Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to announce we’re returning to Dear Brother, and continuing to explore its fusion of Ikeda’s propulsive storytelling and Dezaki’s expressive direction. I’ve seen scattered fragments of Dezaki’s work before (his Cobra film, his Ganso Tensai Bakabon episodes), but I was still not prepared for the visual imagination elevating every scene of that premiere, and framing the drama of Seiran Academy at precisely the fever pitch Nanako was experiencing it. In Dezaki’s hands, anime embraces the tools of both theater and traditional painting; rather than attempting to mediate the distance between art and audience via an illusion of realism, Dezaki embraces formal artifice to create something that is both visually striking and emotionally authentic.
Also, Ikeda’s story! I was curious to learn how a boarding school would provide the necessary flint and tinder to spark a proper melodrama, and that premiere felt like a masterclass in efficiently establishing conflict and intrigue. Between Nanako’s relationship with this mysterious brother, the approaching chaos of the sorority proving, and the larger-than-life auras of Seiran’s three champions, it seems Seiran is stuffed to bursting with conflicts and dark histories just waiting to be revealed. I’m eager to see how these mysteries unfold, so let’s quit with the rambling and dive back into the show!
Episode 2
Alright, so focusing strictly on the OP lyrics, we’ve got a woman who describes herself as holding a bowl in each hand, one silver and one gold. The gold symbolizes her happiness, and since she met the person she’s singing to, that golden bowl has been overflowing. She also mentions a willingness to throw away her past for this person. In the context of this show, Nanako’s past could either mean her relationship with “dear brother” or the life she was living prior to being swept away by Seiran Academy. In the final image, we see a chariot all in silver and a music box all in gold; given all the previous lines, that silver chariot might represent some tragic history, while the music box carries hope for the future. Additionally, this final image adds the charged symbol of a clock with its arms set just past midnight, perhaps gesturing towards some specific moment of crisis or missed opportunity, or implying Nanako’s Seiran persona is a Cinderella-like mirage. A lot to dig into here, but still too much we don’t know
Dezaki is quite willing to forego naturalism in favor of expressionism, so it’s interesting to see when he actually does seek to echo an actual camera’s eye, as in this use of blurred foreground leaves to create the illusion of a specific focal depth. The intent is clear here as well: we’re still in the natural world, and thus embracing such tricks makes for a better contrast with the dramatically heightened world of Seiran Academy
Nanako opens with a rundown of her outfit rotation, revealing how much work she’s putting in to her Seiran appearances
The cherry blossoms have also finished falling. We’re getting multiple signifiers of Nanako’s increasing familiarity with Seiran
“The Glass Slippers.” More nods towards Cinderella
Nanako at last reveals that “dear brother” is neither her boyfriend nor her brother. He was actually her cram school teacher, though only briefly
Lovely use of exaggerated shadows as Nanako runs after him, emphasizing her stark fear of losing him entirely
Nanako reflects on how his beautifully shimmering eyes reminded her of childhood, and then appends this with “surely that’s not love. Surely it’s not.” So she can sense their earlier connection, but not quite remember it
She asks him to be her brother as the two stand astride a snow-filled window. The wintry scenery further amplifies the mood of this moment: it calls to mind a sense of things ending, and a quiet solemnity as the old year passes into the new, tonally conjuring the finality that Nanako is rallying against
He is surprised to learn of her parentage
“Brother… the warm feeling of that word… it’s a feeling I’d been longing for since childhood.” So presumably he was actually close with the family at some point in her early childhood, prompting both her sense of lacking a brother and natural kinship with this man. But that closeness apparently ended at some point, and they have had no contact in the years since, implying some sort of conflict between him and her father. Additionally, I’m also curious to see how this longing for a sense of childlike security will intermingle with Nanako’s presumed growing sense of maturity and self-assurance as she navigates high school
Dutch angles emphasize the chaotic bustle of the opening bell, as Shinobu searches for Nanako in the crowd
Loving Shinobu’s all-violet ensemble as she stares daggers at Nanako and Tomoko. The girl knows how to make that fabulous hair work for her
Shinobu literally flings Tomoko aside as she grabs Nanako’s arm, weaving their fingers together and dragging her quarry away. I knew Shinobu was gonna turn out to be a delightful monster
Some interesting design variations for these background characters, who lack the principle characters’ exaggerated eyes and lashes, and thus look significantly more realistic. A neat way of conveying characters who don’t stand out on this grand stage
This also answers a frequent point of disconnect in anime. When every single character is drawn as a perfect ideal, no single character can really stand out in a crowd
Kaoru scolds several girls for not taking their seats, which only makes them hornier
Shinobu continues her full assault on Nanako’s independence, now forcefully claiming her neighbor seat. We get a neat use of split screens here, wherein the Shinobu frame steadily zooms in to emphasize her overwhelming presence
Ooh, I love this unique color shading style used for Nanako’s assessment of Shinobu’s looks. The gentle pastels and lack of thick linework create an overall softer impression, emphasizing Nanako’s charitable interpretation of Shinobu’s presence
Shinobu states the secret behind her red lips is that she constantly bites them. The geometry of this scene paints her as leading Nanako from the bright lights above to the darkness below, a clear invitation to the dark side
But Nanako flees back into the light
We check back in on Misaki and her followers, as she brags about how her mother was a Seiran Sorority member. I’m sorry Misaki, but I’m pretty darn sure you’re being set up for a tragic downfall here
Seems this regular shot of the school’s main tower is essentially how we portray the passage of time, with each return to it signifying the dawning of a new day. A trick that Ikuhara would happily steal to evoke time’s passage across his own shows
Shinobu reveals that Misaki is one of the top candidates, and also that she hates her. That’s one of the things that’s so refreshing about characters like Shinobu in situations like this: among all the elegance and politeness, it’s nice to have at least one messy character who hates people and is willing to say it
Saint-Juste appears not to recognize Nanako as they pass, and instead strikes up a playful conversation with Kaoru
More split screen embellishments as Kaoru and Saint-Juste converse. I’m accustomed to standard splitting of the screen, but Dezaki goes a step further here, repeatedly cutting between a closeup and a full body shot only on Saint-Juste’s side. The effect calls to mind the way a series of comic panels can draw the reader’s eye, similarly to how Masaomi Ando manipulates screen-in-screen shots, while also conveying a sense of Kaoru’s implacability in the face of Saint-Juste’s jokes
In contrast, Miya-sama and Saint-Juste’s subsequent meeting is as tense as their first. Miya-sama appears quietly enraged, while Saint-Juste possesses none of her usual confidence, and meekly steps aside
Shinobu is the first prospective Sorority member called up. Kaoru is next, but she declines, stating she’s opposed to the very existence of the Sorority. It does seem like a pretty cruel way to orient life at this school!
Elsewhere, Saint-Juste collapses against her piano. So was she chewed up and spit out by this Sorority, prompting the current state of relations between our three school magnates?
And in a huge upset, Nanako gets the last nod of her class, displacing legacy pick Misaki!
Tempers flare as Misaki protests and Shinobu pushes back, relishing the opportunity to grind down her rival. But then Misaki reveals that Shinobu’s father is a pornography writer!
Another effective use of split screen, using each half for a different effect: the camera pulls back from Shinobu to emphasize her shock, while hanging close on Misaki to convey intimacy as she cries
And then Misaki just gets obliterated. First dressed down by Kaoru, then slapped by Shinobu, then Miya-sama states that even if she were offered Kaoru’s empty spot, Miya-sama herself would absolutely veto her selection. One of the most ruthless bodyings I’ve ever seen, prompting her to flee the room in tears
Ooh, I love this shot. The windswept bushes outside cast shadows across Nanako’s body, evoking the roiling sea of emotions inside
After school Shinobu rushes to catch up to Nanako, but is beaten by Tomoko, and then visually consumed by shadows. Shinobu is going to kill someone before this year is up
“We were supposed to bake the cake next Sunday!” The Sorority already driving a cake-sized rift between Nanako and Tomoko. Fortunately, Tomoko is a good friend, and quickly bounces back
“The Cinderella-Princess dropped her glass slippers and became her everyday self when the clock struck twelve.” Making explicit the distinction I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, between Nanako’s mundane and magical lives
“When will the clock strike twelve for me?” And ending on a line that gestures towards that clock from the opening
And Done
Dear lord, what a tangled web of intrigue! The driving force of the Sorority selection is carrying our whole cast forward, prompting delicious clashes among both the school’s legendary leaders and its desperate new arrivals. Dezaki’s creativity continued to impress at every turn here, as he deftly realized each emotional outburst with its own distinct aesthetic style, using texture, color, shadow, and character blocking to remarkable effect. And the narrative is wasting absolutely no time, racing through shocking developments at such a pace as to evoke Nanako’s own sense of disorientation in the viewer. This show possesses such unity of visual and narrative intent, and is so accomplished in both these realms, that it feels like a privilege just to ride along for Nanako’s adventures. Onward to the selection party!
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