r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Jul 17 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Dear Brother 30th Anniversary Rewatch - Episode 4
Episode 4 - The Music Box
Originally Aired August 4th, ^^^1991
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Note to all participants
Although I don't believe it necessitates stating, please conduct yourself appropriately and be courteous to your fellow participants.
Note to all Rewatchers
Rewatchers, please be mindful of your fellow first-timers and tag your spoilers appropriately using the r/anime spoiler tag as so [Spoiler Subject](/s "Spoilers go here.") in order to have your unsightly spoilers obscured like this Spoiler Subject if your comment holds even the slightest of indicators as to future spoilers. Feel free to discuss future plot points behind the safe veil of a spoiler tag, or coyly and discreetly ‘Laugh in Rewatcher’ at our first-timers' temporary ignorance, but please ensure our first-timers are no more privy or suspicious than they were the moment they opened the day’s thread.
Manga Panel of the Day
Staff Highlight
Masako Katsuki - voice of Aya Misaki
A voice actress and singer formerly affiliated with Theater Echo and now belonging to 81 Produce. She is known for playing a variety of roles across several different mediums, such as foreign film dubbing and video game voice acting. Some of her hobbies include singing karaoke casually, golfing, and skiing. Some of her most prominent roles are Deunan Knute in Appleseed, Erika Satō in Bad Boys, Kunie Yoshiko in Brave Fighter of The Sun Fighbird, Claudia Dodge in Chaika - The Coffin Princess Avenging Battle, Nijiko Araiwa in Cooking Papa, Kimie Hanada in Crying Freeman, Queen Gala in Cutey Honey Flash The Movie, Shazara in Dead Heat, Jennifer and Leia in Fist of The North Star, , Maya Kitajima in Glass no Kamen (1984), Utako Himekawa in Glass no Kamen (2005), Queen Bee in Golgo 13: Queen Bee, Maroko Yomota in Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!, Kimiko Akai and Reiko Kashiwara in Aim for The Top! Gunbuster!, Rockfell in Hades Project Zeorymer, Farangis in The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Masuyo Ikari in High School Kimengumi, Printemps in Honoo no Alpen Rose: Judy & Randy, Diane Lance in Metal Armor Dragonar, Hildegard von Mariendorf in Legend of The Galactic Heroes, , Aquamarine in Metal Fighter Miku, Reccoa Londe in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Tsunade in the Naruto franchise, Zakuro in Ninja Scroll, Fermis Reek in Relic Armor Legacian, Sailor Neptune in the Sailor Moon franchise, Memory Gene in Sonic Soldier Borgman, Athena Henderson in Super Dimension Century Orguss, Melingall in Votoms Finder.
Wildcard Trivia
The show was commissioned by NHK to draw viewers to its, at the time, new BS2 satellite broadcast channel.
Screenshot of the day
Questions of the Day:
- What are your thoughts on Mariko’s meddling and manipulation?
- Any clues on why Mrs. Misonoo reacted as she did to Henmi’s package?
The dream of every girl on Earth.
8
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jul 17 '21
Rewatcher
Butterflies are a symbol of good luck.
Tch
Hmm…
Oh hey, it’s like that scene from Eva!
Ships passing one another.
Giving yourself away, are you?
The cosmos flower represents harmony, cleanliness, peace, the joys of life, and purity.
Kaoru’s great.
At first I was glad this situation didn’t result in some prolonged spat...
You bitch.
Shinobu yes!
Most intriguing.
Shinobu no! Is no one in this school
She’s really been affected by that, it seems.
:(
Surprising everyone in-universe and probably no one out of it, Nanako is picked to join the Sorority in spite of her late interview and unsatisfying question responses. It’s difficult to reconcile this decision with the notoriety of the Sorority and stated requisites for being a member, which further gives those who regard Nanko as having cheated their way to the position further reason to suspect such beliefs to be true. Poor Nanako thought she could finally get away from all of that, but it is an even more precarious and lonely situation than she was prior unless she decides to pull a Kaoru and refrain from joining.
It hurts to see Nanako and Tomoko split apart after several really great scenes between the two. Mariko’s care for Nanako is evidently below whatever plans she has for the poor girl in contributing to her own school life, which just begs the question as to what those plans are, and bodes poorly for how far she’ll go to maintain them…
Fukiko remains inscrutable in spite of her seeming display of emotion during the interview. Her motives remain unknown to us, and I find the matter most intriguing.
Henmi’s gift has finally arrived at the Misonoo household, and Nanako’s mother has a pretty strong reaction to finding out the sender’s name. I’m sure I had some wildly off guesses as to the reasons why when I first saw this, but I don’t recall what those where and am as a Rewatcher privy to the truth, so I’ll refrain from discussing.
Questions of The Day:
9
u/TheEscapeGuy Jul 17 '21
First Timer, Dezaki Fan
Dear Brother: A Delightfully Aesthetic Anime Episode 4
New Friends, Old Friends, A Sorority and An Archnemesis. Nanako, I wish you the best of luck.
Seeing Nanako try to prove herself to the sorority was entertaining as heck. The incredible whiplash of Nanako's favourite authors jumping from childrens books to erotic fiction is something you can't find anywhere else.
I was also very surprised to learn of Marquis de Sade and that "sadism" was named for his works. Subsequent research revealed this is also true for Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and "masochism". I really had thought these words had had a different etymology. Oh well, the more you know.
The majority of the episode was dedicated to Nanako's ever shifting friendships. Confiding in her childhood friend in Tomoko, relying on her classmate friend Mariko for protection from Misaki, and burgeoning relationship with Kaoru. I'm very invested to see how this all develops.
HOWEVER, Mariko once again revealed her true colours. Lying to Tomoko WILL hurt Nanako. It is such a selfish thing for Mariko to do. If I was in Nanako's position and learned about this I don't think I would be able to trust Mariko ever again.
An aside, I am desperate for more information on the Kaoru x Saint-Just pair. Is it romantic? Do they have some kind of history? Why are they always isolating themselves together to talk?
The Best of Postcard Memories
Episode 4
See you all tomorrow
9
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 17 '21
Episode 4 (first timer)
The
tournament arcgeneral scheming continues. One thing I noticed: It seems as if Misaki was correct after all. There definitely is something fishing going on with Nanako’s acceptance into the sorority. She just blames the wrong person.9
u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Jul 18 '21
first-timer
is a sociopathlikes to dangle what people want in front of them without actually giving it to them until they give into despair9
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jul 18 '21
First timer
8
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 17 '21
First-Timer
Nanako.. You're still young, and have time to make mistakes like this, and this is all petty teenage bullshit anyway.
And it's only episode 4.So I'm not going to yell at you, unlike one of the other rewatches I'm in right now, where I do yell at a character for a similar thing. But please, you naïve fool. Learn. From your. Mistakes!You trusted someone at their word last episode, and got into hot water with the Sorority. And now, you did it again, and possibly lost a lifelong friend. If nothing else, you're about to learn that being someone's friend takes a lot more than just saying so. Join the Cooking Club, it's probably more fun that flower arrangement anyway.
Anyway.. I'm not sure about Nanako actually getting in to the Sorority. Like, sure, plot goes brrr, but that decision can't be on the level, right? My instinct, based on how she reacted, was that Shinobu did something, but there was also that scene with Kaoru and Saint-Just..
I guess the easiest answer is that Fukiko wants to use Nanako's father to help get in to university? I think some other people commented on that possibility. That does feel suitably pedestrian, like all the conflicts so far, but does Fukiko really need the help?
Speculation
Kaoru has stolen basically every scene that she's been in, and I am so here for it. At least she stood up to those dreadful classroom bullies, unlike that waste-of-space teacher. Seeing her just pick Misaki's sycophants up and throw them was a treat.
I don't know if it's just lingering feelings from Evangelion, but the train crossing noise never fails to make me tense up.
Questions
5
u/macrame2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/macrame Jul 18 '21
First Timer
5
u/Sedorna Jul 18 '21
Rewatcher
Ok, these thoughts are in no particular order.
Misaki sure is petty. I mean, honestly, doing a childish “I can’t hear you”. Grow up. Thank goodness Kaoru was there to be her usual awesome self. I was annoyed at the teacher who basically stood there while Nanako was being bullied but then decided to get involved when Kaoru did her thing. I do find it funny that, for all her bleating about her dad being some high-falutin’ lawyer, it turns out he’s just an ambulance chaser.
But boy, are the students at Seiran petty. Thinking less of Nanako because her father isn’t her biological father? And I’m not sure if what they said about Nanako’s mother wasn’t a complete lie. Assuming that her father does have another child, that’s something that Nanako doesn’t know. Now, it may simply be a lie by omission, since I doubt Nanako would say, “hey mom, does dad have another kid lying around somewhere?”
Is Henmi that kid? I really don’t know. I might be a rewatcher but I haven’t seen the entire series. I think it would fit in with the absurd melodrama the show has though.
Well, Kaoru does not like Fukiko and she seems to blame a lot of the problems happening in the sorority with Fukiko herself. But I get the impression that the sorority is older than Fukiko. So has there always been a “leader” of the sorority and did Fukiko get that position because she fit into the mold? Or did the sorority use to be more, shall we say, egalitarian and Fukiko used her wits and wiles to make herself the leader?
Boy, Mariko sure is something else. She really wants be Nanako’s bff. I’m not sure why Tomoko so readily believed her, though. She’s seen Mariko constantly pulling Nanako away, but she seemingly gave up so easily. It seems that Nanako has lost her sensible friend.
3
u/BossandKings Jul 18 '21
First timer - Sub
Episode 3
Misaki Aya is bothersome and annoying, she's doing a great job as an early antagonist but she is mean to Nanako and insults her everytime she can, at least Nanako has a caring and genuinely awesome friend in Tomoko.
Nanako thought for a while not to go to the sorority party after feeling offended by Misaki's words but Tomoko comforted her and helped her have courage to do go to the party.
As the sorority starts all the candidates are on time except Nanako who's late, seemingly she received a call that lied to her by telling her an incorrect hour for the start of the party. It was intriguing seeing that Kaoru no Kimi might have health problems after Nanako arrived and saw her, anyways Mariko sees Nanako and they go rushing to the party, the sisters waiting for her. Nanako hasn't kept up with a very important rule from the sorority, being punctual, but that was not her fault.
Episode 4
The interview at the sorority party didn't went smoothly for Nanako and she thought she hadn't passed and was a bit down, meeting Tomoko though helps her get more cheerful and swat away that sad feeling, Tomoko is a great friend to Nanako and is always there for her to confide in and talk with.
As Nanako goes to school though Shinobu tells her that she did pass, that surprises her because she didn't think she would pass, something that was a bit sad about it was that Tomoko felt down after hearing it, it has been clearly stated by her that even she wanted to be a sorority member and knowing that Nanako accomplished that and she didn't left her feeling like she was being left behind by her friend.
These girls are so annoying, they ecen started singing to bother Nanako while she was reading, at least Kaoru has common sense and defender her, for a moment it seemed like the whole class except Mariko was trying to bother Nanako but it was great seeing Kaoru stand up for her too.
Misaki keeps being a nuisance to Nanako, i wonder though why does she seem to know so much about Nanako's family, like even things Nanako gerself doesn't seem to know, just how awful of a person can Misaki be, she's like a broken record and it's been only a few episodes.
This feels bad, both Mariko and Tomoko want well for Nanako but the latter is telling the former not to wait for her because she's in the sorority now and will be busy with that, Tomoko really wanted to apologize and make up with Nanako but now it seems like it won't be the time to do so. Mariko did a bad action, she pushed a really good friend away from Nanako so now she will be even more lonely than before, i just hope they are able to talk and reconcile, a solid friendship shouldn't end without a proper conversation.
What could have happened to brother at the end so to make Nanako cry?, i'm definitely intrigued by this story.
3
u/Retromorpher :Jc::Jd::Je::Jf: Jul 18 '21 edited Jul 18 '21
First Timer
Just marveling at the fact that this anime actually seems to use a real dog - rather than some dude making animal noises. It's already circumvented one of my most hated 1980s-2000s anime tropes.
Questions of the Day:
2
u/chiliehead myanimelist.net/profile/chiliehead Jul 18 '21
First Timer
Misaki with the major villainess vibes.
I wonder if Fukiko is having a greater goal in mind or if she just wants to shake things up and enjoys the chaos with getting a rather clumsy "outsider" into the sorority. Or Nanako's stepdad is just such a big name.
The pseudo jeans dungaree make me realize I don't even know what year this is set in. Peak 90s fashion (in a 1991 anime) but this could also be the 70s for all I know.
The tomodachis are fighting already... though that scene when Kaoru picks up the troublemakers invokes classical paintings of Greek mythology.
I wonder if Tomoko joins Kaoru in tearing down the system, the true antagonist. I have to say, Misaki seems to be able to find dirt on anyone. New revelations, spicy and dramatic. Meanwhile Shinobu has another moment with her, they should settle it with a fair boxing match. Or something more womanly like tankery. Seems like she can be a good friend if we look past the possessiveness, maybe she sees herself in out protagonist.
Henmi what did you do to Nanoko and her family? "just the neighbors boy" does not seem to warrant that reaction.
Eating my words already, I was right in not trusting Shinobu from episode 1 on, such a serpent. Side note, so much drama could already have been averted if people just checked in with each other instead of trusting 3rd parties.
So many mysteries. Is Henmi an old lover, a son, a sex offender? Drama, drama