At first, I dodged this series, because I was like "lol moar incest this season" and that this seasons' shows didn't look appealing. But don't judge a book by its cover, as they say. Ore no Imouto manages to be entertaining and also deliver comedy with a bit of wit too. It was a series that tackled issues that would be relevant to be minds of anime viewers and dealt with them in a surprisingly mature and tongue and cheek way. But somewhere along the midpoint, the show seemed to have wandered off into tangents that lost me.
Visuals: 7
I've never been a particularly picky person of animation and such, so if the animation is smooth (no choppiness) and the character designs aren't far off, that's good enough for me. The quality does seem to go up in pretty random scenes like the Maschera parts. ;p Let's just say they managed to up the visual budget where it mattered the most. The character designs are quite cutesy and that works well; I'm most biased towards Ayase and Kuroneko, of course. Never did I feel that they went cheap, and the variety of OPs/EDs really shows it, which is a big plus to both the music and visual department. Not the best around, but still very good.
Audio: 9
Why yes, the sound is wonderful. The BGMs do a good job for accompanying the comedic moods; indeed some of it really reminds me of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, especially when Kirino drags Kyousuke to do something stupid. A well placed BGM enhances the effectiveness of a scene and I don't think some of the funnier scenes would have been as great as without them.
The voice acting is great as well; most of the characters' wacky personalities come alive with them. Kyousuke, Kirino, and Kuroneko sound very much like how I'd expect them to act, and has come part of their characters. Everyone else works as well.
I haven't even talked about the OPs/EDs and insert songs yet. But short story short, they're all great and I'm glad they have so much variety. "Irony" is of course the standout one, as the series loves the ironic humor. An anime song with an English title that's actually relevant; pretty shocking! In any case, the mood of the song is perfect for the show.
Story: 5
Oreimo starts out with a pretty good premise. We have a brother who discovers her sister's deviant habit; he hasn't talked to her much if at all in years, wacky hijinks ensure and they meet wacky characters along the way. Perfect for a comedy, really.
But not only that, Kirino must also deal with potential social isolation if she must pursue her habits. First her parents obviously object, and now her best friend is shocked and cannot accept her. And more shockingly, pep talks don't solve the issue!
So how will Kirino ever get close to others and share her habit? Well, and here comes her handyman brother he constantly tosses and humiliates himself just for a potential smile from his sister. Great stuff huh?
Well it would have been, had the show decide to not meander off into all these side paths. While they are interesting in their own, the elements of each episode in the later half is simply a mess. The worst is probably in episode 11, where we go from slapstick comedy to some random confessions and revelations out of nowhere. It's an example of an episode that works good by itself, but not really as a part of the storytelling. The story is too obsessed with starting threads and not expanding on them. The result is a story with a bunch of interesting ideas, but no solution... to anything.
If the show would promise to have a second season, instead of trying to give us these endings, it'll probably be more forgivable. This results in a well thought out premise churning out empty results. It's nice to leave stuff up for interpretation, but when you ask too many questions and have no intention of answering them yourself, it just falls flat.
At least the ending was respectable, considering where they were going; a lot better than many other shows I would say.
But this is a comedy, and thus the demands for plot should not be as harsh. I'll say the plot pretty much did what it needed to do, but was kind of a waste.
Characters: 5
Oh man, shall we beat the dead horse once more?
Kirino and Kyouske get their own section
Spoiler for dead horse:
I really have to think. Kirino's current form is pretty much the only form she could take without being massively hated. A cute exterior; ah anime is great at doing that. Basically I feel they just took a stereotype of an obnoxious obsessed fan and dumped her into an underage attractive girl. Then again, that's what anime does usually for everything.
But the gripe I have with her character isn't just that she's a bitch; in fact she pretty much has to be a bitch. It makes sense when you're isolated like that and all your friends are shallow as hell. I do not think I have to like a character to be able to appreciate them. But at the very least, I need to be able to understand a character's actions, motivations, and background. And most importantly, I need to give a damn.
The problem is that by the end I could care less for her struggle for acceptance of her hobby for others. She has done absolutely nothing save for a few token actions to improve her case. It has all been her brother's doing. What exactly has she done to show to others that hardcore fans aren't insufferable loons? She IS the worst case against her own hobby because she personifies pretty much everything that is wrong with the fandom.
So yes, the writers perhaps are geniuses. Maybe the point of her is to say we suck! And everything terrible about us is in Kirino. We should feel ashamed and stop beating people up.
Too bad we aren't all models so that we can get pitiful excuses of people to do our bidding (and act vindicated all along the ride like the world owes us)
It's a bit sad that a genuinely understandable girl that just had some attachment issues and was just seeking acceptance had her character flattened to be a subject of the next joke and becoming the writer's vehicle for insulting pretty much everyone involved.
And Kyousuke? What do I say about him? He's a nice guy I guess. A really nice guy that would do anything for his sister. And... yea. That's it. It was great for the first few episodes, but much like his sister, he was flattened not just by Kirino but also flattened to the point of no interest. If that apology scene in episode 11 actually came up with some kind of substance to him I'd have more to write about. But really, nothing!
The most development to his character came in episodes 3 (interaction with the dad) and 6 (interaction with Manami) Then we have a character with extremely vague motivation and yea...
The result is 2 characters that I find amusing, but I really can't understand either of them. As a result, I don't care that much about their struggles either even though I really want to. They seem like interesting people, but tell me more!
This leads Ore no Imouto into an odd place where the supporting cast is actually more interesting than the leads. Now this can work, because the encountering of wacky characters is central to the comedy. But even these wacky characters have some kind of depth to them. Kuroneko has her sisters which reveals another interesting side to her. Saori isn't what she looks like at all. Ayase seems like just another of Kirno's friends, but she's secretly Kirino's zealous protector
lesbian stalker. Manami looks like a pointless moeblob, but she's actually a bit wittier than she appears.
The thing that makes these characters interesting is that they are what the main leads aren't. They are characters that are more than they appear, and further events reveal more about their motivations and backgrounds that helps you explain their behavior. This is an example of good writing; it's just unfortunate that there's just not on time to build them.
A mixed bag really; mostly the supporting cast keeps the show alive.
Enjoyment: 7
Ore no Imouto is definitely a funny show though. While the massive amounts of insular references proved to be a bit too much at times, it didn't stop me from laughing. The script is written quite tongue in cheek sometimes, so even in the weaker episodes, you're guaranteed at least a few laughs.
It's also natural that many of Oreimo's strengths listed above make the show a effective comedy. The show doesn't take itself that seriously, and frequently pokes fun of itself. The soundtrack really aids in conveying that mood of looking at a serious issue but also keeping some humor so we can all have a less stressful outlook at life. The random new scenes placed in OPs is also fun for the interested.
Extra props goes to the "shows within a show" and their respective crazy fans. Not just a one shot joke, these made up shows feel extremely believable. You could totally believe there are games and animes like the ones they thought of. And of course, the clashes of tastes cannot be forgotten as the arguments and conflicts generated feel all too familiar. So there's a lot in store for the anime fan to chuckle at themselves. As they say, good humor frequently has some truth to it... they really took that home to great effect.
And let's not forget about the cosplay outfits, and the outfits in general. Guilty pleasure indeed (Kuroneko)... *cough*. But I'll pretend to be objective here.
Overall: 6 (Decent)
Despite the weaknesses in the leads and the direction of the show, it still performs quite well as a comedy. And that's just what I took it as. I feel that it really could have been something more memorable, and might have been able to actually provide some more insight into the issues it touched if it had more focus. Unfortunately, it just ended up trying everything and not ending with any of them.
But hey, not every show has to be thought provoking, and Ore no Imouto seems aware that trying too hard in that direction would make it pretentious. So in the end, it accomplished what it came here to do and all is well while I anticipate the "true" ending.