Ore no Imouto (Both Seasons) - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Kairin]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of Ore no Imouto ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Characters/Character Design
• Voice Acting
• Which kind of footage (Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive) you feel you'd really like to see.
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun

[Akito Kinomoto]

Just average. Season one was really good and only really derped on the story of Kirino's light novel being adapted into an anime, season two was hurt by Kuroneko's inconsistent and rushed story arc but was still good, and finally the season two OVAs created more problems than the series actually had and was below-average if only for the shock value. It's a solid series that trainwrecked in the end but until that time at least I had some fond memories.

[jrod]

Animation quality- 8.5/10 for Season 1, 7.5 for Season 2.
Though the production values for both seasons remain high(the producer is by the guy who did Utena & Sailormoon!), I can't help but notice the marked difference in the art style of the characters.
Kirino looks much more kawaii in S1 compared to S2. The Kirino in S1 has big and expressive eyes whereas in S2, she looks a little "K-on" to me.

Voice acting - 9/10
The voice actors did a great job bringing the unique personalities of each character to life. Stellar.

Script - S1 = 8/10, S2 = 8/10
Though I have not finished through the LNs in its entirety, as one who started watching the anime only, the dialogues between the characters for both S1 and S2 are really funny and interesting. The focus of S1 is on otaku wackiness and acceptance while S2 was on romance and reconciliation. However, the pacing in S2 feels rushed especially the last three episodes, perhaps another 1 or 2 more would have been better.

Soundtrack - 7/10
The OST is generally forgettable but there are a few scores that are memorable, especially those that were played during dere moments.
Great OPs by Kz(Livetune), Irony is more catchy than Reunion though; the different EDs with personal favourites: Masquerade, Keep on Running, Tadaima, Omou koto, Last Ceremony and Kanjou-sen Loop(KirinoXKyousuke theme for sure).

Enjoyment - 9/10
Enjoyed the S1 tremendously for its take on otaku culture and enjoyed the romance roller-coaster ride in S2.

Emotional involvement - 10/10
Oremio is the anime that brought my otaku spirit back after years of laying dormant.
Eroge, VNs, Anime, Games, Manga and Figurine were part of my early life, until I got swallowed by the grims of reality.
Oreimo lent a hand and pulled me out of the reality quicksand, I hope I can have the courage of Kirino to not forget that precious part of my life; I will not be me otherwise.
It has been and will always be one of my fav anime, and it will always keep me thinking about it.

My personal take is that Oreimo is a Love Story between Kirino & Kyousuke from the beginning.
This is obvious when I started watching the series.
From the lyrics of the Ops (Irony & Reunion) & EDs to the subtle hints sprinkled throughout the series.
I don’t believe that the author wanted it as JUST a story of reconciliation between siblings, based on all the subtle hints throughout the anime. Maybe it’s deliberate of the author and to a great extent the publisher and the animation companies that they wanted to stroke the feelings of readers and watchers: is there romantic interest between the siblings?

However, it’s fairly obvious that Kirino has a feeling that has surpassed the usual sibling relationship.
From her indulgence in BroXSis types of eroge, to her jealousy with girls who got close to her brother, just to name a few.

The various love interests introduced along the way are meant to test the resolve of Kirino & Kyousuke, for them to realize how much they care for each other. This may seem cruel and unfair to the various non-Kirino shippers, but I guess the Writer did such a good job in creating romantic scenarios of the other girls (esp. Kuroneko), that it really makes it hard not to feel for the girls.

Oreimo has grown into a major franchise out of the expectation of everybody. So it must have been a huge pressure for both write and producer to see out the Anime in the best possible way, in view of milking the franchise further. I personally think it has ended appropriately, although the pacing of the last 3 episodes could have been better.

I’m sure the BD/DVD releases will have omake providing further insights to the relationships of the characters. There will be interviews and articles just to tease and entice people to buy the DB/DVDs and other related goods.

Overall: 8.5/10 Oreimo will be a classic work that will be remembered by people in a long time to come.

[Kakurin]

All in all, this series was an enjoyable ride and I loved it. The strength of this series is the diverse cast of characters. They all were different and none of the major one was too generic. Furthermore the main and minor characters were (nearly) all likeable. The interactions between the characters are interesting and funny. What I liked very much about the series is (what relentlessflame has mentioned in another thread), the "puzzle" aspect. In Oreimo, many things are not what they seem to be, if one only looks at them superficially. The author has thrown around many scenes and many hints, that are pieced together after looking at the ending. This also gives the series a good rewatchability, as it's interesting to pick up all those little things and see them in a new light. Some scenes that were disregarded, or interpreted differently are illuminated in a new light.

Season One of the anime was a great show and it felt less rushed than the second one. What I liked more about the second season were the lovely and memorable scenes, like the Kuroneko dating, Kirino's dere moments, then scenes in the ending. But both had lots of funny, touching and eye-popping moments that were enjoyable. Great were also the seiyuus. Everybody did a great job, if I have to single some out, of course Hanazawa Kana with that great performance for Kuroneko, Nakamura Yuuichi (Kyousuke's super-mode is funny, though it got slightly turned into a running joke during the last three episodes), Taketatsu Ayana for the different shades of Kirino and Tamura Yukari (I just love Kanako's voice, especially the "raaa").

Nevertheless, I have to give the anime a lower grade than the light novel. First, I didn't like the anime-original content, as well as some changes the anime staff undertook. In the first season, Episode 8 with the Kirino's novel-gets-an-anime just looked out of place and was a low point in an otherwise great season. In the second season, Episode 2 with the Ayase and Love Touch game, was just unnecessary (I think the anime staff compelled Fushimi-sensei to write an episode for Ayase or so). Although it is more funny than Episode 8 of the first season, it didn't have any connection to the plot and didn't bring about any character development. In the end it was just wasted 25 minutes in a season that was in desperate need for more episodes.

As for other changes, most notably in my opinion is leaving away huge swaths of Volume 11 for time reasons (the reason for Kyousuke's change in personality is never mentioned), cutting the scene with Kirino asking Kyousuke to buy her a Meruru ring and the decision not to listen to the author regarding the spot of the last kiss. In this light I can understand why anime-only watchers have some of their issues with the second season.

Another negative in Season Two was the animation (or lack thereof) of crowds. Once the action in the front starts, the people in the background are just silently frozen for the entire duration. Especially when that scene is taking some time, it just gives an awkward feeling. Most noticable is this in Episode 9 during the Kirino - Kuroneko conversation and Episode 12 during Kyousuke and then Kanako's confession.

To conclude it, I love the series, but for the anime some things prevent a higher rating than 8 - which is still very good.

[Thailog]

Originally Posted by SigUp

In the second season, Episode 2 with the Ayase and Love Touch game, was just unnecessary (I think the anime staff compelled Fushimi-sensei to write an episode for Ayase or so). Although it is more funny than Episode 8 of the first season, it didn't have any connection to the plot and didn't bring about any character development. In the end it was just wasted 25 minutes in a season that was in desperate need for more episodes.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. Reading the complete Light Novels (not just the summaries) really does make the story clearer and more enjoyable.

BTW, I think that the season 2 Ayase/Love Touch episode was adapted from a drama CD or something like that.

[VORTIA]

Originally Posted by Thailog

This pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. Reading the complete Light Novels (not just the summaries) really does make the story clearer and more enjoyable.

BTW, I think that the season 2 Ayase/Love Touch episode was adapted from a drama CD or something like that.

I agree. I think the greatest weakness of the second season was that the plot really needed to be focused on Kirino and Kyosuke, but their development felt somewhat rushed because time was repeatedly set aside instead to provide service to fans of other characters.

The Love Touch episode was funny, but mostly pointless, and was added purely for the benefit of Ayase fans. As much as I like Kanako, nearly all of her scenes in the second season were also irrelevant to the story, particularly her completely out of place confession during the finale.

Alas, plot doesn't sell Blu-Rays. Fan service, sight gags, and moe moments sell Blu-Rays.

[Wilshere]

Originally Posted by VORTIA

I agree. I think the greatest weakness of the second season was that the plot really needed to be focused on Kirino and Kyosuke, but their development felt somewhat rushed because time was repeatedly set aside instead to provide service to fans of other characters.

The Love Touch episode was funny, but mostly pointless, and was added purely for the benefit of Ayase fans. As much as I like Kanako, nearly all of her scenes in the second season were also irrelevant to the story, particularly her completely out of place confession during the finale.

Alas, plot doesn't sell Blu-Rays. Fan service, sight gags, and moe moments sell Blu-Rays.

I doubt they can put a smoking Kanako in there . I think they solely focused the anime to attract more sales and the plot was the victim. Would have been a great anime had they focused a little more on the plot.

[kaigan]

lost my prepared post when i accidentally closed my unsaved text editor, so i'll retake a brief one.

this is one series i avidly followed through the years. one of the few anime couples i supported that actually end up with each other. the hate against them was intense back then, i don't expect it becoming less now.

but that didn't stop me enjoying the wonderful love story this anime has to offer. i'm inundated with sense of fulfillment and satisfaction after watching the final episode =)

the production too was top-class. the voice acting suited the personality portrayals. ill miss ayana taketatsu and saori hayami's voices (well, there's twgok still). i'm not really fond of "too perfect to be real" manami but her voice fitted well for the character. that's something i appreciate.

oreimo also made me an instant fan of claris. i started watching madoka when i read that the op had the same artist.

the evolving op was also a plus. the subtle changes were the ones i always looked up to. memorable ones were the fighting game character select screen and the heroines' ways of addressing kyousuke (onii-san).

the show is very sentimental one too. i met like-minded people, friends, sympathizers, and comrades-in-arms together we brave the odds against the scornful eyes of society. and now the faithful are beautifully rewarded!

how i wish it was longer. probably another season if the animators only exploited all the details in the LN especially the *hints*.

love it!

[Kakurin]

Having talked about the seiyuu's, when looking closer, Oreimo seems like a Shana reunion party.

Kugimiya Rie, Tamura Yukari, Nabatame Hitomi, Iwata Mitsuo, Matsuoka Yoshitsugu, Kawashima Houko, Itou Shizuka, Watanabe Akeno were all part of the Shana cast.

[ExXentriK]

It's the first time I do this kind of series rating so I'll follow the canevas proposed in the first post.

Animation quality - 7/10: I chose an average of 7/10 as the difference in quality from S1 to S2 is vast. S1's animations were clearly done in a scruffier way than S2. If I could rate them separately I'd give a 6/10 for S1 and 8/10 for S2 and I'm expecting improvements in the Blu-Ray release(can't wait to watch Kyousuke's confession scene in full 1080p, 10-bit, FLAC audio).

Voice actors - 10/10: Almost nothing to say here, the VA staff did a really good job understanding and performing the role of their character and gave the proper emotions through their voice. Kirino and Kanako had extremely cute voices that made my heart litteraly melt whenever I heard them. I was extremely pleased with the Kyousuke/Kirino VA during the confession scene, made me literally shed some tears.

Script - 8/10: I'm glad the anime followed the LN overall faithfully, but I won't deny the fact that some episodes felt rushed or "out of the place", especially in S2. The story starts with comedy but slowly transists to romance which is the aspect I prefered, and everything, including the soundtrack adapted itself well to this transition. As for the character writing and development, well they are quite faithful to their LN Doppelgängers, in the exception of Kirino whose tsun side has been exagerated a little to satisfy anime needs which I can understand(if she was that tsun in the LN it would have annoyed me a little). I liked Kyousuke's slow transition to "Super-Kyousuke" to my mind mind it's what makes him a better written character than a blank generic harem main protagonist.

Soundtrack - 9/10: ClariS' performance was absolutely amazing on both openings(I prefer Irony though), I enjoyed it to the point where I started watching Madoka for the unique reason that ClariS performed the opening. The S1 OST sounds appropriate for the comedy genre but nothing unforgettable came out of it. I can't wait for the release of S2 OST though which contains very emotional tracks !

Enjoyment - 10/10: I think it's obvious at this point that I've enjoyed the series more than any other during it's airing. I think this is where people will give either 10/10 or 1/10 according to the ending. The main factor that put brakes on my enjoyment of this series is the eternal "muh best girl" fight which I try to ignore as much as possible, but some people are so narrow minded about it that I couldn't help it but cringe while reading hate comments.

Emotional involvement - 10/10: No need to mention how strongly I have been involved emotionally in both the LN and Anime. As I write those lines I feel a lot of sadness that it's already over. I haven't cried so much while watching a series since Clannad and I rewatch key episodes almost everyday.

I proudly gave a 9/10 in the overall rating, to my mind Oreimo is and will stay for a long time the best romance story I had the pleasure to watch/read !

[Wilshere]

I think its time to give a rating to my favorite anime/LN.

Animation Quality 8/10: Overall, it was pretty good in both seasons bit I preferred S2 animation more and maybe because they emphasized on Kirino's lovely round face!!!

Voice Actors 10/10: No doubt, arguably they all were suited to their characters, especially Kyousuke, Nakamura did a really great job in making Kyousuke a very interesting character. For Kirino, Ayana Taketatsu made her a lovable character by bringing her tsun and dere sides accordingly. The confession scene is an evidence to that. Appreciate all the other VAs as well,loved them.

Script 8/10: Although the anime followed the LN ''clearly'', I can't give it a higher score since the pacing in S2 was really fast. S1 was really good paced, although the playing in Volume 3 did not get my liking(Kirino's story being stolen) and maybe Volume 2 where they cut the little ''confession'' of hers after the Ayase problem. Overall it was solid pacing. Now for S2. I have not much problems but really don't understand the amount of side stories in it(Ep2 and Ep3(although it was in Volume 6) ) and that really made stuff hard to clarify in a 13 episode season. They could have made it a lot better but maybe the wait for the final Volume made them do it. S2 redeemed itself by showing the characters body language(emotions,reactions, even thinking etc...) very well, adding to that it showed Kirino's view when Kyousuke was not around(especially Volume 10). Ep13 of S2 was one of the cutest things in the series, seeing Kirino expressing herself and seeing the story from her view was also important. If volume 11 was animated, I can say that it would have been a great season. S1 made Kirino TSUN and a little dere, in S2 she was pretty balanced although I find Ep9 very dere from her.Pacing made the series lose some points.

Soundtrack 10/10: Irony was a perfect fit for S1, showing Kirino conflicting with her feelings and S2's Reunion fits S2 to show the journey of both of them reuniting and being in love with each other just like the lyrics of the song. Enjoyed them fully.

Enjoyment 10/10: Its clear to me, that this anime was the most enjoyable. Everyone has their opinion based on what he likes or doesn't but it has been a real joy to watch it.

Emotional involvement 11/10: I think that I'm not the only one who cried throughout the series, especially when Kyousuke begs Kirino to come back, when she comforted him and then the confrontation with Kuroneko and expressing her feelings, to the last 3 episodes, be it the confession, the recordings, or even the wedding scene which brought me to tears like nothing else brought me to, really. I got emotional when I read the Volume 12 but the anime made it more real and it let my emotions flow. My heart literally aches when Kirino gets hated for no reason, this is also a proof to the emotional bonding with the series.

8/10, main reason is the missing of important plot build-up and maybe for making Kirino very tsun. Enjoyed it nevertheless.

[SeanJD]

My comments for both seasons as a whole is that I loved everything about the series, including the characters, music, manga, and the light novels. I would give it a 10/10 because it was the first series that I have seen that dealt with little sister-themed type of anime. I was hesitant to watch this series because it was talking about a girl playing little sister eroge that I was shocked that there are people who played such things, but I came to like how that Kirino was trying to look up to her brother for guidance on life counseling to help her in the future should she need to move forward with her life. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who would enjoy drama and as well as comedic moments in the series.

[Crimsonbitter]

I will start by saying that overall, i disliked this anime to a large extent. In this evaluation, the anime itself and the morality behind it will be factored into the assessment.

First amd foremost, the anime itself was of a substantial quality, i admit. It wasnt too bad, the voice actors were doing their jobs and the colouring was of acceptable standard. But the problem lies in that it isnt memorable. It was of passable quality at most, and certainly wont leave an impression at all im the viewer. Unlike animes like bakemonogatori which has its distinct art style, oreimos looks like those of normal and mundane animes that come out every season but fail to attract you.

Second, the charactere in there are unlikable to a large extent. To begin with kirino is already a heavily hated character, being potrayed as a spoiled, proud, petty, selfish and overly tsun character, which are traits that you often associate with people you absolutely detest. Furthurmore, the show potrays her to be different in school, meaning she is not only pretentious but a hypocrite too. Therefore theres no reasom to like kirino, unless you do not mind associating woth such people on real life. The MC starts off with a moderate starting, but fails to impress too. He has the typical MC characteristics, like Shirou Emiya from fate/SN, so he doesnt stand out ultimately. However he gets more dislikable as the series progresses, become a wimp and heartbreaker towards the end of season 2. Other characters are subtle, and forgettable at best. No clear and good elaboratiom is allocated for them. In fact, the attention the producers spend on them is akin to that of stage props used in a play.

Lastly, the morality of the series is totally wrong. Even with the new liberal age where homosexuality is accepted, incest is pushing it too far. It creates a sense of discomfort immediately in all viewers, and those who decide that they accept it after a while find themselves having a non pleasing experience
Much as animes reflect reality, the concept behind oreimo is totally not applicable to life at all, except im pornographic websites. The direction that the series chooses to take makes the anime overall unplatable, and disturbing to a large degree( the fact that the MC likes kirino is more disturbing)

Overall, this anime deserves a rating of only 2/10 at best due to its morally wrong approach, though it coule have gotten a 5/10 if it took a different direction

[Ravagerblade]

Originally Posted by Crimsonbitter

I will start by saying that overall, i disliked this anime to a large extent. In this evaluation, the anime itself and the morality behind it will be factored into the assessment.

First amd foremost, the anime itself was of a substantial quality, i admit. It wasnt too bad, the voice actors were doing their jobs and the colouring was of acceptable standard. But the problem lies in that it isnt memorable. It was of passable quality at most, and certainly wont leave an impression at all im the viewer. Unlike animes like bakemonogatori which has its distinct art style, oreimos looks like those of normal and mundane animes that come out every season but fail to attract you.

Second, the charactere in there are unlikable to a large extent. To begin with kirino is already a heavily hated character, being potrayed as a spoiled, proud, petty, selfish and overly tsun character, which are traits that you often associate with people you absolutely detest. Furthurmore, the show potrays her to be different in school, meaning she is not only pretentious but a hypocrite too. Therefore theres no reasom to like kirino, unless you do not mind associating woth such people on real life. The MC starts off with a moderate starting, but fails to impress too. He has the typical MC characteristics, like Shirou Emiya from fate/SN, so he doesnt stand out ultimately. However he gets more dislikable as the series progresses, become a wimp and heartbreaker towards the end of season 2. Other characters are subtle, and forgettable at best. No clear and good elaboratiom is allocated for them. In fact, the attention the producers spend on them is akin to that of stage props used in a play.

Lastly, the morality of the series is totally wrong. Even with the new liberal age where homosexuality is accepted, incest is pushing it too far. It creates a sense of discomfort immediately in all viewers, and those who decide that they accept it after a while find themselves having a non pleasing experience
Much as animes reflect reality, the concept behind oreimo is totally not applicable to life at all, except im pornographic websites. The direction that the series chooses to take makes the anime overall unplatable, and disturbing to a large degree( the fact that the MC likes kirino is more disturbing)

Overall, this anime deserves a rating of only 2/10 at best due to its morally wrong approach, though it coule have gotten a 5/10 if it took a different direction

That's a very subjective opinion you have, while kirino is a hypocrite and all that business, Your view point that the two character wanting a incestual relationship is morally wrong is just societies political correctness coming into play. Some people don't mind reading about this and probably enjoy this 'fantasy'.
My subjective opinion is that your being overly judgmental over little things.

[Kakurin]

Not this again... Can't people just let one year old threads lie in peace, unless the opinion is well argued and new? Why sign up only to comment on dead threads?

"She is different at school." --> Wrong. She is different only in regards to Kyousuke. This begs the question, what is her true self? Of course both are parts of it, but in her daily interaction her "school self" is the overwhelming majority of it.

"She is spoiled." --> Aha, that's why her achievements are all part of her own hard work. She was never given anything for free. Being good at sports? Because she spent all that time training as hard as she can. Having that money from her modeling work? Because she went out herself and got that job and took it seriously, against the objections of her father. Having a novel published? By working herself literally sick.

"She is petty." --> Aha, that's why she bought Kyousuke an entire fridge. Or helped Kuroneko with her outfits. Or was a true big sister to Ria with everything that it entails.

"She is selfish." --> Aha, that's why she paid so much attention to Kuroneko's feelings, even though by her own admittance it bothered her very much.

"Kyousuke is a wimp and heartbreaker." --> Aha, so you think it is better to keep them all on a string and not letting them move on even if you aren't in love with them? Great morality.

"Incest is pushing it too far." --> As far as I know they haven't had sex. No incest in legal terms.

"The concept behind Oreimo is not applicable to life at all." --> That's why it's fiction. How many anime are not applicable to life? A good load of them, maybe even the majority. Or do you think that 50% of life consists of harem and violence?
And if you see their relationship as an exaggerated extension of deep siblings' care for each other, why is that not applicable at all?

Well, I'm out of here. Obviously you didn't really pay attention to this show at all, so no reason to spend any more time on this. I did this more than enough a year ago.