<><><><> All of the Black Rose duelists show extreme signs of repressed sentiments. They show how harmful this repression truly turns out to be. Most believed the duelists were manipulated, but their own statements about their "true selves" prove to be somewhat true and interesting. The personalities that surface after partaking in the Mikage seminar are in fact the selves they have been bottling inside for years, never shown because of modern standards and the people who constrain them. This representation can also be born from character flaws. Shiori is the perfect example in this instance. Because of her selfishness and massive inferiority complex, she broke the heart of the one person who loved her, and could love her genuinely. When the trap of Mikage had been set, the trap which allowed her feelings to show, her lust for the ability to dominate Juri, she had learned exactly what had changed and troubled her friend for so long, and was quite unexpected to her. Despite her surprise, however, she was overjoyed that she had finally become the conquistador, the one dominating and torturing her "friend" for all this time. She believed this was the way to escape her supposed inferiority, to overtake her "friend's" emotions. These childish thoughts led her to Mikage, (as he did not truly and directly manipulate her, he only sped the process that would have undeniably posed itself in the future. Shiori, if she had not been shown the locket then, would find a way. That is her style, never giving up until one person is hurt. Innocently cruel.) and he accentuated her merriment in suffering.

The duels during this arc all revolve around a specific chain of events that bring out the target's repressed feelings, including Mikage's own. The duel, in a way, is a method for the duelists to express what has been hidden within them, taking them out on Anthy and Utena. Some believe Mikage's ingenious emotional filtering, targeting their harmful wrath upon Himemiya is some kind of terrible and unforgivable crime, but it's simply human. Every day, every moment, in fact, one person is being brutally victimized for a fault that is not theirs, and it scars them, sometimes for life. In this case, Himemiya herself is the one working on the side of her own destruction as Mamiya. Whether this is specifically the work of Akio or even she remains ambiguous. I believe it is a mix of the two. Akio obviously plays a part in all of the manipulative actions at Ohtori, but it is not impossible to say that Himemiya actually enjoys working for Mikage. Perhaps she believes that by being murdered by a duelist would bring a blissful end to her eternal torture. Or she possibly simply enjoys being pampered by Mikage's desire for Mamiya. It is evident when every time we observe her as Mamiya smiling, which only happens after Mikage shows his devotion. It seems as if this is a way for her to experience true romance. (Since Utena isn't developed enough to completely realize her place in Himemiya's heart, she can only feel a small degree of friendship, and not the undivided love Mikage shows to his beloved partner.) "Mamiya," when shown adoration, glows with delight. This may be a way for her to escape her duties as Rose Bride in any way possible. However, because of her charade, Mikage will truly become the one manipulated. Ultimately, she knows this, but she proceeds anyway. She may willingly witness all of this destruction for her lingering adoration for Dios embodied inside of Akio. She, because of this, understands what Mikage must endure, but she does not even care what happens to him afterward, when it is time for him to move forward into adulthood, picking up the pieces of his ravaged past. In this way, we see that this "bastard from the shadows" is the most used and misunderstood of all.

Mikage was not completely the manipulator, even if he did intervene in his duelists' situations. Even then, only one third (counting by appearance in the duelists' lives, it would be one half, but disregarding his role in "Mitsuru's Growing Pains," where he simply reminded Tsuwabuki the Black Rose Society simply existed, it would not be half) of the Kurobara duelists, not including Mikage's duel, include his involvement. Even then, the involvement is shadowy, indirect, and minimal. It is arguable that, metaphorically speaking, the weapons (in this case, their repressed emotions) of Kanae, Kozue, Shiori, Tsuwabuki, Wakaba, and Keiko were already fully loaded and their safety removed, leaving them vulnerable for their use. Mikage only allowed their triggers to be pulled. Even without his interference, they would have been pulled anyway, knowing how characters of Utena, and even actual humans, operate. This is evident with Shiori, Juri, and Ruka later in the series, during the Akio arc. As Ruka arrives, we realize that Juri's hidden feelings, supposedly faded, and Shiori's desires, supposedly calmed, rage on violently, ending tragically. This action even left a body count. Ruka was willing to accept his sacrifice, as long as Shiori could finally understand Juri's feelings. Juri had been craving this since she left, and this was perhaps the only method (disregarding Utena's pure and simple involvement, which always prevails, but not to a sudden and large effect. The results of her actions come slowly and quietly, but filled with joy.) for Shiori to learn the volume of her impact on Juri and finally make amends. (I'm just in love with tragic bishounen "antagonists," aren't I? ^^) Therefore, instead of creating illusions, Mikage uses what is already offered to him, a full pallet. He is very much an intelligent and somewhat cold man, but in no way completely evil.

Mikage, unlike Akio, does not particularly enjoy the act of exploitation. In his situation, he is simply bringing out the truth inside the hearts of the victims of repression. With some, such as Keiko, Tsuwabuki, and Shiori, who had no direct connection or hatred towards Anthy, he filters their experience to the Rose Bride, (mostly by believing that their "new power" was able to destroy their true enemies, as was seen in Keiko's duel. Her hatred for Nanami Was taken out upon Utena.) and he sends them, post-regression, into the dueling arena, for Mamiya, the illusion's, sake. (With duelists who contained a hatred for Himemiya to begin with, such as Wakaba, Kanae, and Kozue, he did not have to do much manipulating, they wished to kill her purely in their own emotions.) Mikage in fact has no idea that Mamiya is simply one of Akio's projections, and that makes him the marionette. Even his Black Rose duelists could not remember the experience of their regression, but Mikage was forced to come to terms with his actions. He was crippled by his own memories, such as burning a building and killing 100 young boys in the process. Not only that, he was forced to remember his relationship of who he thought was Mamiya, who he had previously shared a strictly platonic friendship with him, and his true prospect was his sister, who he could not share love with, not even for all of eternity. Compared to Mikage, the Black Rose duelists experienced bliss, not remembering any of their hurtful actions