Utena, in an arena where every desk has an open umbrella on it.  Himemiya is carrying a ruffled parasol that matches her gown.  Utena wins the duel partly because Keiko is distracted when she suddenly comes to the realization that Nanami is the real vermin.

Afterwards, Utena comments that it's upsetting she could be so hated by someone (Keiko) whose name she doesn't even know.  She and Himemiya see Nanami walk by, accompanied by Aiko, Yuko, and Keiko; after identifying them by hairstyle, Himemiya explains that despite really thinking Nanami is vermin, Keiko is back with Nanami because she's lying to herself for Touga's sake.

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