Utena - halo catalog

Utena has both static haloes and expanding haloes like ripples of light; they match ripples of water. Some water ripples are vertical, as haloes usually are. No two haloes in the show are alike; all are visually distinct. Each one must have a different shade of meaning.

Most water ripples are caused by tears, sometimes time-reversed tears that leave the water surface. I think that includes the water drops from Mamiya into the basin of the Black Rose; Mamiya leaks more tears than Anthy because the Black Rose is full of death.

Drawing the sword in a duel comes with a raft of assorted haloes and/or shoujo bubbles. In the Apocalypse Saga Anthy draws the sword from Utena instead, and there is a different raft of haloes.

In the Student Council arc, when Utena calls down Dios from the castle in the sky, her ring glows pink. It’s the color of the ring and Utena’s color. I think that pink has its usual meaning of homosexuality and, via the symbolism of love, says that Utena is a rebel against Akio’s system.

When ghostly Dios descends, he emits a blue ring that quickly widens out of sight—it must be a water ripple. Blue is the color of water and illusions. Dios on the right seems to be lit by a distant spotlight.

Lamplight is often surrounded by a halo-like glow. This overhead light presumably stands for the sun, which is considered yellow (for jealousy) or golden (for Dios). Even though it’s white. See comparisons - yellow ceiling light for analysis specific to the episode.

In episode 30, Utena must blow out all three candles to be corrupted. The last candle has a halo that appears when the other candles are out. Later, on the horse rides with Touga and Akio culminating in the Second Seduction, the sun is surrounded by a halo. The halo seems to promise goodness as long as the light remains, but in episode 30 Utena blows out the last candle, and in the Second Seduction she stays in the woods with Akio until evening.

I think the haloes mean Dios. The blown-out candle brings darkness and means Akio.

The headlights of Akio’s car have haloes. They certainly don’t imply holiness. The wide circles are moving haloes. They are not centered on the headlights. Seen closer, the headlights have inner and outer haloes.

Has Akio co-opted all haloes into his service? He tries to, but at heart light is his enemy.

The headlight haloes come in different forms. The haloes behind Anthy in the duel of episode 25 are unusual. I assume they are part of comparing Anthy’s opaque glasses to the car headlights.

It seems significant that there is no separated halo when Akio does his flip onto the car hood, though there is a diffuse glow.

In the final version of the prince story, little Utena reaches out to little Anthy and is repelled with a flash of light. The light is represented as two bubble-like haloes, one that grows until it disappears, and one that shrinks away. The picture shows them both.

It may represent that Anthy does not want to be saved, or at least does not want to be touched. Or, since Akio set it up, that she is required to remain solitary. The light should be Anthy’s doing, because Akio does not have the power of light. Maybe the flash represents Anthy defending herself with her “magic,” since Akio introduced her as a witch.

The headlight of Touga’s motorcycle gets a double halo too, when we’re close. It’s not identical to the car headlight haloes: It’s larger and fades more gradually toward the center.