Retro Review: Oniisama E (Dear Brother) episode 3

This is when the shoe drops. At least the first shoe. Aya tries to make Nanako give up her Sorority candidacy by being like, "HURR, I DUG INTO YOUR FAMILY BACKGROUND AND YOUR DAD ISN'T YOUR REAL DAD BECAUSE YOU AREN'T BLOOD-RELATED AND HE MARRIED YOUR MOM WHEN YOU WERE FIVE. ONLY BLOOD TIES MATTER YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOUR REAL DAD IS, BASTARD CHILD, HRAR GARPH I'M GONNA PUT THIS INFO ON FLYERS AND LITERALLY THROW A MILLION FROM THE SCHOOL CLOCK TOWER SO EVERYONE AND THEIR GRANDMA WILL SEE THEM."

Kaoru rips off the flyer Aya pinned to a bulletin board in a hallway in a scene that reminded me of Utena getting pissed about what Saonji did with Wakaba's love letter, but yeah, only so much you can do when Asshole McAsshat wants to throw gossip confetti from the top of the school.

I love that Kaoru not only tore off the flyer, she said that before tossing it at Aya.

Btw, this series emphatically does not do what Usagi Drop and a horde of other manga and anime titles have done by negating family relationships between people who aren't blood-related- Tomoko points out that Nanako's father, the man who raised her, is who she loves as her father, so he is her father, period.

Mariko's attachment to Nanako is helpful instead of weird right now, because she goes all Mama Bear and tells Aya and the other bullies to fuck off in a slightly more polite way than I would when they try to intimidate Nanako.

I understand Nanako not dealing with the bullies as assertively as Mariko because she hasn't had to deal with as many problems in her life, and she still does pretty well considering what she's dealing with. She does consider not attending the Sorority selection meeting, but how many people wouldn't seriously consider doing that if they were fifteen at a new school and their schoolmates were bullying them and picking everything about them apart in gossip over it. Luckily, in addition to Mariko's protectiveness, Nanako has Tomoko as a bastion of strength, there's what Kaoru did, and Rei lets Nanako finish crying on her when Nanako accidentally knocks her over while running away after seeing the bulletin board.

Nanako has some support, and it's fine that she needs it, because again, try being in her shoes without it.

Mariko helps again by saving Nanako from having her Sorority chances ruined completely by a scheme of Aya's, and the episode ends with the question of how Nanako can salvage her chance of becoming a Sorority member after being over two hours late to the Sorority selection party.

On a more flippant note, I like that so much of Nanako's bonding with Tomoko is over baking and sweets,

because I am a pretentious foodie and geeking out over food and baking and sharing edibles I've baked are things I like doing with those I'm close to.