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Brother and Sister (Shoujo Kakumei Utena)
"'Originally (in Japan), women controlled the religious acts concerning ceremonies and
prayers. The shamans were women in this country as a rule.' He states that sisters (or
women in general) have been recognized as having spiritual powers in Japan from ancient
times. Sisters have been the guardian Gods for their brothers," (Kawai, 74).
Anthy's protection of her brother while he was the Prince seems to fit well into this;
she is also the one with the spiritual powers.
The theme of the redemptive sister is in fairy tales such as The Six Swans, The Seven Ravens, and The Twelve Brothers by Grimm.
The typical motif of such stories is that the siblings love and are devoted to each other but either directly or indirectly the sister is the cause of the brothers' transformation or
harm that befalls them. After this, the sister sets out to redeem the brothers, usually undergoing a great sacrifice in the process. In Utena Anthy and Akio embody this tale type.
When they were children, Akio was a prince whe helped others, but his continuous exertion wore on him. One day a mob came to the children's door demanding the prince come forth
to save their daughters. Anthy didn't want him to go because she was afraid he'd die, so she faced them and said she'd sealed him (also his powers)away. For taking the prince from the
world, the villagers punished Anthy. The story jumps ahead to the present after untold years have passed. Losing the ability to use his powers, Akio falls and believes that because of
Anthy, his princely self perished. In the present, he therefore becomes manipulative and abusive towards Anthy. For Anthy, this whole period has been one of suffering for what she had
done and she views what she suffers as her rightful punishment for taking a prince away from the world. The two build a system of elaborate duels, the final champion of which will be
given the power to achieve all they desire. Along the way, the victor gains engagement to the Rose Bride/the princess (Anthy) who has powers of her own and with whom the victor
may do as they wish, this is part of Anthy's punishment and her sacrifice. Like the redemptive sister tales, Anthy and Akio love each other. Through her devotion, Anthy tries to save
her brother but it is by this loving act that she is the cause for his metaphorical transformation out of the prince, and because of this transformation she undergoes suffering in the hopes
that her sacrifice will redeem him in the end.