Ore no Imouto - Light Novel & Manga Discussion Thread

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Lucarion

What-the?

Who would've thought Manami had some evil inside her?

I had a gut feeling-

I was kinda expecting her to be sitting on an armchair alone in a dark room stroking a Persian cat going- "So... You've finally figured it out..."

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Oh, I meant the Oniichannko thing. I recall you supporting the Tomboy theory

Actually, I was one of the main ones to support the other reading (if you look further back), but I conceded the possibility in a later post. My original instinct on that was right.

Originally Posted by finalfury

Spoiler for Kirino:

Its been believed that Oreimo was not an incestuous novel. Do the events of volume 11 serve to support that belief or deny it since the information that has been said leads the idea that the story has a potential romantic incestuous subplot i.e. Kirino's crush on Kyousuke and "her desire to do something to him before graduation"(Sumeragi).?

Spoiler for Volume 11:

I honestly have never known why people believed that the theme of sibling romance was not central to this work. Now whether that romance is consummated or not remains to be seen, but Kirino's feelings for Kyousuke are clearly not just "I love him like a brother!", and they never have been (as suggested by this volume).

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by finalfury

Spoiler for Kirino:

Its been believed that Oreimo was not an incestuous novel. Do the events of volume 11 serve to support that belief or deny it since the information that has been said leads the idea that the story has a potential romantic incestuous subplot i.e. Kirino's crush on Kyousuke and "her desire to do something to him before graduation"(Sumeragi).?

That's actually a good question, and something we'll have to infer.

Spoiler for Sumeragi's Lecture:

Supposing Kirino had real feelings for Kyousuke, exactly what kind of feeling was it? Even if Kirino had thought of Kyousuke as the opposite sex and wanted to marry him, those kind of childish thoughts are similar to "I want to marry papa!" thoughts that we often see. Thus, if Kirino's feelings were those kind of passing stuff, how do we explain the current Kirino?

One possible theory is that the repressing of such childish feelings mutated into real love. If Manami had not intervened with Kirino by saying what she said, that childish feeling might have died off.

Spoiler for Summary of Manami's words:

That's strange.
That's not average.
That's not normal.
Don't tell anyone that feeling.
Quickly forget it and give up, and go back to being normal siblings.

However, by making Kirino feel guilty about her feelings towards Kyousuke, it is possible that it actually backfired and made Kirino love Kyousuke all the more, festering inside her as she also came to hate her Onii-chan. The repression started by Manami most likely made Kirino into the true brocon she has become.

Frankly, given how young Kirino was, we might never know what she was truly like back then.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

That's actually a good question, and something we'll have to infer.

Spoiler for Sumeragi's Lecture:

Supposing Kirino had real feelings for Kyousuke, exactly what kind of feeling was it? Even if Kirino had thought of Kyousuke as the opposite sex and wanted to marry him, those kind of childish thoughts are similar to "I want to marry papa!" thoughts that we often see. Thus, if Kirino's feelings were those kind of passing stuff, how do we explain the current Kirino?

One possible theory is that the repressing of such childish feelings mutated into real love. If Manami had not intervened with Kirino by saying what she said, that childish feeling might have died off.

Spoiler for Summary of Manami's words:

That's strange.
That's not average.
That's not normal.
Don't tell anyone that feeling.
Quickly forget it and give up, and go back to being normal siblings.

However, by making Kirino feel guilty about her feelings towards Kyousuke, it is possible that it actually backfired and made Kirino love Kyousuke all the more, festering inside her as she also came to hate her Onii-chan. The repression started by Manami most likely made Kirino into the true brocon she has become.

Frankly, given how young Kirino was, we might never know what she was truly like back then.

Yeah, that's more or less what it sounds like to me

Spoiler:

Since Kirino's childish feelings never got addressed properly they stuck with her.

Of course I wouldn't be too harsh on Manami (I suspect she'll become extremely hated soon if she hasn't already) since she was just a kid at the time too. Her reaction is probably what most people would have if some one told them they had feelings for a relative: "It's wrong and you should bury those feelings and tell no one else about them if you know what's good for you!" Whether Manami sabotauged Kirino's image of Kyosuke in order to eliminate a rival or to help Kirino I can't say with this little information.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Spoiler:

Of course I wouldn't be too harsh on Manami (I suspect she'll become extremely hated soon if she hasn't already) since she was just a kid at the time too. Her reaction is probably what most people would have if some one told them they had feelings for a relative: "It's wrong and you should bury those feelings and tell no one else about them if you know what's good for you!" Whether Manami sabotauged Kirino's image of Kyosuke in order to eliminate a rival or to help Kirino I can't say with this little information.

Spoiler for Volume 11:

Well, if it were just that one thing I might agree, but the events later on in the narrative seem to suggest this wasn't just a one time thing. From what has been said, the reason Kirino came to hate Kyousuke isn't just because of what Manami said in the past, but because of a second incident later where Manami got really mad at Kyousuke and reformed him into the normal guy she wanted him to be. So basically, it's like Manami stole Kirino's brother from her, and Kyousuke went along with it.

Of course, more details need to surface to confirm this reading of events, but that's what I gather from what has been discussed on blogs so far. I'd appreciate any corrections if I've misinterpreted anything.

[Sumeragi]

Spoiler for Volume 11 Considerations:

What Manami did was certainly not a one-time thing, and there are signs it was basically a systematic "taming" of Kyousuke from the perfect student/brother into the peace-loving average guy. It's very hard to brush off what Manami did at any one point as just being too young to know better. Manami certainly is not someone who was not mature even at that age.

[Lucarion]

And so the war resumes...and if my inkling is correct...this might just turn into the bloodiest most hateful fight between the heroine factions.

Manami....

Anyway, anyone else got their hands on the rest of the novel's illustrations?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Lucarion

Anyway, anyone else got their hands on the rest of the novel's illustrations?

Well, they can't be posted here due to our Forum Rules about raws.

[Sumeragi]

Well, since people want to know a bit more about Volume 11..... Here are a few treats.

Also, I want to get Kanzaki Hiro-san to pay my medical bills for all the nosebleed he caused with that Ruri special. And even worse, that's not the only one.

Images

Cover and Extra stuff

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

Stuff on Characters

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

The Final Battle

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[Lucarion]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Well, since people want to know a bit more about Volume 11..... Here are a few treats.

Also, I want to get Kanzaki Hiro-san to pay my medical bills for all the nosebleed he caused with that Ruri special. And even worse, that's not the only one.

Images

Cover and Extra stuff

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

Stuff on Characters

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

The Final Battle

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Oh, Kuroneko ^w^ Why so moe?

And I'm REALLY loving Kirino's new hair style there...makes her look more mature...and sexy...XD

[Sumeragi]

Well, here's the Burning version of the Ruri special:

Images

Catching Legendary Girl K

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[finalfury]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Well, since people want to know a bit more about Volume 11..... Here are a few treats.

Also, I want to get Kanzaki Hiro-san to pay my medical bills for all the nosebleed he caused with that Ruri special. And even worse, that's not the only one.

Images

Cover and Extra stuff

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

Stuff on Characters

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Images

The Final Battle

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

I have to gives props to that hair style. It's well done and much better than I expected. Kuroneko is still win though and that neko maid costume is adorable.

[Lucarion]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Well, here's the Burning version of the Ruri special:

Images

Catching Legendary Girl K

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

I know she's wearing a shop uniform, but at first glance it looked like Ruri was channeling Nadeko there XD But still...

ADORABLE ^w^

[zeko]

so to paraphrase what happened in the new novel...............

Spoiler:

darth manami

so the entire novel is like a flashback to when being young?

[omimon]

So what actually happened during the novel? I'm not asking for the ending but rather the beginning middle and climax.

[mastakilla88]

Originally Posted by zeko

so to paraphrase what happened in the new novel...............

Spoiler:

darth manami

More like Belphegor

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by omimon

So what actually happened during the novel? I'm not asking for the ending but rather the beginning middle and climax.

Spoiler for Volume 11 (per spoilers posted on the Net):

Most of the story seems to revolve around an extended flashback that tells the story of what happened three years ago that finally caused Kirino to actively dislike Kyousuke. The story is about Kyousuke's interactions with another girl (櫻井秋美 = Akimi Sakurai??? Not sure about the pronunciation). At that time, Kyousuke was a hot-blooded model student who was worried about students who weren't showing up in class. That led to him befriending this girl, and them going on a bunch of adventures and becoming good friends. But one day she was climbing a mountain with Kyousuke, and she ended up getting injured (fractured a bone). As a result, her parents withdrew her from that school. At around the same time, Kyousuke's grandmother had died, so everything was going poorly for him. The entire class blamed Kyousuke for what happened to Sakurai, and Manami got really angry (at Sakurai, at Kyousuke, and at the class). Kyousuke was depressed and went home crying, where Kirino consoled him. But later, Manami came over and gave him some "Life Consultation" -- she said that it couldn't be helped because Kyousuke's nothing special, that he's just a normal guy, and incidentally she liked him that way. Traumatized by what had happened and based on Manami's "advice", Kyousuke stopped being ambitious, and turned into the peace-loving "normal" person that we meet at the start of the show. And that's when Kirino started to hate him. Now, back to the present, they get back in contact with Sakurai, and Kyousuke arranged to meet her, and they apologize for what happened in the past, and Sakurai confesses to Kyousuke (something she couldn't do three years back), but Kyousuke has to turn her down saying that he's already in love with someone.

At the end of he story, Manami declares to Kanako that she'll ensure Kirino and Kyousuke will see each other only as normal siblings. Kirino announces to Kuroneko and Saori that she'll be going overseas for a modeling job after she graduates. Meanwhile, Ayase informs Kuroneko and Kirino that she confessed to Kyousuke. And Kyousuke himself seems ready to be the one to confess next... setting us up for the grand finale.


(So basically, everything Kirino has been trying to do with Kyousuke has been to try to restore him back to the person he used to be (the brother she loved and admired), and snap him out of the boring life he resolved himself to after the fallout with Sakurai and Manami's advice. She blames Manami for making Kyousuke turn out this way and, combined with what she told Kirino in the past about her feelings for Kyousuke not being normal, we can see why she hates her. Manami was literally the wedge that tore the siblings apart, but as was speculated, it may be precisely that wedge that brings them back together even stronger in the end, precisely the way Manami didn't want. We'll see... but I think "I can see the ending"...)

[Lucarion]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler for Volume 11 (per spoilers posted on the Net):

Most of the story seems to revolve around an extended flashback that tells the story of what happened three years ago that finally caused Kirino to actively dislike Kyousuke. The story seems to revolve around Kyousuke's interactions with another girl (櫻井秋美 = Akimi Sakurai??? Not sure about the pronunciation). At that time, Kyousuke was a hot-blooded model student who was worried about students who weren't showing up in class. That led to him befriending this girl, and them going on a bunch of adventures. But one day she went mountain-climbing with Kyousuke, and she ended up getting injured (fractured a bone). As a result, her parents withdrew her from that school. At around the same time, Kyousuke's grandmother had died, so everything was going poorly. The entire class blamed Kyousuke for what happened to Sakurai, and Manami got really angry (at Sakurai, at Kyousuke, and at the class). Kyousuke was depressed and went home crying, where Kirino consoled him. But later, Manami came over and gave him some "Life Consultation" -- she said that it couldn't be helped because Kyousuke's nothing special, that he's just a normal guy, and incidentally she liked him that way. Traumatized by what had happened and based on Manami's "advice", Kyousuke stopped being ambitious, and turned into the peace-loving "normal" person that we meet at the start of the show. And that's when Kirino started to hate him. Now, back to the present, they get back in contact with Sakurai, and Kyousuke arranged to meet her, and they apologize for what happened in the past, and Sakurai confesses to Kyousuke (something she couldn't do three years back), but Kyousuke has to turn her down saying that he's already in love with someone.

At the end of he story, Manami declares to Kanako that she'll ensure Kirino and Kyousuke will see each other only as normal siblings. Kirino announces to Kuroneko and Saori that she'll be going overseas for a modeling job after she graduates. Meanwhile, Ayase informs Kuroneko and Kirino that she confessed to Kyousuke. And Kyousuke himself seems ready to be the one to confess next... setting us up for the grand finale.

So...how does Manami's guilt-tripping fit into this?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Lucarion

So...how does Manami's guilt-tripping fit into this?

I added another paragraph above that may help explain that. That just basically explains how the wedge started to be driven between them; a wedge that was driven further by Manami's subsequent actions (and reinforced by her current declaration).

Spoiler for Summary:

1. (6+ years ago) Kirino is close to Kyousuke and really admires/loves him.
2. (6 years ago) Manami informs her that her feelings are abnormal and she should keep it a secret and go back to being normal siblings.
3. (5 years ago) Kyousuke, unaware, continues to be close to Manami's family, but Kirino is feeling further estranged, though she continues to admire Kyousuke.
4. (3 years ago) Kyousuke's big failure with Sakurai and subsequent advice from Manami change him from Kirino's ideal brother to a boring guy with no ambition. Kirino hates what he's become.
5. (1 year ago) Kirino's habit is discovered and she asks Kyousuke for "life consultation". The tides begin to turn and Kyousuke begins to go out of his shell again.

[cheesie]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler for Volume 11 (per spoilers posted on the Net):

At the end of he story, Manami declares to Kanako that she'll ensure Kirino and Kyousuke will see each other only as normal siblings. Kirino announces to Kuroneko and Saori that she'll be going overseas for a modeling job after she graduates. Meanwhile, Ayase informs Kuroneko and Kirino that she confessed to Kyousuke. And Kyousuke himself seems ready to be the one to confess next... setting us up for the grand finale.

Spoiler:

In reading this paragraph, I'm having flashbacks of Canvas 2 - now I'm certainly welcome to the prospect of having this re-enacted a second time, if only because I'm pretty fond of the sibling relationship, and also, should this happen, it will instigate a firestorm of reactions the likes we haven't seen, well, since Canvas 2 delivered its final blow.

From the looks of it, it sounds like a major conflict is being set up here, with Manami being all Final Boss and determined to come between Kyousuke and Kirino to the end. With Kirino intending to pull herself out of the picture, and Kyousuke being the one to take the initiative of confessing this time (where have I seen this trope before? ), if Kirino is a part of that resolution, then I really like where this is going, simply because I never liked the harem aspect of this series to begin with, and it's a fitting way of adding closure to the issue that haunted both of them before the series even started.