National-level fencers
"If something is really important to you, seize it and protect it with your own hands, lest someone should steal it."
Miki is desperately searching for a "shining thing" to fulfill the void left by his strained relationship with his twin sister Kozue, which leads him to be obsessed with Anthy. Touga manipulates Miki into challenging Utena to a duel with the hope of winning Anthy's freedom.
"The Sunlit Garden - Finale" provides examples of:
- And Here He Comes Now: Utena mentions to Wakaba that she has a great math tutor, and just as Wakaba asks who it is, Miki walks into the classroom.
- Belated Love Epiphany: Miki didn't realize how much he loved playing piano with Kozue in the garden until she refused to play anymore, and having that happiness back is the one thing he wants most — his "shining thing."
- Conveniently Timed Distraction: During the duel, Miki becomes increasingly convinced that Anthy wants him to win... but then Anthy uncharacteristically cheers for Utena, which throws Miki off balance. Utena takes this opportunity to cut off his rose.
- Dreadful Musician: Downplayed. In the end, it's revealed that Kozue, while not a terrible musician, is rather bad at playing the piano when compared to her twin brother.
- Fist of Rage: When Miki concludes that the only way he can hold on to his "shining thing" is claim Anthy for himself, he clenches his fist and announces to Anthy that he will protect her music.
- Freudian Excuse: It's made clear that Kozue being the way she is today was heavily influenced by Miki never having treated her the same way after she got scared and ran away from the concert they were meant to play together after Miki got sick.
- Hypocrite: Miki, more than once in this episode:
- He was at first against the dueling system for Anthy, yet at the end, he dueled to possess her and when he loses he promises to Utena he'll win the next time.
- He says he found his "shining thing" in Anthy but it's clear he's simply projecting onto her his memories of Kozue, and not really seeing Anthy as her own self.
- Innocent Prodigy: Miki is very bright but he is also easily influenced. After listening to Utena criticise the dueling game, he parrots Utena's language when he tries to get the student council to stop participating in it. When that doesn't work, Touga is able to sway him with claims that even if there was no student council, the duels would still go on, so the only way for Miki to get what he wants is to play the game.
- Manipulative Bastard: Touga has sex with Kozue in order to manipulate Miki into dueling Utena.
- Nostalgia Filter: Miki is shown to have very rose-tinted memories of his childhood with his twin sister Kozue, when they would play piano duets together and they were both considered musical prodigies. The truth is that he's the real prodigy, and Kozue is rather mediocre at the piano. And then Miki starts to project on Anthy his memories of Kozue.
- Once More, with Clarity: After the duel, the audience gets Kozue's perspective on the loss of the sunlit garden, which gives insight into the self-serving nature of Miki's version. According to Kozue, she was never a great piano player — Miki was just talented enough to pick up her slack. Everyone, including Miki, assumed that she was a better performer than she actually was, which is why she gave up playing after the concert went wrong.
- Performance Anxiety: In Miki's flashback, he is enthusiastic about playing a concert with Kozue, but she is afraid to play piano in front of strangers. Miki assures her that she'll be fine since they will be together. Then Miki comes down with the measles and Kozue is left to perform alone. She runs from the stage and never plays piano again.
- Pirate Booty: The shadow play is about a pirate captain with all the treasure in the world, whose lackey asks why none of the booty is what the captain really wants. After all, if it was what the captain really wanted, there'd be no need to keep searching for booty. The captain gets hung up on the notion of "what I really want," but the boat springs a leak and they sink before they can figure it out.
- Premature Aggravation: Miki challenges Utena to a duel because Miki reasoned that since Anthy is engaged to Utena, Utena could order Anthy to give up the piano, and Miki wants her to be able to play the piano as much as she wants. However there's no evidence whatsoever that Utena ever planned to do such a thing.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Miki sets out to do this when he calls a student council meeting and proposes the dissolution of the council, on the basis that whatever power they are supposed to gain from possessing Anthy is not equal to the harm it does to Anthy herself. Niether Touga nor Juri entertain his proposal.
- Sex Dressed: Kozue literally runs into Miki while she's trying to slip out of the music room with her school uniform in disarray. When Miki enters the music room, he finds Touga positively flaunting the fact that his jacket is half-unbuttoned and his hair is tousled. It's implied that Kozue and Touga just wrapped up an assignation moments before he walked up.Kozue: The music room isn't just for playing the piano.
- Surpassed the Teacher: For the first time ever, Miki beats Juri in fencing practice and she praises his strength. Miki, ever self-deprecating, insists he still has a long way to go.
