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Jul 2, 2013
After watching the first season of OreImo I was mildly surprised. It wasn't completely mediocre as I had suspected, and the show definitely showed potential, although that potential was never really fulfilled. Will the continuation finally break out of it's own shell? Let's look at Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai Specials.
Story (6/10):
The first thing I noticed when watching OreImo's Specials, is that the plot seemed to have calmed down a bit. As you can recall, the first season of OreImo had some pretty bizarre arcs in there, that degraded the shows character focused story. This time around the plot seems
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to have taken some chill pills, and has taken a more slice-of-life approach. Because of that, the story is actually better than the first season, giving the viewer nothing more than a nice little story that isn't too complicated.
That's all I can say about it though. While the story is pleasant to watch, it isn't really trying anything special. There's some decent comedy in there, but it isn't nearly as funny as the first season. The drama, the little there is, doesn't really pack a punch.
Art (7/10):
I've complimented the artstyle in OreImo before for having a very nice looking colour palette with good looking character designs, and that hasn't changed. What I really liked about it though, were the wide variety of outfits that the characters were wearing, and sadly, that isn't the case here.
This isn't really caused by a lack of effort, but more by the setting. High School students in Japan usually wear the same outfits in school, and with that, the variety is thrown out the window. It makes sense of course, but I am sad that such a good aspect of the show isn't shown in these specials.
The animation is average, not really bringing anything unique to the table. But since it's a slice-of-life show, I can't really fault the show for it. It doesn't need to excel at animation.
Sound (6/10):
The soundtrack is pretty much the same as the previous installment. It fits with the scenes, but isn't really memorable.
I have noticed an improvement in the voice acting department, especially on Kuroneko's part. The voice actress seems to be a lot more comfortable with her part this time around, and it is quite noticeable.
Characters (7/10):
It's an interesting turn of events for our characters, isn't it? Kirino is faffing about abroad, Kuroneko goes to the same High School as Kyousuke, and now they seem to be active in the computer club, adding a new character to the cast.
So let's start off with Kyousuke. I've said before that Kyousuke was a good male lead, showing just the right amount of compassion that you would expect, but also having some unique quirks, and twists on his character that make him interesting, and he's no different here. He does have some development in the specials, which is nice to see, but it doesn't really seem like anything major.
Kuroneko seems to be holding up quite well as the female lead this time around. The chemistry with Kyousuke might not be as funny as with Kirino, but she does present some sincere moments with him, that are entertaining to watch. She does shine at the end of the specials however, providing for some really good scenes.
The new character, Sena, isn't really that good though. She seems to be more like a replacement for Kirino, being an otaku herself, although a bit different. Yes people, this is the yaoi fangirl of the show. Run while you still can. Saying that though, the yaoi aspect of her actually provides most of the laughs in the specials, when she starts ranting about her interests. Other than that though, she doesn't really bring anything interesting to the table.
Overall (6/10):
OreImo Specials is kind of an oddball. It seems to have removed a lot of the flaws the original show had, but seems to have negated a lot of it's really good aspects. So would I recommend it? To repeat myself, if you're not into the whole incest-thing, no. Otherwise, it bridges the gap between the previous season, and the next season, so it is essential to the overall plot. Therefore, if you're interested in watching the next season, it's essential you watch this first.
"So anime characters don't automatically disintegrate when they leave Japan?"
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 1, 2013
I'll be honest here. I didn't expect much from this anime. The concept didn't sound that great, the characters looked like your generic harem cast, and the title was almost laughable. Not only was it ridiculously long, but when you hear the translation of it for the first time, you're guaranteed to crack up. So, after watching the show, did I change my mind? Let's take a look at 'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute'. ...Pfffft-
Story (5/10):
OreImo is quite obviously a bit of an otaku fantasy. "A tsundere little sister who is extremely pretty, but also enjoys anime, and adult video games? Sign me
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up!" Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but as a result, you shouldn't expect a masterpiece. The concept is just kind of lame.
There are some positive things to it though. Although the concept might not be that great, the execution is pretty decent. The comedy is well written, especially during certain character interactions. It even had me laughing a bit, which is rare, since I'm not really a fan of the Japanese style of humor.
The writers of the series also do a pretty good job with the dramatic moments as well, and actually create some memorable scenes. I wouldn't call them tearjerkers, but they definitely pack a punch.
There's also something that OreImo does that I didn't quit expect. It's not a harem. In fact, there's almost no romance in here too, which is quite surprising, considering it does look like it at first. One male character surrounded by pretty girls spells out romance, and harem to me. Saying that though, there are some romantic moments at the end, but for the most part, it's more of a character driven comedy.
There is one big flaw with the story though. There are a few arcs, where it doesn't just jump the shark. It builds a trampoline, harpoons 10 sharks, stacks them up on top of each other, and MAKES A SALTO OVER THEM THAT CAN REACH THE HEAVENS. Yeah, the plot can get pretty crazy. Most notably is the arc where Kirino, the little sister, makes a light novel. Well, good for her right? She found a hobby, and learns to write! Maybe one day, she'll- oh. It got published. Well, she must really have a talent, especially since this is novel seems to have been made in a few week- oh. It got an anime. Wow, she must be incredible! Maybe the story will evolve with her becoming active in the industry? What's that? It never gets mentioned again after the arc? ...Seriously?!
Art (8/10):
The art of OreImo is definitely one of the highlights. The colours look very nice indeed, giving a very upbeat tone to the series.
The character designs also look quite good. While Kyousuke might look kind of generic, the other female characters all have their unique designs, which reflect their personality. Also, I have to give props to the designers, who gave a lot of the characters different outfits for them to wear, which is a really nice touch. All in all, the art is pretty damn good.
Sound (6/10):
The soundtrack though, is nothing special. Really, it's just your generic slice-of-life OST, and there are no tracks that I could memorize on the top of my head. It's forgettable to say the least.
I don't really care for openings, and endings, but I do have to give a special note that each episode has a different ending theme, which is kind of refreshing. Each ending is accompanied by a picture that reflects the episode, either being the picture of the character that the episode focused on, or a picture of a certain moment in the episode. This adds some points in an otherwise forgettable OST.
Characters (7/10):
Let's start with the male lead, Kyousuke. I have to say, Kyousuke is probably one of the best characters in the show, which is surprising, since the male leads in these types of shows are pretty bland most of the time. While Kyousuke is your typical 'nice guy', he does show some unique traits, and twists. He's lazy, sarcastic, and has a surprisingly fun relationship with most of the girls, especially Ayase, who he teases in an incredibly funny way. The most important quality though, is the twist on his 'nice guy' attitude. Sure, he helps almost all the girls he comes across in your typical male-lead fashion, but he also has his own needs, and desires, and only does the things he does because he wants to. Yeah, he sacrifices his reputation on more than one occasion for the sake of the girls, but the way he does it is actually quite brave, ballsy, and feels surprisingly natural.
The female lead, Kirino however, leaves much to be desired. She's a typical tsundere, with the only unique quality of her is being a bit more of a bitch to her brother. Also, she's an otaku, which is a fun quirk, but nothing that changes my opinion of her character. However, she improves at the end of the series, showing a bit more respect to her brother, and also becomes more open to her otaku interests, which makes her a lot more entertaining.
Otherwise, you have the typical cast. The childhood friend Manami, the yandere Ayase, and the weird, extreme otaku girl Saori. While all of them entertaining (excluding Manami, who is just a very boring, and uninteresting character), they don't really have any backstory, or depth.
The last character I'll talk about is Kuroneko, arguably the best character in the series. Kuroneko is basically that elitist anime fan. You know those people who claim that "back in their day the anime industry was a lot better". Yeah, those people.However, they actually didn't make her a completely annoying character, and she turned out very interesting indeed. She has several fun quirks, roleplaying that she is in an anime, giving her a lot of funny moments. She's also the character with the most development, turning from an ice-queen to a nice, and relatable girl. Plus, she's the only character that can be entertaining on her own, without the need of Kyousuke, which is the biggest compliment I can give for a character in this show. All in all, a pretty damn good character.
Overall (6/10):
While the characters are generally good, and entertaining, the downfall of this series is definitely it's story. The story arcs aren't that interesting, and when they are, it's for the wrong reasons. The dialogue, and characters however, do save this anime from being completely generic. So, would I recommend this anime? Well, it depends. You do have to look at the title, and realize that, yes, this is an anime with incest-themes. If you are completely against this, then no, I'd recommend you skip it. If not, then I will recommend this anime if you are into romantic comedies. And hey! If you don't like the anime, then the creators actually give you a bailout card! You see, they actually made two endings for this series. The true-ending, which continues the story for the upcoming installments, and the good-ending, which concludes this series, so you won't have to watch the next season, and specials, giving you a decent conclusion to the show.
"Better than the title, but that wasn't a hard bar to reach."
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 27, 2013
Perfect Blue is one of THOSE kinds of movies. "This movie will confuse you, I guarantee.", they said. Hearing those words, I went into the movie with my Sherlock Holmes hat, prepared to deduce every scene, study the dialogue as it goes by, and call the plot twists before they happened. I was pretty proud of myself for the first half. "I can do this!", I said. "I'm way smarter than those other viewers!"
Sadly, the smug smile I had on my face disappeared in the second half, putting my Sherlock-hat on the desk. I was beaten.
Story (9/10):
I'm a big fan of plots that can
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surprise me. A plot that can throw me for a loop, making me think I'm smart enough to have figured out the mystery, then smack me in the face for being a silly, stupid person, who thinks he was better than he thought he was. Perfect Blue does this with great effect.
Perfect Blue has a lot of tricks up it's sleeve for the viewer. Most notably are it's excellent uses of transitions. Whenever the viewer takes a backseat, and relaxes, it will transition in an interesting way, putting the viewer in a surprised state to grab their attention. This keeps the movie interesting, even if you don't completely understand what is happening.
As I mentioned before, Perfect Blue leaves you in a constant state of confusion, especially in the second half. There's a positive side to this, but also a downside. The positive side, is that the movie is great to rewatch, arguably making it better, because all those subtle hints the movie gave away, are suddenly noticed. However, when you're watching it the first time, you can't help but feel bored sometimes, when the movie starts showing you things that, at the time, you either don't get, or you don't think is important.
Art (7/10):
What I like about Satoshi's art, is that you clearly know how the characters would look in real life. They don't all look like supermodels, you can clearly tell who's good looking, who's average looking, and who's downright ugly. The movie has realistic character designs.
Saying that though, there was something that bugged me. Although the character styles might look realistic, they weren't exactly varied. The most notable is when Mima is performing with 'CHAM'. The faces of the three members really don't have any notable variation, except for the hairstyles.
Sound (6/10):
The soundtrack does it's job. It adds to the scenes, and makes things a bit creepier. Saying that though, there really wasn't anything that stood out. Well, except for one track. See, there is this track in the soundtrack that actually starts out as sound effects, like a fax machine. Slowly however, the music starts to play over it, and new SFX are introduced into the tune, and when everything is added at the end, it makes for a really excellent track, that you'll have in your head for at least one night. Not that you want it in your head, because it freaks you out, and it makes it hard to sleep at night, and is there something behind me right now?
The Japanese voice actors do their job well, however, since I can't speak Japanese, it's kind of hard to criticize the performance. However, I could feel the emotion when some of the intense scenes come up.
Characters (8/10):
Before I go talking about the main character, I'll say something about the supporting cast. At the surface, the supporting cast isn't anything special. Throughout the entire movie, most of them are only there to have conversations with Mima, and give their input. What makes the supporting cast so great though, is that you don't really know who will break through their supporting cast roles, and become important. Some may seem extremely important to the story, but in truth, they aren't. Some may seem very unimportant, but are.
Now onto Mima. I wouldn't really say that Mima is a strong character at the beginning. Her motives for becoming an actress aren't really explained, and some of her decisions are questionable at best. There is a positive point to this though. By making Mima a bit of a vague character, you don't really know what she's capable of, so if she does make an important decision, you don't know what she will do.
What makes Mima interesting though, is her psychological breakdown during the movie. A lot of the weird things that happen in the movie actually reveal part of Mima's psyche, which allows for a lot of fun analyzing.
Overall (8/10):
Perfect Blue is a really good movie. It has a good length, so things don't really feel dragged out, and when the confusing stuff does happen, the viewer will know that the payoff isn't too far away. If you are a bit patient with it, and can stand confusion for the sake of a strong payoff, then this movie is definitely for you. However, if you're someone who prefers a lot of action, and can't stomach disturbing scenes (this movie is definitely 18+), then you might want to pass this one up. Otherwise, I will recommend this movie.
"Black Swan, eat your heart out."
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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