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

Someone save me, I hyperventilated too much.

「俺の妹が再び帰ってくるわけがない」 (Ore no Imouto ga Futatabi Kaettekuru Wake ga Nai)
“My Little Sister Can’t Be Coming Back Again”

It’s finally here…my hopes and dreams as a blogger and anime watcher realized. I’m going to apologize in advance for how fanboyish I’ll sound these first few episodes–I promise to cut it down soon enough! Right now however, I cannot hide how excited I am to finally see the second season finally air.

As a word of warning though, make sure that before viewing this second season that you have completed the “TRUE END” episodes, which includes the ONA episodes 12-15. The following events will not make sense if you have only seen up to the “GOOD END”. Done? Good. It’s been two years too long. Let’s begin!

 

The moment that Kirino’s tsun attached to her dere. Kyousuke was pretty tsundere himself back in the day.

This week’s episode immediately proceeds to mimic bits and pieces of the first season, with the dream sequence taking the forefront. Other than animating a (probably) exaggerated transformation from sweet imouto to bratty sibling, the opening dream sequence provides excellent insight into an area we are still very much in the dark about–Kirino and Kyousuke’s past. From what stills we saw of their childhood, the two of them got along well, but unknown events caused their relationship to ice until the current day. Though exaggerated, we can see that Kirino was nowhere near as antagonistic as a child. As an ideal imouto who looked up to her brother, all was well until Kyousuke changed. Perhaps he naturally grew up faster than Kirino wished, or maybe an external factor played a role, but whatever the case, the message is clear. Kyousuke did something, and Kirino was hurt enough by the experience to retaliate, bringing us to the current situation.

“Kirino looks pretty cute from this still, but comes off as a snob with the way she ignores Kyousuke.” Divine said that two years ago and it still applies…

Plain friends make for plain screencaps and plain captions.

It’ll look a bit weird up top with the arm being disjointed, but Ayase is just that good at keeping Kanako in line!

Aside from that, the episode maintained a good balance of reintroducing all of the characters while focusing on Kyousuke’s new dilemma. Some characters have continued to stay the same since season one, such as Ayase, Kanako, and Manami, but it’s clear that some characters have reintroduced themselves with a different flavor, one that tastes entirely different from the beginning of season one. While reinforcing Manami’s calm approach to any situation, it’s nice that the above scene revealed Kyousuke’s new worries of the season in a fairly organic manner. I’d be worried too considering Kirino’s unpredictable feelings. Was it right to bring her back? Has the lack of communication between us completely reversed our progress of thawing the relationship? As an outside observer it’s easy to dismiss Kyousuke’s worries as trivial and acknowledge the existence of Kirino’s thankfulness despite her efforts to hide it, but placing myself in the situation…I have to agree with his worries. After all, what’s a good brother without worrying about whether you’ve done the right thing for your siblings? But alas, with season two comes new problems, though at this point it’s more recovery from post-confession than anything else.

 

…and here we see the effects of the post-confession, with each side attempting to dodge the awkward fallout as best they can.

No matter what characters you support, one has to admit that this is a lethal dose of dere.

Here we see what many Kuroneko supporters have been waiting for–the blessed display of dere that strikes into even the darkest of hearts. Before the beginning of the True Route, I hadn’t thought much about Kuroneko, but when Ruri claimed the spotlight for those precious last episodes, I gained new respect for her character that continues to grow here. It’s important for characters to maintain a balance of their “hard” and “soft” traits to maintain their likability, else they turn into a Kirino case where a love-hate reception is abound. Kuroneko has managed to keep a better balance than her rival friend, mostly through her logical and level-headed approaches to situations, while managing to have “otaku” flaws that generate rapport with the audience. With the addition of this potent amount of affection, even Kyousuke cannot resist expressing his glee. Disappointment is abound when convenient interruption prevents these awkward moments from evolving into higher levels of affection, but have faith! The whole season is yet to come, with many an opportunity to finally resolve this tension! Let’s look forward to that moment when they can have proper alone time and lift up that curse (though it’s more a hex and bewitching than anything sinister :3).

 

Well, now that life counseling is over, I guess Kyousuke can focus on the issue at hand below…

The first episode of the second season and the show has no restraint in showing Kyousuke’s inner hentai.

Lesson learned: phones ruin the romantic mood.

Only one thing needs to be said here…A-KI-HA-BA-RAAA~

Homo-eroge: splitting the population gender-wise since ever.

Creating nostalgia one reminiscent scene at a time.

Evangelion and Madoka have decided to combine their finale movies into one mega-film! Twice the fans for half the production costs!

Initially, I was afraid that the show would continue with Kirino and Kyousuke spending the first few episodes slowly thawing their relationship, but thank Godoka that the Third Impact came to thaw things quickly! It wouldn’t be Oreimo without a trip to Akiba and copious amounts of shopping, as well as the accompanying Kyousuke to be in awe at what otaku can accomplish. I was initially afraid that A-1 Pictures wouldn’t meet the standards of animation set by the first season, but by this point those worries had all melted away. With a beautiful animation of the third season of Meruru as well as Kirino’s well-drawn reaction faces, worries about animation can all fade away. A large part of what drew me to Oreimo’s first season was the outstanding production and animation, so it’s good that Aniplex recognized what made this show amazing and kept it that way. It just wouldn’t be the same seeing Kirino’s happy face drawn any other way, or even worse, a sad Kirino after two years of waiting. All is well and good with Kirino for now thanks to the powers of virtual imoutos–who wouldn’t be happy as a button being surrounded by virtual imoutos on the bs WITA?

“I sense a god-tier game!”
-Kirino commenting on the new bs WITA game Love Touch

 

Never doubt the healing powers of anime merchandise and a pilgrimage to Akiba as a pick-me-up for the hardcore otaku.

So far, the second season has met expectations (at least from what I’ve heard) and continues to provide the crisp quality that we’ve come to expect. Moving forward though, I expect that the new developments that the TRUE END left us with will continue to expand in the current season. The show has proven that it can and will focus on other characters independent of Kirino, of which I look forward to earnestly. Other than the expected developments between Kuroneko and the cast, it’ll be a treat to see developments from the side characters. Since the anime will indeed animate up to the current (and supposedly final) volume, I look forward to seeing how Fushimi Tsukasa develops the rest of the cast. Of particular interest to me lies with seeing Saori’s background fully explained and Ayase’s continued love-hate relationship with her onii-san. Both characters, though playing integral roles in developing the other characters, have received little attention to growing their own characters as a result, though the former more so. While we have the knowledge that Saori is wealthy and beautiful behind that otaku guise, why she is an otaku despite her social standing is yet to be explained. Same goes for Ayase and her continued (reluctant) communication with Kyousuke, even though Kyousuke himself presents the greatest challenge between Kirino and Ayase’s relationship.

Whatever the direction the plot heads, it is for certain that those plots will be executed aesthetically well. With ClariS returning to the show that shot the duo to popularity, I cannot wait to see each episode headlined by a new OP animation accompanied by what’s a catchy song. It’s definitely similar to ClariS’ other works, but it’s still as catchy as its predecessor, which is fine enough in my books. Let no expense be spared, whether in the voice actors, animation, music, or theme songs, in order for Oreimo to close with a bang, just as it started. Let the abusive and complicated comedy begin!

As the show I’ve been looking forward to for ages, I hope that I can blog this properly for you, dear reader. Following in Divine’s footsteps have been daunting, but I hope I can provide quality commentary for this quality show. Due to the filmstrip format requiring some more time to master, I apologize if it takes some time to finish, but hopefully this new format provides an easier and more aesthetically pleasing read. I look forward to discussing and enjoying this series with you guys, and I hope you all will indulge in this show as much as I have!

Now then, to end on a silly note…everyone listen! Participate in the poll so we can get a pulse on what the opinion is for favorite character, so that we can compare how the numbers change from the beginning to the end!

 

If all of this merchandise conveniently sneaks away by episode two, I’ll have to question just how big Kirino’s closet actually is.

Tis fashionable to achieve minimal change in the title for second seasons, yes? If there were a fourth season…get it?

OP: 「Reunion」 by ClariS

End Card

Okay, can’t hold it in any longer…finishing blow too stron–D’AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!


101 Comments

      2. Yo, it isn’t cool to downvote people for looking forward to other characters! Let’s not bully people for that reason, it stifles the mood :(.

        Also Shigo, hello! I see your gravatar indicates you have a blog of your own, which is also covering Oreimo. Go cover forth and spread the awareness for this show :3.

        Zanibas
        Reply

      3. haha 😀 thanks Zani, excellent writing again here on Oreimo. RC’s the biggest inspiration to me(fan since Omni times). just made a blog to improve my writing and web developing (my little blog is not really that serious) but thanks. and also i can understand Kuroneko’s fans here, haha i have a hard time too forgiving Kirino last season but i did and i see her quite different now. idk why lol.

        Shigo
        Reply

    1. I can sense that I’ll like your blogging for this show simply due to the fact that you won’t be ranting about Kirino like most other bloggers. Even Divine had issues staying neutral to her character and he was like… the god of neutrality.

      Kuntzy
      Reply

      1. I hope that my liking for all the characters will provide a more balanced discussion, though I may have to turn down that valve occasionally to fit some calm commentary in! ^_^

        Zanibas
        Reply

      1. > Vote every single character
        > Max: 3

        I was referring to k_r_n_k_ fags. I was saying her ship is gonna get the wedgie in a totally *ugh* manner that I can’t imagine why people like her.

        Moe isn’t everything people! It’s the cancer killing the industry! Wake up sheeple!

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  9. “Though on much friendlier terms than Kirino and Kyousuke, these siblings will never agree on homo games. Ever.”
    Siblings? Did you just imply that Akagi Sena and the club Prez are siblings?

    sinkingmist
    Reply

  10. IT’S BACK!

    Well, at least that would have been my reaction last week before the 16 episode reveal. I definitely loved season 1 but I’m preparing for a very paraphrased version of the novels. Adding in the current pace with this episode not covering a whole lot of vol. 6 and probably a good chunk of next episode being from the drama cd, I’m very worried about a rush job. You’d think a series that sold as much as this did would be treated a lot better… And yes, I do know scenes not covered in the anime will be covered in drama cd’s but it’s just not the same.

    On to the episode then.

    OreImo’s one of the few series where I don’t actually care who gets the guy in the end (well… besides Manami), and it’s not because I dislike them. I will admit to leaning more to the wincest side but it wouldn’t bother me at all if Kuroneko or Ayase were the end girl. This episode was a pretty good example of why I actually like Kirino too. All that tsun and then bam, genki explosion with some nice dere which seperates her from a lot of other tsundere’s since it actually makes her dere feel special. Kuroneko actually pulled out some darn fine dere as well this episode.

    Btw, that end card. That thing might as well be a WMD because, my God, I almost died.

    Kuntzy
    Reply

  17. Even though we had production company switch, the key guys, the director, character designer and some others appear to remain the same. That explains the reason why the transition from the 1st season to the 2nd looks so smooth.
    And it’s obvious they got much more budget this time, thanks to pretty good sales of the 1st season BD and DVD’s. It really shows in the animation quality. AIC wasn’t bad at all but now it’s even better.

    UDoh
    Reply

  19. Kuroneko only. Considering the Kuroneko pingbadge I wear and my Kuroneko bags and all my Kuroneko merchandize and my pixiv account is RuriNeko （瑠璃猫）, it’s obvious who I support.

    thenewhorde
    Reply

  20. Before I get to the main point:

    D’AAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!! Kirino made my day, Kuroneko’s blush made my fanboy go wild and DAMMIT I WANNA GO TO AKIHABARA!!!

    Does anyone else notices (obviously) that the post’s layout is different than the others? Not that I don’t like it, I actually prefer this one way more than the others.

    Duelistdusk
    Reply

  22. The episode mostly felt like set up but it was definitely interesting seeing how things have changed because of the events last season. By the way to anyone who might want a recap of last season, I’ll recommend the animated commentary even if you watched it before. (and definitely if you actually haven’t watched it) It’s only half as long as watching the actual series and it’s definitely more fun than just watching the normal first season again.

    Also I had forgotten how much I loved the film strip format thanks for reviving it for Oreimo Zanibas.

    HakumeiJin
    Reply

  23. There needs to be a least favorite/worst character poll too, so I can put Ayase at the number 1 spot!

    The power of Kuroneko is strong with this poll!Just like it was strong with Kyou’s pillow lol.

    Magoiichi
    Reply

  28. When I started watching this, seeing Kirino act as she does, I had wondered why am I watching this series? Then the Kuroneko part came, and the most of the events from the OVAs came flooding back to me, reminding me why I’m sticking around for this. I NEED to see how that ship is going to sail(if it ever sails, but w/12 eps, somethng has GOT to happen).

    As for the poll, is there a particular reason Ruri/Kuroneko is on top? Shouldn’t Kyosuke or Kirino be the top option? I smell favoritism =03.

    frubam
    Reply

    1. I will give you bitchy kirino while i take tsundere kuroneko , Yandere Ayase , pure pure Manami and Cinderella Saori. Enjoy your otaku in A-Ki-Haba-ra , I would prefer that pillow, if you know where do we need pillow and a girl.

      ps. if you wonder while Kirino / kyousuke isn’t rank 1 , well kirino = bitch, kyousuke is a man he can’t beat girl heroine , and he need more kuroneko to shine.
      it’s pretty normal to say that MC sometimes isn’t the most favorite , watch Hayate butler , that HINAGIKU , DAT RUKA and DAT A-Tan hell Nagi is noob compared to them.

      pokpok
      Reply

  30. This is a significant moment for me because it is the first season of this show that brought me to this site so I feel a lot of nostalgia, and that filmstrip style that I so loved from then just amps it up to eleven. It’s also the first show that introduced me to Kana Hanazawa’s awesomeness.

    I’m here for the same reason as many of this shows viewers, Kuroneko. I liked her pretty much from the time she first appeared in episode 2 of the first season. I was so happy she got the spotlight in the ONAs, and just made me like her more. Is it just me or does the summer uniform make her look older?

    So overall I’m happy to have this show back. Kuroneko’s awesome, Kirino and her friends are all bitches, Manami’s still a great friend, Saori is still sage-like, and Kyousuke is an even bigger pervert.

    ahh it’s like coming home 😉

    Roguespirit
    Reply

  31. Like the season preview said I’m one of those people that the only real gripe with this show is Kirino. However everything else keeps me coming, especially a Dere Dere Kuroneko

    xephx
    Reply

  32. Oh I missed these kinds of posts. They run like a narrative in itself!

    The episode was probably lacking in any major developments from the last episode of season one, which made it kind of uninteresting. The biggest developments were Kirino reviving the lessons with her brother, and the game that Kyousuke’s club made becoming a big hit which doesn’t have an effect on the central plot as of now. We’ll see how Kuroneko and Brosuke work out.

    starss
    Reply

  35. Now I know where Nakamura Yuuichi (Kyousuke) and Satou Satomi (Manami) get their chemistry in Hyouka from.

    In fact, count me as a minority, but I would not be unhappy at all if Kyousuke decided Manami is the one for him (especially if she starts growing her hair long and discards her glasses like in the second PSP game).

    Anonymous
    Reply

  36. I really loved all the call backs to season 1 scenes and how they subtly changed them to be fresh and still familiar. They’re doing a great job with this show already. 😀

    baltar
    Reply

  37. Why is there no Kousaka Yoshino to vote in the poll? She would be my third vote after Ayase and Kuroneko.

    On another note Kirino is still the same bitch as always. Reminds of how she utterly destroyed my love for tsunderes in season one.

    Flytaggart
    Reply

  40. Kirino’s still a bit of a bitch but she wasn’t as bad this first episode, particularly when she got to Akiba. I’m still in aw at just how much she managed to spend on one trip alone.

    But yeah, this is the show I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and it’s just as I remembered it. Gonna be a great spring season.

    YourIdeas
    Reply

  48. OK, I follow Kanako’s lead and call out Ayase x Kirino yuri pairing…
    I think Kuroneko got confessionblocked…
    THIS… IS…. A-KI-HA-BA-RAAA!
    Magical Witch the 3rd Impact? LOL
    Sister Maker? LOL v2

    ewok40k
    Reply

  53. It’s cool that they didn’t add any kind of indicator that it’s season 2 and calls Oreimo by it’s original title, as if it didn’t end at all. And Manami fan here too.

    @2ColouredEyes – Seconded. Haven’t seen this blog format in RandomC for a while.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  55. I wonder what would happen if Kuroneko just happens to visit Kyousuke and enters his room without him knowing this and she sees him on top of bed grabbing and rolling with his pillow while yelling KURONEKO multiple times. What would Kuroneko say or do?????

    tendo
    Reply

  56. This is my first time watching an anime “in real time”!

    Zanibas, I love your commentary and the format!

    Kanako is my favorite character, she needs more screentime! Kirino is my second-favorite. I am really hoping for a Kirino x Kanako ending! I mean, it is obvious that Kirino likes (loli-ish) girls, right?

    raziya88
    Reply

  57. I think Kirino’s legs are longer than they were in the last season. It was noticable in the shop scenes. Now I’m going to have to watch it again to try and figure whether she’s grown taller in comparison to Kyousuke . . . Kanako doesn’t seem to be growing much, though. Maybe frustration over being a “late developer” explains her bitchy attitude?

    raziya88
    Reply

  58. Sorry for the noobish question. But can someone plz tell me what the actual name of the first season is. I have been trying to find it ever since the season came out. I would like to be up to date before watching this season. Any help would be greatly appreciated. TY.

    TwistedDark
    Reply

  59. The first season is called “Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai.” a.k.a. “Ore no Imouto” or “OreImo”.

    In other words, it’s the same title as the second season.

    There were 12 broadcast episodes (1-12) and 4 OVA episodes (12-15) including an alternative episode 12. The broadcast episode 12, called the “good end”, is an alternative ending not based on the books. You should watch all 15 episodes to be up to date before watching this season.

    It’s based on a series of light novels, of which some have been fan-translated into English.

    Raziya88
    Reply

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