In this first episode, we meet Utena, the main character of the series. She arrives at Ohtori Academy
in her boys uniform, which a teacher harrasses her over. We watch as she plays basketball with the boys, and gets tackled
by her friend Wakaba. As she is walking by the rose garden, she sees within a shy looking girl and a towering boy. They seem
to be having an argument, or at least a heated discussion. She scoffs at them ("Lover's quarrel!") and diverts her attention.
That is until she hears a loud slap! Utena glazes over and sees the girl, red from being slapped, and the boy, raising his
hand for another hit. She moves to stop him, but just then a red-headed boy steps up and grabbs the other boy's hand in mid-hit.
Just then Wakaba showes up and observes the scene. She tells Utena the names of the people in the
rose garden. The girl is Anthy Himemiya; the towering boy, Saionji Kyouichi; and the red-headed boy is Touga Kiryuu. Wakaba
goes on to say that they are all student council members; Touga's president, Saionji's vice president, while Anthy simply
cares for the roses.
Wakaba seems to dote on Saionji more than the others, and Utena accuses her of liking him. She blushes
furiously and denies it, saying Utena is her only true love.
The next day we see Utena and Wakaba strolling together down the halls of Ohtori, when they come
upon a large gathering of boys. One boy is reading a love note (which is tacked up!) to the group. Part of it says, "...and
so I dance with you in my dreams dear Saionji..." and the boys laugh. Utena runs up, and tears down the note, saying that
real men should not be gawking at that. When she turns around she sees a tear slowly fall down Wakaba's cheek before she runs
away. Utena runs after her, and finds her crying under an oak tree. She realizes that Wakaba had wrote the love letter to
Saionji, and he had tacked it up for all to see.
Full of anger for her hurt friend, Utena runs to the Kendo Room to confront Saionji about it. He
denies it all, saying, "I simply threw it away, I can't help if people found it..." without one bit of remorse in his voice.
Utena picks up a practice sword, points it at Saionji menacingly, and challenges him to a duel after class. He looks down
at her rose crest, and accepts, but tells her to meet him in the Duelist Forest.
After class (although it's dark out when she goes) she walks up to the gates of the forest, thinking
she can't get in. But as soon as pulls the handle water starts rushing around her and everything begins to move. When the
lights come back on, there's an elaborate door before her, with the rose over it.
She walks in, and up an uncountable amount of stairs to a courtyard above which floats a giant, shimmering,
rotating castle. She looks at it in awe, and doesn't notice when Saionji walks up behind her. "I forgot, you've never
seen the castle before...." and then goes on to explain that the castle is a 'sort-of-mirage'. He then instructs Anthy to
prepare them for the duel.
Out of nowhere comes Anthy in this beautiful red dress and tiara, carrying two roses of different
colors. The teal rose she puts in Sainonji's breast pocket (since it matches his ensamble so well!). And the white one
she attaches to Utena's pocket, then tells her that the first one to lose their rose loses the duel.
Then they duel!! It's a whirl of swords and hair, and then.... you see teal rose petals float
across Saionji's shocked face. He lost the duel!
Utena leaves after her victory, and outside the forest she sees Anthy standing there with a bag.
She tells Utena that she belongs to her now, and they are engaged. They walk off together into the night.
