Why Mikage?

I've noticed that some character shrines will explain why they like the character, and thereby why they created the shrine. I never said I wasn't a follower.

When I first watched the Black Rose arc of Shoujo Kakumei Utena, I think I followed it fairly well, considering how symbolic it is. I was terribly confused at first- who is this Mikage and why does he want Mamiya to be the Rose Bride? The entirity of the SKU plot predictability had been shaken up. It was about the episode that first focused on Wakaba and her "Onion Prince" that I came to realise just how cool the plot was getting. Of course it all wound up into my favorite of all SKU episodes, "Nemuro Memorial Hall" and "Qualifications of a Duellist" where I was even more confused at first, but completly impressed with the series.

The more I thought about him, the more I liked the tragic figure of Mikage/Nemuro. He quickly became my favorite character, and was never replaced by another as I finished up the series. (Although Ruka was also pretty darn cool.) Months later, I found an essay on the Black Rose saga online, as directed by a friend I was having email debates with at the time. (This discourse is reposted in my essay section, it is the guest writing by Celeste.) The friendly debates and essay spurred further analysis of Mikage and the Black Rose saga, and I felt I should construct it all into a character shrine. Much of the site is opinion backed by fact, my musings and decisions about the grand scheme of my favorite pink-haired bishounen.