Rei Asaka - Blog Posts

What the hell is Rei actually smoking? (Love the park episode, btw)

I'm currently watching Oniisama e, and I've a lot of thoughts regarding this anime. One of those is the outrageous role of Henmi in this saphic story, like, why is he even here? At a certain moment, I genuinely believed he was going to be just a second character who Nanako wrote to... I was so wrong, and partially disappointed.

In episode 24, I believe, it's revealed the reason why Fukiko behaves the way she does in front of this man (this woman never ceases to impress me). And such reason is so boring and dull. I was expecting a parallel between these two older siblings, how both their fathers betrayed their mothers by having an affair, how they both have step sisters, and how they managed these events. We are pretty aware of the mistreatment and manipulation Fukiko treats Rei (Saint Juste) with, meanwhile Henri is patient and sweet with Nanako. Since Henri is close friends with Fukiko's brother (neither I can stand this man), it may have occurred that he had noticed this awful treatment against Rei. Henri could have called her out, confessing his similar situation.

In the first episode, in the first scene, it is shown how Henri meets Nanako. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they never get to explain what exactly he was doing there (aside from seeing from afar the father that abandoned him). There's an important detail one mustn't overlook: his reaction to Nanako. Why did he act the way he did? I began to elaborate a posible, and very dramatic, come out.

So, having in mind we want to make parallels Fukiko-Henri, we need to establish what differentiates them: their relationship with their sisters. In episode 26 (I believe), it's revealed the sickening root from where Fukiko and Rei's relationship comes from. Fukiko uses Rei to upgrade herself, to feel superior, using a lone kid for her benefit. She saw Rei as an instrument she could use to "expire her sins", that inner facade nobody else could see. Meanwhile, she lost the possibility of bonding with Rei on an equal basis. She lost the possibility of having a sister.

Here is where Henmi could have been different with Fukiko. Although in their first meet, Henri hadn't seen the older Nanako yet, his previous encounter with her is enough to set a difference. So, again, what was Henri exactly doing there? Henri couldn't have been older than 12-13 years old when he first saw Nanako. His father abandoned him and his mother so he could live with his new family. He must have felt betrayed, he must have wanted answers, he might have even searched for revenge. He was replaced by a younger child, much weaker than himself, it wouldn't have been difficult to get her out of the way. (On various occasions, this story shows how teenagers seek drastic solutions for drastic situations.) Now, when he arrived to execute his plan, after the sight of his poor victim, he realised the wrong in his actions. How could he inflict pain on a poor girl just to make himself feel better?

Fukiko wouldn't react well to Henri's ethics lesson, creating a palpable conflict between the two characters. At the same time, it would have created a parallel between Rei and Nanako, for they are the object of their sibling's conflict. Helping to create a richer dynamic between them.

Now, the sad reality is much boring. I guess what actually happens, happens, with the intention of making Fukiko childish (and dramatic, as everyone else in this show). Which she is, don't take me wrong, but this was the worst scenario ever. It also makes Henri a kind of god for these mentally unstable teenage girls. It makes the whole story orbit around him (I'm not even going to talk about the atrocious end because, yes, I've spoiled myself)... WHY? Why has the postgraduate man have to be the reason behind the existence of the plot? I know the title literally means "Dear Brother," but come on! Men always ruin everything, in Mariko we trust.