"Tsuwabuki follows her everywhere" except for all the episodes she's in but he's not? Sorta feels like the D&D familiar dynamic where he's notionally always around but he's more of a side character so he just doesn't show up as much.

I guess anime loves indirect kisses? I assume Steven Universe was playing off the trope generally but not any particular anime specifically.

It's good to see Mikage doing something other than ritual actions. Is he actually snooping around a lot off-camera or does he have other ways of learning about everyone's deals?

I guess the three background suitors aren't any more mature than Tsuwabuki despite being presumably around Nanami's age. This episode has a relatively high innuendo-quotient, which I guess is thematic.

Utena is sure spending a lot of time visiting Akio solo this season. No way that's going to lead to bad places. I guess that's sorta a stock bit for commenting on the episode's themes like the shadow puppets at this point, just more ominous.

Poor Tsuwabuki. I guess you don't get to be a black rose duelist by processing your emotions effectively, but at least he's not trying to be a jerk this time around.

Is this rose border Nanami yellow or a bit more goldenrod? The same border appearing when he remembers Utena makes it seem like it's about him not about Nanami, but then Anthy gets a salmon border, so dunno.

So does plucking your black rose just force you into the elevator ritual, or how are all these people learning about this as a place to go?

"Gee, Nanami, how come the End of the World lets you have two swords in you?"

It's interesting the duel focuses on the chocolate rather than something more Nanami-centric. The nesting doll haniwa concept is cute though.

Rude to attack before Utena grabs her sword. It's interesting that that's fine when black rose duelists otherwise seem committed to the structure of the duel rather than just trying to murder Anthy directly.

I wonder if it's less that being a black rose duelist helps with your emotional problems and more that when your black rose grows it amplifies your emotional problems, so then after everything you're mostly just back to baseline? But I dunno, it does seem like Tsuwabuki's grown at least a little by the end, so maybe it's some of each?

Wakaba gets a sword drawn out of her next, I guess? It doesn't seem like Wakaba would provide much dueling skill, but it's not like any of the black rose duelists have been seeming that skilled so far anyways.