Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I hear the bells tolling coldly from a distant tower, and feel a rush of wings as pale birds blot the sun, meaning it can only be time for a return to Dear Brother. Our last episode struck at the heart of Seiren Academy’s psychological sickness, as the return of exam results and resulting Sorority pleasure cruise brought Nanako closer than ever to the imperious Miya-sama. Having banished poor Junko for failing due to her ill health, Miya-sama then attempted to corral Nanako’s rebellious spirit, offering both an apology and a warning to cut off her contact with Dear Brother himself.
It all served as a blatant display of manipulation and cruelty, and fortunately, Nanako has now gained the confidence and independence of spirit to recognize Miya-sama’s games. As such, when Junko came to thank Nanako for being the sole student to stand up for her, Nanako was quick to agree with her perspective, and acknowledge the terrible cruelty of the Society’s dictates. After the briefest interval of feeling at peace with Seiren’s eccentricities, Nanako stands ready to challenge Miya-sama’s authority, or at the very least undercut it through her own compassionate stance. Let’s see how this delicate duel commences as we return to Dear Brother!
Episode 16
We begin on a shot of a ringing phone in Saint Juste’s apartment, seen in reflection through one of her countless mirrors. An inherently compelling composition that conveys a sense of both entrapment and emotional distance – Saint Juste remains contained within the narrow boundaries of these frames, and her contact with others is always secondhand, displaced by these mirrors
The caller is Kaoru, who reflects how the two of them used to play basketball together in middle school, and even stay after practice to work on their shooting together. At last, we receive a brief glimpse of how Saint Juste might have been before her fall from grace
“Your number is still here, waiting for you to come back.” In contrast with Saint Juste’s pale mirrors, Kaoru sits beside an abstract painting centered on a yellow orb, the basketball thus made to echo the sun itself
Though Saint Juste hangs up, the immediate cut to our episode title of “Comeback” seems to undercut her defiance
And indeed, the following scene finds Kaoru visited at the court by Saint Juste herself. Love the framing of this scene – the jazzy, languorous saxophone part and contrast of the single court spotlight against the night, as well as Saint Juste’s signature black suit, all make it seem like a sort of noir reunion, as that mysterious stranger you never expected to see again happens to waltz back into your gin joint
“This ‘woman of effort and diligence’ has at least one crazy fan.” The dialogue strongly supports that tone, with Saint Juste confidently mock-flirting with her old friend
And of course, Shinobu is off lurking among the trees, silently watching Kaoru practice. The girl really can’t be normal about anything, huh
Shinobu states she is merely checking on Kaoru’s health, given she’s going to be so essential for the upcoming exhibition match
“Is she truly recovered, or is she just making a tremendous effort?” A question that could apply to far more characters than just Kaoru
Saint Juste bullying Shinobu about her fandom is extremely good stuff
Shinobu insists she’s not a groupie, shoves a gift into Kaoru’s hands, and then flees into the night. Love that mess
Meanwhile, Nanako is penning a letter to Dear Brother, a familiar ritual that now serves as an inherent act of rebellion against Miya-sama
Though her letter is optimistic, having that brief scene bookended by the train crossing signal and then the wail of the train itself adds a tinge of menace to her words
Extremely charmed by Shinobu explaining the nature of a three point shot to an indifferent Tomoko. I suppose basketball is a pretty exotic sport in Japan, making it necessary to explain why Kaoru’s three pointers are impressive in the first place. Efficiently done!
Of course, Tomoko’s main takeaway from this explanation is that Shinobu sure is down bad for Kaoru
A solid demonstration of how close Tomoko and Shinobu have grown, that Tomoko is confident teasing Shinobu like this
God, all this anticipation is really making me dread whatever horrors this exhibition match will provide
I love the use of sepia tones for these incidental cuts of students rushing through the halls. It really amplifies the sense of Seiren being a storied, ancient place bustling with crowds of strangers, while also being a naturally economical choice relative to individually coloring all these characters (which would in turn make them feel more like individuals than a collective, anonymous crowd)
Shinobu hides her jealousy of others hogging Kaoru’s attention behind a defiant “don’t they know Kaoru doesn’t like groupies?”
“I have a premonition that today will be truly, truly wonderful!” Nanako you cannot be saying shit like that
Kaoru’s coach offers the sensible advice of “don’t try to make up for all the time you weren’t playing”
Wow, gorgeous sequence of Kaoru reflecting on all that she’s loved and lost, which she now hopes to rise above through victory on the court. Evocative and vulnerable – Kaoru nude among the flowers, staring up at a cold yet starlit night sky. Dezaki might be the best there is at turning shoujo manga’s panel embellishments into cohesive animated theater, particularly given this economy of imagery
As ever, that persistent flock of birds passes by beyond the window, shadows gesturing towards a freedom our leads can only watch in longing, trapped as they are behind the barred glass
The fading sunlight adds a further ominous tone to the proceedings, just as Kaoru is offered flowers by Miya-sama
“I must accept that a sorority exists on campus, but I don’t accept that it is a valid part of Seiran in the least.” Kaoru bluntly refuses to let her glory be framed as an extension of the Sorority’s own image
She instead flips the offer around, saying she’ll only accept Miya-sama’s flowers when Miya-sama accepts Saint Juste
The game itself is an accomplished exercise in visual economy, using speedlines, repeated postcard memories, and occasional flourishes of fluid movement by Kaoru to present her as dominating the court
The opposing team begins to focus purely on blocking Kaoru, prompting her fans to wonder if this was too soon for her to return to the court
“I’ve hardly begun.” Hell yeah Kaoru
Her return after halftime sees her briefly reaching that ecstatic memory of flowers and stars, only to be elbowed so hard in the chest that she coughs up blood. These challengers are really going to kill her over an exhibition match, god damn
In spite of the tragedy, there’s a glimmer of hope – for once, Saint Juste is there to repay her friend’s kindness, and be the strong pillar Kaoru can lean on. A total rejection of Miya-sama’s philosophy; these two are stronger for their ability to be vulnerable in each other’s presence
And Kaoru ultimately gets what she wanted most, as Saint Juste agrees to sub in for her
“Something must have awakened in her – something that was asleep, something vital”
Meanwhile, Miya-sama circles the track, taking her rage out on her horse, angry yet bound to a track that always terminates where it began
And Shinobu is just worried about Kaoru, who we eventually find in the hospital. The venetian blinds of her window serve as prison bars, her stasis reaffirmed after her brief escape from captivity
Saint Juste arrives and reveals she couldn’t quite win the game. But again, these two trust and rely on each other – unlike Miya-sama, Kaoru is only happy that her friend was willing to fight in her stead
The tiny Shinobu attempting to threaten Saint Juste is really something. Like a terrier barking at a great dane
“Are… are you really glad I came?” Oh Shinobu. All she wants is that same treasured closeness, but she can’t trust that anyone actually values her presence
Nanako can only admire Shinobu’s clear love for Kaoru
And Done
Whew, what a battle! Honestly, given the incredibly rancid vibes leading up to that basketball match, I can only feel relieved and thankful for how well it ultimately went. Yes, Kaoru took a bad blow and likely won’t be returning to the court, but the fallout of her injury only served to affirm the strength of her bonds with Saint Juste and Shinobu, as well as how dramatically Saint Juste has risen from her prior depths of despair. While Miya-sama can only gloat in the petty victory of their ultimate failure on the court, the rest of our stars understand that victory or failure are far less important than having allies you can trust. We will all fail eventually – even Miya-sama isn’t perfect. What is truly essential is to have loved ones who will support you when you fall, certain that you would always do the same for them.
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