Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai.

The diehard otaku Kirino Kousaka has returned and settled back into life in Japan with her friends and family. Despite what her older brother Kyousuke has previously done for her, Kirino continues to give him the cold shoulder, much to his frustration. He is worried that his persuasion for Kirino to drop her track and field training in America and return home may have severely strained his relationship with her. On top of that, Kyousuke now also has to decode a bold and cryptic message from Ruri "Kuroneko" Gokou, his junior at school as well as Kirino's friend.

As the ties between the two siblings and their friends deepen, Kirino and Kyousuke will soon have to figure out how they want to deal with these relationships, helping each other realize their own feelings in the process. In spite of that, Kirino still manages to find time to satisfy her otaku needs with the company of her brother.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gokou, Ruri Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Kousaka, Kirino Main

Taketatsu, Ayana Japanese

Kousaka, Kyousuke Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Aragaki, Ayase Supporting

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Tamura, Manami Supporting

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Makishima, Saori Supporting

Nabatame, Hitomi Japanese

Kurusu, Kanako Supporting

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Meruru Supporting

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Evans, Bridget Supporting

Kuno, Misaki Japanese

Gokou, Hinata Supporting

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Miki, Kazuma Producer

Kashiwada, Shinichirou Producer

Futami, Yousuke Producer

Reviews

Jul 26, 2013

Nuclearducky

Recommended

This will be my review on Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai S2 (OreImo2), one of the more popular animes depicting sibling relationships in detail.

OreImo2 takes place right after the events of the specials of season 1. In a fitting opening episode, the still-awkward relationship between Kirino and Kyousuke can be readily seen, demonstrating that the two of them still have a ways of bonding to go, until the girl's otaku habits bring the two of them together.

There's a distinct change between this second season and the preceeding season. While the first season focused on Kirino's 'initiation' into otaku culture, and ... her brother earnestly helping her with that transition... the second season delves into the relationship between the two of them, and their friends around them; particularly Kuroneko and Ayase.

At first glance, OreImo2 may seem like it degraded to a harem rom-comedy, and that argument wouldn't be entirely false. However, seeing the relationships between Kyousuke and Kirino develop over the season's events, and how they deal with the reality that they someday might find a significant other was something that I particularly enjoyed. Of course, some scenes felt a little over the top at times, but the intentions and feelings were there. Kuroneko's arc was also a treat; her feelings for Kyousuke felt very real and sincere, and through her actions it's evident that she still cares for her best friend Kirino, regardless of her affections for her brother. Seeing these conflicting emotions is one of the selling points of this season.

My only complaint would be Ayase's arc... while she's still an enjoyable character to watch, and though she might report me for saying this, her sudden attraction towards Kyousuke was a little unexplained and came off a little too... harem-esque... if you catch my drift.

Other than those main caveats, the season is filled with episodes that were just nice to watch, such as Saori's past, and Kirino/Kyousuke's childhood. Regardless of their content, the main themes and feelings of OreImo are still there. The characters are still a blast to watch and the gags they make are funny. Never once did I feel that there was 'something wrong' with the second season.

Those tired with the harem rom-com angle with animes may find this season lacking and disappointing, but for those who enjoyed the first season and don't mind the change of pace, will still find the new OreImo just as enjoyable as the old.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jul 11, 2013

Veronin

Mixed Feelings

OreImo has had something of a controversial history. And that's not too much of a surprise-- it pushes the notion that wanting to bone your (perhaps nonexistent) sister is perfectly fine. Mind you, there is nothing inherently wrong with incestuous themes when handled maturely. But OreImo is not mature. It had no intentions of being so.

And yet, there was still more to OreImo than the incest appeal. The first season provided a social commentary on otaku culture and its perception in everyday society. It focused on characters that behave and react like human beings do, sometimes even at the cost of likability. When Kyousuke ... expressed any interest in his sister around others, he was treated like a pervert and smacked upside the head. It almost wanted you to feel that there was something wrong with Kyousuke's and Kirino's growing relationship. Not entirely, perhaps, but there were always deeper, more intelligent themes than "hey, this dude likes his sister".

OreImo's second season has none of this. There is no social commentary. There are no believable characters. Whatever the series had to set itself apart from any other ecchi or harem series is now gone.

The characters are relentlessly crippled by this downfall and Ayase receives the full extent of it. She was characterized as being level-headed and diligent in the first season; the proverbial "model student", albeit with a tendency to berate anybody she sees as odd. Where is this in the second season? Apparently nowhere. Ayase has become victim to the 'yandere' stereotype, cranked up to eleven, knife and crazy-eyes included. For no conceivable reason, she also develops (and acts on her) feelings for Kyousuke, entirely contradicting her belief that Kirino's happiness is most important. The most believable character in the series has been reduced to wrapping paper.

Kirino is a love-or-hate character, and whichever side you lean towards, the second season is not going to do much to change your mind. There is plenty more of the rampant complaining that she was so known for in the first season, including an episode comprising of her lying to Kyousuke, insulting him and proceeding to slap him across the face. I could never really get myself to hate her, though, because while she embodies everything wrong with teenage girls, there are always signs that she has remorse for her actions. That and the fact that she's voiced by Ayana Taketatsu.

You will likely develop a more positive opinion of Kuroneko, though. For the middle third of the story, she is made the principal character. A love interest, too. And unlike the rest of the female cast (Kirino excluded) whose feelings seem entirely forced and superficial, Kuroneko's feelings for Kyousuke are explored in detail. Her love is genuine. It doesn't feel shoehorned in to add an extra number to the harem, and that is perhaps the greatest compliment an anime like this can receive.

But her story arc eventually blunders about. It is marred, like most things, by superfluous drama at the end. The end of Kuroneko's arc simply consists of Kirino screaming at Kuroneko for the entire episode. Worse, Kuroneko's motivations are not even established once the conflict is finally resolved. All we get are a few ambiguous statements which further contradict her actions. What an awful note to end it on.

That's not to say that everything has gone wrong; a few of the episodes are legitimately good. Kuroneko's lighthearted episodes exemplify the good points of the series (and are wholly adorable), while Saori's backstory provides an interesting glimpse into the life of otaku while fleshing out her character in equal measure. The show is plenty capable of being fun; it just regularly chooses not to be.

The ending will leave many scratching their heads. It might even be misleading to call it an ending, as it wraps up nothing and shamelessly expects the audience to follow up with the OVAs for answers. Still, it's a nice way to detail Kyousuke's and Kirino's relationship as children and shed some light as to why they act the way they do. Suddenly Kirino doesn't seem half as infuriating as she used to.

Technicals considering, OreImo 2 is an impressive anime. It looks better than the previous season which was already impressive in itself. There are few scenes where the artwork manages to dip in quality, and the depth of field effect between character and scenery achieves in giving the show a more professional look. The facial expressions are also drawn and animated fluidly, which serves well to enhance the comedic scenes and portray the emotions of each character.

The sound is nothing spectacular but does the job perfectly fine. Occasionally the soundtrack works to the story's advantage, and scenes that would otherwise feel hackneyed are instead able to stir up a few emotions. On the other hand, the opening is a generic J-Pop song that you will forget almost immediately as it ends. The ending sequences are pleasant, though perhaps not as much for the animation or songs as they are for the variety. It's hard to argue against a new ending for every episode.

OreImo 2 is not a bad anime, but it is a bad sequel. Whatever you found appealing about the first season is likely to be gone here. It is made to be palatable solely to harem fans and incest fetishists, and those stuck somewhere in between are bound to find this season lacking any sort of cohesion.

A good sequel aims to improve, not to throw away everything that made it unique in the first place. OreImo 2 is a fundamentally broken anime.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Feb 19, 2014

tenoshikami

Not Recommended

If you liked or even slightly appreciated this show at all don't read or comment or rate this review in anyway just get out. This isn't for you this is for everybody who hated or has yet to see this show.

Secondly if you are thinking of watching this show DON'T DO IT. You'll hate your life and it will make you beyond depressed. DON'T DO IT.

Overall (after season 1) I had hope for this show. A lot of hope actually. But it didn't even try to make the story worthwhile. It became a game to see how many girls he could make cry in the ... space of three episodes (the last three) and then after he picks the girl he wants aka his sister (yes this is incest) they stop dating. Basically leaving him with no girls at all from where before he has five bitches/lovely ladies to choose from. He could have had a loli, a childhood friend, a hot model girlfriend but no. He chooses his annoying little sister, who he knows is annoying and doesn't even make it last. I really hope this writer is happy because I'm not. Pathetic writing. I get that it's different but you shouldn't write to just depress your audience. I can even do that, shit I could make the whole world cry from a story if i wanted to. Getting them attached to a character or even a set of characters then systematically tear their love life apart easily without feeling. That's why this anime sucks. Waste of animation budget that could have been used on something else. This may seem like a nerd rant but seriously think of it this way. If you don't have a girlfriend/wife/lover/etc (if you do pretend you don't) and then imagine you have all these girls around you wanting to be your special lover. Most are willing to do about anything. Now reject each and everyone, watch them cry without feeling sad. That is feeling this anime gave me. If you love watching girls cry go ahead watch this anime, otherwise run, run and never look back at this crapfest. goodbye fellas next review is Seikon No Qwaser.. I'm not excited about it either.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Poll: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) tsubasalover - Apr 20, 2013	236 replies	by someonefrommal »» Apr 27, 10:30 AM
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Character Analysis

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Spoiler

Background AnalysisBrother complexLoveSister Complex