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Nov 21, 2011 3:51 PM
#1

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Jan 2010
403
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Woah, this is some real movement right here. It's great that everyone is moving against the Sorority! They were all elitist snobs anyways
Feb 12, 2012 1:28 PM
#2

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Feb 2012
939
I agree, the whole sorority thing seems to me very elitist. I've really enjoyed the last few episodes, I think Mariko is my favourite character. Her problems somehow seemed more real than those of other characters. I felt sympathy for her from the start; even though she seemed really disturbed in the beginning, I got the impression that she was clinging to Nanako so much because she was very lonely. I'm happy to see Nanako and Tomoko being friends with her... I just want to give her a hug.... besides, her misandry is quite fun to watch.
Aug 2, 2012 3:19 PM
#3

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Jul 2011
100
YEAH! what a riot!
let's go Orihara ...........
Mar 24, 2013 9:58 PM
#4

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Jun 2009
15302
Can't say I was expecting Rei to do that....then again, I suppose this would kind of help Fukako. She may be hated as a result of this, though.
"Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job."

- Geralt of Rivia
May 4, 2013 10:55 AM
#5

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Nov 2011
217
Kaoru's speaking agains Fukiko was maybe the best moment of this anime so far. She's my favorite character, and resembles Oscar much!


Nov 12, 2013 11:44 AM
#6

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Jun 2010
1873
Wow, the whole student assembly sequence was great. It's like the director of the series is actually providing direction or something.

This suddenly emerged discontent with the sorority came a little out of the blue, though. Given how the students acted during the nominations, I was surprised that so many of them were ready to call for abolition. It could have done with some foreshadowing.

For instance, a good example of Karou's argument that the sorority divides the student body is how the first-year sorority members benefited from the tutoring of third-year members for their exams, including valuable records of the composition of past exams. Recall that Tomoko begged Nanako to share this information. Given that the standards for entering the sorority are kind of arbitrary (they seem to judge lineage and disposition, for instance), the inequity of the situation is obvious.

If there had been some sense that the students who weren't in the sorority and didn't have a friend there were jealous of that advantage, it would foreshadowed the sudden up-spring of support for Kaoru, like she was the one who finally tapped into a common feeling. A few more instances of similar foreshadowing would help.
Mar 3, 2014 9:20 AM
#7

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Aug 2013
4759
Wow that was awesome. I didn't see that coming from Rei. Goodness this show...this show...
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness."

"May those who defy their fate be granted glory."
May 8, 2014 7:33 PM
#8

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Sep 2010
6759
Kaoru is boss. I hope the sorority is abolished cause it causes students to bully and harass each other.
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD"
Aug 10, 2014 4:21 PM
#9

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Sep 2013
717
I am finding that one of the greatest strengths of this series is the language of the visual imagery. In most anime series I have seen, and for that matter in most television series, the full potential of the visual nature of the medium is not realized. Visual images are usually stuck in a mode of realism that restricts their ability to advance the story in a symbolic way. Onii-sama e is not like this; the stream of images is acting like a parallel narrator, and this is an unreliable narrator. Images are not always meant to be taken literally. They are independent signifiers, and viewers who attempt to read their language are bound to find more depth to the story.

There actually is some good foreshadowing for this episode earlier in the series. It is clear from early in the series that Kaoru is opposed to the Sorority due to the injustices that it perpetuates. However, though she is popular, she is not quite prepared to act against it. A few developments finally make it possible. Her medical issues certainly play into it; though the details have not yet been made perfectly clear, it is reasonably certain that she has a severe, and probably terminal, medical problem. She therefore does not have as much to lose as other students, and she has reason to act in a timely fashion, but this still is not enough.

Here is where the visual language comes in. In Episode 28, Mariko is expelled from the Sorority, and Nanako publicly and emphatically resigns. Had she resigned earlier, it would have been clear to everybody that she couldn't handle the bullying, and her resignation would have done nothing to hurt the Sorority, although it would have caused trouble for Fukiko, who has been trying (and failing) to use the Sorority to control Nanako. Nanako's resignation at this time, in response to an injustice, has the potential to cause trouble for the Sorority, and the image of a bird smashing through the window (perhaps the best example so far of an image not meant to be taken literally) symbolizes the hole she has knocked into the defenses of the Sorority by resigning at this key moment. She has given Kaoru the opening that she needs to challenge the Sorority and have some chance of drastically reforming it or taking it down. The Sorority is not likely to go down without a fight and might yet prevail, but Nanako's public resignation combined with Kaoru's denunciation makes its fight more difficult.

Nanako did not ever seem to fit in the Sorority. At first, she was an average, unremarkable girl who would never have been chosen except for Fukiko's desire to manipulate her, but the Sorority could have used her as a "token average girl" to make the other average girls feel a bit better about the fact that they would never be chosen. However, Nanako has turned out to be quite remarkable; she may not have seemed worthy of the Sorority at first, but it turns out that the Sorority is not worthy of her, and now she knows it. Though she may not be the sort to directly attack it on her own, she is perfectly capable of acting as a catalyst for Kaoru's actions. At this point in the narrative, this is precisely what has happened, and the Sorority is in serious trouble.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. This series has been full of surprises, although a close reading of the visual language sometimes makes these surprises a little less surprising.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
May 20, 2015 4:52 AM

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Feb 2008
4958
And so the revolution has started.

"Your sight, my delight. Will you marry me?"
Jun 17, 2016 12:16 AM

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Nov 2011
30
Well... It's demanded almost 30 episodes to understand.
I started watching Oniisama thinking about shoujo, drama, yuri and great old visual style. Then I thought it would be a harem. But now I understand. I understand.
I watch the revolution.
Mar 9, 2017 7:55 PM

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Oct 2014
221
Aw yes, time to see my girl Kaoru taking some action! Also it was so amazing seeing Rei stand up to Miya, I'm glad she's starting to see her for who she really is instead of letting her obsession blind her.
Apr 11, 2017 5:43 PM

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Feb 2010
1038
@WeirdHeather For me, symbols or metaphors in this anime are good because they are here to reinforce events. They don't act alone. Like this "bird" you mentioned: we can see Nanako living sorority AND bird smashing window. You don't have to see "bird scene" in order to understand "Nanako living sorority" scene.
Utena, Flip flappers or yuri kuma arashi could learn from this anime.
Jun 15, 2017 3:30 AM
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Nov 2015
1056
most sensational for Ikeda since Jeanne's trial in Rose of Versailles. Mob are like that. Maybe only Kaoru, Saint-juste, Nanako, Tomoko, and Miya have conviction and all the other students just take the cue to rise up.
I will note this episode as the start of the last arc, it remains to be seen if it can be named revolution but obviously a change is in the air for the better.
Jun 15, 2017 3:33 AM
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Nov 2015
1056
Saint-juste decision and his talk about trying to help Miya and not being chained by the status quo is one good monolog.
The other is Mariko realizing she is surprisingly the same as Misaki, she hates Misaki for the things she hates about herself.
Miya needs to be robbed of her last mask, the Sorority, to be finally free. She needs to break first, she must have nothing left, to realize that "something" she previously had is childish and delusional and vain anyway. Only by that can she move on.
Sean_NessmanJun 15, 2017 3:55 AM
Jun 15, 2017 3:41 AM
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Nov 2015
1056
oh, one strand of the plotline is very much like Utena.
How both creators for the beginning of the story, built meticulous highschool setting, ritzy, classy but rotten, but all the students are so blind by the sheen of it all and don' t see the corruption.
Then slowly gradually they encounter pp, things, events, and begin to see this whole thing as so vain, childish, illusionary.
Then the revolution begins. And all are free. I hope all the char in Onii-same e is freed by the end.
One thing about Rose of Versailles that bugs me, is that it's been spoilt for me forever. I already knew the events, and expected the revolution.
But here the revolution totally shocks. It happens with Mariko's family, and Nanako understanding what is important (real friendship, love, family) and what's false (appearance, status...)
I didn't expected it. Really, at first I expected only yuri and insane love the vein of Wuthering Heights with Gothic bishoujou and mad girl (Miya, Mariko). I didn't expect the French Revolution, really, surprisingly. I thought Ikeda wouldn't repeat the theme again.
Jun 15, 2017 3:46 AM
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Nov 2015
1056
Direction is also very good.
The doves missing, returning, has been hyped from the start. When they did return it was really really uplifting.
The water gushing from the lion water gargoyle dramatically punctuates Kaoru's motion and Miya's reaction.
It seems Dezaki-san had honed his skill so much through the 70s and 80s to birth this in 1990. As someone said above, the visuals totally tell a parallel story. I look forward to Genji Monogatari Sennenki
Sean_NessmanJun 15, 2017 4:01 AM
Jun 29, 2017 4:58 AM
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Aug 2014
1693
It's been clear from the start that Kaoru was against the Sorority, but I didn't expect Rei to side with her. I generally don't like people forcing their idea of what's best for someone on them; like Rei is doing with Fukiko in this case.

Not sure what's so bad about the Sorority though, if you just look at it as another club.
Dec 4, 2018 8:46 PM

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Aug 2016
3766
lol Kaoru and Rei and their mini french revolution.
:v
Dec 26, 2018 7:47 AM

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Jan 2013
2315
out of all the names you can choose. who names their dog halloween?
Sep 21, 2020 1:19 AM

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Jul 2015
9999
Wait why the hell feel sorry for Misaki? she was the one trying to bully Nanako and Mariko which led up to the point where Mariko cut her so this is basically all her fault. VIVA LA REVOLUTION! Let's go Kaoru! great to see everyone support Kaoru on this

Jan 5, 2022 1:38 PM

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Nov 2016
31878
Viva la revolucion, viva la democracia! About time for a different wind to blow. Based Kaoru. Thinking about it, this reminds me more and more of Versailles no Bara.

Have the feeling that a successful abolition could result in bringing Fukiko back to her senses. The sorority is essentially the epitome of her pride. It's a like a malignant tumor that needs to get removed. Or she's going to become even crazier.
FMmatronJan 6, 2022 10:39 AM

One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


Aug 13, 2022 2:25 PM

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Dec 2015
28
The sorority is just a club for people who think they're special just so they can feel special. It provides no value. Just being "part of the schools traditions" is not enough reason for something so unnecessary to exist. Their gigantic mansion on the school grounds could surely be used in many better ways.

Thats why I loved the assembly scene a lot, because together with Nanakos speech last episode it really feels like finally people are saying what needs to be said right into Fukikos face! And seeing even Rei on the side of this revolution was unexpected but it's a very pleasant suprise.
Oct 23, 2022 8:59 PM

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Apr 2016
2309
Her dog is named Halloween? Well, not surprised she decided to be a bully.

An uprising against the sorority and even Rei goes against Miya? Amazing.
Jan 30, 1:21 AM

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Apr 2017
1092
Reply to Unkrowned
Wait why the hell feel sorry for Misaki? she was the one trying to bully Nanako and Mariko which led up to the point where Mariko cut her so this is basically all her fault. VIVA LA REVOLUTION! Let's go Kaoru! great to see everyone support Kaoru on this
@Unkrowned The thing about Misaki is that this episode paints a parallel to her and Mariko. Both Mariko and Misaki lashed out because they were ultimately lonely. That's why they hated each other and were rivals, because they were too alike. It's also implied that her home isn't exactly happy, like when she goes home and only her dog is there to greet her.
May 8, 3:14 PM

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Jun 2014
22512
I didn't see Kaoru calling for the sorority's abolition coming at all! This is a major moment!

I don't think that Miya has ever dealt with such insubordination, lol.

Jun 18, 7:45 AM

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May 2015
3227
This was long time coming! Sorority makes absolutely no sense, people just end up there by some vague vote, and then they don't even have any advantages, only scorn and jealousy from non-Sorority, as well as doing dirty work for senior members. The elite activities seem to include only tea ceremonies, Miya's yacht trip and her birthday party. I'd say, not worth the fuss at all.

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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