Side Note on Shiori
Shiori is driven by blind jealousy for Juri. She states this plainly when she visits the Mikage seminar. She says that she's hated Juri since childhood because she was talented and beautiful and everyone loved her. Despite this hatred Shiori has pretended all these years to be Juri's friend, and even refers to her as a friend. All of Shiori's actions are motivated by this jealousy, everything she does to Juri is just to be hateful and spiteful.
Shiori is blatantly used by Ruka in episodes 28 and 29, but I have no sympathy for Shiori at all, which is probably evident in my commentary and analysis. Even with other characters that I don't care for, like Touga, I can still enjoy watching them work. I invariably enjoy seeing them get their comeuppace as well. Because they know that what they're doing is wrong and they do it anyway. And they enjoy it. Shiori rarely seems to take joy in what she does to Juri.
I don't think she's got that much to her. Her motivations are revealed again and again to be jealousy of Juri and spiteful hatred. Justified by Shiori's perception that everyone loves Juri and admires her. Shiori never achieves anything in her cruelty. At least when others are spiteful and manupulative they're using people to further their own ends. Shiori seems to do things just because she likes to see Juri suffer. Something I can't tolerate. Spite and cruelty for their own sake are unredeemable. Touga manipulates Saionji because it further's his own goal of getting into Utena's pants. Akio manipulates and seduces because he wants to open the door in the dueling area and bring the revolution.
Shiori is just bitter and spiteful and petty. She has no redeeming qualities in Shiori. I despise the way she acts towards Juri, especially after she finds the picture in the locket. Regardless of what her sexual orientation might be she's needlessly harsh and cruel in response to what she finds out. In addition to the fact that Juri never once acts on her love for Shiori. Shiori is utterly pathetic and I have not yet heard an argument that would change my mind. She is simply cruel without a redeeming quality in that cruelty. Akio is evil, but there are layers upon layers of meaning and motivation and character development that go into him. I don't like him, but I find him fascinating, despite that. I find Shiori unconvincing and mean spirited with no greater goals.
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