Now let's recap what made the first season fairly decent. First of all, it was realistic with a capital R and focused not only on the relationship between Kyosuke and Kirino but also on the Otaku community at large. The characters behaved naturally and in my opinion were as close as any anime has gotten to simulating real human beings. Now bear this in mind as we describe what happens with that realism in the second season.
First of all, the story takes Kyosuke and virtually all the girls in the cast, puts massive magnets on them and lets the pinball games begin. Some girls repel each other, some girls end up being pushed away but they're all eventually attracted to Kyosuke. The complexity and the realness set forth by the first season is brutally crushed, replaced with plot points and confessions that you could see coming from a mile away with both of your eyes covered.
And just when the series begs for mercy a spectacular coup de grâce is delivered. Kyosuke, the martyr and defender of logic and reason from the first season turns more into your average perverted harem lead, welcoming this new found female attention hand over fist, without thinking about it too much. Shower spying, perverted fantasies, conversations about tits... fanservice? Yeah it's all here. OreImo2 is up to its knees with that.
The female cast itself is a mixed bag as far as plot progression and character development goes. Kirino is as annoying as ever. First she hates her brother and wipes the floor with him, second she gets all lovey-dovey and clings to him like a bubble gum to a shoe sole... before proceeding to wipe the floor with the poor guy yet again. You'd wish she'd just give it to him straight. Nope. She loves, hates and is neutral towards him while he dances around her like a jester before a King in a castle courtyard.
Kuroneko and Saori though receive considerable time and go through some much needed character development. Saori's background story deepens her character and shows us that not all things might be as they seem. Kuroneko on the other hand opens up more and we see the more shy and vulnerable side of her as well as her true feelings for Kyosuke. I have to say that out of all the characters, her story arc was the most satisfying and emotionally engaging. For a few episodes at least, you get to see a genuine romance.
As for Manami, Ayase and Kanako - it's nothing short of a disaster. Manami gets royally shafted for the entire duration of this season. She's only there to provide advice once in a blue moon, appears in a flash back or two but don't hope for any development, not between her and Kyosuke or anyone else for that matter. Ayase, seemingly the only girl possessing common sense among her circle of friends becomes wholly shallow and is the first casualty, becoming nothing more than an addition to Kyouske's harem. Do not expect anything remotely interesting from her. Kanako ends up the same way as Ayase and though not confessing directly you can see what's going on because at this point the show becomes so predictable and un-realistic you might as well watch paint dry or play ping-pong with a can of soda.
The final episode of OreImo2 is inconclusive and will leave you with a headache and a rash, both probably from anger and disappointment. Which means, yes flashbacks pertaining to Kyosuke and Kirino. While it gave us an insight as to why his sister disses him all the time, it was not a good way to end the anime.
Many fans and casual watchers alike (myself among them) have been looking forward to the second installment in this series, hoping for a decent follow-up on the brother-sister relationship centered around the otaku culture. More than anything I think, everyone was hoping for some sort of a conclusion. However it is obvious now that the studio is intent on milking this series as much as possible and that means that the cast and the plot will be severely dumbed down.
As for the visual and audio aspect - it stays exactly the same. Well drawn characters, attention paid to every detail and a decent OST. The opening and ending songs might seem a bit plain but personally I've never paid any attention to that and never include it as part of my grading criteria.
All in all, OreImo2 is a failure. The story doesn't progress as much as I feel it should have given 13 episodes, though we are given a superb Kuroneko arc and Saori's own story was engaging too. Those two gems are surrounded by harem and a vast repository of bogus drama and Kirino's bipolarity. This season does not carry the plot of the first one well and as such, there's not much left to like about this anime anymore.
