EPISODE 28: "WHISPERING IN THE DARK"

At the opening of this episode we learn that a particular student, Tsuchiya Ruka, has returned to Ohtori after some time spent in the hospital for an unknown illness. We never learn exactly what happened to Ruka or what is wrong with him. In his appearances in the show he shows no signs at all of being ill, aside from his own comments that he’s recovering. I don’t doubt that he was in fact ill, but we never find out what this illness is, because it isn’t really important to the story. It is important only that he has an illness.

Ruka shows up at the fencing club, where Juri is defeating opponent after opponent and takes a place before Miki.

Juri then informs the student council of Ruka’s return only moments before Ruka enters the student council himself and announces that he has been chosen as a Duelist.

Juri is skeptical of Ruka’s actual intentions but seemingly decides that they are none of her business and leaves it at that.

Later we have a scene that takes place presumably at Ruka’s old locker. His sword falls out and Shiori takes it up.

Ruka thanks Shiori for taking care of his sword and the two start going out. What are Shiori’s motives in going out with Ruka at this point? Ruka is very pretty and dashing and so that alone could be enough, maybe Shiori actually likes his good looks and personality. However, there’s more to it than just that. Shiori, though she rejects Juri and is often cruel to her, is also quite posessive of her. She stole the boy that she thought Juri liked, back in middle school. Now that Ruka has appeared and he seems to be close to Juri, Shiori can’t stand it and falls back into her old modus operandi and ‘steals’ Ruka from her. It is ironic that each time Shiori ‘steals’ someone from Juri, it’s never anyone that Juri would even remotely want to be around, let alone be ‘with’. But Shiori doesn’t yet know this.

Juri hears about Shiori and Ruka and tells Ruka to meet her.

This is where we learn the connection between Ruka and Juri. Ruka was captain of the fencing team and he taught Juri when she was younger. She tells Ruka to stay away from Shiori because she knows, having known Ruka before he left, that Ruka is a playboy and she’s worried that he’ll hurt Shiori. As has been demonstrated in previous episodes, Juri realizes that she can never have Shiori and so she’s decided that she just wants Shiori to be happy. Ruka, at least in her mind, is a serious threat to Shiori’s happiness, and thereby Juri’s own peace of mind.

Ruka says that he’ll do whatever he wants, and hints that he knows just why Juri doesn’t want him with Shiori, because Juri is in love with her.

Shiori reacts typically, being cruel to Juri in the face of her obvious concern, and then laughing it off with some friends. Juri looks surprised when Shiori says what she does. Ruka continues to see Shiori and makes it clear that he knows that it bothers Juri and that Juri doesn’t like it and continues to see Shiori anyway.

Ruka mentions the Power of Miracles here, which has to be from his memories of Juri. Juri wants to disprove the power of miracles because if they do exist then she’s never seen one. Unless Shiori’s been spouting off about miracles while Ruka’s been dating her, unlikely, then this must be something that he remembers from the time he spent with Juri when they were both younger. What does Ruka want with the power of miracles?

It is interesting that Ruka chooses to participate in the duels. He is a duelist after all, but he has expressed no interest in the duels. When the student council asked him if he intended to go after Utena he said he had no interest. He expressed no interest in the Revolution nor in the Rose Bride? So why is he dueling at all? What does he stand to gain? Whose attention is he after? He’s got the attention of Shiori, for what that’s worth, and he’s most certainly got Juri’s attention.

Ruka duels Utena and loses. He blames this at least partly on his ‘bride’, Shiori. Shiori ends up going through the windshield but Ruka doesn’t seem to care at all. Shiori gets quite upset and reminds him of her devotion, and he tells her that it wasn’t his sword at all and leaves her there. So, if he wasn’t dating Shiori because he liked Shiori, or was grateful for her care of his sword in his absence, what is he after? The only other person affected by this is Juri. It is now obvious that he’s staged all of this, dating Shiori, the duel, everything for Juri to see. Why has he been doing this? Because he wants Juri to see how pathetic Shiori really is so that she’ll give up on Shiori forever and turn her affections to him. His actions are callous and selfish.

Juri doesn’t have any idea what Ruka’s trying to do yet. She’s so blinded by her love for Shiori that she can’t see Ruka’s machinations. At least not yet.

To Be Continued in the next Episode.