MikoGalatea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mikogalatea) wrote2018-12-14 09:28 pm
mikogalatea) wrote2018-12-14 09:28 pm
Entry tags:
Utena meta: Shiori, Anthy, and Wakaba
I've have some positive feedback for my Shiori defences and analysis posts on Tumblr, which always makes me happy because it shows I'm not alone in wanting to stick up for her. This included an ask I got around 4 years ago from an anon who thought Shiori was right up there with Anthy for being the most sympathetic character and that she's a little like Wakaba in some respects.
Here's my response to the ask, in which I basically agreed with the anon.
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A big part of what makes Shiori so sympathetic to me is that she's one of the most realistic characters in the series. Many of us have had experience with low self-esteem and aloof friends, and even if we don't necessarily take out those issues in the extreme ways that Shiori does at times, it's not hard to see where she’s coming from.
I don't know how well Anthy really copes, consider what she tries to do in episode 37 (although the fact that she's still hanging in there after all she's been through says a lot) but one big difference between her and Shiori is that Anthy has had centuries to develop ways of somewhat dealing with her pain; Shiori, on the other hand, is just a fifteen-year-old girl. There's also the fact that Anthy can take small revenges against those who torment her and get away with it, whereas Shiori's attempts to lash out either blow up in her face or leave her feeling even worse about herself (if not both of the above).
I like drawing parallels between both Shiori/Anthy and Shiori/Wakaba, among so many others that I see between all sorts of characters in this show. I think Shiori and Wakaba are actually pretty similar, at least in the sense that they both have poor self-esteem and feel bottled-up envy towards a "special" friend, so part of me finds it odd that Shiori is so hated while Wakaba is fairly popular. That said, I find it understandable since Wakaba is consistently presented in a positive light, whereas the only thing we know about Shiori before episode 17 is how she hurt Juri in the past.
Here's my response to the ask, in which I basically agreed with the anon.
-
A big part of what makes Shiori so sympathetic to me is that she's one of the most realistic characters in the series. Many of us have had experience with low self-esteem and aloof friends, and even if we don't necessarily take out those issues in the extreme ways that Shiori does at times, it's not hard to see where she’s coming from.
I don't know how well Anthy really copes, consider what she tries to do in episode 37 (although the fact that she's still hanging in there after all she's been through says a lot) but one big difference between her and Shiori is that Anthy has had centuries to develop ways of somewhat dealing with her pain; Shiori, on the other hand, is just a fifteen-year-old girl. There's also the fact that Anthy can take small revenges against those who torment her and get away with it, whereas Shiori's attempts to lash out either blow up in her face or leave her feeling even worse about herself (if not both of the above).
I like drawing parallels between both Shiori/Anthy and Shiori/Wakaba, among so many others that I see between all sorts of characters in this show. I think Shiori and Wakaba are actually pretty similar, at least in the sense that they both have poor self-esteem and feel bottled-up envy towards a "special" friend, so part of me finds it odd that Shiori is so hated while Wakaba is fairly popular. That said, I find it understandable since Wakaba is consistently presented in a positive light, whereas the only thing we know about Shiori before episode 17 is how she hurt Juri in the past.