A Retrospective Look at the Classic 1990s Yuri Anime “Dear Brother” [Part 1]

Back in August 2021, I started watching this series for the first time, and even started writing a review over a year later. However, due to watching other series, and other commitments, I never got to it. This year I decided to change that and watch this classic slice-of-life drama anime. Dear Brother, which is directed by Osamu Dezaki, originally aired on Japanese television from mid-July 1991 to late May 1992. It is based on a manga by Riyoko Ikeda, published in three volumes, throughout 1974, under the name Oniisama e... Ikeda is a singer and manga artist best known for manga series like Rose of Versailles, The Window of Orpheus (also known as Orpheus no Mado), Claudine, Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica (also known as Héroïque – The Glory of Napoleon), and Poland’s Secret Story: To the Borders of Heaven (also known as Ten no Hate Made – Poland Hishi), among other manga and short stories.

As a warning, this review discusses sensitive topics such as bullying, harassment, drug abuse, psychological violence, divorce, incest, abusive relationships, and mental health. This review is divided into two parts. This is the first part.

Dear Brother is only the second series by Ikeda which has been adapted into a manga. The first was Rose of Versailles, which originally aired from mid-October 1979 to early September 1980 on Japanese television. Apart from the fact that Ikeda wrote the manga originals for both series, they are also interlinked due to the fact that Osamu Dezaki, who directed episodes 19-40 of Rose of Versailles, was the director of Dear Brother. He would go on to direct Astro Boy and many other series, before his death in April 2011 from lung cancer. Through his life, he would influence directors such as Akiyuki Shinbo and Kunihiko Ikuhara. The former would work on series such as Dirty Pair (key animator) and Puella Magi Madoka Magica (director), while the latter worked on Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena (creator), Yurikuma Arashi (creator), and Sarazanmai (creator).

The series begins with a teenage girl named Nanako Misonoo (voiced by Hiroko Kasahara) who begins attending an exclusive all-girls school named Seiran Academy. She soon finds herself embroiled in female rivalries, chaos, and love, as she begins her first year. Throughout the series, she writes letters to a young man named Takehiko Henmi (voiced by Tesshō Genda), her teacher at cram school, who she calls “Brother” or “Oniisama” (hence the series title Dear Brother), telling him about her time in the academy and her life.

At school, she remains close with her childhood friend Tomoko Arikura (voiced by Waka Kanda), is introduced to a girl named Mariko Shinobu (voiced by Sakiko Tamagawa), and becomes a member of the school’s sorority. Aya Misaki (voiced by Masako Katsuki) and other girls bully her for the latter. She is drawn to the so-called Magnificent Three of the school, particularly the athletic tomboyish “Prince” Kaoru Orihara (voiced by Keiko Toda), sorority president Fukiko “Miya-sama” (Princess) Ichinomiya (voiced by Mami Koyama), and the drug-adled and troubled woman, Rei “Saint-Juste” Asaka (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto), while learning secrets along the way.

The first episode introduces viewers to some of the characters, with a particular focus on Nanako, as she travels to Seiran Academy on her first day, with Tomoko. Her family is supportive and loving. Her father (voiced by Hiroko Suzuki), as she reveals, adopted her at an early age, and is a college professor. While her birth father is not in the picture, her birth mother (voiced by Kinryū Arimoto), formerly a waitress at a pub, is, and is with her current father. Nanako meets Saint-Just (also known as Rei), one of the school’s three beauties, and crosses paths of Mariko, Prince Kaoru, and Fukiko. She quickly falls in love with Rei, after she saves her in the bus, a woman who wears male perfume and can play piano as artfully as Oscar, and becomes aware of the dynamics, whether coming to the school sorority, an elite group, and Fukiko’s awful nature toward Rei.

Apart from the similarities to Rose of Versailles, which are very evident, this series, unlike that series, is set in the 1970s. It emphasizes the importance of beauty and making yourself look good. In fact, Nanako dresses different every day, planning out her outfits. The latter is part of a certain distinct style for the series, which includes a mix of feminine and masculine elements, depending on the character. Jealousy comes to the fore when prospective members into the sorority are announced: Mariko and Nanako.

While the former is excited to be part of this elite group, the latter isn’t sure. Aya is joined by two other girls in her posse, particularly Miyuki Sonobe (voiced by Yumi Takada) and Megumi Furuta (voiced by Miki Itou), who begin to harass and bully Nanako, and to some extent Mariko (who hates Aya). At the same time, Kaoru opposes membership in the sorority because she opposes the institution itself. This makes her the original radical, of sorts, in the series. Kaoru is friendly with Rei, who is terrified of Fukiko.

The harassment reaches such a fervor pitch: Aya, Miyuki, Megumi, and other girls spreading rumors at school in hopes of disqualifying Nanako from the sorority. Her parentage is questioned and people think she is unworthy. She even comes late to the sorority party where prospective candidates are chosen because she was given the wrong information. After Nanako is chosen, she receives the brunt of harassment from the bullies. Later she believes what Aya is saying about her parentage is correct. Perfectly put, Nanako goes through hell, due to the bullying, and it is a miracle she survives.

Kaoru tries to reassure her and Tomoko does the same, but this does not last. Mariko remains jealous and tries to split apart their wholesome female friendship. Even so, she is undoubtedly as attractive as Mariko in Ikeda’s manga of the same name, a character who became socially active after her boyfriend died from the atomic bomb. The difference is that Mariko is lesbian through and through, unlike the other Mariko, who is straight. The Mariko in Dear Brother is also, arguably, a yandere character.

Her jealousy and scheming proves successful, in one of the low points for Mariko in the entire series. She drives a wedge between Nanako and Tomoko, beginning in the fourth episode, an arc-of-sorts which lists for several episodes. She wants to possess Nanako, claiming her as her own. Thanks to her machinations, Tomoko wants nothing to do with Nanako and directly avoiding her, even not answering a phone call from her. The series does a great job of showing her social isolation and her growing romantic affection for Rei, who is injured directly by Fukiko. The latter is directly abusing the former, causing Rei to follow her like an obedient lamb because she is afraid of her. Disturbingly, Mariko still wants to follow the sorority no matter what, at least at first. The Nanako-Tomoko friendship split ends in episode seven. As Erica Friedman points out, the series is “extraordinarily dark” and centered around Fukiko.

The bullying of Nanako is shown so openly that some viewers may be disturbed. Just take the sixth episode when she is harassed by those doesn’t know: her gym clothes cut up by scissors, and the scissors are left there as a warning. Due to this bullying, Nanako is drawn closer to Fukiko, who tells her to not give up and that she will protect her), even though she had previously had a nightmare about her abuse of Rei. Nanako even lies to her parents about the abuse she is experiencing. At another point, she watches a television screen with only static and nothing else, a perfect illustration of what she is going through.

Although their friendship has not yet been repaired, Tomoko defends her from bullies. The latter also put razors in Nanako’s desk to harass her. Aya suffers some consequences. She told to shape up by Fukiko, who defends Nanako even as she engages in abuse and harassment. In writing this review, I am reminded of how protagonist Uka Ishimori responds to bullying in Honey Lemon Soda. At first she is afraid of those harassing her, but later stands up to them, challenges them, and admits to her dad that she was bullied.

Mariko’s obsession reaches a fever pitch in the eighth episode, since she’s jealous that Tomoko and Nanako have repaired their friendship despite her meddling. She directly threatens Tomoko, saying she won’t let her take her away and she bites Nanako on the ear. She hosts a birthday party at a fancy hotel, with Nanako, who brings cookies she baked with Tomoko, as the only guest apart from Mariko’s mother. While everything seems to be going well and they bathe naked together, everything begins to go off the rails. Mariko declares that Nanako has to stay, holding her against her will (and saying she will kill her). Nanako somehow escapes, thanks to Mariko’s mom, saying that they don’t have a real friendship, and she runs home in the pouring rain. While she is experiencing this, she still has to deal with social intimidation at school and being judged by “rigid social standards.”

The ninth and tenth episodes end the mini-arc of sorts. Mariko looks like she is going to take her own life and Nanako rejects Mariko, causing her to spiral even further. Nanako puts her off, causing Mariko to spiral even more out of control based on misunderstandings. Everything soon reaches a dramatic point, after Mariko goes on a hunger strike, even though Kaoru says her health matters and she shouldn’t starve herself. She falsely believes she needs (and is) nothing, and collapses. Her mom and dad visit her in the hospital, where she is committed for anemia and malnutrition. Nanako forgives her, especially after learning that Mariko starved herself because of her. She realizes they share some qualities, with both at age sixteen. What is missing is a discussion between them about Mariko’s actions and her dangerous possessiveness. Unfortunately, that is not done. They just move on with the story.

Dear Brother’s eleventh episode is not a turning point because Mariko has returned to school but rather because the relationship between Nanako and Rei is growing. From the beginning of the series, Nanako is attracted to her. In this episode, she finds Rei under an elm tree, in the pouring rain, who is waiting for Fukiko to show up, but she never leaves her sorority party, despite her promise. She brings Rei back to a cold apartment that Rei lives in, which is full of mirrors and has shades drawn, and cares for Rai who has a terrible fever, and even  saves her from killing herself. At one point, she dubs Nanako “ma cherie la poupee,” meaning my cute little dolly (or my dear doll), which becomes a common phrase she uses for Nanako throughout the series, and is clearly grateful. In the episode afterward, despite Fukiko’s warning, Nanko grows closer to Rei. She learns about her scar on her arm (covered by a bracelet), seemingly a suicide attempt, beings her food, and remains supportive. She helps Rei dress and sees her naked in the next episode.

The twelfth episode stands out because Kaoru confronts Miyu under the elm tree, asking if she cares about Rei at all. In that scene, Kaoru declares that Rei is her sister, shocking Nanako, who happens to overhear it. The connection between the two sisters is evident, even though, in more ways than one, Rei is trapped, and manipulated, by Fukiko. The latter emotionally threatens Rei and threatens Nanako multiple times. Their emotional and romantic connection is clear based on the double-suicide pact Fukiko and Rei made.

Nanako is pulled within all of this and is unsure where she fits in. Mariko, who has begun eating lunch with her and Tomoko, is impacted by it, to an extent. However, it is Nanako who is pulled more into Rei’s life, than anyone else, including where she is almost killed (or grievously injured) by Rei throwing knives at an outline of Fukiko. She tries to get rid of her pills, but this causes Rei to call her a nuisance and meddlesome, deeply upsetting her, even as she confiscates one of Rei’s cigarettes, almost to admire it.

Mariko shines more as Dear Brother continues and her attraction to Kaoru grows. Take, for example, the sixteenth episode. Mariko spies on Kaoru making basketball hoops. She admits that she cares about Kaoru’s condition and even gives her a sports drink as a present. When Kaoru is injured, in that same episode, Rei takes her place (infuriating Fukiko). While this excites Nanako, Mariko is worried because she deeply cares, romantically, about Kaoru. In fact, she is so openly in love with her, showing how much she cares that Nanako is jealous that she can’t be as open about her feelings for Rei. Curiously, Rihoko Yoshida, who voiced Mariko’s mother, in this series, previously voiced Rosalie in Rose of Versailles, a character implied to be in love with female protagonist Oscar. In another episode, Tomoko hints that she might have feelings for Kaoru, while Mariko warns Nanako to not date men.

Nanako’s feelings for Rei blossom as the series continues, while she remains trapped in a “tragic love triangle” (herself, Rei, and Fukiko), showing her lesbian passion. At the same time, Fukiko continues to sadistically emotionally manipulate Rei. She even engages in the latter with Nanako, over and over again, even threatening to tear up her letter to Henmi. This does not stop her from loving Rei. In fact, she skips class with her in the eighteenth episode, when they go on a date-of-sorts to a local park, where they see Fukiko’s brother, Takashi, and Henmi. In a key scene, Nanako tries to smoke a cigarette and Rei tells her it won’t suit her, followed by her crying as she says the words “I love you” for the first time.

Her passion for Rei, particularly, is clear. She wonders if she made the wrong decision, after confessing her romantic affection to Rei, and even lies to Tomoko about where’s been. Of course, Fukiko learns about the date, from Takashi (who shouldn’t have said anything) and is not happy. This is fitting for a series which is not a flowery love fantasy but instead dives into “the difficult, often violently passionate bonds” that Nanako forms with those she goes to school with, including Rei.

What love means and how it manifests itself, is a major theme. After all, Kaoru forgets about the man she loved, Henmi, and has moved on, at first. She revealed her naked self to him, and she warns Nanako that she would get hurt if she loves Rei, describing the latter is chained to Fukiko. She tells Nanako that love is fleeting and transient, while Nanako wonders if she should have confessed or not. At the same time, Fukiko demands that Rei only look at her and admire no one else, another example of their messy and abusive incestuous relationship, which colors the entire series.

It is nothing like the incest in I’m in Love with the Villainess, which gained some controversy when Rae Taylor compared incest with homosexual relationships, directly (in the manga, novels, and anime). She does not equate them. Instead, she says both are frowned upon in the society shown in that series. The manga series author, Inori, called incest a “very sensitive topic” and added that, in her view, love is “less a matter of active participation and more something that one inevitably falls into at any given moment.”

Fukiko becomes so jealous that she locks Nanako in a storage room so she can’t go to a university fair due to her wrongheaded belief that Nanako has feelings for Henmi. The reasoning for this extreme behavior is made clear by the twenty-second and twenty-third episodes. Nanako learns about the closed room at her family’s summer house from a servant (who Fukiko flippantly fires), sees Fukiko in this mysterious room, which was kept the same way as when she was twelve, where she reads the famous Shakespeare Sonnet 18 (“thy summer will not fade”), a book that Henmi gave to her. In that same episode, she is almost killed by Fukiko “by accident” (was it really?). To make matters worse, Fukiko blows up on Rei, at her 18th birthday party, after she plays a song she supposedly hates, even tearing apart the violin with her bare hands, horrifying Rei, who does not understand what she did wrong. Later she throws some of the gifts, from Nanako and Mariko, in the incinerator!

As Dear Brother continues, one thing is clear: Fukiko still loves Henmi. She felt that he abandoned her after she practiced violin, even though Henmi likely could not attend her birthday celebration because of Nanako (that’s implied). This caused her to become utterly heartbroken, which impacted her life for years afteward. As a result, she refuses to let anyone else have Henmi until he returns to her. She takes the latter so much to the extreme that she engages in unwelcome sexual advances toward Nanako, declaring she loves her (likely untrue). More impactful is her admission that Nanako was (effectively) forced into the sorority because she is pen pals with Henmi! She sees Nanako as a threat, even though Henmi and Nanako have no romantic connection. At the last second, Rei saves Nanako from Fukiko’s sexual harassment, and not long after, Fukiko begins to have a real mental breakdown.

One of the major themes, of this series, apart from the outward violence, is drug addiction and disease. Specifically, Rei is addicted to popping pills, particularly painkillers. This is a bold decision to focus on this considering that Japan has an extreme zero-tolerance policy on drugs, even impacting prescription drug use. At the time, in the early 1970s, there was “an increased demand for stimulants” while arrests for cannabis and stimulant arrests began to rise. To this day, drug abuse still isn’t covered well in media.

Rei’s “bad girl” nature actually attracts Nanako. At one point, she attempts to smoke because she likely sees it as “cool.” She even travels to the school library to read a book about angel of death Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (who was “young, idealistic and prone to violence”) and the French Revolution. Kaoru helps her in this endeavor, as other students have done the same thing before, coming to the library for similar reasons.

Maximilien Robespierre, who was executed during the aforementioned revolution (in July 1794), as was Saint-Just, is mentioned and there’s a vision of death. It foreshadows bad events ahead for Rei, and connects to themes within Rose of Versailles. It’s noted that Rei read works of French poet Paul Verlaine when she first met Kaoru, and that she often looks like she is going to kill herself. Coincidentally, I watched this series at the same time as Common Side Effects. That series centers on a mycologist who finds a magic mushroom which seems to cure all sickness. He faces a huge pharmaceutical company, for which his friend works for (but she does not tell him). The company and government work together to stop his efforts. I see some parallels between both series, but this series does not feature any pharmaceutical companies or magic mushrooms, just characters smoking and popping pills.

When it comes to disease, Kaoru is a perfect example of a character who hides that she is suffering. At one point she seems energetic and at another she uses Rei’s painkillers, which Nanako gets for her. She even smacks Rei after she laughs about it, surprising her, not expecting Nanako to be so bold toward her. After Kaoru is hospitalized, she’s supported by Rei, who has her own addiction issues and could be described as “deranged.” All the while, throughout the series she experiences unimaginable sorrow.

She deeply cares for Rei, as a friend, and both have a deep bond. She even urges Rei to not push herself too hard. Later, she gets a scan, in the twenty-ninth episode, for her medical condition. Then, in the thirty-fifth episode, she gets her lesion checked out. In that same episode, she reveals to Nanako that she had a partial mastectomy, which shocks Nanako, as she did not expect it. It is revealed, in the penultimate episode of the series, that Kaoru may not be able to live five years because of her condition (breast cancer).

In other episodes, Mariko warns about the dangers men can cause, even as Henmi and Takashi (the brother of Fukiko) try to convince her otherwise. Weirdly, despite her prejudice, Takashi declares he likes Mariko. Even so, they never begin a romantic relationship in the series. Mariko is harassed by men, during the university visit she takes with Nanako, Tomoko, and Henmi, causing her to hate coming there even more, an unsurprising observation. Other characters, like Rei, Nanako, and Fukiko often think about other women. For instance, Rei often thinks about Fukiko, while Fukiko thinks about Rei. Nanako thinks about Rei, even with all the drama going on in this series. Fukiko goes so far as to slap Nanako after she comes to bring Rei food, and prepares to kill herself with Rei in the twenty-sixth episode. At the last second, Rei saves her. Fukiko is the only canon bisexual character, since she also has feelings for Henmi, which she expresses on more than one occasion.

The tangled family tree which connects Nanako and Henmi slowly is revealed over the course of Dear Brother, which is wrapped up in divorce and heartbreak. Simply put, Henmi is the son of Nanako’s father but with a different woman, making him Nanako’s stepbrother. However, Nanako’s father divorced the woman he married (and had Henmi with), and remarried to Nanako’s birth mother. While part of this truth is hinted by Nanako’s bullies, Nanako’s parents refuse to tell her about it.

It is not directly revealed until Kaoru tells her that Henmi is her real brother in the thirty-sixth episode. Nanako reconciles with her step-dad and embraces him after he reveals he had a son (Henmi), in a touching scene in the following episode. She later talks to Henmi, saying he was mean for not telling her, and jokes about what would have happened if she had fallen in love with him, while he remembers back to when he first saw her. Nanako’s dad also reconnects with Henmi, wishing him well for his study abroad. In writing this review, I am reminded of the touching depiction of divorce in the idol anime 22/7, which I have conflicted feelings about, particularly in the life of one idol in the series: Akane Maruyama.

More than any other character, Mariko experiences the pain and suffering from divorce, especially from episodes 26 to 29. Bullies, like Aya, even taunt her about this at school, while her house remains gloomy. She surprises Nanako at how casually she mentions divorce, which is likely eye-opening for her, even as someone who comes from a mixed family of sorts. While Mariko tries to be in good spirits, she is horrified to see her father with another woman. She almost cuts herself before Nanako and Tomoko appear at her house one day.

One of the most dramatic scenes in the entire series follows Aya taunting Mariko. Her harassment goes so far that Mariko pulls out a box cutter from her bag and slices Aya on the arm, in episode 27. While this may seem extreme, Aya caused this to happen, through her actions. It is made worse when the students, apart from Nanako, side against Mariko. This likely causes her to apologize, even to Kaoru, and run out of the classrom. For the students to side with Aya, it indicates they think bullying of Mariko, is okay even though it causes further mental issues in the latter, serving as a form of mental pressure.

Following her running out of the classroom, she attempts to end her own life, but Takashi saves her. The final part of this arc involves Tomoko and Nanako looking out for Mariko, reconnecting with her dad. She is told she should love herself first before anyone else loves her, even as her family seems to be falling apart, as she remains on suspension for three months. She even reconciles with Aya, who attempts to end her own life in episode 30 (but is saved by her dog Halloween barking and Mariko). After everything, she starts respecting her father’s work more. Even so, Mariko refuses to enter relationships with men because of the personal trauma she has incurred. Surely she has a damaged and controlling personality, informed by the aforementioned drama, and she wants strong friendships through pleasant (and then aggressive) means.

Fukiko’s arrogance and control, informed by her heartbreak and anger at Rei for being her sister, ultimately brings down the sorority. This begins in the fifteenth episode, when Junko Nakaya (voiced by Mayumi Setou) is ousted (told to resign in a week) from the sorority because her grades aren’t high enough. Other members do not vouch for her because they are afraid of Fukiko and for justified reason! The latter boldly declares to Nanako that she was personally recommended for the sorority. She begins to question if she was chosen for her merits or not, while Fukiko demands that she stop writing Henmi.

In a telling scene, Junko says she is leaving the sorority and she feels it is all an illusion, wondering whether she has had a happy time. This causes, for the first time in the series, Nanako to admit that she doesn’t like the sorority that much. As a result, her growing cracks with the elite institution grow. All of this is significant considering this sorority is all about being relentless and slighting those not seen as perfect, embodied most by Fukiko The latter is manipulative and neurotic to her core.

This all reaches a high point in the twenty-eighth episode where Nanako stands against Fukiko (who declares that Mariko is suspended from the sorority), showing her evolution from a timid young woman to one with more self-confidence. Her challenge to the sorority, shows that Fukiko’s power is slipping. This continues in the twenty-ninth episode, with Nanako quitting this elite institution, boldly, which undoubtedly surprises Fukiko.

Kaoru wants to abolish the sorority itself, which she brings up at a student assembly chaired by Fukiko, saying that the system is a traditional human trafficking system where you put a price on yourself and see yourself as a commodity. Rei, who previously said that the society is Fukiko’s last shred of dignity, sides with the students, catching Fukiko off guard. The students are told to get signatures from two-thirds of students, even as Rei believes that Fukiko will remain beautiful and dignified on her own.

The arc centering on the abolition of the sorority is perhaps my favorite arc in the entire series. It begins in episode 28 and ends in episode 33. This arc begins in earnest in episode 30, with students opposed to the caste system and elitism represented by the sorority. Kaoru says education is about equality and freedom, a statement as valid the as it is now. Senior members of the elite group attempt to stop them. Some try to burn the books, containing signatures, but are not successful, with Aya covering for her friends. Ultimately the latter sign the petition, as do those who formerly bullied Junko, deepening cracks within the sorority.

Cracks within this elite institution later manifest themselves in senior group members. “Lady Borgia” Ogiwara, “Lady Mona Lisa” Komabayashi, “Lady Cattleya” Yamamoto, who are voiced by Emi Shinohara, Shinobu Adachi, and Satoko Yasunaga respectfully, turn on Fukiko, who declares that nothing will endanger the sorority, even as students are changing their perspectives. The resignation/protest of the senior members is a turning point, since they originally do not want to lose their influence and privilege. Two of them (Ladies Borgia and Mona Lisa) go so far as to threaten Nanako and almost kill her, before pulling back. They want to reveal Fukiko’s “relationship” with Nanako, to get dirt on her, in hopes of gaining leverage.

With the senior members gone and people leaving, the sorority is clearly in trouble, especially a former senior members turn on each other, including “Lady Medusa” Katsuragi and “Lady Vampanella” Hoshino, who are voiced by Kumiko Takizawa and Miyuki Matsuoka, despite affection of Hoshino toward Yamamoto. The organization, to put it mildly, is falling apart from the inside. Fukiko becomes increasingly isolated, even imagining she is in the middle of the French Revolution with Rei pointing a rifle at her.

Students begin seeing membership in the sorority as a crime (in and of itself), chastising those who remain group members. In a pointed scene, Fukiko begins a presentation on the sorority, with Rei, Kaoru, Nanako, Junko, Kaoru, and Tomoko in attendance at a tea party, set up by Lady Medusa (she is Fukiko’s last ally), but none of the sorority members appear. She is shown to have a certain dignity in the end. During this arc, Kaoru points out that she started the petition to rid sstudents of their elite mindsets.

One of the best observations during this arc of Dear Brother is expressed by Nanako: she is not out for any sorority member in particular, but detests the sorority itself. This is the equivalent of saying the system is the problem, rather than those who reside within it. There is no doubt that protests within Japan in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly Japanese university protests from 1968 to 1969, and the growing Japanese New Left, influenced this series, especially this story arc. These protests have also been featured in Kids on the Slope (backstory of) and Koi to Gebaruto. Others feature student protests earlier in the 1960s, like Concrete Revolutio and Shouwa Monogatari, or otherwise have leftist themes, such as Castle in the Sky and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.

Simply put, Dear Brother is the antecedent to animations which feature characters as activists fighting for a cause, like Atsuko “Akko” Kagari going on strike in Little Witch Academia (which even turned into a meme), or the activism/protests in the most recent season of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, among the main cast. The latter led to some controversy due to response from reactionary individuals about the show’s themes, even as it did not have an impossibly powerful student council. When it comes to Dear Brother, the historical influence is no surprise considering the events in Japan in the 1970s directly impacted Rose of Versailles, and other works she put together during the 1970s. I am also reminded of a plethora of Hollywood films about protests, ranging from Selma to The Hate U Give, Judas and the Black Messiah to Fruitvale Station, How to Blow Up a Pipeline to Malcolm X.

Ikeda, author of the manga this anime is based on, was once a member of a group of female manga creators who revolutionized the genre of shojo manga, by experiment with new styles, stories, and themes, rejecting what shojo was once known for, known as the Year 24 Group. Although she wrote the manga, in what could not be more ironic, considering the arc of this series, described in this section of the review, she never finished college, dropping out after studying philosophy. She joins the ranks of successful dropouts like Paul Newman, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Alicia Keys, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, Madonna, and Steven Spielberg, even as her undoubted leftist political views directly clash with these individuals.

Dear Brother‘s petition arc effectively ends in episode 33. Two-thirds of students sign the petition to abolish the sorority. This causes the school board to consider discussing the abolition, a clear victory for student activists. However, the story takes a dark turn in this episode. While in the episode prior it seems Fukiko is coming around to treating Rei better, it seems omnious when Rei thinks back to the time she spent on the beach with her mother.

The death flags continue to swirl, even as Rei sleeps soundly, reveals openly that Fukiko is her real sister (not half-sister) and asks Nanako out on a date. She says she will bring her to a place that’s beautiful, a place with a beautiful sunset where her mom walked in the sea and ended her own life. The episode ends sadly, but typical for the series. Rei crosses a railroad bridge with flowers she had bought for Nanako, but they fall out of her hand. She jumps to catch them, but falls, a train hits her, and she dies. Fukiko is the first one to learn Rei is dead and is devastated. While in the anime she dies, seemingly, by accident, in the manga it is different: she is pushed to taking her own life by overdoing from drugs, after Fukiko declares she never loved her. In the anime it is more artful.

The few episodes after Rei’s death are sad and depressing. Nanako is emotionally destroyed more than anyone, while Fukiko cries over the loss, despite the fact she treated Rei terribly for years (because she was her sister). The police end their case, concluding that Rei died by accident rather than killing herself, after an eyewitness steps forward. Kaoru, and others, begin placing flowers by the side of the train tracks, near where Rei died, as a shrine of sorts, something which continues throughout the series. Understandably, Nanako, Kaoru, and Fukiko are at a loss, with Fukiko even trying to end her own life, at one point. The latter isn’t surprising considering the intense love she had for Rei, even though they did not share their suffering.

A funeral is held for Rei, with Nanako seeing her as a spirit fading away. Fukiko breaks down crying at the unimaginable loss, and Nanako keeps the doll (which Fukiko had given her) that Rei named her after as a keepsake. She even smokes a cigarette to honor her. And as Rei said, it doesn’t suit her. The thirty-fifth episode ends with Fukiko wearing the bracelet that she gave Rei (which she had worn to cover up her scar), and goes to a school board meeting about the sorority’s abolition. She decides to resign prior to their vote, meaning she ends the sorority on her terms. This analysis will be continued in Part 2, which is coming soon.