Utena falls deeper in love with Akio, and starts to forget her silly dreams of being a prince; but her memories will not give up without a fight.
This is a summary of episode 35 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.
Akio and Touga go for a drive; Akio tells Touga that the duel is fast approaching which will determine who will gain the power to bring the world revolution - Utena or Touga. Utena, for her part, is still struggling to remember the explanations we saw in episode 34. Just when it looks like she's about to consciously remember it, Akio arrives at the rose garden to invite Utena for a walk. Himemiya smiles and waves, but after they leave, looks disappointed that Utena actually went. They walk in a maze-like flower garden, where Akio tells her about the place of red poppies in Japanese legend and their meaning in the language of flowers. (He never actually says, but it's "consolation".)
Akio and Touga have a curious meeting in the planetarium, during which Akio poses lasciviously with various sports cars and Touga photographs him. He asks Touga to give Utena a present (of Touga's choice) and tell her it's from him, Akio. Touga gives Utena a pair of dangly rosebud earrings. Utena is pleased, but not sure they suit her. Wakaba, who is there when he makes the presentation, is enthusiastic but then becomes suspicious when Touga asks to talk to Utena alone. Touga unaccountably brandishes a carrot throughout this meeting.
It turns out he wants (he says) to take her for a horseback ride. She is thrown from the horse and saved by Akio, who comes riding up in the nick of time and catches her in mid-air, presumably having planned the whole thing. Touga watches Utena go weak-kneed over Akio, then politely accepts a love letter from a random girl, muses briefly that being a "playboy" is so old-fashioned, and goes to practice kendo with Saionji.
Utena is late going to bed; she stays up, gazing at the earrings and fantasizing about Akio and his way with horses. Himemiya watches her sadly. Meanwhile, Akio and Touga discuss how it went, and Akio comments that he thinks Utena will make a lovely princess - a princess, not a prince. Touga and Saionji talk about the revolutionary power, and Touga says he wants to defeat Utena in order to save her; he isn't sure whether he's in love with her, but she's still trapped in the coffin, as is everybody.
Although Utena is wearing the earrings, she's still conscious that there's something important she needs to remember. She keeps getting strange hints and promptings, being reminded of things by commonplace sights.
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