Another year has come and gone, leaving us undeniably older and presumably wiser, though at this point it’s hard for me to tell if each new year of knowledge outpaces the mental erosion of aging. That phrase “they’ve forgotten more about subject than you’ll ever know” always seemed a bit strange to me – I mean, I’ve forgotten way more stuff than I’ve remembered, and I don’t exactly take that as a point of pride. I’m really good at forgetting stuff! It’s probably what I’m best at! It does not make me a better thinker or critic!
Tag Archives: Dear Brother
Dear Brother – Episode 7
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into the nest of vipers that is Seiran Academy, as we bear witness to Nanako’s continuing misfortunes in the marvelous Dear Brother. The injustices of last episode, including the continuation dissolution of Nanako’s friendship with childhood confidant Tomoko, seemed to actually push our beleaguered heroine to a breaking point, prompting her to consider abandoning the Sorority altogether. Unfortunately, Miya-sama appeared to sniff out her intentions even before she did, offering her a pledge of loyalty that seemed to carry an undertone of yet another ominous threat.
So basically, it was just another day at Seiran, as larger-than-life titans like Kaoru and Miya-sama strode across the wreckage wrought by their tectonic movements, and underlings like Shinobu and Misaki scrambled for purchase upon their lofty, trunk-like garters. Riyoko Ikeda’s drama continues to wind in delightfully tortured directions, and Dezaki continues to elevate her tale with all manner of distinctive animated embellishments. It seems we’re on the cusp of Nanako beginning to seize her own destiny, rather than simply spin in the eddies prompted by larger forces, and I’m eager to see whatever fresh horrors await her. Let’s return to Dear Brother!
Dear Brother – Episode 6
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m delighted to be returning to the tangled drama of Dear Brother, wherein Nanako has found herself isolated from basically everything that once brought her comfort or security. Thanks to Shinobu’s expert manipulation, Nanako’s best friend Tomoko has abandoned her, and now refuses even to answer her phone calls. Through the cruel performances of Miya-sama, it has become abundantly clear that the Sorority is essentially a kind of cult, with Miya-sama as its tyrannical leader. And even at home, the secrets her parents are keeping regarding Henmi’s identity mean they can no longer serve as confidants. The last shot of our preceding episode made Nanako’s position wincingly clear, casting her as isolated in shadow before a veil of tearful raindrops.
All of this is a real bummer for Nanako, but an absolute dramatic feast for us in the bleachers. Riyoko Ikeda is clearly a master of melodrama, spinning a variety of narrative plates with grace while ensuring Nanako’s experience feels tense and propulsive rather than simply hopeless. And Dezaki is the perfect director for this tale of woe, with his evocative compositions and clever manipulation of lighting raising Nanako’s trials into a decadent realm of visual theater. I’m frankly not sure what else Nanako still has to lose, but I’m eager to find out. Let us return to the imposing halls of Seiran Academy, and see what our unfortunate teens get up to next!
Dear Brother – Episode 5
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am feverishly impatient to get back to Dear Brother, and continue Nanako’s descent into the vicious rivalries and cunning subterfuge of Seiran Academy. After spending the first several episodes being tormented by the dreadful Misaki, it was actually Shinobu who struck the deepest blow against our beleaguered heroine. Playing up Tomoko’s preexisting anxieties about Nanako’s new status, Shinobu managed to forge a rift between Nanako and her one true friend, leaving the Sorority’s newest member adrift in a sea of adolescent animosity.
All this has made for delightfully melodramatic entertainment, particularly when you couple in Osamu Dezaki’s energetic direction. His use of heavy shadows and silhouettes, clever partitioning of the screen, gracefully audience-guiding boards, and postcard memory punchlines collectively provide Nanako’s story the theatrical framing it deserves, making Seiran feel as grand and imposing for us as it must surely feel for Nanako. Add in incidental delights like Shinobu calling people “potato heads” and “daughter of a rat dog” at every turn, and you end up with a show that demands tears, rage, and laughter in equal measure, all of which I’m happy to provide. Let’s get to it!
Dear Brother – Episode 4
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am absolutely beyond eager to get back into Dear Brother, and at last find out however Nanako handles the imposing Sorority sisters. I’ve frankly been consumed with anticipation ever since I watched the last episode; I could try and feign some critical distance here, but the honest truth is this show has already swept me up, and I’m eager to simply know what happens next. I know, me caring about plot developments? It’s a strange affair to be sure, but Ikeda is proving herself a master of hooks and momentum, and Seiran is such a fantastical venue that it feels like anything is possible.
Last episode saw Nanako racing towards her destiny with renewed determination, as Misaki’s schemes forced her to abandon her comfortable passivity, and actually fight for her position in the Sorority. Her personal growth was accompanied by a variety of ingenious new visual tricks from Dezaki, ranging from the glimmering motes of light used to convey sunset’s glow, to the aggressive screen partitioning and negative space used to foster a sense of growing entrapment. Nanako’s already changed to such an extent that she’s unwilling to reveal her transformation to Dear Brother, but I imagine it’ll take even more calluses than that to survive the trials of Seiran. Let’s get to it!
Dear Brother – Episode 3
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into Dezaki’s majestic Dear Brother, whose last episode presented us with a dizzying array of narrative developments and relational revelations. We swiftly learned the identity of Nanako’s alleged brother, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. In the leadup to the reveal of Nanako’s candidacy, we also saw clear battle lines drawn between the school’s three objects of adoration, as well as plenty more evidence that Shinobu will eventually burn this whole place down.
In the midst of all these passionate, larger-than-life personalities, my most urgent question is how exactly Nanako will make herself stand out. Unlike many high school heroines, there’s little that’s remarkable about her, and she’s spent the first two episodes being guided by others rather than establishing her own path. Her persistent use of Cinderella imagery to describe her school life makes it clear that she can’t quite see her Seiran experiences as real, so I imagine it’ll take a disruption of her current fairy tale framing to bring her down to earth. Regardless, I’m certain Dezaki will realize her experiences with decadent visual splendor, and eager to see how Ikeda’s tangled narrative proceeds. Let’s get to it!
Dear Brother – Episode 2
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!
Dear Brother – Episode 1
Hello folks, and welcome to Wrong Every Time. Today I am delighted to announce we’re checking out one of the most essential anime series I’ve yet to see, Osamu Dezaki’s adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda’s Dear Brother. Both of these names are legends in their own right, who can rightfully be said to have shaped the course of their relative mediums. Ikeda was one of the key mangaka of what has been retroactively dubbed the Year 24 Group, a collection of female mangaka who elevated the ambitions of shojo manga, introducing new complexities of storytelling and pointed themes regarding sexuality, politics, and much else. Alongside Dear Brother, Ikeda also wrote the massively acclaimed The Rose of Versailles, a story set alongside the French Revolution that counts among the great works of shojo history, and even earned her a Legion of Honor from the French government.
And then, of course, there’s Osamu Dezaki. One of the greatest, most iconic directors in anime history, a man who essentially pioneered a visual vocabulary of melodrama. Dezaki’s influence on anime ranges far beyond individual techniques like his “postcard memory” freeze frames. His visual philosophy of drama, his deft employment of abstraction, and his manipulation of the frame via splitscreens, dutch angles, and shadows would all go on to influence countless future artists, from Tomino to Ikuhara to Shinbo. Any anime education is incomplete without a healthy dose of Dezaki, so I’m eager to dive into this beloved work.
As far as Dear Brother itself goes, my understanding of its narrative is “elite boarding school melodrama,” and I’m content to let the show itself flesh out that impression. Let’s get to it!