I'm kind of half-asleep while writing this, but here goes.
Utena's views of romance are ultimately tied into her overall world view, which is an inherently flawed one, and her own gender issues. So her view of romance is a very heteronormative one - but this is because heterosexuality is rooted in normalcy for her, for better or for worse, and normalcy is something she clings to as a way to cope with the trauma of her childhood.
But while she views (most) girls as princesses, she herself wants to be a prince. I think this viewpoint of girls=damsels and boys=princes is something she generally accepts (for people other than herself), but she's somewhat resentful of and offended by this idea being applied to her, even when she protests that she is "normal." Her insistence that she wants to find a "normal boy" is just a way for her to cling to what is familiar and safe. She's very attached to familiar things because she's never progressed past childhood - Ohtori itself is a very ritualistic, cyclical place, where nothing changes overmuch. While she's dedicated to the Prince from her childhood (until later), to me it seems as if she's more intent on emulating the traits she sees as desirable - the chivalry, nobility and bravery - as opposed to wanting to be his princess, but this is something she doesn't really realize herself until much later.
Okay, jesus christ. ANYWAY, Utena has a very simplistic, but somewhat confusing viewpoint of romance. She says she's a normal girl who wants to meet a normal boy - but she defies gender stereotypes and dislikes them being forced on her. She does have a sexual relationship with a man - but she's manipulated into it, becomes increasingly miserable and confused for the duration of it, and her deepest emotional attachment is still with Anthy throughout all of it. She's extremely unhappy whenever she is forced to conform to gender stereotypes, in fact.
To me, in canon, she's generally not very interested in romantic entanglements. They don't appeal to her and she's either dismissive of them or uncomfortable when they happen. This is in part because she has such a childish, fairytale concept of romantic things. For now, since she hasn't lost her virginity, sex is some secret, hidden thing that she doesn't know much about and is only becoming curious about because in Ohtori she lives with Akio, who oozes sexual appeal. Not to mention all of the imagery pertaining to blossoming sexual maturity all over the place there.
In the Gardens, she's met a lot of people who don't conform to the concept of girls=princesses, and she's expanded her horizons somewhat. A lot of her fairytale concepts of the world are starting to change or go away entirely. Two of her best friends in the Gardens are dead in their worlds, for example, and that's something she's been forced to accept and acknowledge for the brutal truth that it is. She's starting to see people outside of her own little bubble, if that makes sense, and she's beginning to see that comparing her experiences to other people's experiences doesn't work, and doesn't help them. She's also developed a pretty big crush on Mami, but because she's so stubbornly intent on clinging to what familiarity she has left, she doesn't fully realize the depth of her feelings, and is afraid of what she does realize. So she's backtracking a little, losing some of the growth she's gained from being away from Ohtori and all the coffins, returning to what is comfortable. This issue is further amplified by Anthy's arrival - she's focused on making sure she is safe, and is somewhat guilty about her newfound attachment to Mami. In a dim and confusing sort of way, she views it as a betrayal, but she can't figure out why that is. She's trying (and failing) at attempting to return to what she and Mami's friendship was before Feelings happened, and that illusion will need to crumble around her before she starts to progress again.
Ultimately, I don't think gender will be a strong factor in who she chooses to have a romantic (or sexual) relationship with, and once she learns to accept this she'll probably have a more fluid sexuality with gender and sexual attraction coming in second to emotional compatibility.
no subject
Utena's views of romance are ultimately tied into her overall world view, which is an inherently flawed one, and her own gender issues. So her view of romance is a very heteronormative one - but this is because heterosexuality is rooted in normalcy for her, for better or for worse, and normalcy is something she clings to as a way to cope with the trauma of her childhood.
But while she views (most) girls as princesses, she herself wants to be a prince. I think this viewpoint of girls=damsels and boys=princes is something she generally accepts (for people other than herself), but she's somewhat resentful of and offended by this idea being applied to her, even when she protests that she is "normal." Her insistence that she wants to find a "normal boy" is just a way for her to cling to what is familiar and safe. She's very attached to familiar things because she's never progressed past childhood - Ohtori itself is a very ritualistic, cyclical place, where nothing changes overmuch. While she's dedicated to the Prince from her childhood (until later), to me it seems as if she's more intent on emulating the traits she sees as desirable - the chivalry, nobility and bravery - as opposed to wanting to be his princess, but this is something she doesn't really realize herself until much later.
Okay, jesus christ. ANYWAY, Utena has a very simplistic, but somewhat confusing viewpoint of romance. She says she's a normal girl who wants to meet a normal boy - but she defies gender stereotypes and dislikes them being forced on her. She does have a sexual relationship with a man - but she's manipulated into it, becomes increasingly miserable and confused for the duration of it, and her deepest emotional attachment is still with Anthy throughout all of it. She's extremely unhappy whenever she is forced to conform to gender stereotypes, in fact.
To me, in canon, she's generally not very interested in romantic entanglements. They don't appeal to her and she's either dismissive of them or uncomfortable when they happen. This is in part because she has such a childish, fairytale concept of romantic things. For now, since she hasn't lost her virginity, sex is some secret, hidden thing that she doesn't know much about and is only becoming curious about because in Ohtori she lives with Akio, who oozes sexual appeal. Not to mention all of the imagery pertaining to blossoming sexual maturity all over the place there.
In the Gardens, she's met a lot of people who don't conform to the concept of girls=princesses, and she's expanded her horizons somewhat. A lot of her fairytale concepts of the world are starting to change or go away entirely. Two of her best friends in the Gardens are dead in their worlds, for example, and that's something she's been forced to accept and acknowledge for the brutal truth that it is. She's starting to see people outside of her own little bubble, if that makes sense, and she's beginning to see that comparing her experiences to other people's experiences doesn't work, and doesn't help them. She's also developed a pretty big crush on Mami, but because she's so stubbornly intent on clinging to what familiarity she has left, she doesn't fully realize the depth of her feelings, and is afraid of what she does realize. So she's backtracking a little, losing some of the growth she's gained from being away from Ohtori and all the coffins, returning to what is comfortable. This issue is further amplified by Anthy's arrival - she's focused on making sure she is safe, and is somewhat guilty about her newfound attachment to Mami. In a dim and confusing sort of way, she views it as a betrayal, but she can't figure out why that is. She's trying (and failing) at attempting to return to what she and Mami's friendship was before Feelings happened, and that illusion will need to crumble around her before she starts to progress again.
Ultimately, I don't think gender will be a strong factor in who she chooses to have a romantic (or sexual) relationship with, and once she learns to accept this she'll probably have a more fluid sexuality with gender and sexual attraction coming in second to emotional compatibility.