Ore no Imouto - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[DJLowrider]

This episode had a very slice-of-life feel to it, which I really appreciated. Not quite a perfect episode for me simply due to my wanting to see more of Ruri's family life, but it was nonetheless great to see her in normal clothes and dealing with normal situations. Also loved her conversation with Kyousuke on the phone. Kinda wanted Kyousuke to get out of the house and hang with her instead of putting up with Kirino's wailing over an eroge. Saori-ojousama was also quite the treat to see as well. 9/10 for me.

[ID555]

Originally Posted by DRAGUN H.E.X.

we were close to see Saori's true indentity, DAMMIT!!!

It was so good, her dress was surprisingly stylish too... UNHHHHHH

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Himeji

This time Kyousuke has no right to complain about the "abuse" he gets from Kirino, because it's 100% self-inflicted. Instead of going over, taking part in Kirino's fun and saying something like "Your new eroge seems lots of fun, can I have a look?", he's banging the wall and bitching loudly. I would be annoyed at that as well

He was trying to study for his exams. Something one generally cannot do while pretending to be interested in their little sister's eroge.

[MeoTwister5]

The irony of the entire eroge gaming being almost lost on Kirino would be annoying if it wasn't hilariously exaggerated. Probably the first time in a while that I laughed a lot watching this show.

But what really struck me was that I think I may have seen dere moments from her in the shower and at the end, and that she actually became introspective and reflective near the end of the first game route. That sigh and longing face obviously struck a chord or a nerve, especially since it came after the character reminiscing about going to the park with her brother in the past. Perhaps it brought out something in Kirino she refused to see or had simply tucked away. She almost found it unbelievable, so all this closeness with brothers seems to be alien to her, if not angering. Why it angers her is still a bit of a mystery, but if the more civil argument they had points to anything, this relationship has been going on perhaps far longer than either of them is willing to admit.

Finally dammit I'm getting my context!

It's pointing more and more towards where I think it's going, or at least close to it, based on the final scenes of the episode. As I said the entire fact that the character mirrors her (and she even says that the character says her lines!) and that it brought out some dere moments I thought I'd never see means that the entire brother-sister relationship, perhaps even up to a taboo point, elicits some memories and/or feelings from her she would never readily admit.

Think about it. If anything, the distant relationship of the siblings in the game seem to mirror the one between Kyousuke and Kirino to some extent. The absence of the emotional connection with communication was the primary issue, and the game seems to make Kirino aware how the brother is trying to bridge that gap and how the sister seems reluctant. In the end the characters bridge the gap and this makes her uncomfortable. Perhaps she is afraid or reluctant to admit that she and Kyousuke can do the same? Maybe not THAT close, but it clearly annoys her that the characters have reconnected, and by extension perhaps it reflects her own beliefs towards Kyousuke. Kirino, like the sister, is still hanging on to past feelings of disconnection and thus angry at this disconnection. She might not be as angry at Kyousuke as she (and we) thought, but angry at the gap that exists between them which manifests as aggression towards Kyousuke. To say that she might have suppressed romantic feelings for him is still at a stretch at this point, but I think this episode proved that Kirino does want to have a more civil and sibling-like connection with Kyousuke. She... well she just doesn't know how.

With those in mind, I think this episode made me learn more about Kirino than all previous episodes combined, and in fact made me like her to some extent. Now that I have some understanding and context of her inner workings, it's now hard to take her at face value. There's something there inside that seems to prove that she's a much more caring and emotional person beyond all the selfish fits and tantrums.

Best episode of the series yet.

[blitz1/2]

I can't believe that I just found this now, about Kirino's id, wow she's hardcore
kiririn@miyabichanismaiimouto

[Hoodspirit]

Suprising episode.
After last weeks horror of a filler, the show trying to make up to the LN readers? many references to volume 6 and even 7 and depending on who you go for you could nitpick some hints for later volumes. Disregarding those references and hints the episode was a bit slow (mainly the beginning) with just one running gag, but at least it was a well presented one.
Nice side of Kirino this week.

[Thoguht]

What happened? It went from meh-land last week (on balance I think I severely overrated it in the voting) to one of the most perfectly-judged, finely balanced episodes I've seen in a long time. At one point, the irony was almost unbearable. And then there was Kuroneko in a completely different light, a revelation, really. If Kirino really wants her bro, she'd better change her ways pretty soon.

And yes, she's turning into one of the most insufferable characters I've had the misfortune of seeing for a long time, but how exactly does that make the anime bad? Are stories not supposed to have villains? So, 10/10, no question.

[CWW]

I can't believe Kirino kept her hobby a secret for this long the way she throws a tantrum or gets excited every time something mundane happens in those games. Even a child on Christmas Day would have made less of a fuss. If I were Kyousuke I would have left the house already. Probably chilling at Manami's place.

[roankun]

lol. Kirino-bashing pretty much everywhere I look. If you guys don't want her, I'll take her. Gladly. ^^

Still, I've been a KyousukexKirino shipper... until now. With that scene, I might actually support the KyousukexRuri pairing.

Overall, 9/10.

I would have given it a 10... if not for that lil sis of Kuroneko. I know some like her (what with that post about the title finally making sense or something), but I find her quite annoying. That voice sounds like a thirty-year old raising her voice to sound like a child, and it doesnt sound bearable. Well, aside from the voice, I don't have much complaints though. Oh except for that time when she was watching Meruru. If you're having fun, look like you're having fun, dammit. Just that small smile wont do.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Mairsile

It was cute to see Kuroneko blush when Kyousuke called

She didn't blush. OreImo female characters always have that "blush" on their face, whenever, whereever.

Oh, and when Kirino cleared the game, I was waiting for her to shout "What the hell!? Just because you're siblings, you shouldn't let that get in the way of your love!" or something, and Kyousuke hears it. @.@

[Bombo]

Kuroneko what u have done to me now!?
Normal cloths? taking care for your little sister? Mutto Kuroneko PLEASE.!

and about kyusuke I laughing so hard for him when he listen to kirino XD
10/10

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by Bombo

Kuroneko what u have done to me now!?
Normal cloths? taking care for your little sister? Mutto Kuroneko PLEASE.!

and about kyusuke I laughing so hard for him when he listen to kirino XD
10/10

Well, if I was a big bro studying for an exam and my sis is making a huge ass distraction next door, I would yell out, "SHUT UP ALREADY! I'M WORKING!"

But yea, now if we can combine Kuroneko as the imouto instead...

[7godeohs]

Originally Posted by roankun

She didn't blush. OreImo female characters always have that "blush" on their face, whenever, whereever.

She actually did blush slightly, it just was hard to notice because the area around the 'red face lines' is already colored some. I can't believe I'm actually going to do this.

The 3 Levels of Ore no Imouto looks/blushing:

1) Normal - Red lines, with slight pink around it (everyone, all the time)
2) Slight blush - Red lines, with slightly darker pink around it (Kuroneko when she gets that call from Kyousuke)
3) Extreme blush - Red lines across entire face (Kirino at end of Ep. 9)

When #3 is applied to Kirino it is either her blushing or pissed off - with her it's pretty much interchangeable. And yes, I did watch the Kuroneko scene a couple times to verify #2 - was bored. I would post pics, but I am not THAT bored.....yet.

[Soconfused]

Man, does Kyousuke not have any guy friends? Dude just hangs out with young girls, girl next door types, older women, I'm surprised no ones seen him and has questioned his taste in company.

Good episode, Kuroneko was the best part of the episode as usual.

[Mairsile]

Originally Posted by 7godeohs

She actually did blush slightly, it just was hard to notice because the area around the 'red face lines' is already colored some. I can't believe I'm actually going to do this.

The 3 Levels of Ore no Imouto looks/blushing:

1) Normal - Red lines, with slight pink around it (everyone, all the time)
2) Slight blush - Red lines, with slightly darker pink around it (Kuroneko when she gets that call from Kyousuke)
3) Extreme blush - Red lines across entire face (Kirino at end of Ep. 9)

When #3 is applied to Kirino it is either her blushing or pissed off - with her it's pretty much interchangeable. And yes, I did watch the Kuroneko scene a couple times to verify #2 - was bored. I would post pics, but I am not THAT bored.....yet.

Here you go. But I honestly think Kuroneko and Kyousuke would make a good couple. They both find Kirino's choice of anime to be peculiar and take care of their younger sisters as well as being rational thinkers. Before being interrupted by Kirino's screaming, it seemed as though he was going to ask Kuroneko if she wanted to hang out.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Saturn Beaver

Yeah, I can personally vouch for this, at least this is exactly the case for me. Like with Endless Eight, the rage has finally subsided only replaced with a sense of tiredness, and I still cling to that last glimmer of hope so that she'll one day develop...Oh, and for the other characters as well, like in this episode I'm watching primarily for the Kuroneko scenes, when Kirino is being a jerk towards Kyousuke as usual I pretty much fast forward/skip the scene (seriously, kicking him for pointing out that she drops her panties? She dropped it herself, he's only truing to help and doesn't even touch it...)

More than that, why would a sister react so strongly (in any way) to her brother over him pointing out that she dropped a pair of underwear?

I mean, there's usually a certain degree of looseness and implicit relaxation within a nuclear family. This is somebody you grew up in the same home with, see on a daily basis for your entire life up until now, and you get totally embarrassed over him seeing a pair of your underwear that you accidentally dropped on the floor?

He's obviously only trying to help her, and it's not like he's some stranger or a classmate visiting that she barely knows.

Yeah, count me in as well, I suppose the whole lampshading is rather humorous, but it's ultimately pointless. I know that it's just filler, but still, this just makes it seems trollish (woah, that's a real word?) from the anime staff. Perhaps it's too subtle for me too notice, but I really don't see her seeing herself in Rinko even for a bit.

I do think that she saw herself in Rinko for a bit, but I think all it served to do was annoy her, and make her worse.

The only sense I get from Kirino is "This is so annoying! Not only is Rinko supremely annoying, but this game is making it feel like I'm like Rinko, which is even more annoying!"

She doesn't seem to take that line of thinking to its logical conclusion, which is to say that the in-canon eroge makers obviously aren't trying to base Rinko off of Kirino, but that Kirino herself simply happens to have the same personality flaws as Rinko does. Hence, just as Rinko annoys Kirino, it stands to reason that Kirino annoys Kyousuke for the same reason. And by extension, just as Kirino reacts positively to Rinko becoming sweeter, it could be argued that Kyousuke would react more positively to Kirino becoming sweeter.

If Kirino's thinking was like that, then we should have seen her try being nicer to her brother. By her only treating him as badly as ever, it shows that the only thing Kirino took from the eroge was a sense of irritation that she then took out on her brother.

Something else to keep in mind here, too: This is an anime original episode. That means that the anime makers had complete freedom to portray Kirino showing a dere side for a change. Even if Kirino went back to being very tsun the next episode due to what's chronologically next in the source material, that still would be fine because tsunderes are noted for going back and forth between tsun and dere anyway.

So, I really think that the anime makers missed a golden opportunity here. An opportunity to show a softer and more likable side to Kirino. If they had shown Kirino responding to her eroge game by being nicer to Kyousuke (or at least obviously trying to be), then this episode would have been a masterpiece. As is, it's the drama equivalent of a great setup without a good punchline.

I'm not expecting a huge turnaround in behavior, but really, just a little change...

Agreed.

And wow, Kirino is acting really creepy there with the game. Really, not just licking her lips when she saw the little sisters, but to the point where she recorded the game saying I love you, rolling in her bed replaying over and over in joyful glee, as well as her reaction when the H-scene comes...At least she doesn't fap to it, or all her argument just go down the drain.

And for all her talk of "2D is 2D, I won't mix it up with 3D!" the whole pausing her screen just to rant at Rinko makes the statement pretty suspect. I mean, I've been emotionally invested in a story before too (won't have such a strong reaction towards Kirino if not) but I never pause the scene just to rant at her (I do it here instead)

Well, it is a bit creepy, yes, but one thing about Kirino that we have to accept simply based on the premise for this anime is that she has unusual interests and tastes for someone of her age and gender. So Kirino's eccentricity I'm willing to accept as an essential element to the story this anime is trying to tell - in fact, that eccentricity can be amusing at times - it's the way she treats her brother and fails to show even the slightest hint of empathy that I dislike.

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

The irony of the entire eroge gaming being almost lost on Kirino would be annoying if it wasn't hilariously exaggerated.

If this was a pure comedy, I'd perhaps agree with you. But it's not. There's a lot of drama in this anime.

But what really struck me was that I think I may have seen dere moments from her in the shower and at the end, and that she actually became introspective and reflective near the end of the first game route.

Dere moments require at least two people to share a scene together. A dere moment is when somebody is dere to someone else. There's no dere moments unless there's someone benefiting from it.

That sigh and longing face obviously struck a chord or a nerve, especially since it came after the character reminiscing about going to the park with her brother in the past. Perhaps it brought out something in Kirino she refused to see or had simply tucked away. She almost found it unbelievable, so all this closeness with brothers seems to be alien to her, if not angering.

... Wait, what? Playing games that displays sisters having closeness with brothers is alien to Kirino? Isn't the premise of this anime that she's massively into such games, and has been playing them for ages now?

Games displaying sisters being close to brothers is a major entertainment interest for Kirino. It's hardly alien to her.

Why it angers her is still a bit of a mystery, but if the more civil argument they had points to anything, this relationship has been going on perhaps far longer than either of them is willing to admit.

The argument was civil because Kirino was amazed that Kyousuke was actually standing up to her for a change, and not bowing down to her every whim. Kirino has now become so accustomed to lording herself over her brother that she was taken aback at his sudden burst of strength.

Finally dammit I'm getting my context!

I'm certainly not seeing any added context here.

Think about it. If anything, the distant relationship of the siblings in the game seem to mirror the one between Kyousuke and Kirino to some extent. The absence of the emotional connection with communication was the primary issue, and the game seems to make Kirino aware how the brother is trying to bridge that gap and how the sister seems reluctant. In the end the characters bridge the gap and this makes her uncomfortable. Perhaps she is afraid or reluctant to admit that she and Kyousuke can do the same?

Then why has she spent most of this anime trying to rebuild her relationship with her brother?

While the thinly veiled date from Episode 7 wasn't an effective attempt on Kirino's part to get closer to her brother, it is nonetheless an obvious one.

There's something there inside that seems to prove that she's a much more caring and emotional person beyond all the selfish fits and tantrums.

A caring and emotional person would have taken much more form this eroge than what Kirino did. A caring and emotional person would have recognized what this eroge was saying about her, and about the flaws in how she has been trying to rebuild her relationship with her brother thus far.

With all due respect, I think that your interpretation of these scenes just doesn't work.

Originally Posted by Thoguht

If Kirino really wants her bro, she'd better change her ways pretty soon.

Agreed.

And yes, she's turning into one of the most insufferable characters I've had the misfortune of seeing for a long time, but how exactly does that make the anime bad? Are stories not supposed to have villains?

I'm not convinced that the anime intends for Kirino to be viewed as a villain. The only thing that'll convince me otherwise is if she either gets her comeuppance at some point, and/or becomes a reformed villain who apologizes for her past "villainy", if you get my drift.

Then she would become akin to a certain famous character from a prominent piece of fiction often cited around this time of year...

[Duo Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Soconfused

Man, does Kyousuke not have any guy friends? Dude just hangs out with young girls, girl next door types, older women, I'm surprised no ones seen him and has questioned his taste in company.

I'd say "good taste". You know I'm jealous.

[Divine witch]

This was a rather spectacular episode and a funny one to watch.

Kuroneko's monolog was quite hillarious and Kirino's kick in the hip was amazing.
I would give episode 9/10 but it has earned 10/10 with its content.

[kitten320]

Originally Posted by Himeji

This time Kyousuke has no right to complain about the "abuse" he gets from Kirino, because it's 100% self-inflicted. Instead of going over, taking part in Kirino's fun and saying something like "Your new eroge seems lots of fun, can I have a look?", he's banging the wall and bitching loudly. I would be annoyed at that as well

Are you freaking seriouse?

1. Why should he show any interest if he is not interested?
2. Even if he did it, Kirino would still eventually kick him or would keep shouting in his ears so why bother?
3. She was fucking screaming the WHOLE DAY! I'm suprised that he didn't start banging sooner!

Kyousuke had full rights to bitch at that point! He was being quiet the whole time and Kirino didn't bother even once to think if she is too loud and is distrubing him.


Also I found it really funny how Kirino was complaining about a character not being cute who is an exact copy of herself. Someone should seriously record her antics and then make a comparison video. Maybe that would make her re-think her actions.

Otherwise was nice to see Kuroneko in daily life as well as Saori's secret life style. Really want to know how she looks without glasses. So far she looked good.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Something else to keep in mind here, too: This is an anime original episode. That means that the anime makers had complete freedom to portray Kirino showing a dere side for a change. Even if Kirino went back to being very tsun the next episode due to what's chronologically next in the source material, that still would be fine because tsunderes are noted for going back and forth between tsun and dere anyway.

So, I really think that the anime makers missed a golden opportunity here. An opportunity to show a softer and more likable side to Kirino. If they had shown Kirino responding to her eroge game by being nicer to Kyousuke (or at least obviously trying to be), then this episode would have been a masterpiece. As is, it's the drama equivalent of a great setup without a good punchline.

This episode's script was written by the author of the original novels himself (unlike all the other episodes in the anime so far). If the original author wanted to end the episode this way despite knowing full-well that it presented an easy opportunity to hint at something else, I think this is just the way Kirino is meant to be portrayed at this point in the story. If she is going to have her deredere moment in the show at all, it probably won't be until the very end (just like the game they showed).

The fact that they still haven't shown Kirino's deredere side after all this setup is the punchline. You just didn't find it funny. I did. And that's pretty much this entire debate in a nutshell.

[totoum]

I don't care if it's filler,this is my favorite episode yet.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

However, I was kind of hoping that it would help Kirino realize that if she wanted to build a closer relationship with her brother,that she's been going about it the entirely wrong way. But Kirino doesn't change her approach to her brother at all.

Could just have been me,but I think something clicked in her head at the end of the game when she got all emotional after the character in the game mentioned something about playing in a park when she was little,so she hasn't changed her attidude yet,but I've still got hope.