Anthy x Kanae

Anthy x Kanae is the femslash ship between Anthy Himemiya and Kanae Ohtori from the Revolutionary Girl Utena fandom.

Canon
Kanae is the daughter of the Ohtori Academy chairman. By the start of the series, she is an 18 year old highschooler engaged to Anthy's older brother, Akio.

At the very start of the Black Rose Arc, Anthy introduces Utena to her brother and intrudes on an intimate moment between the couple, much to Utena's embarrassment. The four have a lighthearted meeting, where Akio and Kanae introduce themselves to Utena. As Utena and Anthy are about to leave, Kanae voices her hope for Anthy to address her as “older sister.” Anthy simply stares back with a smile then replies, “Sure.”

Behind the scenes, Souji Mikage orchestrates a way to make his own duelists so that he may obtain the power of revolution. Unbeknownst to him, his friend and accomplice Mamiya Chida is really Anthy disguising herself as his past friend. Kanae is the first student to approach the Mikage Seminar. In the elevator, she opens up about her feelings towards Anthy. Kanae recalls a time she gave Anthy one of her favorite scarfs, only for Anthy to wipe her glasses with it; When she told her it wasn't a lens cloth, Anthy simply smiled. Kanae described her eyes as cold and alien, revealing her uneasiness towards Anthy. She even suspects Anthy is the reason her father is ill. But what torments Kanae the most is that no matter what she does, she cannot bring herself to like Anthy. After Kanae reaches the bottom of the elevator, Anthy, as Mamiya, presents a black rose to Kanae. "Mamiya" claims that the black rose is her new heart, her new life, then stabs her with it. Kanae then serves Utena's next duel opponent. Under the influence of the black rose, Kanae declares that she will kill the Rose Bride and obtain the power to revolutionize the world. Utena is taken aback, and Anthy calmly replies that this is not Kanae's normal self.

After Kanae's duel, she barely appears for the rest of the series. Her last appearance is in Episode 32, where Kanae is in an unresponsive state. Akio holds her mouth open, while Anthy feeds her an apple slice. The apple is stabbed with forks, resembling the swords of hatred that pierce Anthy.

Fanon
Anthy x Kanae is a rarepair in the fandom, as Kanae is not a very prominent character in the series. The ship is mainly based on theories that look into Kanae's backstory and motivations, adding potential context to her relationship with Anthy. One fairly popular theory from the Palace Perspective essays is that Kanae was a former duelist and champion. In this interpretation, Kanae, like Utena, protected Anthy and reached the final duel named Revolution with Akio. Unlike Utena, Kanae would accept Akio's proposal to be his princess, which is why she is his fiance during the events of the series. Doing so would be a betrayal to Anthy, by perpetuating the system of Ohtori and abandoning Anthy in her role as the Rose Bride. This interpretation intrigues many fans, as not only does it fit well with the themes of the series, but it also provides a potential explanation to why Anthy and Kanae's relationship is so complex.

There are also speculations that Kanae has an unrequited love for Anthy. This comes from the fact that Kanae wears orange, Juri's color, which is associated with one-sided love. Additionally, Kanae is frequently shown with lilies, the namesake for yuri, leading some to speculate that she is a closeted lesbian. Though another explanation for the lilies is that they represent purity.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION