Sun Tzu and Anime: NAKAIMO Character Analysis Part II
Halloween is almost here, so let's funnel some of that anticipatory energy into more of Sun Tzu's brilliance rating anime's finest.
As a quick refresher, here's how the rating system works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Factors to be Mastered for Victory: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation. All under consideration can receive 0-10 points in each category. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (Anger for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring Too Much About the Troops (Over-caring). All under consideration can lose 0-10 points in each category. At the end, the scores are tallied, and the results reveal how effective a character is in Sun Tzu's eyes, with the best aiming for 40 or better.
This time, we're returning to the comedy Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! for a special group: its primary supporting cast and villains. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced. Last time, we rated Shougo Mikadono and his primary love interests, so we'll leave them out here.
Character Analysis: Kumagoro Mikadono
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Kumagoro Mikadono
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Kumagoro Mikadono
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
4
He's a great dad to protagonist Shougo, but destroyed his best friend's marriage by having an affair (and fathering a daughter) with the latter's wife, despite trying to provide for the girl afterward.
Weather
4
He seemed capable, yet his increasing frailty left him dangerously vulnerable, especially toward the end of his life.
Terrain
4
He knew the business world, but his illness ultimately crippled his mobility, eventually leaving him bedridden.
Good Leadership
3
He was okay guiding Shougo, yet badly mishandled the affair's aftermath, as well as leaving the half-sister in limbo.
Preparation
2
He wasn't too bad at raising Shougo, but wasn't the least bit ready for his internal opposition/competitors' ruthlessness or his affair's consequences.
Total
17
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. He constantly underestimated others, was very impulsive, and his extreme carelessness left Shougo dangling after the funeral.
Cowardice
-8
Serious red flag. He couldn't bring himself to tell Shougo about his half-sister, nor was he able to approach the latter after his friend's rejection.
Anger
0
He didn't get angry, so no worries here.
Delicacy of Honor
0
He seemed rather modest, so no worries here either.
Over-caring
-7
Slight red flag. He doted on Shougo, and was very worried about the half-sister.
Total
-25
Final Assessment
Score: -8 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kanako Mikadono
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Kanako Mikadono
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Kanako Mikadono
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
0
She's extremely hostile and icy, especially when giving Shougo her ultimatum about finding a wife by graduation.
Weather
5
She's okay, but didn't seem to notice Shougo's discomfort in the cold at his dad's funeral.
Terrain
4
She's got a few instincts, yet wasn't very observant, considering she never heeded the warning signs about Ms. Seri or Shougo's opposition.
Good Leadership
0
She's completely inflexible, preferred staying in the dark about Kumagoro's affair, and seems to prefer socializing to parenthood.
Preparation
3
She can plan social events, but mostly wings everything else.
Total
12
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates others, and was extremely careless about not addressing the half-sister, a mistake that nearly destroyed Shougo.
Cowardice
-10
Epic red flag. She's a shameless bully, most infamously when she cruelly berated Shougo the night of the party.
Anger
-8
Serious red flag. She's a hothead, and easily triggered, usually by Shougo not meeting her expectations, although she also snapped when Miyabi got drunk at the party.
Delicacy of Honor
-10
Epic red flag. She's exceptionally proud, as well as very vain, issues that made it impossible for Shougo to approach her about anything.
Over-caring
-5
She pushes Shougo relentlessly in the name of upholding the family name, which became exponentially more important after Kumagoro died.
Total
-43
Final Assessment
Score: -31 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Risa Seri
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Risa Seri
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Risa Seri
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
0
She's greedy and ruthless, considering she openly betrayed Shougo, Kanako, and the half-sister on behalf of the former's opposition.
Weather
4
She's okay, but isn't very observant and doesn't seem as capable at night.
Terrain
2
She knows the Corporation, yet is extremely clumsy, like when she left the party to take a call from her co-conspirators…and never noticed Ikusu spying on her.
Good Leadership
0
She's a follower at most, and has no strategic sense, given the sheer damage humiliating Shougo could've done to the Mikadono Corporation.
Preparation
2
She managed to switch the half-sister's DNA results, but didn't synchronize with Nayuri, and wasn't the least bit ready for Shougo's intuition.
Total
8
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. She completely underestimated Shougo and Ikusu, and is extremely careless, issues that ultimately ruined the entire conspiracy.
Cowardice
-8
Serious red flag. She's pretty vicious, namely when insulting Shougo during their occasional meetings, and later when boasting to his opposition on the phone.
Anger
-5
She's got a slow-burn temper, yet never really loses her cool.
Delicacy of Honor
-10
Epic red flag. She's extremely arrogant, hence her openly dismissing any chance of being discovered by Shougo, Ikusu, or Kanako.
Over-caring
0
She's very selfish, so no worries here.
Total
-33
Final Assessment
Score: -25 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Maiko Kotori
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Maiko Kotori
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Maiko Kotori
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
5
She's good at heart, but can get very caustic, especially when Tanaka rags her.
Weather
5
She's okay, yet isn't very observant and doesn't always pay attention at night.
Terrain
2
She's pretty quick, but extremely limited by her height, namely by having to stand on a box to look over her classroom's podium.
Good Leadership
3
She's okay at teaching, yet ultimately is more lone wolf than leader.
Preparation
5
She's got some planning skills, but mostly wastes them on random things, such as frequenting a certain restaurant because they let her run a tab.
Total
20
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. She badly underestimated Shougo, is very careless, and tends to impulsively lash out when she's angry or annoyed, like when Tanaka ragged her about running near the pool…so she knocked him down with her boogie board, leapt out, and yelled, "You little turd!"
Cowardice
-3
She badly froze during the Genda visit, but that was an exception.
Anger
-9
Major red flag. She's a hothead, and easily triggered, most often by Tanaka, although she also snapped at Shougo a few times in class.
Delicacy of Honor
-8
Serious red flag. She's very sensitive about her height, as well as very cocky, issues that remain steady throughout the series.
Over-caring
-2
She cares for her students, although not enough to worry.
Total
-32
Final Assessment
Score: -12 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them: Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
0
She's icy, ambitious, and greedy, hence her willingness to betray Shougo and the half-sister.
Weather
10
Due to her keen eye and actress training, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
4
She's okay, but got caught off-guard when Shougo teased Konoe in his room, and was extremely clumsy during the party.
Good Leadership
3
She's a skilled actress, yet ultimately is more lone wolf than leader.
Preparation
5
She's got some planning and improv skills, but didn't coordinate with Shougo's opposition and wasn't the least bit ready for Ikusu's investigative abilities.
Total
22
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates others, is very impulsive, and was extremely careless when claiming she'd get the party invitations, which undermined the plot against Shougo.
Cowardice
-10
Epic red flag. She's got a vicious mean streak, most notably when she tormented the sister at the party, and later when she taunted Shougo after being exposed.
Anger
0
She doesn't get angry, so no worries here.
Delicacy of Honor
-10
Epic red flag. She's extremely cocky, something which badly backfired when she tried to set Shougo up with the half-sister.
Over-caring
0
She's very selfish, so no worries here.
Total
-30
Final Assessment
Score: -8 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This was a messy group: some positive aspects, all of which were ruined by selfishness, arrogance, violent anger, and shocking clumsiness. Thus, it's no surprise they constantly fail, but that harkens back to what's been said all along: follow Sun Tzu, and you'll win; ignore him, and you'll lose.
Nakaimo Supporting Cast and Villains: Victory Factors Analysis
Character
Morality
Weather
Terrain
Leadership
Preparation
Final Score
Kumagoro Mikadono
4
4
4
3
2
17
Kanako Mikadono
0
5
4
0
3
12
Risa Seri
0
4
2
0
2
8
Maiko Kotori
5
5
2
3
5
20
Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
0
10
4
3
5
22
Nakaimo Supporting Cast and Villains: Fatal Failings Analysis
Character
Recklessness
Cowardice
Anger
DOH
Over-caring
Final Score
Kumagoro Mikadono
-10
-8
0
0
-7
-25
Kanako Mikadono
-10
-10
-8
-10
-5
-43
Risa Seri
-10
-8
-5
-10
0
-33
Maiko Kotori
-10
-3
-9
-8
-2
-32
Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
-10
-10
0
-10
0
-30
Nakaimo Supporting Cast and Villains: Final Scores
Character
Final Score
Assessment
Kumagoro Mikadono
-8
Nightmare scenario
Kanako Mikadono
-31
Nightmare scenario
Risa Seri
-25
Nightmare scenario
Maiko Kotori
-12
Nightmare scenario
Nayuri Dano AKA Yuzurina Houshou
-8
Nightmare scenario
Read Part I, where Sun Tzu rated Shougo Mikadono and his primary love interests, to see how the protagonist and heroines compare to Nakaimo's supporting cast and villains.
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Andrew's originally from Massachusetts, and has studied military history/tactics/strategy for almost 30 years. He has a BA in History (English minor) from UMASS Lowell and JD from Mass. School of Law. He can be found on Twitter (@AndrewNickers19) daily, analyzing characters via Sun Tzu.
Fun Fact
Andrew's a huge fan of anime music. He particularly recommends Crescent Love (Brighter than the Dawning Blue), Dream Riser (Girls Und Panzer), and the fight theme to Zoids: New Century.
