Get your own Free Home PageOnce upon a time, there was a young princess who was in deep sorrow after her parents' death. In front of her appeared a prince on a white horse who had been traveling. He wrapped her with his smile and fragrance of rose and wiped her tears. "Don't forget your pride and strength with which you, a little girl, is enduring the deep sorrow. This (ring) is to remember this day." "Can I see you again?" "This ring will guide you to me." The princess adored him so much she determined to be a prince, too! Hey, are you really happy with it?
Wakaba is waiting for her friend in front of their school. Asked by another girl, she replies she is waiting for her boyfriend. The girl smiles and tells Wakaba "he" had left the dorm long time ago. Wakaba dashes toward the school.
In the school (Ootori Gakuen, a private school which covers both junior and senior high school), a girl, Tenjou Utena, in a boy's uniform is proudly walking. A woman teacher reproaches her of her uniform but there is no school rule against it.
She is very good at sports and, not surprisingly a hero(ine ^_^;;) among the other girls. When the basketball ask her to join, she makes out right refusal. "I am a girl, you know. Why do I have to join smelly boys?". She wants to be a cool prince, rather than a feeble princess whose only role is to be protected.
She finds a girl in a garden looking after roses (note that the four roses at the corners of the screen are pink, which is "Ancy's colour"). Somehow Utena always feels nostalgia with scent of roses.The girl seems, to her annoyance, in trouble with her boyfriend. But seeing her being slapped, Utena's annoyance changes in quality. Utena is relieved to see another man stops further abuse when Wakana catches her to blame. She tells her the boy with green hair is Saionji Kyouichi, the vice-president of The Student Society. Utena knew the other one, Kiryuu Touga, the president of The SS. Utena asks who is the girl and only Wakaba can tell is her name, Himemiya Ancy, and she is a new classmate of them. Utena teases Wakaba that she has a thing for Saionji but she replies "I'm am only yours".
Saionji is summoned by The SS (NB, SS has often very special and unrealistic meaning in shoujo manga. Hey, I used to be a president of a SS ^o^). He is reminded that they are tied by "Brand Of Rose" and they feel uneasy about his recent attitude to "the bride" (The girl with long orange hair is voiced by Mitsuishi Kotono, Misato in Eva, while the boy with short blue hair is, I think, by Aya-chan). Although the bride is *currently* engaged to him, that does not entitle him to do whatever he wants to do to her. The very presence of the SS is "will of End-Of-The-World". Saionji is not repentant and Ancy is not complaining either (Ancy is Fuchizaki Yuriko, Megumi in A!MG). He defies the president, saying "If you want, reclaim the bride by a dual as the rule says". Wakaba admires Utena's ring, which resembles their school emblem. It was given to her by a prince on a white horse. She vaguely remembers someone said "The ring will guide you to me". Wakaba thinks it is a mere dream of a child. Back in the inside, someone's love letter is exposed to teasing boys' eye. It was Wakaba's to Saionji. Utena goes to him to accuse him. But again he is defiant and Utena has no hesitation to throw her glove. To her confusion, he thinks Utena is "the next challenger" and tell her to come to Duel Square in The Woods. Students are forbidden to enter The Woods. Strange two girls are chatting over the rumour of "another duel".
Utena comes to the gate of The Woods and, to her amazement, the lock is opened for her (she does NOT notice that it is because of her ring). Its inside is a weird world with a castle upside down. Saionji tells her is it is a kind of illusion. He was surprised to see someone outside SS with "Brand Of Rose". Summoned by him, Ancy comes in with two roses, white (Utena) and light green (Saionji). Utena realises the scent of the rose is the same one she remembers as rose of the price. Ancy tells her one whose rose gets destroyed will be the loser. Her last word, "Good luck!" angers Saionji. The bride should not encourage anyone but the groom. Ancy tells Utena that Saionji, the current holder of her, can do anything to her. Utena does not comprehend fully but at least understands the winning this duel will release Ancy from Saionji.
Amazingly Saionji pulls out a sword from Ancy's body who has chanted spell-like words. Utena didn't know but the sword, The Sword Of Dios, is a real one. Utena refuses to give up, though. The price's words "Don't forget your strength" now encourage her. The duel is narrowly won by Utena. Ancy says good-bye to Saionji (BTW, 'gokigenyou' is an extremely polite way of saying good-bye, implying she is from the real upper class).
One her way to home, Ancy surprises Utena by declaring "I am Bride Of Rose. From now on, I am your flower".
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