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Utena/Anthy
- While Utena often claims to be totally straight, she clearly develops some manner of romantic feelings for Anthy by the end of the series. Here’s some general examples:
- Utena is surprised to find herself engaged to Anthy, the Rose Bride, after winning a duel against her previous fiancé, Saionji.
- Utena frequently comes to Anthy's aid whenever she is slapped around by others and wants to save her from her secret pain.
- Utena also acts quite upset when she sees Saionji mistreating or making advances on Anthy.
- Utena does share a subtext-laden relationship with Anthy, going so far in the latter episodes to sleep facing each other, hands clasped.
- Utena and Anthy gaze at each other adoringly during the opening credits and have scenes where it almost looks like they're about to kiss. They also hold hands.
- There's also when Utena and Anthy draw the sword from one another (people who do this tend to have a sort of relationship with each other) and Utena holds Anthy in her arms.
- The official art of the two together and the second ED
are pretty shippy as well.
- Here are some episode-specific examples for the Utena/Anthy pairing:
- In episode 3 Nanami tries to embarrass Anthy, by giving her a dissolving dress and having a boy spray her with champagne. Utena rejects Touga and makes a dress for Anthy after her dress dissolves, then dances with her.
- In episode 9 Utena expresses visible concern when she learns Anthy has been kidnapped and goes to find her and wants to save her. When she saves her she screams her name and holds her in her arms until she wakes up. They tenderly say each other's names while looking in each other's eyes and Utena acts relieved to find that Anthy's alright.
- In episode 10 Anthy tries to keep Nanami from being so angry at Utena but Nanami slaps her. Utena comes to Anthy's aid again.
- In episode 11 Utena runs to Anthy and Touga telling the latter to get away from Anthy when she sees him hitting on Anthy. Also, she vows again to protect Anthy, thinking that she won't give Anthy to the other duelists, not even to her prince. When Utena gets to the dueling arena to duel Touga she also places her hand in Anthy's. Once Utena loses the duel against Touga and Anthy leaves her Utena is shown to fall to pieces and think about all the past moments she spent with Anthy.
- In episode 12 Utena goes into a bad Heroic BSoD after losing Anthy and only snaps out of it when Wakaba starts giving Anthy a hard time. Utena also gives Anthy her handkerchief and Anthy stares at it happily later on. Also Anthy imagines Utena sitting across from her at a tea table after Touga leaves (one of the only times in the series we get any kind of clue about Anthy's internal feelings). Utena remembers moments with Anthy again and duels Touga again saying she wants to take back something important to her.
- In episode 13 A-ko and B-ko hang a Bilingual Bonus lampshade on it after Utena and Anthy's reunion by saying the look like a lily.
- In episode 37 Utena and Anthy state that they'll still be together in ten years and tenderly intertwine their fingers together. Utena also won't let Anthy commit suicide and tells her "I thought we agreed to have a date with tea and laugh together ten years from now!" Also, Juri comments on how Utena loves Anthy and Utena says it's not like Juri's love for Shiori but pure. Then Utena pauses for a second and says that she supposes that Juri's love for Shiori is pure too.
- In episode 38 Utena and Anthy go to meet Akio together and hold hands before doing so. Utena also expresses much concern when Anthy disappears. Upon becoming Akio's princess and being told she will live with Akio forever Utena can only worry and think about Anthy. We also see a flashback where Utena saves Anthy from committing suicide and Anthy expresses regret that Utena was caught up in the whole business with the Rose Bride.
- Pretty much all of episode 39, where Utena tries desperately to save Anthy from a rather horrible fate, in spite of Anthy having stabbed her in the back. Utena also tells Anthy that the only time she’s ever been truly happy was when she was with her.
- The movie upgrades them to Official Couple and is a Queer Romance, complete with on-screen kisses, a more forward Anthy, nude sketching, a romantic dance scene, and a make-out while naked and freed of what held them back in the end. Kunihiko Ikuhara (also responsible for much of the later seasons of Sailor Moon) was given full creative control for this movie, which would certainly explain a lot.
Juri/Shiori
- Juri seems to have quite a few fangirls in the series. Then there are her secret feelings for Shiori, which consumes her. Nearly all of Juri's angst comes from her being a closeted lesbian.
- They are one of the pair of the duelists that go up against Utena and Anthy, with Shiori taking the sword from Juri's chest.
- Shiori herself is hinted to be secretly in love with Juri, though she's in heavy denial over it for a number of reasons. This was ultimately confirmed by Ikuhara in one of the booklets that came with Right Stuf's rerelease of the series.
Touga/Saionji
- Touga/Saionji are childhood friends who have a broken relationship. However, it's implied that they have unspoken of UST together.
- They have a very brief, but romantically-tinged childhood flashback, in which Touga gently bandages Saionji's hand.
- Saionji draws Touga's sword in the latter's last fight with Utena — everyone else who's done this has had some kind of relationship with the actual duelist.
- Their sword draw sequence is also significantly more touchy-feely than any of the other pairs who went up against Utena.
- Additionally all of Saionji's numerous issues seem to be because of Touga in some way, and Saionji spends much time angsting over his unequal friendship with Touga. In fact, Saionji's motive for dueling is to get "eternal friendship" with Touga.
Touga/Utena
- The series gives them occasional flirtations from Touga to Utena that are met with various moods. Near the end of the series, they get a genuine conversation together—however, by then, Utena's romantic arc with Anthy begins to culminate, and Touga is isolated from most friends, something that is partially personally-inflicted. In the movie, they are confirmed for Childhood Friend Romance, but it's one that's only sealed with a kiss, before Touga swims away.
