Oreimo Season 2: Episode 07 Review

Japanese Title: Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (OREIMO) Season Two: Initial Thoughts
Streaming Allegiance: Crunchyroll
Reconnaissance Report by: Dr. Magnanimus
Progress: Episode 7


oreimo

We now arrive at the heart of Season Two’s plot at long last.  Much of the previous episodes was made up of filler and fan service before, but things are really starting to heat up.  Episode five begins with Kirino coercing Kyosuke into the awkward role of pretend boyfriend.  Her boss, the president of the modeling agency, wants her to travel overseas, and going out with Kyosuke was the best excuse she needed to stay home.  While they may have succeeded in convincing the president they were a real couple (and possibly not related), they couldn’t avoid causing shock and befuddlement in their friends who encountered them on their “date.”  Real sis-con lovers will probably be a bit disappointed; the “couple” was quite content groaning and gagging in secret during the whole ordeal, hoping to get Madame President off their scent as soon as possible.

The following episode seemed like a bit of a waste of time after the fact.  Episode six has Kirino introducing fashion designer Mikagami to Kyosuke and friends, and later claiming the newcomer as her boyfriend.  The rest of the episode is wrought with a bit of melodrama, the end of which produces the not-so-shocking revelation that the whole love triangle was made up.  Kyosuke was open about his feelings for Kirino and would not readily give consent to any boyfriend, present or future.  It’s obvious that she was actually craving for attention from her doting brother, and that was exactly what she got.  It’s not quite the incest fuel as some Oreimo critics might try to insinuate, but rather it’s a moment in which Kyosuke is being more open and honest about his feelings around Kirino now.

Episode seven continues the “boyfriend arc,” this time putting Kyosuke and Kuroneko together.  He is unsure if he should accept her invitation to be her boyfriend, and seemed to wonder how it would affect their relationships with Kirino.  But, in the end, with the encouragement of his friends and loved ones, he decides to go for it.  Kuroneko was a lot more charming than usual in this episode, and easily fits the mold of a main character that rivals Kirino in attractiveness.

The series is still fairly interesting, but the sudden introduction of one love triangle after another may be hard to swallow for a lot of the viewership.  There may have been better alternatives to move the plotline along, but they chose this route instead.  Furthermore, it’s really hard  tofit in the comedy when Kyosuke is being put into these overly-dramatic scenes of potential heartbreak.  That said, the plot involving Kuroneko may possibly have a bigger impact on the Kirino/Kyosuke dynamic than expected.  The series will hopefully pick back up on the comedy, or at least try to keep things more interesting by doing something other than create character drama out of thin air.  Here’s hoping for some more improvement before the end of the series.

My Score: 6.00/10.00