Episode 22: Nemuro Memorial Hall

In which it is revealed the secret incomprehensible origins of the Black Rose necromancers, who sold their souls to Himemiya's brother Akio, many years ago and have not aged since.

This is a summary of episode 22 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.

In a scene reminiscent of Episode 13, Akio comments to the catatonic prince, who is sitting on a globe, that they've come to the last of the black roses.  Over a shot of Mikage sitting in his office, he says he wonders if "he" (presumably Mikage) will fight himself.

The student council do research and try to figure out who is behind the Black Rose duels.  Meanwhile, Utena encounters Mikage, who invites her to join the Mikage Seminar.  He says that her individualistic personality makes her qualified despite her atrocious grades.  He also tells her that the story about the building is substantially true - it was named after Professor Nemuro, who was trapped there and burned to death along with 100 male students, a long time ago.  Akio (or someone with dark skin and wearing clothing like Akio's - we never see the person's face) presents Mikage with a sealed letter that apparently demands the fulfillment of some previously-agreed contract.  Mikage is not pleased.

Then we see a flashback to some time in the past, when the building was a research facility.  The flashback focuses on Professor Nemuro.  He is Mikage Souji.  And he evidently has not aged between the time of the flashback and the present.  He and 100 carefully selected boys are doing strictly compartmentalized top-secret research, with nobody knowing exactly what anyone else's job is.  Rumours fly that it has something to do with "attaining eternity" or "the power to revolutionize the world."

"The Board" sends an "inspector" (no explanation given) named Chida Tokiko to see how Nemuro is doing.  As they meet, flashing hand graphics point out details that apparently are important to the plot - such as black cats gathering outside the window, a butterfly in a frame on the wall that is just like the transforming one in the elevator during the Black Rose interviews, and so on.  Nemuro meets Tokiko's younger brother - who is Mamiya, the girl-like boy we've seen in other Black Rose episodes.  He's rather sickly, and spends all his time tending roses in a greenhouse.  He and Nemuro fall in love at first sight.

Nemuro starts working harder.  There are further vague comments made about Tokiko wanting the research to succeed for Mamiya's sake, even though it has nothing to do with curing his illness, and Nemuro still not knowing what it's really about.  A dark-skinned man whose face we never see shows up to offer Nemuro a contract, the terms of which we are not told.  To accept, he is supposed to start wearing a rose signet ring.  Nemuro sees Tokiko kissing Akio, and then the building burns down.  Mamiya is blamed for having set the fire.  Nemuro tells Tokiko it was the right thing to do because of petroleum coming from dead dinosaurs.  He is wearing the ring.

Back in the present time, Tokiko comes to the school.  She has not aged.  She passes Mikage (Nemuro) in the hall, and visits Akio, who tells her that though the school has changed, people do not grow up as long as they stay in school.  In the rose garden, Utena is telling Himemiya not to blindly follow the instructions of End of the World - using the same words Tokiko used with Mamiya in the rose garden in the flashback.  Mikage watches and listens.  Meanwhile, Tokiko and Akio are dimming the lights and making cryptic pillow talk.

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