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What's Oniisama About?...

Nanako Misonoo is a high school freshman at the exclusive all girl Seiran School. She is the narator of the story, and this naration is basically in the form of letters to the young man she calls brother. In actuality, the young man, named Henmi Takehiko, really is her step brother. Only Nanako has no idea of this! He was her teacher at the cram school she went to and when the classes were over she still felt a strong bond to him and did not want him to step out of her life. So she began writing to him as a "brother".
Nanako is unexpectly inducted into the school's sorority. She has no idea why since only exceptional girls are members and she does not view herself as exceptional in any way. The President of the Sorority is Fukiko Ichinomiya, known as Miya-sama (or Lady miya in the Italian version)Nanako becomes entangled in the lives of Miya and Rei (or St. Juste as she is called by the girls of the school). These two popular girls seem to have a very strange relationship. Nanako can not help but be involved as she wants to help the depressed and sometime suicidal Saint Juste. Nanako is also befriended by a beautiful and lonely girl named Mariko, who is determined to get into the sorority and make Nanako her best friend at any cost. All the while, the girls at the school belittle and bully Nanako because she is such a common middle class girl, and not to mention an outsider, yet she managed to be inducted into the sorority. Nanako does have her childhood friend Tomoko, the support of the talented and popular Kaoru, and the new friendship of her brother to give her some solace.
The anime and manga have some very serious subject matter and this story is really sort of dark, but I think it's also sort of insperational in some ways. It's very realistic, though it can be a bit on the dramatic side, too. There are some mature themes that might not be appropriate for young children, but mature Jr. High kids up to adults would really enjoy it. The anime also has a very intense feel to it that might be too much for younger kids. The manga on the other hand is a little lighter, but still is the same storyline and has the same mature themes. It just seems to be presented a little more lightheartedly, but it is still meant for high school girls and older.

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