Nanami overhears Touga saying he never cared about her and was only putting on act. After Nanami requests to transfer schools, she receives a phone call in the night from End of the World.
"The Romance of the Dancing Girls" provides examples of:
- Adoption Angst: Played with and discussed. Nanami angsts over learning that she and Touga aren't related after all, as she is lead to believe that Touga was adopted while she is her parents' biological child, what ruins the magic of Nanami's incestuous crush to her. However, during the duel, Utena asks Nanami if the blood relationship is really that important to her, and that the bond she built with Touga over the years is still here. All of this is subverted in the end, with the revelation that Touga and Nanami are related after all, but Touga thought it would be more amusing to him if Nanami thought otherwise.
- Downer Ending: Nanami's duel against Utena achieves nothing, as she now feels there's nothing to define her as a person. It's implied even Anthy feels sorry for her. Meanwhile, Touga explains to Akio that he and Nanami really are blood siblings and she was simply too young to remember when they both were adopted by the Kiryuus. However, he's letting her think they're not related because, according to him "The idea of siblings not related by blood sounds so much more romantic".
- The Dreaded: Nanami's reached a point where she's genuinely terrified of Anthy after discovering just how screwed up she really is.Nanami: This girl frightens me.Anthy (while holding a saw to make shaved ice): Do I? Thanks so much!
- Dumbass Has a Point: Utena, dense as she is, makes a valid point by asking why should Touga's bond with Nanami be any less meaningful if they aren't blood related. Even though Touga reveals they are indeed blood siblings, Utena and Nanami don't find out. She doesn't realize Nanami's views on sibling relationships have been warped beyond repair from seeing Akio and Anthy having sex to Touga forcing himself on her, now fearing that is where such feelings would lead.
- For the Evulz: The main reason Touga never tells Nanami they are indeed blood siblings that were adopted by the same family.
- I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham: A rather twisted example of this trope is discussed in this episode. In the car scene with Nanami, Akio leaves implied in his dialogue that Nanami finds his Brother–Sister Incest with Anthy disgusting because she never tried an incestuous relationship herself, and that she's blinded by her own point of view. Then Nanami rejects Touga's sexual advances on her, which averts this trope entirely. Much earlier in the episode, Anthy and Akio essentially mock Nanami about this by offering her jam that Akio's made from Anthy's roses. Nanami tosses the jar away.Anthy: I bet she would have liked it.
- Not Blood Siblings: Subverted. It turns out that Nanami and Touga are related after all. Touga was just lying because he found it more fun that way.
- "Not So Different" Remark: After Nanami finds out Keiko is with Touga, she slaps the girl and begs Touga to not have to settle for someone like her. Enraged, Keiko smacks Nanami back and demands to know how she is any different than Nanami. It's at this point Nanami realizes she's just like all of the other girls mindlessly chasing after Touga and that thought destroys her following her defeat at Utena's hand. Specifically because Nanami now thinks this is all she has to define her.Nanami: What is left for me now? Am I just another fly in an enormous swarm? Oh God, anything but that!
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Keiko tells Nanami she and the rest of Nanami's Girl Posse won't be bossed around by her anymore, and in the next scene Nanami slaps Anthy and the other three girls can be seen with bruises on their faces, but the audience doesn't get to see Nanami get them back into their respective places.
- Rape Discretion Shot: We only see the first forced kiss, as the focus is turned to the car. But we know that Touga does not stop (despite Nanami screaming "No! Let me go!") until Nanami has to physically push him away.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Nanami tried to leave Ohtori by filing a request to transfer schools so she could get away from Touga, Anthy, and Akio. They intercepted the papers so Nanami would duel Utena.
- Wanting Is Better Than Having: Nanami's complicated feelings about Touga come to a head in this episode. She's been unhealthily attached to him all their lives, bordering on incestuous, and not at all helped by how he's strung her along for his amusement. Nanami's world shatters when she sees what a real incestuous relationship is like via Anthy and Akio. When Touga tries to force himself on Nanami during the car ride, she fights him off exclaiming she doesn't want this. She decides to duel Utena because she thinks if she can beat her, then Nanami will have done something Touga couldn't and this can define her now that she no longer wants to be just "Touga's sister."
