This Little Sister Can't Be This Dry!
With the otaku generation taking over at least the male demographic, it would've been no time at all for the light novel and anime industry to pamper over to the female population. This fall the folks at AIC have adapted Tsukasa Fushimi's light novel series Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (or Oreimo for short), which is translated as "My little sister can't be this cute." What could've been a funny series has instead transformed itself into kind of a bore-fest.
Oreimo follows the story of siblings Kyosuke and Kirino. The two have not gotten along the past few years, thanks in part to the parents doting over Kirino's achievements and modeling career. One day Kyosuke find an anime DVD case on the ground, containing a hentai video game inside. Its owner turns out to be Kirino, who reveals that she is an avid viewer of anime and player of dating sims. Kyosuke is surprised by her hobby, but instead of scolding her decides to help her find friends to share her hobby with. That's basically the premise of the show.
There's not much to really like about this show, to be perfectly honest. Yes, the animation is great and the characters are likable to a point, but the storylines and dialogue are just plain dull. I get that they have to show how much of a hardcore otaku Kirino is, but they didn't have to take ten minutes out of the episode to individually show which versions of Stardust Witch Meruru she owns. Plus when Kirino goes to her first female otaku tea party they didn't have to make the characters so stereotypical. I know people like this exist, but it would've been such a nice change of pace to showcase otaku characters that were more out of the ordinary. I will admit, though, that the role the parents play in Oreimo was well-written, especially the father. He comes off well as overly-protective of Kirino, and when he finds out about her hobby he freaks out the way a real father would.
Having said that Oreimo could've been done so much better, even taking a cue from the character development seen in The World God Only Knows, an anime that knows how to twist around dating sim geeks and turn it into a widely entertaining show. Unfortunately the series suffers from dull storytelling and the lack of flow between scenes. You can watch episodes of Oreimo on Anime News Network, and judge the series for yourself. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
* ½ (out of five)
