Brothers Conflict Review (Anime)
I don’t mind a bit of otome and Rice Digital likes to cover a whole lot of otome-related stuff, as you might’ve seen, and Brother’s Conflict is one of them. Thirteen step-brothers are at odds to win their new step-sisters love and yes, you read that right, all thirteen of them have a crush on their shiny new step-sister.
Or so the synopsis says, but it isn’t necessarily true. The thirteen step-brothers all excel in different fields of work and skill so that they stand out in such a massive family and Ema Hinata, the step-sister who has just moved to be with her new family as their respective parents are marrying, is pretty likeable along with several of her step-brothers. Ema has a pet talking squirrel, Juli, that’s there to look over Ema and to provide exposition — Ema and one other step-brother can hear him talk whilst everyone else sees him as a normal squirrel, although this never really amounts to anything. I don’t dislike Juli but he did feel a bit out of place sometimes and grated on my nerves a little!
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to Brother’s Conflict being a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Like with harem anime, otome anime tends to go for a ‘love at first sight’ type of romance which gets in the way of character development. I can’t say that I found myself really rooting for any of the potential relationships, especially when straight from day one some of the boys are aggressively pushing themselves on her — whilst guys definitely shouldn’t be taking note from most of the cast on how to approach girls, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to Brother’s Conflict being a bit of a guilty pleasure. Some of the character’s actions, as well as Ema’s, had me grimacing and wondering who actually enjoys some of the creepier aspects of otome such as forcing yourself on someone without any form of consent — the most annoying thing here is that Ema puts up pretty much zero resistance which is also my biggest issue with the show, although she does seem to mature a little. Also, the detestable Futo is and remains an absolute prat, and he’s the only step-brother I truly dislike. If you’re wondering, I didn’t dislike any of the others and Wataru’s youthful innocence is adorable.
I certainly would like to hope that people wouldn’t want to be in Ema’s position but having watched it, I found it to be rather enjoyable at times despite my expectations that it wouldn’t be. Brother’s Conflict certainly had me laughing at lot – maybe not for the right reasons as the show takes itself rather seriously – and rolling my eyes at how events play out, but it had a big heart at times too. Believe it or not, but not every single step-brother wants to be with Ema which was much more of a refreshing relief than I could have expected — the rampant jealousy between those that do is overwhelming though! The story also introduces a few twists and turns later on and they help with establishing relationships as a family, rather than anything else, which I quite enjoyed.
Brother’s Conflict is an incredibly pretty show.
Visually it’s gorgeous which is to be expected considering that the brilliant Brain’s Base are at the helm, and I particularly like how the faces and eyes are drawn. It has that ‘otome’ look – you know what I’m on about – and its general aesthetic makes for pleasant viewing. The characters stand out from one another with unique designs, which is important for such a large cast, and it’s easy to keep track of who is who and what they do. Like the characters themselves, Brother’s Conflict is an incredibly pretty show.
Brother’s Conflict has an impressive voice cast with Colleen Clinkenbeard, J Michael Tatum, Kyle Hebert, Matthew Mercer, Bryce Papenbrook, Vic Mignogna and several other notable names lending their voices to the show. It’s as much of a delight to listen to as it is to look at, and overall it’s an excellent dub that yet again shows that Colleen Clinkenbeard is a fantastic director. The OP is very catchy and the music in general is pretty great, although expect to hear the music from the main menu a countless amount of times!
It’s as much of a delight to listen to as it is to look at.
The concept for Brother’s Conflict is pretty awful and, don’t get me wrong, my mind hasn’t changed regarding that but I found myself enjoying the characters and interactions when I wasn’t becoming increasingly frustrated by them. The visuals and audio are wonderful and if you enjoy otome then you should give this a whirl but if you don’t, then this will likely not change your mind. I’m ready to admit I liked this a whole lot more than I thought I would though, even if there is a fair bit about it I would change.
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