Warning: This review contains some nudity/NSFW imagery.
What’s the show? My Sister, My Writer. Episode 8.
So how’s this episode? Would you believe me if I said this is the best the show has looked since Episode 1? Like, I don’t know what miracle happened but compared to previous weeks this episode was positively gorgeous!
I thought you said you weren’t going to talk about the animation quality of this show what with all the ‘behind the scenes’ drama going on with it? If its positive, of course I’m going to mention it! Give this show the boon it deserves and all that!
Right. Any reason why you think it’s better? Could be the week off they had, also could be that this episode features two nude bathing scenes… if there’s one thing this show does (almost) flawlessly it’s the nude fanservice!
Ugh… I don’t even know why I’m surprised at this point. Listen, I may bang on about stupid things like uncensored nipples more than any (seemingly) same man should but I kid you not this episode actually has some really interesting things to say about the siscon, “little sister moe” anime genre. Like it drops some straight up truth bombs as well as makes a point about the genre better and more succinctly than I ever could.
Is this going to devolve into a defense of incest kind of post? You’d think so, but no. In fact (unless I’m greatly mistaken) this show actually takes the stance against incestuous relationships but in favour of there representation of anime within the space of a single scene!
You’re going to need to explain this in detail if I’m expected to take any of this seriously… Okay so the two major plot developments of the episode that you need to know is that the book that Suzuka wrote that Yu is pretending he wrote is getting an anime adaptation from some “big deal” anime director. And that Sakura, the voice actress who is besotted with the original light novel and has come to calling Yu “onii-chan” despite not being related to him, has run away from home after a fight with her real brother and is secretly living in Yu’s room.
Okay, I got that much, go on. So Yu and Suzuka meet with his agent, the anime producer and the “big deal” anime director. The director gushes about how much of a fan of the light novel he is, until Suzuka prompts Yu to introduce her, since he failed to do so at the start of the meeting. Instantly the mood of the room grows tense as the director learns that Yu, a light novelist who has written a love novel about his little sister has a flesh and blood little sister. The director begins to grill Yu on various intricacies of their “relationship” and after receiving some wishy-washy answers decides that Yu doesn’t understand “little sister moe” as a genre. The director leaves with the ‘bombshell’ that he’ll rewrite the characters to better suit the genre, something that absolutely doesn’t sit well with purist Suzuka.
I, uh, I’m not sure I follow… Stay with me. So back at home, Sakura welcomes her “onii-chan” home with the naked apron combo and Suzuka learns that Yu was keeping her living their a secret from him. A very long winded conversation proceeds where we eventually get the most important point of the episode. Suzuka explains that she intends to get Yu to properly fall in love with her so that they can save the anime adaptation from being tampered with, it’s a transparent ploy on Suzuka’s part to get closer to her big brother but Yu being the gullible idiot that he is still goes along with it. Sakura then says something along the lines of “but it’s better if he practices on me because I’m a fake little sister, being related to you is only going to hinder him learning the appeal of ‘little sister moe’ as a genre”.
…And that means? It means that this show has recognised the fundamental difference between fiction and reality. Here’s how I see it: you can like siscon anime and have a little sister yourself but not be attracted to your actual sister because fiction and reality are separate things. Like imagine you ask someone what their favourite film is, and they say ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ your first immediate thought isn’t, “wow, this person must be into brutally murdering strangers with power tools!” so why should a person who likes ~little sister moe~ be branded as a person who wants to fuck their younger sister! Guess what, I have a younger sister myself, and she’s annoying as heck, we don’t get along and I text her on Christmas and her birthday. That’s the extent of our relationship, but I can still love siscon anime because, let’s repeat after me–FICTION AND REALITY ARE SEPARATE THINGS.
Okay, okay I get it! But aren’t you worried this show might be setting you up for a fall? Like that Yu and Suzuka will get together in the end and blow this little theory of yours out of the water. Hey, that’d be fine. You know why? BECAUSE IT’S AN ANIME! Yes, it’s one of those awkward shows where anime exists despite it being an anime and the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, but whatever, my point still stands! I enjoyed this episode and I continue to enjoy this show for better and worse.
Previous My Sister, My Writer Reviews:
Family Matters – Episode 1 Review
“I’m Not Bad, I’m Just Drawn That Way” – Episode 2 Review
Schrodinger’s Panty Shot – Episode 3 Review
All Roads Lead To Bikini Fan Service – Episode 4 Review
A Sister’s All You Nude – Episode 5 Review
Sibling Bondage – Episode 6 Review
Lewding From The Heart – Episode 7 Review
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Anime QandA 
Unlike you, I actually will give a full-throated defense of incest, particularly sibling. Not that it’s necessarily the greatest thing ever, but because I want to ask the people who are against it “why ya care?” It’s one of those unnecessary holdover taboos from when humanity lived in much smaller groups, in a much smaller total population. As a practical matter, it matters not at all. So now, pretty much the entirety of the reaction to it is based on squick. “I think it is icky, so you shouldn’t do it.” And that’s not a reason to prohibit anything done with the consent of all involved, imo. Plus, everyone can easily know what the possible consequences are genetically (the chances of which are tremendously overblown in modern times, btw) and can make lifestyle choices accordingly.
If two people want to be in almost any kind of relationship, I don’t see where it helps the world any to say they can’t.
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Well said!
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