Anime REVIEW: School Days

In 2005 0verflow released an eroge visual novel by the name of School Days. The game quickly became infamous not only for its fully animated gameplay (a rarity for visual novels), but also its huge selection of endings – the “bad” of which were especially graphic and/or brutal. In 2007 TNK released an anime adaptation of the game, which in turn also gained itself a rather notorious reputation. With the show’s finale initially postponed on Japanese television due to it mirroring a real-life news story going on at the time, it doesn’t take a genius to work out what kind of ending the show decided to go with.

Anime REVIEW: Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. (Season 2)

Despite its slightly incestuous overtones and overly bitchy main character, the first season of Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai proved somewhat of a surprise hit with me. However its unrequited love story between several of the main characters was left unfinished, and so the series has returned for a second season (which has exactly the same title, only with an added "." at the end). Once again it takes the format of a 13-episode television series, with 3 ONA episodes following later to provide a "true" ending to the series.

You know it's love when there's a costume change.

Kyosuke and Kirino are back for more life advice sessions and adventures with anime, manga and eroge games. However this season expands to focus closely on his growing relationships with the others around him - the quiet but kind Saori, goth otaku Kuroneko, Kirino's best friend Ayase, wannabe idol Kanako and childhood friend Manami. All five girls are vying for Kyosuke's affections in their own way, but in the end only one can win out. How will this affect Kyosuke's life and ultimately his relationship with Kirino?

Hooray for backstory!

Though Oreimo has, is and always will be centrally about Kirino, the majority of the second season actually plays to the biggest strength (and more underused aspect) of its predecessor - the side characters. Saori finally gets the back story she so sorely lacked, and very slowly rises up to be more than just the "less extreme leader of the otaku crew". Meanwhile Kuroneko (or Ruri as she's more often referred to now)'s relationship with Kyosuke and its after-effects is one of the main drives of season 2, adding a lot more depth to her as a character as both her family and more "normal" personality is explored. Even Ayase and Kanako are given much more reason to be here than before, with Ayase's story suddenly concerning Kirino less and less. The only side character to suddenly be given less attention is Sena, and she was such a tacked-on character to begin with nothing of value is really lost.

I'm still not an Ayase fan.

Kuroneko's episodes certainly take the prize for the most emotionally investing episodes, but even if these don't hit you the same way they did me it's unlikely you'll come out of this show without a pairing you especially want to root for. Certainly the otaku humour from the first season is still present, but in much more smaller doses. The relationships taking centre stage may on the outset make Oriemo suddenly seem like a more generic series, but its setting makes sure it's anything but that.

But as I said earlier, this show will always come back to Kirino. While Kirino is very much still the irritating, bitchy girl she was for the majority of the first season (perhaps even worse in some cases), it's very much evident that the bond between her and her brother is constantly growing. As such, Kirino becomes a much more acceptable character and her good nature begins to shine a bit more.

If you're adverse to spoilers, this is now the place to stop reading.

I have misjudged you Manami.

But no matter how good the 13 television episodes are, the real talking point is the ONA episodes and to make the romantic feelings between Kirino and Kyosuke explicit. Before now the incestuous overtones could be somewhat explained away by a very strong sibling love but no, the show pretty much goes all the way it can without straying in adult territory. Whatever your feelings might be on this decision, these episodes are among the most tense and dramatic the show has to offer. It approaches the topic of love between siblings with a sense of realism, the two acknowledging that they can never be a public couple and how the two would be branded if people were to find out. The harsh truths are brought about in the best possible way with Manami - the character that throughout the show has been a boring girl who doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone, bringing them with physical (quite literally) impact. The choice to have her out of all the characters deliver these was a fantastic choice, as the one that's been behind Kyosuke all along suddenly stands up for herself and what society considers normal behaviour.

Yeah...

The truth is, Oriemo season 2's ending is going to divide people, there is absolutely no escaping that. However without taking the last three episodes into account, this show does a lot of things right. It provides a more equal footing for all of its cast members, and is capable of provoking joy, laughter, disappointment, shock and (potentially) disgust. While Oriemo may ultimately be a comedy, it does handle its subject matter in a relatively "serious" fashion and while I certainly don't like or approve of the route it took, I found it an engaging watch nonetheless. If a show can make me feel all these feelings in just the space of 16 episodes, then surely I can call it a success?

Anime REVIEW: Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai

Though I'm sure many people reading this would happily embrace the title of "geek" or even "otaku", I'm sure just as many people have been subject to the negative perceptions of those not engrossed in the hobby. Whether you're an avid anime fan, a compulsive toy collector, a perverted eroge/hentai fan or all of the above, this series might ring true with you in some places. Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (which translates to "My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute"), or Oreimo to save yourself a mouthful, is a 15 (12 TV and 3 bonus) episode series based on a light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi and illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki. The original series aired in 2010, while a second season will be airing this coming April.

Kirino Kosaka: closet otaku and rabid fangirl

17 year-old Kyosuke Kosaka hasn't had a good relationship with his younger sister Kirino for years. However one day he finds an anime DVD case on the floor in his house, secretly containing an adults-only eroge game. Kyosuke soon discovers that both belong to Kirino and that she is in fact a closet otaku - with a huge collection of "Stardust Witch Meruru" memorabilia and little-sister themed eroge. In desperate need of someone to confide in about her secret hobby, Kyosuke becomes Kirino's life counsellor - aiding her in finding like-minded otaku friends while trying to keep it a secret from both her parents and classmates. While the former is a relatively simple task, the latter doesn't quite go according to plan.

Kyosuke Kosaka. He clearly loves his sister, but just how does he love her?

Characters are probably the first point of interest, since Kirino might not be a lead to everyone's tastes. On face value, she's a bitch - plain and simple. She comes across as brash, rude and ungrateful of the lengths her brother goes for her. But at the same time Kirino is a character worthy of the audience's sympathy - being an otaku is an important part of who she is, yet she's forced to hide in to seem like a "normal" girl to her strict father and even bitchier friends. Under her mean exterior, she's a good person who does appreciates things in her own way. While her brother Kyosuke is much more passive, he's not as nice as people seem to give him credit for either. He's very misleading of his childhood friend Manami's advances towards him, not wanting to date her but not wanting her to have a boyfriend either. It's obviously a trait that runs in the family, but from an audience perspective it makes for much more interesting viewing to have lead characters that aren't perfect. And to answer your question - no, their relationship isn't as incestual as the title suggests...unless you choose to take it that way that is.

Kuroneko and Saori

But regardless of Kirino and Kyosuke, it's the side characters that really make Oreimo so enjoyable. Not so much Kirino's bitch of a best friend Ayase,  but her newfound otaku friends Saori and Kuroneko. Saori's background remains somewhat of a mystery and the character is woefully underused, but Kuroneko shines throughout. What Kirino puts out in preppy bitchiness, Kuroneko gives back in gothic bitchiness. Her bluntless is without a doubt Oreimo's biggest comedy asset.

The problem with dealing with subject matter like Oreimo does is that it has the potential to become mean-spirited, laughing at otaku rather than laughing with them. Thankfully the series manages to avoid this for the most part. Of course there are stereotypical depictions of otakudom, but most of that comes from breaking down an outside observer's opinion. There will always be exceptions, but the show does its best to paint it as normal a hobby as any other - even when its (regularly) dealing with some of its more questionable elements. Moments such as getting obsessed over a super-rare figure or trying to gain every achievement on a game are extremely relatable.

Stardust Witch Meruru, Kirino's favourite anime

But as grounded Oreimo might seem, there is one plot thread that makes it a little less believable. Kirino having a seemingly endless supply of money from her modelling career is fine, but creating a popular which is subsequently turned into an anime is less so. While it's not a completely ridiculous concept, it is an unlikely one and does suck the viewer out of the experience a bit.

One particularly enjoyable aspect of Oreimo was the inclusion of two alternate endings, very much in the style of the eroge games it so constantly references and parodies. While the TV version ending (dubbed the "Good End") is a fairly straightforward and satisfying ending, the ONA (Original Net Animation) "True Route" end is much more interesting, setting things up for a further three episodes. Only the very last one features Kirino, and instead these episodes focus mainly on Kuroneko (whose real name is finally revealed) and Kyosuke's growing "relationship" with her in his sister's absence. Also introduced is Sena Akagi, a Kirino-esque character with an obsession for hardcore yaoi. While an early dislike of Kirino is understandable, she grows as a character. Sena does not. Her introduction comes far too late to be of any interest, and only serves to take screen time away from the more deserving characters.

Poor old Manami, everyone thinks you're just plain

Incestual awkwardness and bitchy lead character aside, Oreimo is a solid series with characters that only grow on you as the episodes pass. Its charm is in it being so relatable, even if it narrowly avoids bursting that bubble on one or two occasions. The setting is believable, the main characters flawed in their own ways and the dialogue witty. On the production side of things the art is gorgeous (particularly from a bluray source) and the music really catchy. Fingers crossed the second season can deliver the same sort of quality present here.