Today we have a link about why nerds are unpopular!The general theory of this article is that when you put together thousands of kids with nothing to do, a hierarchy is formed, but since high school has no real life referents, the hierarchy becomes formed on useless things like 'popularity'. Also, nerds are unpopular because they divide their attention between popularity and other things.

I agree with this article, but it reminds me of something even more interesting to me. Onii-sama E(often known by the nickname Brother Dear Brother) and Rose of Versailles have some very interesting parallels(although I have seen more Onii-sama than ROV). I was wondering why that was, until I read this article.

The French court and high school have some important similarities. First, power is not conveyed through ability. For example- in Rose of Versailles, the Countess Dubarry has immense influence. However, she gained it through the well.. 'hot beef injection' method. Likewise in Onii-sama E, Miya-sama is able to play games with people's hearts through the fact that she controls the sorority, (which is called one, but is not like what we think of as a sorority- it seems very formal instead of beer drenched) and this doesn't seem to be made possible by any special talent.

Another point is that at the end of Onii-sama E (spoilers) the end of the sorority seems nigh, in a chain of action and reaction paralleling the French Revolution. One of the characters is even named Saint Juste after a person involved in the French Revolution. I have not seen the end of Rose of Versailles, but it seems inconceivable that an anime having Marie Antoinette in such a prominent role wouldn't involve the French Revolution in some way.

Personally, I admire both of these anime, made many years apart, but still having the same energy.