Utena Explained Episode 2: Miki's Stopwatch

EDIT: The card game the duelists are playing is Old Maid, not Go Fish. My mistake, but most of the points I made should still apply (Old Maid isn't strictly a children's card game and the Jokers are regularly used in it). Also Enokido Yoji was a screenwriter not a character designer. Whoops. I will try to avoid making such obvious mistakes in the future, obviously I need to spend more time researching these scripts.
The second episode of Utena Explained where I look at the symbolism and meaning of a specific scene in an episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Sorry for the wait. I'm hoping to put out videos more frequently now that I've graduated college. The next one probably won't be related to Utena, but we'll see. Thanks to everyone watching and especially the people leaving comments. I've been very happy to see the positive reception my videos have been getting, and your words mean a lot to me.
Music:
Ptolmey - Aphex Twin
You Know I Should be Leaving Soon - American Football

[@josephsiar]

After watching Shirobako, I can't help but wonder if the stopwatch isn't a reference to the animators, the «real» creators of the world of Utena. Since animators use a stopwatch to calculate how many frames each action needs, especially dialogue.

[@puntme]

yeah i always assumed it was this. the vocals need to be a certain length and the VA is timed to match the frames, and this was just a meta reference to that (because most of the scenes in the student council are absurd/surreal anyway)

[@LvLupXD]

That also lends itself to an interpretation of Ikuhara's words about it having to do with the structure of the world (it being a scene in an animated sequence)

[@5zakuro]

i've always been fond of the theory that the stopwatch is miki's attempt to make sense of the warped time flow in the academy but i think all the theories are cool and pretty much equally probable considering how crazy utena is with its symbolism :) out of curiosity, what did you study in college? i'm super hyped for someone doing a series of analysis videos on utena, i've often lamented how little attention it seems to get compared to other oldschool classics

[@CrabeVideos]

I do like the idea of Miki doing detective work, or maybe I just think it would be interesting for someone to call out all the weird stuff that happens at Ohtori haha. I studied Mechanical Engineering. Glad you're looking forward to it!

[@citycrusher9308]

You aren't an art major? That explains the lack of pretentiousness

[@citycrusher9308]

So what prompted you to make Utena videos? Considering all the animes to choose from? The show is 20+ years old now, so this is rare.

[@CrabeVideos]

@@citycrusher9308 I only watched it for the first time a couple years ago and I really loved it, probably too much. I talk about it here because I can't in real life.

[@IsBread]

@@CrabeVideos can relate

[@iceluvndiva21]

The stopwatch itself serves the same metaphorical symbolism as Juri's locket; the memory coffin that the character is trapped in. for Miki, he wants a pure memory that he can freeze in time to replace the one he considers tainted. The one of him and is sister playing the piano together in a garden. Honestly? I think the joker is to show that there can only be one winner and one rose bride. So when everyone else has fallen the last two standing isn't two duelists it's a duelist and the rose bride. The joker is the passive shadow of the fool archetype where they don't have a set agenda, they point out the world's hypocrisy for the hell of it without intention to help anyone, themselves included. The trickster is the agressive shadow and only points out hypocrisy and failings of the world to achieve what it is he or she wants. I think the Joker card is meant to be Akio vs Utena. Akio wants to make utena into the ideal rose bride by being the trickster. Utena wants to be the ideal prince but is unintentionally the Joker. She doesn't realize that while she's calling people out one their bs, she's just as guilty of it. In fact we only see this brought up BY UTENA the night before the duel with akio.

[@GammaInsomniac]

Love your videos man, you're out here making fresh Utena content in 2018? Not all heroes wear capes.

[@MegaWallflower]

Utena analyses! Yay! So after the revolution, was Miki training Tsuwabuki to use the stopwatch supposed to be Miki teaching Tsuwabuki to treasure the moments he had now and appreciate how to love the little things in the present? It makes sense, since Tsuwabuki is the one character who is trying to rapidly grow up before he's ready instead of holding onto a flawed notion of the past. Instead he's holding onto a flawed notion of the future. I guess that's as good a way to show a shorthand for his development as any.

[@CrabeVideos]

That's an interesting perspective, I had not even considered that scene. That makes a lot of sense, especially when considering the fact that Miki and Tsuwabuki don't interact that much face-to-face before then. That makes me think that the creators would have to have some reason to put them together in their final on-screen moments, though it's possible they just wanted to have a cute scene with Miki and figured the stopwatch was one of his most recognizable traits. Either way I definitely think you could interpret the scene that way. Another (maybe darker) possibility is that Miki is training Tsuwabuki to one day take his place on the student council as secretary. Thanks for your comment!

[@aromaticflower]

I like the idea of Miki using the stopwatch to “capture memories”, like it’s a butterfly net. I haven’t measured this myself but it seems relatively evident how it’s used, and you didn’t frame it this way: go back in the episode’s timeline exactly the amount of time on Miki’s stopwatch and I suspect you’ll encounter the beginning of a string of dialogue that sort of encapsulates a thought, line of thinking... so Miki is sort of underlining/highlighting something that just happened in reality. “Hm, that was significant”. Or like adding a period to the end of a stream of consciousness.

[@gc0video]

Sometimes the answers you come up with are rather elaborate in a way that makes me find them unlikely. For example, I think if we take Ikuhara at face value, the stopwatch is about time as constructing reality, just like the narratives of the different characters construct their realities, and just like the show's film language constructs its own internally consistent reality. The stopwatch is just one component of this construction. They're setting up the rules of the game. I think Utena is less about esoteric meaning and more about metafiction, narrative, and the creation of story, both personal and societal. I think that your ideas about the Shadow Girls are on the mark though.

[@hiranoguren459]

Please continue this Utena series. I've watched the show, but didn't understand it. Now I can!

[@tomasavendanozacarias5205]

4:07 durring the whole of the first arc the stopwatch represents either the start of the scne or of the shot, precanned animation and audio are not counted for the stopwatch so for example the breaking egg speach does not count as the start of the scene

[@CrabeVideos]

I tried to time this out myself but I wasn't able to find a consistent pattern. I would appreciate any source you have for this as while it is a claim I have heard before I have never seen the hard data.

[@Echosinfireify]

Wish you did more of this series!!

[@dunkinnatalie]

Yes, me too.

[@NielKlauss]

the background songs for these videos are great, just a neat detail, but adds a lot to the tone of the essays

[@georgespiggott5615]

Your analyses are life tbh

[@sirexilon49]

I’m not sure which episode but there is one scene later in the series which explicitly shows Miki’s stopwatch as usual but he doesn’t actually stop it.

[@AlvaroChuquiureZadig]

Just found this looking for utena stuff, dunno why thid poped on top of the actual firdt chap but anyways great work! Im gonna see all 👀😁

[@kyfcayac9811]

We found your channel a few weeks ago and it PAINED us (or at least me ) not to watch some meaty Utena analysis while we watched the show. the show is so DENSE so its good to see someone trying to unpack it. -j

[@kyfcayac9811]

oh an holy fuck, American Football, my dude we could be friends (or at least internet friends) -j

[@zs4580]

I think this show has things that are both literal AND symbolic/metaphorical at the same time. So I think both theories are true. I think the literal reason Miki checks it is because of the weird time flow at Ohtori. But I think it probably also does represent his deep and unhealthy desire to return to an idealized version of the past. Maybe that's a cop out on my part but it's how I see it.

[@lemondere]

Woo! new upload! great interpretation!

[@giobot]

A P H E X T W I N

[@lijauju]

I'm so happy that you're making these vids! I don't see as much hype for Utena as I'd like to, I wish it were more valued as a (cult?) classic anime series. It could be because I'm not in the US or Japan but I've only known ONE person who knows Utena??

[@Pao-vo8mf]

there is nothing to be explained in this series, but awesome video.

[@loremloremlor3m]

I'm really liking this series

[@johnhernandez9338]

I did watch the entire Utena series and didn't Miki's stop watch refer to how long each duel for the rose bride lasted?

[@tektitestomp240p8]

utena and aphex twin fuck yes

[@emmad.8815]

You are a life saver

[@spaciepot7578]

He returns!! :D

[@user-vc9og9sy8o]

Love these! Thanks so much!

[@Shr3w]

Your videos are great!

[@faith9338]

They are most likely playing Babanugi or Old Maid

[@DanielLosada-f9e]

Miller Gary Brown Elizabeth Jones Thomas

[@whereaboutsunknown3822]

It's pronounced U-TE-NA.

[@ToastXwaffle]

miki is my wife

[@lazchurchyard1229]

I just figured he was taking meeting minutes.

[@aquafractalyne5527]

I don't want to be an asshole, but it's really bothering me how you're pronouncing "Utena" :S

[@ethan37066]

All the stuff about the card games is kind of a misunderstanding. You always use the jokers in trump, it’s the most popular card game is Japan, and it’s not for kids specifically

[@JenniferJenkins-g2h]

Hall Jose Martin Deborah Walker Kevin

[@angelmints]

*click*

[@ethan37066]

They are playing trump not gobfish

[@ptm8632]

I interpreted Miki's stopwatch as him marking an important moment in time, like the end of the meeting for example, but also as him taking that significant moment and stopping time for it. He's obsessed with his past and wishes that he could back to it, so now every time he experiences something that he deems significant or important he tries to stop time to stay in that moment forever- just as wishes that he could live in his Sunlit Garden forever.

[@beatcatsfansubs]

It's the Japanese version of Old Maid. In the Japanese version, the Joker takes the role that the Old Maid does in the Western game, unlike the Western version in which Jokers are taken out. I think your main point about it actually does apply despite that, for a different reason. Normally, getting a Joker means you lose the game, because there's only one, so you can't pair it. This time, it was the opposite, because, I suppose, they were playing with two decks. Of course, Touga didn't actually win. He was wrong. I think that's significant. I really like your third point. I doubt Miki's aware, but your interpretation of Ikuhara's comment makes a lot of sense. I hadn't made the connection between Ohtori's Weird Time Shenanigans and the stopwatch.

[@rindou97]

Fun fact: in spanish "card" and "letter" share the exact same word: "carta".

[@Dagmarok]

It makes a funny coincidence really

[@bevingottwald844]

So does english

[@Demain1805]

That's right

[@antoniovalentine4115]

Portuguese too

[@alec2733]

Italian too

[@isabelmagnolia5070]

I always thought that Miki used the watch, Cause he was making sure they where in reality and not just a dream. Cause watching the show is very dream like.

[@AryaDeVil_EN]

Interestingly, the stageplay mentions that Miki takes note of the amount of time he despised the student council

[@powerfreshjennifer]

They are not playing go fish. They are playing old maid.

[@CrabeVideos]

I've never played Old Maid (my loss), but looking up the rules this seems more likely than Go Fish. I don't think this affects my interpretation much, but it is still good to know. Thanks for the comment!

[@wetwater2285]

"Uuud-na"

[@terrybull9790]

1. They're playing Old Maid. Go Fish works with books of 4 cards of the same number. 2. There are only 2 jokers in a Deck so ending a game of Old Maid with both of them is insanely lucky and improbable. If anything it symbolizes Touga's seeming control of his and others' fates as he dictates who does what for a good while Note: just saw the correction note

[@AnimeAngel88]

Congratulations on your graduation! I hope we will get more videos soon! I think the card game is old maid, not go fish. I am sorry that my pointing out about your last video made you feel like a dummy. It really was well put together and explained but it was an honest mistake.

[@CrabeVideos]

Thanks! I actually really appreciated that you pointed it out so quickly, it would have been way worse if more people had watched it. It wasn't you that made me feel like a dummy (that's on me) and there's no need to apologize. That sort of thing is what the comments are for. Thanks for pointing out my mistake with this one too! I don't think it affects my interpretation much but it's good to know. I never played Old Maid as a kid, we were a strictly Go Fish household.

[@AnimeAngel88]

Crabe I'm not as familiar with it, but I know Old Maid is a very popular game in Japan. And in that case, I'm glad I could help ^-^

[@sunnyapartmentroom2038]

Honestly??? Bless this channel

[@theMoporter]

I really enjoy the stuff you make! There is very little Utena content on KZbin that really goes into the nitty gritty.

[@drekaflugan]

What if the stopwatch refers to something happening 16 min 42 seconds into the show 🤔

[@dunkinnatalie]

I tried looking at that on one episode and there was nothing there. I should try it on more episodes.

[@mgraced]

I agree with one of your theories.. as long as the duelists are in ohtori they won’t ever grow up because of Akio game won’t ever let them mature. Miki’s Watch is just a way to manage the notion of time for him.

[@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong]

Congratulations on graduating from college! Don't worry about uploading frequently if you need a break from time to time. Your content is most enjoyable when you enjoy making it, so don't burn yourself out. Take breaks from time to time if needed. Great video as always!

[@CrabeVideos]

Thanks! I'm more worried about running out of interesting things to say than I am running out of enthusiasm. I appreciate your understanding attitude, comments like these really make my day. I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings.

[@Kris_sy]

I actually came for the stopwatch --- why do we have a Powerpoint presentation of Old Maid at the beginning of it?

[@ashjoyner8032]

He's a musician, so he keeps time. That's how I saw it, anyway. Another motif for Miki is also the metronome

[@violetsarin3704]

The magician although skilled is not yet adept. Have you considered doing a video about the tarot and esoteric symbolism in Utena?

[@henbit3568]

Utena is one of my favorite anime. I'm glad you're analyzing it. You're doing a great job, so keep it up!

[@Himewna]

happy to see you back & congrats on your graduation ! I love your analysis and I'm gonna continue listening to you xP reeeeeally looking forward to this series

[@beatcatsfansubs]

In terms of mistakes, getting astrological signs mixed up is not the worst one to make, I think. I've seen interpretations that bothered me a lot more. And I think that's because they were deeply connected to the bias those people had, only they stated their ideas as fact, and so impressionable 15-year-old me believed, for example, that Mikage was just pretending to be a teenager, or had regressed from an adult to a teenager again (I can't remember which), and that sure shaped my understanding of his character. I've made factual errors too. For a while I was conviniced that the line "douketsu Rudolf labyrinthos" in one of the songs on a supplementary CD was about Rudolph Grotto Gardens in Wisconson; now I can say pretty much for certain that it's referring to a structure built by Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. He was referenced very clearly ("the seventeenth-century emperor, Rudolf of roses") in the new CD that came out in 2017, helpfully, though I already had by that point found out about his grotto labyrinth and realized I was likely mistaken..

[@aquafractalyne5527]

I think your analysis is pretty interesting. I assumed his stop watch was relating to Numerology, and calculating a single digit number from the time recorded on the stopwatch would give hints to the atmosphere and theme of whatever plot thread was occurring at that moment.

[@alisonnyanyannya]

thats insane i hope that thats true

[@jojay5880]

That Miki's stopwatch goes back to the start of the conversation might also show that this dueling game is a cycle that (spoiler) Akio suggests has happened many times before in search of someone who's Sword of Dios is strong enough to let him regain his princeliness. The end of one cycle just results in the start of another dueling game, just as the supposed end of the conversation circles back to the beginning.

[@birdcar7808]

Agreed and another reason for this is when the stopwatch is used in episode 10, Miki has been timing since the beginning of the sequence (not counting the egg speech), and stopped it when the additional duelist was mentioned. This represents how Nanami doesn’t care about the laws of time in the face of her obsession with her brother (smth along those lines), which Miki and Namami both say out loud. So yeah, the characters’ obsession with their past childhood strongly impacts their present childhood, and keeps everyone trapped in time, unable to grow up or mature.

[@alois9206]

Episode 22 has Tokiko wondering if an hourglass can go late which is kinda like miki trying stuff with his clock. Plus, in the last episode, miki manages to have a round number. That seems to indicate that the time flow in ohtori academy has gone back to normal.

[@romainstez]

More than just one time, the time you can see on the stopwatch when Miki is... well, stopping it, is the exact duration of the last sentence and / or shot ("cinematographically" speaking)

[@norafarmer7303]

Jackson Sarah Lee Susan Johnson Betty

[@pompompommy]

Glad you're back! I always knew time was weird in Ohtori but the finals thing totally slipped by me

[@calzaronezerozeroone8670]

I thought it was Virgo as well doh! XD

[@etlyms]

Thank you habibi

[@VixenLovelove]

Such a cool interpretation

[@SensusCultura]

Have you thought maybe the stopwatch is going meta? Like Shinji's Walkman in NGE. Both creators were friends at the time and SKU has some references to Anno's work, the same way Kaworu is inspired by Ikuhara. In NGE the Walkman refers to the episode number; in Rebuild refers to a specific time in EoE. Both cases are about the protagonist advancing or remaining the same. Don't know. Just saying.

[@alisonnyanyannya]

can u explain ur acronyms pls uwu

[@dunkinnatalie]

I'm so late finishing this anime. I started at 18 and I'm 32 now. I finally finished it by starting over. Wow

[@XwaYdesu]

Using the Gojūon order for hiragana, the syllanumerics (syllabarynumerics?) of 16:42 is たれ or 垂れ which can mean "straw curtain". Straw curtains, also known as "noren" are vastly symbolic in Japan, with both positive and negative meanings, and even some idioms. matcha-jp.com/en/1933

[@johnboy9596]

You know, each person holds a small piece of the truth, not the whole thing. Don't discount the valid judgments of your mind; you can only give us your truth if you believe in yourself!

[@sandradermark8463]

Remembering Capitán Vidal and HIS watch in Pan's Labyrinth... just like Kaoru Miki, Vidal has this monomania for the past and family...

[@miss_venus]

I find your analysis rather interesting. I never did quite get this show back in the day, but I had a feeling that it had something meaningful to say... thus, recently I’ve been considering re-watching it. Thanks for sharing your opinions and shedding some light on the themes.

[@PenguinKana]

Congrats on graduating! I really enjoyed this video because I also believed that there must have been some greater meaning behind the stopwatch but it could be like you said that it just simply something else not needing much explanation. Please continue to make these videos I really like the analysis of the Utena series and your viewpoints on these topics! :)

[@camilaandreabecerraplata4550]

Bold of you to believe that watching anything Utena related might be a waste of time.

[@ShadowErus]

Thanks for making another super interesting and well put together video!! Dont worry too much about an upload schedule, its great seeing what you do make whenever you upload it, and more importantly dont be too hard on yourself! Your stuff is great :)

[@BishopSleeves]

Great video! I was super excited to see your take on the stopwatch ever since the notification for this vid popped up. I agree most with how the sequence is visually cool and useful as well as it relating to how time flows at Ohtori. Always great to see video essayists break into Utena, it's long overdue.

[@Sunaki1000]

A Stop Watch stopps Time. He want too stop in Time too life in a Timeframe he liked. He is afrait of Change and wishes the better days back. Also, most in the Time, we arent able too see the Number long enough, so the Number and the Timeframe he stopf isnt important. This means the Habit too do this is important. Ore the Clock itselfe. And a Stopwatch can be considered as a Symbol of perfectionismus and correctness. Hes stiff and inflexible.

[@jabix6382]

El único diseño de personaje de la serie que no me gusta es definitivamente el de Touga, y es que siempre he admirado el diseño de personajes de la serie

[@step732]

:)

[@mejwyn]

nice video! i've recently started rewatching the series and these videos is making the ride even more fun!

[@silentfox139]

I thought they are playing old maid

[@aromaticflower]

MAKE MORE UTENA VIDEOS PLEASE

[@electrodolly]

Keep going!~ I love your videos ^^

[@gayassqueen793]

Yay you uploaded

[@CrabeVideos]

Back with a vengeance.

[@b_guiles]

Anthy being a Scorpio and mistaken for a Virgo is a PERFECT parallel to her character. (Scorpio myself here) Scorpios hold their real feelings very tight to themselves and take a long time to really open up to people. They also have a tendency to mask problems with physical intimacy and have strong connections to that. Anthy is not who she seems to be and coming off as a Virgo type (Clean, organized, modest, "virginal") to hide her true feelings and nature makes TOTAL SENSE! She is percieved by Utena as one thing, because she is ok with Utena not knowing who she really is (including her own self hatred).

[@stratovolcano7813]

4th lmao. Agreed

[@ethan37066]

Also enokido isn’t the character designer

[@CrabeVideos]

ethan37066 Yeah, I made several mistakes in this one, not my proudest moment. I did update the description with those corrections already though. I was not aware about the jokers being used in Old Maid so thanks for that information.

[@beebbop5358]

i cant wait for more !!

[@flynninfinite9116]

Great! I hope you will give another try to MPD too ;) That series needs an analysis.

[@CrabeVideos]

I'm on episode 2 of my MPD rewatch now! I may not end up with anything interesting to say about it, but things are definitely making more sense the second time. I'd almost forgotten how gorgeous the design and animation were, I love the kids' house.

[@flynninfinite9116]

I'll start my rewatch soon too! After reading all the stuff of the Subway Sarin Incident and the Night on the Galactic Railroad, I must give it another chance. I pretty sure things will make more sense! See ya on 4chan ;)

[@rpghero46]

the internet culture its ever watching portraying that we most be immaculate in our execution or else we most punish our selves with shame and self loathing. sadly since perfection its a goal no human can attain (the universe its not perfect on his executions theres hiccups here and there) is it really necessary to appeal to our own self loathing and empathic nature because of your mistake. keep making videos they are insightful they dont need to be perfect.