Well, anyway, my earlier thesis that Kiwi has won the shipping war still stands, and I am very okay with that. :-)
Personally I think the manga has been entirely unambiguous with this. Sayo and Utena just have compatible kinks. There's not much in the way of actual romance between them. Utena and Kiwi, on the other hand, have had several chapters specifically about their feelings. The relationship dynamics in the manga seem extremely obvious to me. Hell, Kiwi has even started playing with Azur/Sayo in her own way to bond with Utena.
You're 100% right, there's no debate there. I think they must have meant shipping wars by fans? As you say, the canon material is extremely clear.
"Shipping" typically only refers to fan activity, as do "shipping wars", so yeah, that's what I meant. :-) Back around chapter 24, Kiwi had not made her move yet, Azul had just unlocked her La Verita, and the chemistry between her and Utena was great, so she had looked like a serious contender. But that was seven volumes ago, and the author seems to have made up their mind on Baiser x Leopolt endgame since then.
last edited at Apr 12, 2024 7:02AM