Kozue's and Miki's father is remarrying, bringing their abandonment issues to the forefront. Kozue is completely disillusioned as to the morality of the world and works to convince Miki that he needs to become "impure" as well in order to survive.
"Miki's Nest Box (The Sunlit Garden - Arranged)" provides examples of:
- Downer Ending: Miki loses the duel once again, and it largely appears the sibling relationship between the Kaorus has reached a new low. Miki, waiting at the newly established birdhouse he set up with Kozue for the parents of the abandoned birds to return. Kozue, going off on her own as a "wild animal."
- The Faceless: Miki and Kozue's father appears on screen when he calls them, but his face is not visible.
- Hidden Depths: It's already known that Anthy loves animals, but in this episode she is shown to know how to take care of baby birds even though she claims she never had baby birds before.
- Hypocrite: Miki, albeit one could argue that he is more conflicted about his feelings about adulthood than anything. He doesn't want to be a "dirty adult" like the father who abandoned him and his sister for a woman, yet in Akio's car he has an Imagine Spot of Anthy in a very suggestive pose.
- Imagine Spot: During Miki's scene on Akio's car, he sees himself driving the car with Anthy by his side, and she's doing a rather suggestive pose, which represents Miki's "adult" thoughts he tries to refuse but ultimately cannot avoid.
- Innocently Insensitive: Utena comes across as this when she tells Kozue and Miki how she wished she also had letters from her parents to read. While this is understandable as Utena lost her parents long ago, she doesn't seem to consider that the twins relationship with their parents may not be that good.
- Madonna-Whore Complex: This episode deals with Miki's complex about Kozue and Anthy. Miki loves Anthy, whom he sees as entirely virginal and passive because he sees her as basically the foil of his promiscuous sister, Kozue, whom he is sexually attracted to. Miki sees Anthy and Kozue as two sides of one woman, and by extension he sees neither as a full person in her own right. Interestingly, in Miki's Imagine Spot, he sees Anthy displaying traits he seems to despise on his sister.
- Not So Above It All: Miki doesn't want to become impure, yet he can't avoid his feelings about Anthy.
- "Not So Different" Remark: The reason why Kozue puts herself in great danger to save an abandoned bird nest placed in the branches of a tree that was about to be cut down is that she saw herself in the birdies, as they were abandoned by their bird parents.
- Pet the Dog: Kozue putting herself at great risk on getting severely injuried to save the bird nest.
- Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: It's implied Miki feels this. He doesn't want to be a "dirty adult" and wants to remain "pure" but when he's on Akio's car with Kozue and Akio he's forced to face his feelings about Anthy, and his Imagine Spot where he is driving Akio's car with Anthy in a suggestive pose by his side serves as a metaphor for his conflicting thoughts on adulthood.
