At first glance, he could be mistaken for . . . well . . . a twerp. In the world of anime hair, his hair is so blah. He is skinny, not at all muscular or broad shouldered. And his large eyes denote a lack of maturity. However, there is far more to this gentle "boy genius" than just being a nerd. It is not surprising that he is a very popular boy on campus. Miki Kaoru is one of the original four Duelists, a member of the Student Council, and quite infatuated with Anthy Himemiya.

Miki is a math genius and a talented piano player. He also fences at the national level, and his sparring partner is often Juri herself. Miki is the youngest member of the Student Council. Unlike the others, who are elitists, Miki is open and friendly to others. He becomes very close to Utena and Anthy.

Speaking of Anthy . . . Miki finds himself quite in love with her at the start of the season. Miki is obsessed with finding his "Shining Thing," an abstract concept which seems to inolve Anthy, his musical talent, and the ruined relationship with his twin sister Kozue. His attraction to Anthy is further strengthened when she reveals her piano playing talents. IMHO, Miki and Anthy would make the perfect couple (even if Anthy is meant for Utena.) Miki even challenges Touga for Anthy's sake, saying that the Student Council should be dissolved and the duels ended because they deprive Anthy of her freedom. Miki's close friendship with Utena is puzzling because the two are actually romantic rivals and duel several times over Anthy. Actually, the fact that their friendship survives is a testament to the mature side of both.

One of the more entertaining aspects of Utena is the confusion created by Miki's time fetish. As a wierd personality quirk, Miki carries around a stopwatch and is constantly timing things - like how long is takes a person to say a sentence, how long it takes him to finish a math problem, or how long it takes Juri to defeat a fencing opponent. Miki also records the minutes for Student Council meetings. His entrance or exit from a scene is usually indicated by a shot of his hand clicking his stopwatch. There are times in the series when Miki seems very young and naive. Like Utena, he believes that love and friendship are the most powerful forces in the universe. Only towards the end of the series does his attraction to Anthy have any sexual overtones. The whole concept of sex is pretty disturbing to Miki. In episode five, when he walks in on Touga after Touga and his twin sister Kozue were "going at it," he is haunted by images of Touga with an unbuttoned shirt lounging on silk bedsheets, whispering about "fighting for his dreams." Eeeeeew. Poor Miki. Miki also lets himself be bullied by Touga and Akio.

Will Miki and Anthy ever get together? Was it ever even meant to be? Will Miki ever find his "Shining Thing?" And will he ever patch things up with his twin sister Kozue? Puzzling and melodramatic questions. Let's just end this page by saying that Miki never was and never will be just a twerp. Miki is, after all, a Duelist!

The great facial shot of Miki is courtesy of Utena Through a Rose Colored Lens.