Ore no Imouto - Light Novel & Manga Discussion Thread

[jandkas]

Is it a problem if Ore no imouto novel keeps popping over and over in my head, and I am addicted to checking back to this forum for more news, I feel like I need help seriously.

[tommythecat]

Originally Posted by jandkas

Is it a problem if Ore no imouto novel keeps popping over and over in my head, and I am addicted to checking back to this forum for more news, I feel like I need help seriously.

Oreimo sucks a lot of people in, it did to me as well. I can't even really explain what it is that I like so much about it. It will forever be one of my favorite anime/LNs

[Kakurin]

So, now it's my turn to go onto thin ice and attempt a preliminary interpretation of the ending and the relationship between Kyousuke and Kirino. Although I have to mention that to me the question of whether Kirino and Kyousuke are still dating etc. is not that important. Most of what I say is based upon subjective assumptions and interpretation, so I know that I can't prove myself right, nor somebody else wrong.

1) Do Kirino and Kyousuke return to being normal siblings?: Their agreement does stipulate that after they graduate they return to being normal siblings. So, why do I put that in a question mark? Now first of all, disregarding their possible intentions, I think it is impossible for them to return to being your normal siblings, even if they wanted. The reason, or better assumption, given by myself is, it is impossible for them to return to being normal siblings as long as they love each other and are aware of this fact. And despite them seemingly breaking up after the marriage ceremony I think it can be seen as pretty sure, that they still love each other.

For Kyousuke I think this can be seen as pretty sure, he rejected everybody due to his love for Kirino (compare what Manami said in her questioning, and also his declaration later, both in Chapter 6) and in the end declared that not taking anyone else was his decision. Concerning Kirino, we don't get to listen to her heart, but I also think that she still loves him. Why? Because after getting through so much trouble to realize her desire, it would be ridiculous in my eyes if she suddenly stopped loving him. Furthermore it was her, who was eager in telling all of their friends of them dating, if you are ready to stop loving someone after the 'return to siblings' (they made this agreement on Christmas), why do you go as far as voluntarily declaring your love to so many people? Last but not least she, like Kyousuke, was ready to give up many things for her love. To conclude it, for both of them it would be just ridiculous if they were able to just shut down their love on command. And my theory is, as long as they are in love, the can't be regarded as normal siblings.

Another question in this context is, if they return to being normal siblings after the wedding, what was the sense of that wedding? Because if they indeed return to to being normal siblings, this wedding ceremony was completely violating the meaning of wedding. A wedding normally seals the relationship of a couple, so if they went back to being siblings, this wedding would be more like a divorce (or a marriage-then-divorce) ceremony.

2) What does the wedding ceremony mean?: So, the question now is, what does this wedding ceremony mean? It is clear, that this was no official wedding. This wedding was organized by Kyousuke just for the two of them, nobody else was there. Not their parents, and also not the friends they had informed about their relationship (and who supported them). Now, does this mean this was a fake wedding, a wedding just for fun, or in truth an ending ceremony? My view on this is, this was indeed a legit wedding ceremony.

First of all, a look at the motivation of the protagonists Kyousuke and Kirino. Kyousuke makes it very clear, that he treats this wedding very seriously and not as some kind of joke / fun event. He states in Chapter 6

Spoiler for Kyousuke in Chapter 6:

- "Let's go and get married."
- The line that is only spoken once in a lifetime, [...]

Furthermore, he went to great to lengths to organize this marriage. How about Kirino then? This matter is complicated by the issue, that the entire Volume 12 is only told from the perspective from Kyousuke. So we have to rely much more on assumptions / signs etc. when trying to assess Kirino's intentions. But here I also think that Kirino treats this as a serious matter. First of all, she is very happy about that entire marriage. She was overwhelmed when Kyousuke proposed and she went completely dere-dere during the ceremony itself, when she declared that she was very happy. Then, it has always been her dream to marry Kyousuke. The Kirino of three years ago asked in the very beginning of the recording

Spoiler for Kirino in Chapter 5:

- [To the future me ---- have you married the man you love the most?]

Now of course is the issue, they held a wedding ceremony that has not been attended or recognized by anybody. And Kirino herself always mentioned that siblings are not allowed to marry. At this point, I think the Mikagami part is pretty important. Mikagami's statement was never contradicted by Kyousuke and Kyousuke seemed to be impressed by it. Assuming the author didn't include this part just to show how crazy Mikagami is (that should be clear enough with that bike thing ), then I think it is safe to conclude that this passage has its meaning when interpreting Kirino's and Kyousuke's wedding. So what was that part?

Spoiler for Mikagami & Kyousuke in Chapter 6:

- "Even though I already mentioned in the past, that if siblings want to marry they will face many obstacles ----- but having said it like that, I also have already married a 2D girl."
- "What for things are you saying with a honest face! That is not a problem like that, okay!"
- "It is the same. Such a thing like marriage, is something just the two sides have to decide, it's not something the law decides. Although according to the law of this country the bond between me and Rinko-rin won't receive recognition. But, who cares?"
- Mikagami-san's so cool~

So, if one applies Mikagami's statement to Kyousuke and Kirino's situation, the conclusion is, that although their wedding has no worth before the society, for them individually, it counts as a true wedding. So, if one interprets the wedding in this way, they consider themselves married. Now of course, the question is, why do they still declare they are from that point on normal siblings?

3) Internal / External: This is now the most shaky part of this interpretation. And this shaky part is, Kyousuke and Kirino are internalising their relationship with the wedding. They move it from an outside sphere into their respective hearts. In this light I of course have to take a spectacular leap and interpret their agreement by adding something myself.

Spoiler for Agreement:

- --- until the graduation, we are a time-limited couple.
- --- after graduation, we are going back to normal siblings.

And this amendment I make is, their agreement stipulates their outward behaviour. Of course the big problem is, I can't prove this, so everybody can attack this spot of my interpretation in a big way. So, how did this interpretation arise? Well, because I was somewhat puzzled by the way Kirino stormed out and told like every one of their mutual friends about their relationship. As she already knew that they were going to 'end' this relationship, why did she bother risking that much by telling not only Saori and Kuroneko, but also Sakurai, Ayase, Sena and perhaps Mikagami? It would have been no problem, and most likely a far more convenient choice, to just ride it out together with Kyousuke. To sum it up, this interpretation stipulates that before their graduation they go out in a relatively public fashion, and after their graduation, they are behaving like normal siblings in the public.

4) So, having written all this, what is my opinion on their relationship? My opinion, as stipulated in the beginning is, they are not in a normal siblings relationship. But this also does not automatically mean that I think they are secretly dating / kissing / hugging. I tend to regard their love / relationship on an emotional level. As such, it doesn't matter whether they are actively dating / kissing in secret, as this would not have an important influence upon their relationship, as this relationship is internalised in their hearts. To put it short, in my opinion they are not necessarily going out, but they are together in a romantical relationship, they are a 'married' couple. This way Kirino's dream of staying together forever with Kyousuke can be realized and Kyousuke's decision to date nobody is also nothing too sad.

So, last but not least, why aren't they taking it public? Well, to put it in Kyousuke's words,

Spoiler for Kyousuke Chapter 6:

- Otherwise, dad would be very sad. Me and Kirino would also be separated.

[Ricadan]

Originally Posted by SigUp

4) So, having written all this, what is my opinion on their relationship? My opinion, as stipulated in the beginning is, they are not in a normal siblings relationship. But this also does not automatically mean that I think they are secretly dating / kissing / hugging. I tend to regard their love / relationship on an emotional level. As such, it doesn't matter whether they are actively dating / kissing in secret, as this would not have an important influence upon their relationship, as this relationship is internalised in their hearts. To put it short, in my opinion they are not necessarily going out, but they are together in a romantical relationship, they are a 'married' couple. This way Kirino's dream of staying together forever with Kyousuke can be realized and Kyousuke's decision to date nobody is also nothing too sad.

I think it matters to some degree. Even if their feelings for each other are legitimate, it is sad to think that they will have no ways to regularly express it. To think that their love will go no farther than acknowledgement is a bit depressing.

[relentlessflame]

@SigUp:
In general, I can't find any logical faults with your interpretation (it seems to match the evidence presented in the book with no clear conflicts that I'm seeing). But, to the third point you raised, I would add one additional point. Kirino and Kyousuke both knew they were planning to "return to normal siblings" right after the wedding. Kirino seemed willing to reveal this to Manami, but Kyousuke did not. And then later in the epilogue, Kyousuke is still willing to kiss her, even though she thought it was against their promise (whether it was on the lips or on the cheek/forehead notwithstanding -- the point is still that she considers it sort of "breaking the pact"). So it seems to me that Kirino and Kyousuke had a slightly different inference of what form their love would take in public/private going forward, and that's the reason for a) Kyousuke using his wish the way he did and b) the life counselling at the end. (Kirino naively believing that it meant she had to try to suppress all her feelings, but Kyousuke believing that his feelings won't change regardless of whether he can show it. Perhaps this difference in perspective reflects their difference in age a little bit?)

Above all, I agree with your main point that neither of them can really "switch off" their feelings on demand. This seems completely impossible to me. So this is why I simply cannot believe that Kirino would honestly be "upset" by Kyousuke's second kiss (though, embarassed that he did it in public, and shocked that he broke what she thought was the agreement: absolutely). She still called out to him in the end. And given that Kyousuke and Kirino had both basically chosen a life together to the exclusion of all others (in the romantic sense), the central meaning of the wedding is the same. Inferring what happens after all this: who knows. But to this point, I think your interpretation seems the most suitable given the character development so far.

[tommythecat]

Very nice write up there SigUp.

I'm glad you decided to share your perspective it has a logical flow to it and it's hard to argue against any of the points raised. In the end the decisions made lead to Kirino's happiness, how they treat their relationship going forward is pretty irrelevant. Their bond together probably doesn't fall into a neat little packages of familial or romantic love, maybe something more nondescript like a "spiritual bond" would be more appropriate. Though I'm not really sure that fits either

[finalfury]

@SignUp and relentlessflame,
For Kirino's reaction to the second kiss, the interpretation I had was that the reaction was caused due to fear. Fear that if she let him get away with it, they would eventually go to a path of no return. For some couples and the like, sometimes one person will try to convince the other to do something that they initially do not want to do. That is probably why I think Kirino reacted the way she did, because regardless of how much goodwill Kyousuke has, there is no doubt in her mind that he will continue to influence her.
Ergo, preventing something big from happening by striking at the first attempt is her primary motivation for reacting in fear to his actions. I believe in this due to her radio recordings to her future self which shows how much she thinks of the future. This is all probably badly explained tho so please bear with me.
tl;dr: Fear is the reaction she has due to the event becoming the precedent for future events that lead to a path of no return if not dealt with immediately.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

@SigUp:
IBut, to the third point you raised, I would add one additional point. Kirino and Kyousuke both knew they were planning to "return to normal siblings" right after the wedding. Kirino seemed willing to reveal this to Manami, but Kyousuke did not. And then later in the epilogue, Kyousuke is still willing to kiss her, even though she thought it was against their promise (whether it was on the lips or on the cheek/forehead notwithstanding -- the point is still that she considers it sort of "breaking the pact"). So it seems to me that Kirino and Kyousuke had a slightly different inference of what form their love would take in public/private going forward, and that's the reason for a) Kyousuke using his wish the way he did and b) the life counselling at the end. (Kirino naively believing that it meant she had to try to suppress all her feelings, but Kyousuke believing that his feelings won't change regardless of whether he can show it. Perhaps this difference in perspective reflects their difference in age a little bit?)

After you have made me aware of this point, I think your right. Kyousuke seems to have less fear / qualms about taking it somewhat more external. In the last chapter towards Manami he said something like (provided I understood it correctly when translating)

Spoiler for Kyousuke Final Chapter:

- "Good, listen ---- you are right, and we are wrong. We are well aware about the things we do wrong. Theory, common sense, reputation, even though eroge don't lack protagonists who discard all of those, even though I'm feeling very happy and very cool, I really don't think those are boring pipedreams. (?) These are all important directions of thinking. I, as a normal high schooler who wants to continue living happily, also think that there are many rules that have to be followed."
- That's why common sense, or reputation are omnipresent in this world.
- Although these are all correct,
- "But, I want to shatter those! Because I have something that is even more important!"

or

Spoiler for Kyousuke Final Chapter:

- And although it was compared in an exaggerated manner to the last decisive battle, Manami was in truth also no last boss.
- The last boss of this story, the enemy whe had to face, has never changed since the beginning.
- I'm saying to that guy, or better those guys.
- "I don't care!"

And before that he also says something like charging straight through that minefield. So his kiss in the end can definitely be seen in this light. Kirino is sill younger, to her reputation is more important (I mean Kyousuke is known as sexual harassment manager ), so to her this internalisation is more important than to Kyousuke. But I think Kyousuke knows very well that they can't go absolutely external (as shown by his thoughts when Manami hypothetically said telling his father about it) and his desire to protect Kirino also controls this.

[Icewolfnector]

You know what's funny about the Epilogue?
Kirino wanted Kyouske to buy a new ring for her hehe
Furthermore Kyouske used the same words as Kirino as a reason after he kissed her.
"As we are siblings, whats so bad about it?"
A classical tsun way of saying what she really thinks
For me that seals the deal about what is going to happen to them after this

[Thailog]

Originally Posted by Icewolfnector

You know what's funny about the Epilogue?
Kirino wanted Kyouske to buy a new ring for her hehe
Furthermore Kyouske used the same words as Kirino as a reason after he kissed her.

Exactly!

My impression is the same as yours, that they both want the relationship to continue despite their previous agreement. After buying the ring, Kyousuke took it a step further by initiating the kiss while Kirino reacted in her usual tsun way. Besides, after all they've been thorough, it's hard to imagine them going back to being just siblings again.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by finalfury

tl;dr: Fear is the reaction she has due to the event becoming the precedent for future events that lead to a path of no return if not dealt with immediately.

I don't really buy "fear", and here's why: she doesn't really reject him. All she displays at first is shock, but then makes two gestures: 1) that they'll discuss this when they get home, and 2) to beckon him to keep following her. If she were really afraid, she would have run away, or it would have taken her a lot longer to recover.

Now maybe there's uncertainty/anxiety there, and I'm sure the concern about where all this could lead is in both of their minds (which is why they took this path in the first place), but I think it's not fear.

So I think there's truth in what you're saying (she is no doubt concerned about the repercussions, and would certainly be worried about taking another step), but I think she still chooses him anyway. And I would argue that's the key message of that final scene.

[Ricadan]

Originally Posted by finalfury

@SignUp and relentlessflame,
For Kirino's reaction to the second kiss, the interpretation I had was that the reaction was caused due to fear. Fear that if she let him get away with it, they would eventually go to a path of no return. For some couples and the like, sometimes one person will try to convince the other to do something that they initially do not want to do. That is probably why I think Kirino reacted the way she did, because regardless of how much goodwill Kyousuke has, there is no doubt in her mind that he will continue to influence her.
Ergo, preventing something big from happening by striking at the first attempt is her primary motivation for reacting in fear to his actions. I believe in this due to her radio recordings to her future self which shows how much she thinks of the future. This is all probably badly explained tho so please bear with me.
tl;dr: Fear is the reaction she has due to the event becoming the precedent for future events that lead to a path of no return if not dealt with immediately.

I don't think her reaction was completely fearful or completely tsundere-happiness, it was probably a bit of both. Like SigUp said, she definitely has a higher priority of internalizing their relationship and probably would have preferred to keep it that way, which would cause a fearful reaction. But when she calls out to Kyousuke in the end, I would interpret that as her starting to have second thoughts.

Edit: Welp, looks like I just posted the exact same thing as relentlessflame

[Guy Incognito]

Originally Posted by SigUp

Epilogue

Spoiler for Epilogue:

Epilogue

- "Aki ~ habara~~! During spring you just have to play those new eroge!"
- "Yare, yare. After passing the counter, you blurt out those incredible words."
- Out of habit, I fired back those mocking words. After graduating and no longer being a middle schooler, this imouto-sama still hasn't changed.
- The spring vacations have barely begun and we were already going to Akihabara.
- The warm sunlight shined on the street of the electronics corner.
- "You do know why we are here, right?"
- "Of course, it's in order to buy all those eroge to be played in the vacations! A new work in the imouto dream factory (?) series has come out!"
- "That's not it! It's in order to participate in the [otaku girls unite] off-meet!"
- Your mind must really be full of eroge.
- Kirino carefully looked at the ever-changing Akihabara.
- "Of course I know. Because today, it's for welcoming new members."
- "That's right --- What kind of people have been invited by Saori, I wonder."
- [Otaku girls unite] is a group with many members (?), and not only just the four of me, Saori, Kirino and Kuroneko. The other members also organize off-meets, I think. (?)
- So, to put it correctly, this little group of ours is also only a part of [otaku girls unite]. Our group of people 'who missed out on the majority'.... were called together by Saori, after they had failed to integrate into the group of people at the [first off-meet].
- Saori was very friendly to us and gave us special attention.
- It seems .... that this group will get new members. Heh, because even though the people still haven't met, there already is a [temporary] tag.
- [----- in truth, I want to invite you to the second meeting]
- Heh.... the group of us that staggered around two years ago, is also about to grow. That's really emotional. (?)
- "Who knows? What kind of people will they be? It would be great if an imouto-type girl would be around."
- "You really can only think in this direction .... how about if it unexpectedly is a guy?"
- "It is called [otaku girls unite] right?"
- "I mean, am I not already here, so there isn't a limitation on girls only."
- "Mhm ~ Mah, we'll know it soon enough."
- "That's true."
- We walked towards the meeting point, while we talked like that.
- Just when we were about to enter a a side road, Kirino let out a happy "ah".
- And then ran towards an otaku store.
- "The new Meruru merchandise! The magical ring!"
- It seems like she discovered the [Ring of Magic] merchandise that appeared in the Meruru show.
- "Neh, neh, can you buy me this."
- "Hah!? Why should I buy you this?"
- I mean, I'm no longer your boyfriend.
- "Buy it yourself."
- "Che, as we are siblings, what's so bad about it."
- "What is this for an unreasonable excuse."
- "You really don't understand~ ----- Listen? When the imouto asks her onii in a cute way."
- "Then try and ask in a cute way! If you manage to do this, then perhaps I'll thinkg about it."
- "Eh? But I am cute?"
- I'm not talking about the outward appearence! You way of asking is not cute at all!
- "What's so bad about it, buy it for me, quickly, you cheapskate."
- ".... ku... okay ~~~~~ I know."
- In the end I'm still accomodating her capriciousness.
- "Hehe ~ Thank you~"
- Even though she still isn't frank enough, but at least her thanking has become much better.
- Damn.... I'm really spoiling my imouto, honestly, what a guy I am.
- I have to think of a way of retaliation.
- While Kirino walked forward very happily, me on the other hand walked along with a long face.
- As it was still morning, after leaving the big streets there were very few pedestrians around.
- "Ah, I forgot something."
- I suddenly stopped, Kirino also halted and turned towards me.
- "You see, this [whatever I say you will do] agreement we had --- I still haven't used it, yet."
- "When you mention it, it is definitely true --- have you thought of something?"
- "Oh~"
- "Thinking of something while walking on the streets of Akihabara, I have a bad feeling about this... mah, let's first hear it."
- Still as always, making an incredible face.
- I used my hand to call over Kirino who was walking a few steps ahead of me.
- "Good, then come slightly nearer."
- "Hah~? Why. What is coming nearer for a request?"
- "Don't be bothered by that, just come."
- "Okay, okay. Is that okay?"
- "Oh~"

- ---- I suddenly kissed her.

- "Na....!"
- Dong! Kirino suddenly pushed me aside.
- "Wha, what are you doing! What about our agreement!"
- Towards the imouto who was blushing on both cheeks, I replied with a smile,
- "As we are siblings, what's so bad about it?"
- "It, it would be strange if it wouldn't be bad---------------!"
- With a rustle she pointed at me.
- "I'm saying, this isn't an eroge! When we return home, we'll have a life-counseling session!"
- Leaving this line, my imouto ran towards the meeting point.
- The location Kirino is running towards ---- what kind of people will be waiting there.
- Mah, in the case we get along for quite some time, then shouldn't we also make a complete and revealing self-introduction like some fujoshi? (?)
- .... yare, yare, really ---- can't do anything about it.
- If it's like that... then it'll probably be a long, long conversation.
- You'll have to listen closely.
- The incredible secret of me and my imouto.
- The many commotions I have experienced in these two years.
- The story of a super capricious imouto, and a very normal aniki.
- Beginning from the life-counseling sessions, that all siblings have, but that also contain a very special love story. (?)
- If you just can have a laugh, then I am pretty happy. (?)
- As for the ending of this story, that if course will be that.

- "Okay ~ how much time do you want to wast! Hurry up!"
- "Okay, okay"

- ------ my imouto can't be this cute.

this bin bugging me what does yare mean? and thanks for the spoilers.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by Dovahkyon

this bin bugging me what does yare mean? and thanks for the spoilers.

Yare is something similar to 'oy' or 'oh my' in English.

[seangel92]

Episode 11 was very funny xDD

It's a sausage! xDD

[finalfury]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I don't really buy "fear", and here's why: she doesn't really reject him. All she displays at first is shock, but then makes two gestures: 1) that they'll discuss this when they get home, and 2) to beckon him to keep following her. If she were really afraid, she would have run away, or it would have taken her a lot longer to recover.

Now maybe there's uncertainty/anxiety there, and I'm sure the concern about where all this could lead is in both of their minds (which is why they took this path in the first place), but I think it's not fear.

So I think there's truth in what you're saying (she is no doubt concerned about the repercussions, and would certainly be worried about taking another step), but I think she still chooses him anyway. And I would argue that's the key message of that final scene.

My apologies, I used the wrong word to display my thoughts. After reading your post, I think a better term to describe what I thought was "cautiousness". Fear was just the first thing that came to my mind when I wrote the post but I believe cautiousness is the best term to use when describing how I interpreted her reaction. I think this term also can be applied to how you have interpreted the story since for the most part, I agree with the interpretations you made for the story.

I.E. being cautious about how to handle the relationship after the second kiss sounds more logical than being fearful of the second kiss based on the context of the story, which I thank you for helping me to figure out.

I firmly believe that companionship is what they both desire above all else, and that in itself, will not make them outcasts to society but they both realize(to different degrees) that they have to be careful of what they believe they are entitled to do because of this companionship they now share.

Another reason I had for using fear was when I realized that Kyousuke was the one person who she would change her mind for when it came to big issues. During the fifth volume and 12th volume, it is Kyousuke who manages to convince Kirino to change her mind about important decisions that she made. Based on that line of reasoning, being fearful of him after the second kiss made sense since he was the only person who could convince her to change her mind on issues that others could not i.e. her best friends and even mother and father. I don't think that the momentary fear that she had was enough to counteract her desire to be with him though. :/

[KronosPlasma]

For the returning to "normal siblings" thing, true they can never be normal as say most of use. After all they've gone though it's impossible, but as normal as they can be. so even if they love each other it's not hopeless for them per say to still moving on in life with a new person?

On the other hand (taking a more moral stand now) If they stay together their secret will most likely come out and all the things Manami say will start to show up. Shame and backlash my drive them apart. that or the pressure of keeping up the lie will get to them and brake them down. Making them come the the realization it's to big for them to handle.

Well not to say their love can't over come it all. I don't like looking at the negative but sometimes you have to. As to better round out ones thing the good and the bed as they say.

Well the ending has been talked about over and over.
All we can do is have the show the point to us now (if they do that) the author seems to like trolling

[protheus]

Exactly the ending I was expecting for this novel from the first one printed and first episode made after it. Since it was made for a large public from start, the ending in a "take it as you like it" kind of way is the most perfect one to do it.

Btw, for me, the ending I took, is they are together (but not a physical relationship) in private.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by finalfury

After reading your post, I think a better term to describe what I thought was "cautiousness".

[...]

I firmly believe that companionship is what they both desire above all else, and that in itself, will not make them outcasts to society but they both realize(to different degrees) that they have to be careful of what they believe they are entitled to do because of this companionship they now share.

Yeah, I see what you're saying now, and I agree. If what they want most is companionship (i.e. just to be together, and I agree), then the thing they fear most is anything that can break them apart. With the status quo, they can continue being together always. But if they risk too much, they can be separated. So in that sense, I see what you mean now when you said "fear" the first time -- it was a different sense than I was considering. This is sort of like "fear of the unknown" or "fear of change" -- it's rooted in not wanting to lose what you have.

And you're right when you go on to say that Kyousuke is the one who assuages her fears, and that -- in the end -- she trusts him. But at the same time, she doesn't want him to do "something stupid" if it risks what's really important to both of them.

Anyway, it was good to have this conversation -- I think I see where you're coming from now, and we actually weren't as far apart as I thought at first.

Originally Posted by KronosPlasma

On the other hand (taking a more moral stand now) If they stay together their secret will most likely come out and all the things Manami say will start to show up. Shame and backlash my drive them apart. that or the pressure of keeping up the lie will get to them and brake them down. Making them come the the realization it's to big for them to handle.

Well not to say their love can't over come it all. I don't like looking at the negative but sometimes you have to. As to better round out ones thing the good and the bed as they say.

Yeah, in the end I would just say that everything worthwhile in life has risks, and there's no such thing as a relationship that doesn't face challenges and crises. My own parents seemed to have a good relationship while I was growing up, but eventually they had a somewhat messy divorce. Obviously the challenges Kirino and Kyousuke face are not the same, and life will be hard, but after all they've already been through together (cut-off from their time growing up together), their bonds run pretty deep. They've probably got as good a shot as any at making it work, at least on a personal level. Dealing with the broader issues will be an every-day struggle they'll have to face together.

[Sakuratsuki]

A nice love story. Incest is a big issue, and there are much problems to solve if you want to go this route in a story. Knowing that Oreimo is not a story that needs those sex/lust, breaking up with your family issues, run away with your lover etc to choose a full incest route.

Because if it had this setting. It would destroy this wonderful story for sure.

I think it has been given by the author the best possible ending possible. A ending that he planned from the start in detail. That is how i see it.

You can see it how you want but: they are still together at the end and in a romantically way. And hints are given for this clearly. I read the interview of the author a couple of pages back on this thread. he said 'this is the best possible ending that Kirino could get'. i Agree: If he went full on incest issue. It would get much more complicated and it will destroy the value of the story. Besides this is not some adult novel, but a pure love story. So this ending fits it the best. Kyosuke shutting down all possible paths. A kirino who only loves her brother very much and wants to be together with him forever. She cleary also doesn't want to date sombody else. This shuts down practically all other possible pairings. This hints towards how in love they really are. Even if they are siblings. There is something special between them.

My conclusion: a good love story with an ending that hints that it still not over.