Mikage Souji
Grade: 12
Date of Birth: 11/30
Blood Type: AB
"Sempai, why did you call her?"
"Why are you keeping quiet?"
"What's so funny?"
"You seem like you're having fun."
Mikage's story is a complicated one. In my opinion he is one of the most tragic characters in the series. Mikage Souji is a senior at Ohtori Academy, and is regarded by everyone as a genius, and is very noble in character. He leads the Mikage Seminar. We are never told exactly what the Mikage Seminar is, but it's basically just a front. He uses this to find suitable duellists. Mikage's companion is Chida Mamiya. Mikage desires to make Mamiya the Rose "bride", and gain the power of revolution for himself. However, his story is much deeper than this. Mikage was once known as Professor Nemuro. This was a long time ago, just how long is never specified. Nemuro was hired to head a research team, investigating a way to grasp eternity. One thing always confused him. All the boys on the research team wore a mysterious rose signet ring. Whenever he asked one of them what it was, they never gave him a direct answer. Nemuro, however, never found much interest in the research. He just did his job according to his contract. His fellow researchers referred to him as a "computer-like man", due to his lack of enthusiasm and interest. However, things change. One day, a young woman named Chida Tokiko was sent to inspect the progress of the research team. Tokiko invited Nemuro to her home to discuss the research over tea. There, Nemuro meets Tokiko's younger brother, Mamiya. We find that Mamiya is suffering from some sort of illness, and doesn't stand a good chance of living very long. Tokiko tells Nemuro that she is involved with the research in order to grasp eternity for Mamiya. This meeting sparks a change in Nemuro that all the researchers notice. That day, he fell in love with Tokiko and her brother, and desired to grasp eternity for them. He now vigorously pursued the research with a newfound enthusiasm. This seems wonderful, however, things yet again change.
One day Nemuro was in his office, trying to solve the equation, when he had a mysterious visitor. Nemuro told him that outsiders were not allowed in. This visitor (who just happened to be Akio), replied that Nemuro was the only outsider. According to Akio, all the boys involved in the project were contracted to him. Akio handed a contract to Nemuro. This contract claimed that the first step in grasping eternity, was the sacrifice of the 100 youths working on the project. Nemuro was shocked. How could he possibly be expected to carry out such a task? Akio held up the rose signet ring that all the boys wore. This ring was proof of a contract with him, and he dropped it in a tea cup. He told Nemuro that if he ever changed his mind, to put it on, and left.
Nemuro ran after him but found only empty halls. He peeked in several rooms until he found him. However, what he saw was not very pleasant. He found Akio passionately kissing Tokiko. That was the moment that the man he once was died. He put on the ring and proceeded with the plan. Tokiko returned to the research hall, to find it engulfed in flames. She looked to find Mamiya standing with a lighted candlabra in hand. She screamed at him, asking if he did this. Mamiya confirmed that he had in fact set the building a blaze. Nemuro then appeared, telling her not to be angry with Mamiya, what he did was proper. He now desired to eternity, and this was only the first step.
Now, in the present day, Nemuro is now known as Mikage Souji. Tokiko is mysteriously absent, while Mamiya stays with Mikage. They repeatedly try to defeat Utena using the black rose duellists, but all fail.
As a last resort, Mikage decides that a good tactic to defeat her, would be to ally himself with her. He invites Utena to join his seminar, saying that he could help her if she was ever in trouble. She declines saying that she really doesn't have any trouble. He tells her that it doesn't necessarily have to be her. If she had any troubled friends, he could help them. This gets Utena thinking. She thinks of Anthy, and how she wants so badly to help her be free. Utena then decides to go to Nemuro Memorial Hall to seek out Mikage's council. She waits in the reception area while his secretary tells Mikage of her presence. While waiting Utena, looks at all the pictures hanging on the walls. To her shock, she sees pictures of all the Black Rose duellists. Also there, are pictures of the 100 youths that died in the fire, Professor Nemuro, and even herself as a child when her parents died. Mikage then appears next to her. Utena realizes that he was the one who manipulated all the duellists, and needless to say, she's pretty pissed. She punches Mikage and locks his arm behind him on the ground. Mikage tells her that the two of them are the same. They both want to make memories last forever. This only enrages her further, but she notices his ring. She release him, and challenges him to a duel, vowing to beat the crap out of him and prove that they are not the same.
The Mikage then goes to the confession elevator. He speaks to Mamiya, who appears and speaks only in Mikage's mind. Mikage takes the last of the black roses and the duel commences. On the desks, stands a picture of Tokiko and Mamiya, the two most important people in his life. Throughout the duel, Mikage keeps addressing Utena as Tokiko. He believes that Tokiko has returned within Utena to stop him from grasping eternity. Dios once again comes from the castle and possesses Utena, then Mikage hears Mamiya's voice in his mind: "You're going to lose now." Mikage looks around frantically for Mamiya, then he turns his gaze to the pictures on the desks. He does not see the Mamiya he knows, but another boy, one he does not recognize. The voice of Mamiya proceeds, saying that it was actually Mikage who set fire to the building, not Mamiya. "You'll never defeat the sister of mine within your memory. Not for all eternity." Mikage then realizes that the boy in the picture is the real Mamiya, who had died long ago. The pictures fall face down, and Utena lunges forward.
Suddenly we shift to Akio's observatory. The phone rings, and it is Mikage. Akio tells him that the boy called Mamiya, whom Mikage had kept with him due to his lingering attachment to Tokiko died a long time ago. Akio exploited his cherished memory so much, that Mikage halted his own time and did not age. However, that is all over now, Akio tells him. Mikage graduates. By graduate, Akio means disappear. Mikage leaves the academy, and everything is returned to normal as if he had never existed there in the first place. No one, aside from Akio and Anthy remembers him. Nemuro Hall is in ruins, and we are told that no one ever died there. Miki and Utena can't even recall the name of the hall.
Now you ask, why is it that Anthy remembers him? It's not like she interacted with him or anything. Well if you'd like to find out about that, then you'll have to read Mamiya's profile.
I feel so sorry for poor Mikage. He was completely manipulated by Akio. All the memories that he cherished so much were used against him to form an illusionary world. This is the main reason that I hate Akio. He was cool until he messed with Mikage-kun, who just happens to be my absolute favorite character in the entire series. Such a tragic story. =(
