First Impressions / Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai

I sense a godly ga–episode!

「信じて送り出したお兄さんが携帯美少女ゲームにドハマリしてセクハラしてくるようになるわけがない」 (Shinjite Okuridashita Onii-san ga Keitai Bishoujo Geemu ni Dohamari shite Sekuhara shite Kuru you ni Naru Wake ga Nai)
“The Onii-san I Trusted and Sent Off Can’t Get This Addicted to a Mobile Dating Sim and Commit Sexual Harrassment”

Ayase fans rejoice, for the yandere has awoken within…kind of. As apparent from the polls, Ayase commands a fairly large fanbase, who of course do not get ignored with the advent of this episode. Inside, you will find Ayase’s exploding reactions, violent kicks and slaps, as well as her adorable attempts to understand otaku culture. Last episode, Kirino may have pointed out a godly game last episode, but it’s the hilarity that the game causes that is the godly piece of today’s episode.

 

OP2: 「Reunion」 by ClariS

It’s hilarious to watch from aside, but to actually be brushed aside for a waifu is another matter entirely.

It might not be the most intellectual or deep of meta-shows, but Oreimo provides an outlet for us to laugh at the stereotypes that pervade otaku culture, as well as the typical reactions to said culture from the out-group of anime. While Kyousuke represents the blooming otaku who is slowly influenced by their peers, Ayase represents the conflicted friend of the otaku–while she despises the thought of associating with otaku culture, her inherent desire to stay friends with Kirino (to the point of possible yuri) makes for an interesting, or at least energetic plot. Though I doubt middle school models have to deal with this sort of situation often, the core premise probably rings true for some portion of the audience. Of course, such a plot would probably run a bit dry in itself, if not for the hilarious interactions between the newly converted Kyousuke and the dumbfounded, disgusted, and darn violent Ayase.

It’s hard to hate on Kirino when she gets excited and enthusiastic about otaku culture–it’s like hating on your own allies!

Looking like the same character is pretty funny, but Hayami Saori voicing the same character has to take the cake.

Be wary of the overly enthusiastic, for all that friendly energy may just switch from one misplaced statement…

Behind all the kicks and pervy jokes, an interesting commentary on virtual girlfriends plays out. The topic godly game in questions is clearly a reference to the notorious Nintendo DS game LovePlus, where both provide virtual girlfriends that you can take out on dates and build a relationship with. The game has gained a reputation for bringing out interesting public displays in otaku, ranging from otaku marrying their LovePlus girlfriend, to otaku being forced by their girlfriend to destroy the game, all the way to the rage induced when LovePlus’ “cold shoulder” anti-piracy measures were found. All of those behaviors ring all too true here this episode, with Kyousuke and Kirino (being the similar siblings they are) falling for their savefiles and vehemently defending them against those who would question their love. I’m surprised that Ayase actually had enough patience to see Kyousuke molest and sweet-talk her virtual self, Ayane–of course that threshold was reached eventually, but the fact that Ayase was even able to sit through even 5 minutes is admirable. Beforehand, it was unimaginable to see Ayase tolerate this “creepy” game, but it’s good to see her character develop some openness to otaku culture.

 

Though short-fused, Kirino is aware of how cold she can be, just like the yandere. Wait, didn’t the PSP VN of Oreimo have a yandere route for Ayase? So meta…

Never underestimate the power of a 2D waifu.

Kyousuke has joined the club and Manami remains an outsider, bewildered by the amount of love for a character.

Kyousuke himself has also begun to show more of his hidden colors as a result. If so many of us find Ayase to have an appealing character design and personality, it should be no exception that Kyousuke fall into such embarrassment. After all, he is the characterization of the average high school boy at heart, whose heart and groin swoon with hormones when a pretty face rolls around. He may have his eyes set on clearing things with Kuroneko, but that does not make him invulnerable to the womanly charms of the other girls around him. It’s good that the show keeps his attraction to a comedic effect though, as I doubt many of us want to see a repetition of School Days play out. Kyousuke’s brotherly charm unknowingly attracts numerous girls to his side, but it is only his thoughts that harass the other characters and nothing else.

 

If it’s legal for anime characters to sexually harass each other, is it doubly legal for an anime character to sexually harass an anime character in a game?

If you doubted Kirino and Kyousuke’s siblingship before, it’d be hard to deny it now. Praising “godly games” runs in the family you know?

Signature Ayase irriation activate!

Kyousuke is being a pervert while Kirino is laid back–is today opposite day?

Yandere? Violent Tsundere? I don’t even know anymore.

Ah, so my favorite part of the episode has arrived. Ayase…poor Ayase. Do not tread the waters of otaku-ship by yourself, for you might just end up coming off as well…a creep. At first I thought that Manami and Ayase were trying to get back at Kirino and Kyousuke for their lewd attitudes, but then it hit me. They’re actually trying to garner attention by acting like a virtual girlfriend! This, for various reasons, backfires on the two, with Ayase REALLY getting shafted by choosing the wrong -dere type to emulate. On a side note, those who have played the PSP visual novel of Oreimo will find this especially hilarious, as Ayase’s route in the game includes yandere elements, which in turn created infamy for the visual novel. However, outside of a game or a visual novel, the anime make it meta-clear one thing: 2D and 3D are two separate things–you can’t go about mixing them! Though many will find delight in the yandere, tsundere, kuudere, and other various affectionate types, more often than not, experiencing the stereotype in real life can be quite uncanny. It’s alright for a game to get away with standard cheesy lines such as, “I wanted to see you as fast as I can,” but once that starts leaking into real life, more often than not someone’s going to get creeped out. Let this be a reminder the next time you wish that your favorite character type existed in real life–you may not get exactly what you ordered.

Next week, the focus shifts from Ayase to the fairly mysterious Saori, whose face we have barely seen thanks to the True Route. Will we finally see behind those glasses? Tune in next week Saori fans!

 

Lesson learned: your favorite -dere stereotypes don’t usually translate well to the real world. It is not a feat to be lightly attempted by even the most experienced, much less the casual.

 

Watch your back Kyousuke–you don’t want to get stuck in a School Days route, do you?

ED: 「フィルター」 (Firutaa) by 早見 沙織 (Hayami Saori)

Preview

Another side-character focus, with the target being Saori? Sign me up!

82 Comments

      4. The scary part is not Yandare Ayase (we all knew she had in her), the scary part is how incredibly well the yandere personality suits her!. Watch your crown Yandere Queen Yuno!.

        haseo0408
        Reply

      6. Think Ayase is the only yandere that I like XD. Of cuz, it does help that she has a dash of tsundere as well~ 😀

        And yes, the fact that the Love Touch character is voiced by Hayami Saori is just gold~

        PS: Incidentally, one of the main heroines for the original LovePlus game is also voiced by Hayami Saori XD

        Euzio
        Reply

      5. It´s not that I forgot about KaedeKioku-san, she´s one of my favorite anime characters, it´s just she has yandere elements but I don´t she´s a complete yandere because of her many saving traits.

        haseo0408
        Reply

  6. This was a much better episode than last week thankfully. I just loved seeing how alike Kirino and Kyousuke were in regards to the game. This was all topped off by lots of Ayase x Kyousuke interaction, who’s interaction is my favorite of any two characters in the series.

    And next week… we have the big reveal.

    Dun dun dun.

    Kuntzy
    Reply

  10. The character in the game looking like Ayase and sharing a VA is one thing. What makes it better is the fact that this character is clearly a reference to Takane Manaka, one of the girls you can date in Love Plus, who just happens to be voiced by Hayami Saori as well.

    Rickstar
    Reply

  11. Oh well, that escalated rather quickly…
    Kirino gets her onii-san infected with “love plus touch”
    …and Ayase feels abandoned for the virtual waifu
    …which leads to Ayase life counseling
    …which leads to usual physical abuse (of Kyosuke, of course!)
    …and eventually ends up with Ayase trying to emulate game IRL and ending up being herself aka yandere…

    I think this episode I liked Kirino a bit more, since she actually had enough reason to dump virtual waifu for a while to get reconciled with Ayase – it is not her fault the situation got in the wrong direction…
    Kyosuke gets either M certificate or Yuri wingman badge for helping Ayase. Or both!
    But the real hidden heroine for the episode was Manami – she actually manipulated both Kyosuke and Ayase to the extent they did not realise. She is actively supporting Kirino X Ayase in order to get Kyosuke for herself… there is a shrewd mind behind that innocent “childhood friend” face…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. Not a truer word was spoken about Manami. While she plays the ‘dumb child friend’ she is certainly not dumb. I’d say that she is one of the most manipulative characters in the show and by the end of this series I’m sure she’ll be getting hate mail!!! Kirino is the exact opposite, straight forward and (mostly) wearing her feelings on the outside.

      Scruffy
      Reply

  15. Kyousuke going full-on otaku over the game felt kinda sudden. Maybe the transition is a little more gradual in the manga, but in the anime it always seemed he only played the games ’cause he had nothing better to do and Kirino forcing him- rather than deriving any actual enjoyment over them. The scene when Manami walked in on him felt so out-of-character that I thought it was just a dream sequence.

    Stranger
    Reply

    2. More than getting really into the game, I think it’s more that the game character is what Ayase could have been if she had stayed nice and sweet like before the yandere and craziness was revealed. There were signs of mutual attraction back when Kyousuke and Ayase first met too, so it’s like playing out the “what if” scenario for him.

      spike
      Reply

  17. Ayase may be even more of a bitch than Kirino but at least we LIKE watching her torment Kyousuke in her overly-emotional fits.

    It’s okay, Ayase. Kirino means nothing by ignoring you.

    starss
    Reply

  19. The funny thing is, the main heroine of LovePlus is actually voiced by Hayami Saori too.
    This episode is a filler but it’s filler deluxe because the script writer is the author of the original novel.

    UDoh
    Reply

  21. It wasn’t just that Kyosuke has gotten more into otaku culture. Kyosuke had a crush on Ayase early in the show and she vehemently rejected him so what he was pointing out about Kirino and the game actually applied to him!

    Bear
    Reply

    1. Its so sad to me that I’ve been listening to the language long enough that I can piece together what the three of them are saying.
      …And awesome. But I suppose thats what happens when you’ve been watching fansubs for the last 11 years of your life, eh?

      Kioku from Laptop
      Reply

    1. Only those sad virgins with no life and sense of humour would want to troll the audience of this show, who are all too clever to fall for his bait and have rightly downvoted this sad excuse of a troll to oblivion.

      Anonymous
      Reply

  33. So far this season has been a disappointment to me. I think the animation, the opening song and the scripts are all not as good as in the first season. I remember laughing out loud a lot watching episodes 1 and 2 of season 1.

    Also, Kirino, Ayase and especially Kyousuke seem out of character in this episode. It was a bit like self-parody or fan-fiction.

    Kyousuke, how can you shoo Manami away like that? What happened to your kind heart? And telling Ayase “You’re the only one I want to sexually harass!” Are you the same boy who was begging Ayase not to hurt you only an hour ago? Ayase is sitting on the same bed where Kuroneko told you she likes you! You do remember Kuroneko, don’t you? Did you drink a magic potion brewed by Dr Jekyll or something? And what’s with saying it’s “creepy” that Ayase wants to be your sister’s lover? There’s nothing creepy about two girls loving one another! What’s creepy is Kirino getting hot and bothered over virtual pre-pubescent girls! The sooner she comes out as a lesbian and gets together with Ayase the happier everyone will be!

    So, this season isn’t doing much for me. I’ll still watch next week though. And I did like the ending to this episode – very nice music and art. Oh, and I like Zanibas’s commentary too. And ewok40k’s comment about Manami being manipulative was interesting too – I hadn’t thought of that.

    Raziya88
    Reply

    1. With due respect, are we even watching the same show? For I was laughing from beginning to end.

      For starters, this episode was penned by none-other than author Fushimi Tsukasa himself, so this is more a less an official parody. This is the author’s way of hinting that the characters’ behaviour are all within reasonable expectation when the situation asks for it.

      In fact, Fushimi himself has gone on record saying all the character scenarios in the PSP games can be realistically achieved from his canon novel timeline, it’s just a matter of what Kyousuke does that affects their reactions and relationships to him, not unlike a visual novel.

      Anonymous
      Reply

  35. Great Ayase episode, so great that only author Fushimi Tsukasa is capable of scripting it.

    Gotta love all the inside jokes about Loveplus, particularly using Hayamin’s voice to great comical effect. Nothing must have creep a person more than having someone else oogle over a video game character that sounds exactly like her. XD

    If there are any more doubts about whether Kyousuke and Kirino are siblings, doubt no further:

    ttp://randomc.net/image/Ore%20no%20Imouto%20ga%20Konnani%20Kawaii%20Wake%20ga%20Nai./Ore%20no%20Imouto%20ga%20Konnani%20Kawaii%20Wake%20ga%20Nai.%20-%2002%20-%20Large%20Snapshot%2002.jpg

    ttp://randomc.net/image/Ore%20no%20Imouto%20ga%20Konnani%20Kawaii%20Wake%20ga%20Nai./Ore%20no%20Imouto%20ga%20Konnani%20Kawaii%20Wake%20ga%20Nai.%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2014.jpg

    Anonymous
    Reply

  37. One thing I liked about OreImo season 1 is its high production values, where the animators pulled no stops engaging nearly the entire anime industry and fandom, from professional to doujin artists and musicians (at least within Japan) to get a most authentic feel of otaku culture in Japan. Season 2 continues in this tradition.

    ED art this week is famed eromanga illustrator Misaki Kurehito. Needless to say, proceed with caution if you must search for his art.

    Anonymous
    Reply

  39. Best show of the year. At this rate every episode is going to be excellent. And that is hard to do. Generally there is at least one or more not so good episodes like in season 1 of oreimo. Maybe the trick this season is going to be that Kyochan has changed. He is letting his wild side out little by little while in season 1 he was a noob.

    tendo
    Reply

  41. Miss the animed picture. That said, dunno if accidental but I think the picture being used is a full 1080p image that is being scaled down on the front page (150kB) perhaps the original animated one was also 1080p(didn’t check), causing problems load time wise but at the size viewed, could easily have been less than the current picture file size.

    Ngai
    Reply

  44. Which way does Kirino actually swing? She was definitely trying to look up that skirt on the game. And Ayase was actually keen on the idea of Kirino being lovers with her… I just don’t know anymore.

    Fan
    Reply

  47. gotta love the love-hate relationship between Kyo and Ayase. Her tsundereness
    is cute. They make an interesting couple imho.

    I’ve watch it more than a couple of times and it still makes me laugh and smile.

    Vaan
    Reply

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