[Saturn Beaver]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Actually, I see another flaw in her that I did not think about before. She is a fake in the way she acts friendly towards everyone else. She has to put up a front in order to fit in and pretend to be the perfect model student. She is upset at Kyosuke and worried about him spilling the beans because he knows her true self. Also, she acts the most like her true self when she is with Kuroneko and does not need to put up an act.

There are ways to be truly friendly and also gain respect, like what Kyosuke does. Her way of doing things actually will make her truly lonely one day if she does not change her ways (from what I have seen in real life).

Looking on the comments, I have a theory on how I perceive Kirino. First, I kinda agree with your theory here, although not as severe. That is, rather than being a model student who happens to be an anime/imoutoge fan as well, she's primarily a fan with a model student cover. The main reason is well, she knows if she admits as an otaku she'll be looked down upon, and what's more the job etc helps her buys the lifestyle and get parents off her back to avoid suspicion. She drops her jerkass behavior because she knows that that's not how a model student should act. Maybe she does like studying/work/athletic stuff too so the cover isn't a complete lie, but it's still hiding something as it's nowhere near the passion she has for her hobbies.

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

4. Yes ok I can concede to her surprise at Kyousuke's angry reaction, but it brings up another issue she may just have to face: what now happens when her brother decides to stand up for himself? They have been fighting or cold shouldering each other for years, and a confrontation like this forces her to rethink just how they've been dealing with each other. This may as well be the first time Kyousuke pointed out to her that she's being insufferable and unmindful of others. This may be the first time that he simply pointed out her faults outright and bluntly. She doesn't get it from her parents that's for sure, so this might be the first time in her life someone simply pointed out that she isn't a picture perfect person, something she has sorely needed since like forever. That is precisely why she sucks at criticism.

5. Again, point number two and point number 4. Just because she didn't doesn't mean she never will, and implications about her life has somewhat showed that she has shown some degree of incapacity at showing some regard for other people. She is, shall we say, emotionally blunted. She's not actually sociopathic, but it is safe to believe that living the life of a modern queen bee as opposed to being a worker bee like Kyousuke has shielded her from more expected social realities you'd want from any person. A brotherly alienation, pampering parents, pampering friends etc etc.

Now that we know that it's mostly a cover, I think it's clear that behind that Kirino is selfish and emotionally blunted. Sure, maybe there's even more dere hidden behind that as well (like how she says bad things toward Kuroneko but still keep her as friend, for example), but like Meo said here there's some other things that makes her plain selfish and emotionally blunted even without the dere coming into play.

And thus, with the emotional bluntness and lack of admonishment, maybe the reason her 'tsun' goes overboard sometimes is because she doesn't realize just how much it'd hurt other people, seeing as she rarely suffers the same thing. She knows it's bad, of course, but she doesn't know how bad it is or that in her mind, the other person deserves it anyway.

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

6. I am also not convinced she's supposed to be the villain. If anything, maybe she's closer to the damsel in distress who doesn't really want to be saved. Okay sure she wants her life counseling sessions, but she also seems okay with much of the status quo, when in fact she looks to be so out of tune with the rest of her family and the rest of the outside world that she NEEDS Kyousuke for perspective, perspective she finds difficult to accept from him because her feelings of alienation still separates them.

That's the irony here I think: She needs him but she claims not to want him. The very distance that has grown between them feeds her actions that push him away.

Spoiler for Long Reply Incoming:

And this is another part that's important - I too feel that Kirino is already content with the status quo at the beginning of the series. She's not fully happy with it, of course, seeing that she wants to be able to freely admits her hobbies and has someone to share it with (which is why she give those eroge to Kyousuke to play, I think). But the problem is, since Kyousuke wants to reconnect with her, he's not satisfied with that. For him, the way to do that is to make her happy, and grants what she wants and needs even though she can't be honest to admit it. As such, when opportunity comes Kyousuke tries his hardest, even sacrifice himself, to make her parent and best friend understand her hobby, and even try to find otaku friends that she wants as well.

Remember when relentless sees the show as Kyousuke's life turn upside down when he discover his model student little sister is an otaku? I see it differently, Kirino's life also got turned upside down ever since the reveal as Kyousuke breaks her out of her comfort zone for her own good. Think of it as having a bad tooth, you know it hurts and you want the pain to go away but to do that you'll have to pull it out and that'll hurt even more (Novocaine aside), so she just bear with it.

But now, what is it that makes her doesn't want to be saved? Personally, I suspect that it's because of the distance like Meo said. First, it might be difficult for her to rely on her brother all the time, but more than that, I think it's also because she still wants the distance to be there. I believe the full reason for this lies on that mysterious event in the past. Her saying "why do you have to be a good big bro after all this time" makes it seems that she's perhaps disappointed by her Kyousuke in the past, and grown distant. She's afraid of Kyousuke being a good big brother will makes them close again, only to be hurt again.

This may also be why she can't be honest and always be hostile to other people - realize that with her life mostly spent putting up a facade, she never had a relationship where she can truly admits her true feelings toward. Not Ayase, not her parents, not even Kuroneko. Maybe, and I know this may seem cliche, that it's because she doesn't want to bare it all because she instinctively scared of being hurt again so she always seems to keep one shield up (which is why her panic-stricken face when she realizes Kyousuke knows her pretty well scares her so much). Also, that may be another meaning when she says the next life counseling session is the last - she knows the repeated life counseling means she's getting closer with him, and because she's afraid of that, she only plan to have one more as insurance (but not more).

Still, one thing that still boggles my mind (and makes me frustrated with Kirino as well) is that whether Kirino really wants her relationship with Kyousuke restored or not. Yes, there's times when the life counseling happened due to necessity caused by unforeseen events, or other times when it's Kyousuke who took the initiative, but there are other examples as well that shows that she wants to reconnect (most obvious one being the Christmas 'date'). But even then, she still take the antagonistic approach, as if she doesn't want to reconnect with him.

I first assume that it's the only way she knows how to appeal to her brother, but this ep proves it false. We directly see that she prefers a sweet Miyabi approach rather than a 100% tsun Rinko one, so why can't she simply apply the Golden Rule here? As such, it makes it seem like she's just trolling him, which I vehemently dislike. Oh, and the past event catalyst better be damn strong to at least explain why the hell she can't be bothered to be more honest, even for just a little bit.

Lastly, all factors considered, when it comes down to it I still can't find myself to like Kirino, even if I understand her better. Sure, things might have been more understandable, and Kirino is undoubtedly a distinct, much more complex imouto character than your usual ones, but...I still find the tsun and inability to be honest too far gone, really, without enough redeeming traits to counter it. At least, my rage and rants will be lessened but I still prefer other characters like Kuroneko and others.