Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 11–12
We're gathered here today to watch Kyousuke feast on the hearts of his little sister's friends. Ayase route unlocked. Kanako route unlocked. Saori route unlocked. Ruri route remodeled. Hinata route... unlocked? Harem route blocked. The banquet of nightmares ends when the boy claims hissteakstake. Let the roast begin!
Mom thinks her son might have made move on his sister, citing how Kirino addresses him by first name now. Of course, the littleliarsister states plausible deniability first and chalks it up to a spontaneous change of heart. Then, the photo-booth sticker that was attached to the fridge is exhibited. Dad's not as worried though. Instead, he's rented an apartment for Kyousuke and tasks him with studying hard enough to get into a first-choice college before he's allowed to return home. This is all they want to waive suspicions... They're using this as an opportunity to do something good for their son, and the creator is using it as a means of getting the parents to look the other way. Kirino makes a display of not caring, but she's clearly gone mad about Kyousuke agreeing so easily to separating.
Manami doesn't want to give Kyousuke opportunities to be alone with Kirino, so she plans to get everyone involved. Little did she know that the sister had already claimed the territory. Kirino bought him a fridge and waited for him in the new bachelor pad to show it off. She also gifts him an erotic game about cohabiting siblings. This is her way of taking responsibility for him taking the fall. They make a candid bet on whether or not Kyousuke succeeds on his exams as she leaves. Either he becomes her slave for life or she'll do any one thing for him. His reversal of her being his slave for life wasn't taken off the table...
Instead of the game Kirino gave him, Kyousuke searches for erotic images of the 14-year-old Ayase online to relieve his stress. It's then suggested that he spent the rest of that night looking up fansites of his little sister by association. When Ayase brought him a housewarming knife, she talked about how different Kirino acts around her brother. She also wants to help Kirino and Manami talk out their differences, which gets postponed because of Manami's housewarming party. Speaking of talking, Kyousuke finally tells Ruri what's what: that she'sa sour-pussunwelcome in his heart until he's done tenderizing his sister.
Now, who's going to make Kyousuke's meals! Kirino counts on her best friend to do it since Ayase never raised her voice. Through this, Kyousuke and Ayase make up for the past, and with that, It's finally over between them. He immediately turns her down because there's something else he craves for. Imitation meat's not good enough for this boy—he wants 100% homegrown.
Remember how Ruri's Destiny Record ended? With the siblings sharing a meal? Before this hunger pang tears through the very fiber of morality, Manami needs to be served. I'm mildly surprised the mother cared enough to separate them but not visit the son. Well, that didn't stop Kirino from being the first one there; or from buying him a personal fridge to stick photo-booth stickers on; or receive personal updates from him through texts; or wait for him at the gate after his exams; or offer a reward to him for doing his best to return home. Kyousuke clearly did well on his exams, so Kirino's going to give him aflavorfavor. Stick a fork in it already, it's all but wrapped up anyway. The parents are satisfied, the friends are powerless... Now I just wonder if there will be any just desserts after the main dish.
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Domestic violence count: 37.5
Sexual abuse count: 8
Carole & Tuesday Episode 20
Come for the cute, stay for the music. Plot is... not that special and I don't mind. It has its moments though.
Gotta drive Carole and Tuesday to confront Tuesday's mother through a political protest song instead of having them more organically come up with and express their political stances naturally.
So what you're saying is that she needed therapy. Got it.Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 13
The little girl's heart belonged to her brother as children. She admired the boy so good at everything she wasn't. He'd fixed her toys and win all races, always in the spotlight. Being left behind did not stop her from following him everywhere. One day, her efforts earned his favor, and they went to visit his friend together. To see her brother so close to another girl was a big shock to the little girl. How could they be so close, when it's so hard for her? Then, the bar was raised to keeping up if she wanted to tag along again. Losing sight of him got her lost. It started to pour as she began to cry. Suddenly, a chop to the head cut through the darkness. Still, holding back her hero enraged the little girl. This motivated her to reach his level. To capture his heart when she passes him was the payback planned by Kirino.
Smoke and Mirrors
Kyousuke's festival conflicts with the tournament Kirino wants to watch. Recently, she's been winning school races, as he reminds her that she's following in his footsteps. Why didn't he join a track-and-field club then? This earns her another chop to the head. Her brother had changed, he had become easygoing. Long gone was the fast, smart, helpful, and cool boy. He now lives in peace. With her plan in pieces, she runs away from the imposter. No longer can she be acknowledged by the hero, nowhere to be found. Lost in thought, Kirino finds herself at Manami's place, where he lost his way. The demand for her real brother's return is met with a knowing smile. According to Manami, that brother never existed and Kirino's strange love shouldn't either. It pours as she cries while lost once again. Like before, Kyousuke gives her a hand, but it's averted, as if an illusion. Believing that he'll return one day, she engraves those feelings into her hollowed heart and buries it.
Sticks and Stones
Now in middle school, the memories of her brother in the spotlight lead Kirino to modeling. He's far away now, but when's he's back, she'll be ready to show off. She ignores the imposter at home, yet observes him closely. All her efforts haven't roused him... something's missing. A book store is where she finds her Rosetta Stone—a magazine depicting incestuous siblings as something romantic. This "positive" image completely contradicts Manami's words and turns Kirino's world upside down. With her head in the clouds, she scours the store for any and all related material. The floodgates open when she ceremoniously unboxes the game featured in that magazine. Within it, she can make the brother perform the amazing things she missed so much, and she could relish in how they made her feel again. It was ecstasy. The sleep she lost could not stop her. The boys in class, with their criticism of the influx in incest content within the "industry," did not faze her. Bottled up for years, she let loose until drunk on fantasy. She thought she had found her long lost brother, not realizing that he's been there all along.
Turn into...
Once settled, Manami's words finally hit Kirino; the brother she envisioned didn't exist and her past love was a sham. Kyousuke was just a normal boy. Three years between their ages caused an illusion. The now impressive girl had noticed the plain boy's efforts though. While he defended her against their father's wrath, she was listening outside. He did not express the same confidence that he did in their childhood, but it was far more vivid than her delusions. She was captivated over what she couldn't do herself. Like in the past, she had again become the hero's girl. Despite his shortcomings, and despite the attitude she inherited from him, he's there for her, as he's always been—staking his claim in the little sister's heart once more.
Flesh and Bone.
First things first, this really should have came sooner because it totally re-contextualizes everything. It would've diminished the impact of most events, sure, but it feels dishonest overall now. So, Kirino internalized the image of her brother, was told that was wrong, and then found a means of validating it with pornography. Why was this girl so left alone to her own devices? It's sad. There's too little conflicting arguments in her mind as a result, and from poor, peer-only sources at that (the "villainous" Manami and the despised boys in class). Manami sowing the seed she did meant Kirino wasn't going to listen to her, at least not immediately. It's hard to say what she hoped to really accomplish with that. Too bad for her that Kirino is a miracle worker. This is indeed a developmental mishap, but Kirino was clearly traumatized by it as well. That interference might have ruined the possibility of Kirino learning the truth for herself. She took it as a challenge instead. Oops.
This is simply a love story, twice over even. Kirino awakened to her feelings both before and after puberty. They're rooted in the past, but they grew anew in the present. For Kyousuke, Manami and her lifestyle were clearly a much needed escape from Kirino's taxing attachment to him. However, receiving her love after years of neglect had a huge impact on him, while her sexual awakening was in full bloom with incest fiction... For about 1 to 2 years, the little pervert indulged in it. Her hobby was shrouded in secrecy because in this particular case, it's rooted in sin. While it did make her realize the difference between fiction and reality, those lines were eventually blurred again with Kyousuke's new appeal. Her neglectful and rude behavior were just a copy of his past self as well. A tsundere effect years in the making and created in his image... Ugh.
It's a shame that Kirino's self-improvement was for her brother's sake. She does have pride in her work, but that isn't fleshed out well enough—no where near as well as her love for games and anime, at least. Even her friendship with Ayase started with paying her brother's deeds forward. What's more, Kirino never experienced any sort of advances from boys? I could maybe give that a pass after befriending Ayase the psychopath, but beforehand... It's not like she was unapproachable. At least show that she didn't have an interest in other people instead of avoiding it altogether until Mikagami. Again, she spent way too much time alone. Anyway, I have to guess for now that Kyousuke didn't want to compete with his sister for whatever reason.
That's what their "life counseling" sessions are for!
Her neglectful and rude behavior were just a copy of his past self as well. A tsundere effect years in the making and created in his image... Ugh.
Excited for more Shield Hero. Excited for more Kevin Penkin ost as well
YaoiRavens was the best. Wished the LN made it over.I just completed Tokyo Ravens. I had started the first 7 or so episodes back during its airing and got side tracked. This anime was honestly pretty decent and deserved its "underrated" status until half way through where they try to cram as much random storylines as possible and completely dump any kind of character development. Then the god awful ass-pulls begin where everyone has some sort of powerful hidden ability and jesus the ending was anticlimactic and nonsensical as fuck.
The animation is pretty laughable the whole time as well when it comes to actual character animation. The CG effects stuff looked great at least but it seems like they blew all the budget on them instead of animating something decent.
Natsume barely developed as a character besides being a love interest.
There's so much more I can go on about but yeah, always take "this anime is underrated" with a huge grain of salt. I'd actually consider the series overrated tbh.
Time to read the LN and hope its much better and makes more sense than the anime.
The anime looks even worse next to Unlimited Blade Works which has a very similar genre and released the same year.
How we all knew it was Japanese before we even finished reading lol
He already got the Japanese GF, he could have just stopped there. That's the endgoal for 99% of weebs, but he just had to keep going lol.
So, uh, I finished Sound Euphonium a few days ago.
I feel empty inside. No other seasons left, Liz and the Blue Bird is not available in my country, or apparently anywhere outside Japan and the US (I'm actually considering importing the BR).
Jumping around trying to find something else to watch - and to justify paying for this sub - landed on the following:
Shirobako
Not sure about this yet. The characters are just a little bit too annoying so far. Only 1 episode in. Learning about the inner working of the industry is neat though.
Tamako Market
Figured another Kyoto Animation show would work instead... and maybe not that either. Does this get better? I do like Mochi, I don't like that bird.
I keep reverting back to watching episodes of Space Battleship Tiramisu instead.
If possible, I would recommend skipping Tamako Market, which isn't especially interesting overall, in favor of the film Tamako Love Story, which is actually very good.
Thanks guys, I might try it again to see if it clicks.I love Tamako Market a lot and its director was series director on sound eupho but it probably does depend on your tolerance for slice of life
Thanks guys, I might try it again to see if it clicks.
I like slice of life too, but some character tropes can really annoy me. If a Eupho fan likes it then it must be ok!
Looks like the movie also doesn't exist in Australia though, so I guess the series is all I got for now. Fun.
I've had terrible luck with Anime films here, I don't know what's going on. Even popular series, like the recent Eva rebuilds, those are all out of print here now.
The Targaryens would be proud.Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai. 14 "O Holy Knight"
Another tragedy awaits the black cat, down on luck. As the holy night approaches, Kyousuke must again choose his fate while recounting the summer spent with Kuroneko. He escapes into the dead of night—as she expected—"Ruri" is turned down for the final time. There's someone else, with certainty now. Being pulled to bits yet again results in tearing apart her Destiny Record. She loves him no more. Never again will they cross paths, the grimoire's curse lifted. Then, she lets out a wretched screech. This gives birth to her final form. Yamineko immediately curses the world around her, especially those in love, like her ex-boyfriend. The curtains close on their future together when she walks away into darkness—everything she ever wanted relinquished to his little sister.
Back home, Kyousuke asks Kirino out to a couples-only event in Akibahara on Christmas Eve. Him pointing out they can do anything else they want afterwards gets her to agree. She ceremoniously wears what she did last time they went out on this holiday. It's a day full of nostalgia for them. Once Kirino nabs her limited-edition trinket, he suggests visiting Sky Tree. When she whines that it's meaningless during the day, he shows her they can pass the time playing an incest game at the hotel he's already booked... Come nightfall, the skies are unfortunately clouded. How's he going to make up for that! By the power of God Almighty, it begins to snow.
As it turns out, Kirino's going abroad again after graduation. Her assurance that she'll be fine this time is met with Kyousuke's silence. He turns to tell her there's someone he likes and that person is—she stops him and runs away in tears. This is the hobby group's cue to swoop in on their otakumobile. Because this date was Kyousuke and Saori's brainchild, she was on standby in case anything went wrong. (Yamineko's just here to bear witness to the end of the world.) Kirino's spotted just in time for the traffic to stop them. Now effortlessly on the green, all that's left is to tap it in.
The one Kyousuke loves is Kirino and he doesn't want to let her go far away again. She reminds him not to mix up 2D and 3D, and what about Ruri! On cue, Ruri blasts Kyousuke's voice through the busy street from the mega speakers of the otakumobile. This tailwind encourages him to press on. All others were sacrificed for this moment. Once more, she implores him to reconsider. He tearfully let's go of wasting the chance to fondle those other girls' breasts. Like some self-aware puppet, though, he can't stray from this performance. There's not an ounce of regret to any of it anyway. Even fear of rejection—nothing stops this show.
The incest games she loves, the courage to elope, he can't live up to those expectations but his love won't lose to fiction. Life before, Kirino professes how much she hates him and how grossed out she is and he should be. That "all love is impure" is his only defense (thanks Yamineko). Finally, to tie her down so that she doesn't go anywhere, he asks for his sister's hand in holy matrimony. This melts away all reason in her mind. It's official once she replies with the softest...
People watched this. Many people. That's the most crazy thing about it all. For those unaware, there's something of a sexual connotation Christmas Eve holds for Japanese people... The siblings just leaped to the most binding bond of all too—marriage, the gatekeeper of morally just sex. There's so many issues with this that I don't know where to begin. Age and relation being the biggest ones, obviously. However, it "solves" all of their problems in one fell swoop, so whatever.
Someone somehow recorded Kyousuke's last rejection to Ruri. Was it Kirino listening on the other end of Ruri's phone? I mean, recording speech is Kirino's thing, not Ruri's, so... sigh, I just don't care any more. All these characters are nuts, so what does it matter which one's the most far gone. Bring on the last two nightmares.
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Sexual abuse count: 8.666