Kotetsu's Rant Number One:

Es verdad que Saionji es un pobrecito. It's true that Saionji is a poor little boy. Reviled by most fans, hated by Utena, despised by the other Duelists, and generally portrayed as a jerk in both the anime and manga. As I write this, Earth Princess whispers an obscene comment about Saionji into my ear. Stop looking over my shoulder, Earth Princess!

But doesn't Saionji have his redeeming moments? What about his gentleness towards Wakaba? What about his yearning to be a chivalrous knight, like Touga? Isn't it true that Saionji's brute-ness is only skin-deep? (Is brute-ness a word?) Saionji's behavior stems from years of jealousy towards Touga. And Touga doesn't seem all that sympathetic towards his "best friend." In fact, he almost takes advantage of it! In episode ten, Touga clearly knew ahead of time about Saionji's letter from End of the World and the resulting actions that Saionji would take (as evidenced by his phone call to Utena). Instead of talking Saionji out of it or trying to understand his feelings like a true friend, Touga used this opportunity to "save" Utena from Saionji. This made him look good and Saionji look bad at the same time.

In addition to all that . . . I still think that he's more handsome than Touga! I'd rather have those deep purple eyes and gorgeous wavy hair than Touga's good looks any day.

The point of this rant is that Saionji is underrated among Utena fans. While some fans express opinions on their websites that reflect Saionji in a more positive light, there is a serious lack of Saionji shrines or Saionji websites (witht the exception of a section in Gentlemen, a shrine in the Utena Network.) Would you guys like a Saionji shrine? What do you think of him? I would love to hear people's opinions about Saionji. Do you love Saionji, or loathe him? Would you like a UFO doll of Saionji so that you can sleep with him at night? Would you like a Saionji UFO doll so that you can throw darts at it?

I'd like to create a Saionji shrine someday. Earth Princess, who is STILL looking over my shoulder, is threatening to kill me if I do so. Yeah, like you're really qualified to threaten to sabotage it. I mean, come on, you like Touga.

December 1999 Update: I did it! I made a Saionji shrine! Visit Search for Eternity to see the fruits of my labor.

Read my analysis of Saionji's character from the Characters pages.

Back to the Fanworks page.