With Dear Brother it took the story of Nanako and the uncontrollable fate she had to force herself to grow through. In typical Dezaki fashion in relation to his previous anime that I have watched The story gets more dramatic and emotional towards the enduntil the bittersweet finalegetting better and more impactful towards the viewer as the emotions grow. But the story isnt just drama how some say. Dear Brother taught me about stopping myself from treating myself like dirt. To find the good in myself and appreciate it to learn about the beauty of love and how it isnt perfect that suffering is a part of it and that this is a harsh realistic part of it that shouldnt make us give up. That love is a wonderful thing despite this. I started to notice something Ive seen in just about every Dezaki anime Ive watched so far. Its a big focus on redemption. Characters who you think would not mean well are written well enough that they turn themselves around and become good people. I think Dezaki may had found an importance in telling these kinds of stories. At first it sounded wonderful. Nanako who felt life had been plain felt the joy of being able to experience a brand new stage in life with entering the prestigious school. She was unaware that shed get caught in the middle a huge spectacle involving the rest of the main cast. Not only that she was separated from her so called brother who she had been writing letters to. Nanako did have her childhood friend Tomoko who is the bright and shining optimistic star of joy of the series from among the darkness though Nanako is a very closed off person. She doesnt vent to tomoko or tells anyone about her personal problems. The letters she writes to her brother who she was separated with are the majority of the times she is willing to open up about how she really feels though even that has limits. As her problems continue on it feels like she doesnt have anyone to turn to at times because of this attitude she has towards all this. An innocent and submissive girl she does manage to toughen up and grow as she is forced to. She begins to rebel against her former ideals all while picking up her new friends characteristics like a chameleon. Rei appears as a troubled youth dealing with addiction living under terrible housing conditions. Constantly ditching her selfdestructive lifestyle still leads towards one of being popular as she captivates the students with her great piano playing and acting as well as her cool and rebellious attitude. However she is always escaping and running away with her drugs as she lives this sedated drunken and pathetic state that frustrated and worried the characters. I dont do drugs but I found myself horrified to find myself relatable to Rei the most because of my own alcohol addiction. In trying to understand Mariko I tried to understand where she was coming from. She became an example to me about how false the idea of money bringing happiness can be. She has all the money in the world lives in a huge luxurious house and could have any material possession she desires. And that has an interesting relation towards her issue. Material possessions dont mean anything meaningful to me personally. As a result she is unhappy because she is lonely. All the riches in the world cant do for her what a good friend can do. This leads her to desperately cling to Nanako to the point of obsession. She felt that Nanako belonged to her and only her to the extent she conspired against Tomoko to break up their friendship. But I praise Tomoko. Because she is a very understanding friend. Even when it looks like her and Nanako may be drifting apart she also tries to be understanding. And it hurts. It hurts to see Nanako become vulnerable and break down as she pleads for Tomoko to come back into her life. Because their bond is a deep bond Tomoko still tries to understand where Nanako is coming from. And this is important. Like love friendship isnt perfect. We all butt heads with our friends. This is natural and should happen unless there is a lack of communication about the problems one has with another. A friendship or romance too perfect is suspicious. I think that it matters more that two people can talk and reason their way out of problems to remain friends for another day than to be so worried about everything being so perfect. What I did find admirable about Mariko is that she despite her flaws is also a great example of someone who stands up for her friends and who wants to best for them. She is also not someone you would want to mess with as her unstable emotions can result in violent outbursts when pushed into a corner. She can try to tolerate someone but when pushed into a corner too far shell strike back like a panther. Her biased views on men can be amusing to see play out and how ridiculous it can get and the comedy can play into irony by making her the end of the joke. Still I came to feel that her overprotectiveness of Nanako came to me out of sincerity and a genuine care for her. The story continues to try to break her with family issues and sometimes it can feel like it is too much for her but Mariko to me is a character about overcoming and showing what it means to be a true friend. Miya is an interesting character considering where she goes after love broke her and tore her apart. It turned her into a monster. Still after having lost everything she came to see things more clearly. They say only when its darkest can you see the stars. Her own analysis and realizations of what true love is to her becomes a central part of the message of the entire anime. that though the broken promise hurt and she was emotionally left behind Miya understood that love can be a vessel for every emotion. She became a realist towards her rejected feelings that she can love again even if it is not the same person. This sounds simple but not easy to do. Some people are too afraid to let go. In my last failure of a relationship I tried really hard to believe that everything would work out if we both worked hard enough. Everyone was telling me to get out of it but I refused. Ultimately I came to the realization that some people will never change and for the sake of my own mental health and wellbeing had to get out of it and I did. Some people give up completely but stay together in horrible relationships because they are too scared of the thought of being alone. They make themselves believe that they will never find anyone else again. It made me glad to see that Miya let go of the pain she held for so long and came to understand a better idea of what true love can be about. Dear Brother also fascinated me in that it makes incredible use of its side characters. One particular moment that is among the best involves the broken relationship between Nanakos Brother and her father. You can feel the tension when they meet after being apart for so many years. A conflicted pain that yes this is my father but he hurt me. A conflicting pain that yes this is my son but can he forgive me for what I did? You can feel that deep down they want to be like family again. Scenes like this about a father and son especially break me because I do not get along with my own father. His own father was violent and lost lottery money because he spent it too irresponsibly. This trauma made my father be like an emotionally violent version of his own. At this point Ive given up. We are never going to get along. I tried but unfortunately my own father is also that type of person that will unfortunately never change. As a result I keep him at a distance as there is no helping it. But I too can feel deep down this tension that he wanted to love me but did not have the ability to do it. What appeals so much about Dezaki and anime like Dear Brother to me? Dezaki revealed in an interview that a big focus of his message is to be antiauthoritarian. It makes more sense now. As someone who studied a lot of politics and who came to dance and frolic with the political messages of Tominos Gundam I now understand. Whether its Joe Oscar Nanako Gerda Mariko Rei I came to realize... Uso Laura Camille Judau Amuro Cosmo. Theres a connection... There is a spiritual antiauthoritarian and political connection between these two men and why I love their works. They align with what I look for. This is my taste. And this is why Dezaki and Tomino are my favorite people in anime. Nanako was like a ball of clay shaped and molded by the cast one by one and it shows when she stops saying sorry. When she stops being so apologetic. We associate bad things as only bad too much when they can bring clarity inspiration and growth. These characters have something to say about standing up and being independent. The spell Rei was under was spell so beautiful to see broken. That people can change and better themselves The meaning of Reis full fridge means so much to me. But something was stolen from me. It was too good to be true. That fate can steal a victory someone fought so hard to overcome. It not fair but we shouldnt give up. A life worth living and struggling for is one where you have to be prepared for anything while enjoying the thrill. That way when you fall you fall forward with a smile. I appreciate that Kaoru lived so passionately and intensely despite her illness. I long life does not matter as much... as the quality of the time spent. I appreciate that Mariko lost but did not lose the lesson. This is important. She learned to grow and move on from the blindness of her wealth and obsessions that were eating her away. I was immersed in Dear Brother or was it escapism? I was moved by Reis growth and how much I related to her but where is my growth? A beautiful world of striking designs and art. Enriched... by a bittersweet score. Complex characters intertwined in a web of violence and confusion. It all ties together so wonderfully. And with background art that comes to life. I enjoyed this 10/10 And with that I say goodbye. Feel free to check out the AMV video essay version I made for this. Its on my profile.