This post is purely for
Oreimo, aka
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. So, all my dear readers, if you are not keen on reading about this anime, or do not want my to spoil it for you, SKIP THIS POST!
Ah... Oreimo. This is one anime I somehow love. And it's not because of little sisters. That just disgusting. I really like the story, and how the series is somewhat about "everyday life". I tend to prefer such anime compared to stuff like Bleach, Fairy Tail... well, zombie ones like Highschool of the Dead are nice too. But Oreimo really appeals to me somehow.
Unfortunately, the series has ended, although they consider this ending to be the "good ending". They are planning 4 more episodes this year, which will probably show the "true ending".
Now, the series start with the brother Kousaka Kyousuke being woken up by his good sister Kirino Kyousuke, which he says is a dream. Now, that kind of way to start the series really impressed me, being different from those predictable introductions to series. Plus, the opening is really entertaining, varying each episode, with the same song
Irony by ClariS.
Episode 1 really establishes all the main characters(well, most of them), like Kyousuke's childhood friend Tamura Manami and his parents. The episode is rather hilarious, with Kyousuke discovering a R-rated game in the house, and finding the culprit.
Somehow, Kyousuke's mom is used to her son having pornographic material.
Bankai!
This part is actually uncalled for...
But really, the first episode was so nice I just had to watch on! Every week I would wait for a new episode to be released, and download it immediately.
Is this scene in the OP some hint?
In episode 1 Kyousuke describes a favourite scene of his in some eroge game, saying " You know the part where their parents are against their relationship and Shiori runs out of the house? And then when the main character chases after her and they look into each other's eyes in the sunset..." I think this may become a scene in the alternate ending of the series somehow...
Soon, we'd be introduced to more new characters, like Ayase(Kirino's best friend), Saori and Kuroneko. I deduced that Saori was actually some elegant lady in disguise, and my hunch was actually right!
I realised Ayase would make a waaaay better sister to Kyousuke.
Saori's glasses are meant to make you sleepy :D
I did not realize Kuroneko was older than Kirino until much later.
Anime within an anime. And the animations are awesome in their own way.
If you think this perverse face in ep3 is bad, wait till the much later episode.
There goes his innocence...
Things go wrong quite fast for Kirino, as her dad and in future Ayase finds out about her secret hobby. Kyousuke is really daring when facing his dad, even declaring that the eroge are his just to save his sister. Yet, she still treats him like dirt. Whatever possible romance between Kyousuke and Ayase are destroyed after he lies to her that Kirino is that way because he loved her in a different way(of course he was lying).
If this was a cartoon, his jaw would've reached the floor.
Of course, in some parts of the series we see Tamura trying to hint to Kyousuke, who is oblivious to it all. He does not like like her, yet does not want her to be with some other guy. That logic somehow confuses me till today. Episode 6 focuses on the two, with him staying over at her place. We can see that she may have a little crush on him, but he probably does not. And Kirino seems to miss her brother...
We see the friendship of Kirino and Kuroneko, which is actually growing despite their constant arguing. By the end of the series, you can tell how much their friendship has actually grown.
Kia!
Kirino finds out that her brother surfed porn with her laptop, when he should've been playing eroge. Now, from my point of view, eroge is worse.
We even get to see the lives of Kirino, Saori and Kuroneko in one episode, which really let's viewers understand the characters even more. You realize how much the three treasure each other's friendship. However, I think Kirino is too crazy over eroge... In fact, the character in the new game she was drooling over resembles her a lot.
Licking her lips? WTH?!! Over an eroge?
Told you that it's more than meets the eye with Saori!
Kyousuke giving Kuroneko a call. That's a first for her...and me.
Of course, there are hints that incest may be in the air, like when Kirino made her brother bring her out on Christmas and insisted he got her a present. Or how she seemed down when he was away at Tamura's house. Or how they accidentally land on each other while fighting over some box. Heck, even Kuroneko thought that the siblings have some feelings, like when she made that manga about them, which was just funny!
This is actually pretty bad...
"Sniff. Sniff." OMG Kuroneko's narration was hilarious!
"Rustle rustle. Rustle rustle." Now where have I seen this before...
Of course, the stories are hilarious and really entertaining. For instance, when Ayase wanted to get Kirino a birthday present related to her hobby, which Kyousuke suggested the prize for the Star Witch Meruru cosplay competition. Seeing the two interact is rather funny, and the episode itself had it's humorous parts too. I must say, the opening for Star Witch Meruru is quite addictive! In the end, they got Kirino's other friend, Kanako, to cosplay as Meruru herself.
Yep. Possible romance between the two is out the window.
The resemblance is uncanny!...
... only on the outside.
To nosebleed over a cosplay is...rather serious.
Sometimes, I feel sorry for poor Kyousuke. He does so much for his sister, yet all she does is treat him like crap. Like the time Tamura went to their home, and she sabotage him by taking out all his porn and display them in his room. Not to mention how often she hits him for nothing.
You got to really pity the poor fellow.
Pow!
Smack!
Wam!
Bam!
Ouch!
But all good things come to an end, and Kyousuke's efforts are finally appreciated by Kirino. Or at least, she finally shows it. By the last couple of episodes, you see Kirino softening up to Kyousuke, thanking him for helping her all the while. I must say, i understand why the poor guy would cry when she thanks him.
In the last episode you see Kirino has turned really friendly to her brother, no longer showing hostility towards him. This, of course, worries him, being used to getting bashed by her. But she acts this way because she was leaving for overseas the next day, and did not know how to tell Kyousuke.She tries to hint to him to tell her not to go, to stay, but he does not take the hint. In the end, it's a eroge game that says it all, making Kyousuke realize this. However, since this is the "good ending", you see Kyousuke telling Kirino to do as she pleases and just go. You can see Kirino being hurt and angry, and beating her brother up in frustration. In the ending credits, we see how life goes on for the characters, like Kuroneko in the cat ears LOL Of course, Kirino decides not to leave for Kyousuke, yet denying it in front of him. At the last part, the scene from episode 1 where Kyousuke returns home with Kirino relaxing on the couch happens again, only this time Kirino tells Kyousuke that life counselling is not over. Kyousuke, like all good brothers, says okay.
This, too, is really unnecessary.
I'm amazed by how well the anime creates the places like the Summer Comiket. Even the shops with all the manga and stuff are rather detailed. I even spotted Godzilla in a shop in one of the scenes! Unfortunately I cannot find any screenshots to show the sceneries...
So, there you have it.
Oreimo in a nutshell. Pretty long post, if I do say so myself. Also, the manga came out after the anime, so despite the manga looking rather... incest, the anime is nothing like it.
My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute
