"My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute" Review: What is the appeal of little sister anime?

"My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute" - A story about a perfect superhuman sister and her ordinary brother

"My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute" (hereafter "Oreimo") is a TV anime series based on the light novel by Fushimi Tsukasa. It aired from April 7 to June 30, 2013, and was produced by A-1 Pictures. The series is a comedy about the relationship between a perfect superhuman sister and her ordinary brother, but it also contains a deep human drama. Below, we will introduce the charm and details of this series and explore why this anime is loved by so many fans.

■Overview of the work

"Oreimo" is the story of the beautiful, excellent grades, and athletically gifted perfect sister Kirino Kosaka, and her brother Kyosuke Kosaka, an ordinary high school boy. Kirino is an otaku who loves anime and games, and the story begins with her confessing this secret to her brother. Kyosuke listens to his sister's "life advice," and is able to understand her worries and struggles, and the story depicts how their relationship changes.

■Broadcast information

"OreImo" aired from April 7 to June 30, 2013, and is made up of 13 episodes. It was broadcast on a wide variety of networks, including TOKYO MX, Chiba TV, tvk, Teletama, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, ABC Asahi Broadcasting, TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, BS11, AT-X, Niconico Video, ShowTime, d Anime Store, PlayStation(R)Store, and Bandai Channel, reaching a wide audience.

■Cast and crew

The film's cast includes a stellar lineup of voice actors, including Ayana Taketatsu (as Kirino Kousaka), Yuichi Nakamura (as Kyosuke Kousaka), Kana Hanazawa (as Kuroneko), Hitomi Nabatame (as Saori Bajina), Sato Satomi (as Manami Tamura), Saori Hayami (as Aragaki Ayase), Yukari Tamura (as Kanako Kurusu), Fumihiko Tachiki (as Daisuke Kousaka), and Akino Watanabe (as Yoshino Kousaka).

The staff includes professionals from various fields, such as director Kobe Hiroyuki, series composition Kurata Hideyuki, character design Oda Hiroyuki, chief animation directors Ishida Kana, Kawakami Tetsuya, and Watanabe Keisuke, art setting and prop design Ishimoto Takehiro, art director Okamoto Koji, color design Suenaga Yasuko, director of photography Shitara Nozomi, editor Hida Aya, sound director Motoyama Satoshi, and music by Kanzaki Satoru (MONACA).

■Main Characters

Kirino Kousaka
The heroine of this work, a middle school girl with such beauty and talent that she is called a perfect superhuman. She also works as a model, and once studied abroad in the United States for track and field training. She has an otaku temperament that loves anime and games, and often takes an overbearing attitude towards her brother Kyosuke, but her attitude begins to change through her "life advice."

Kyosuke Kousaka
The protagonist of this work, he is an ordinary high school boy in contrast to his younger sister Kirino. His relationship with his sister, which had been in a cold war for a long time and they had not spoken to each other, begins to change after a "life consultation". He has a caring personality and is concerned about not only his younger sister but also his junior, Kuroneko, showing his caring side.

Black Cat
She is an otaku friend of Kirino's who she met at an offline meetup, and is a high school student who attends the same school as Kyosuke. When she's out in casual clothes, she cosplays as a character from her favorite anime, "Maschera," and has a distinctive chuunibyou-like way of speaking and acting. However, she also has a domestic side, is good at games, and is a member of the game research club at high school. "Kuroneko" is her handle name, and her real name is Goko Ruri.

Saori Vageena
She is an otaku friend of Kirino's, and dresses like a typical otaku. She is the administrator of a social media community, and Kirino and Kuroneko met at an offline meetup she hosted. She is caring and kind, and often invites the two to hang out. Her online behavior is different from her real life behavior, and she is elegant and refined.

Ayase Aragaki
She is Kirino's classmate and best friend who also works as a model. Although she is graceful and friendly, she can also be ruthless when it comes to making remarks about Kyosuke and other friends. She is also very opinionated, and can become obsessed with Kirino's cold attitude.

Kanako Kurusu
She is a petite middle school girl with twin tails who is a classmate of Kirino. She is fearless and says what she thinks, and aims to be an idol. She looks just like Meruru from the anime "Hoshikuzu☆Witch Meruru", and sometimes cosplays as Meruru in show business.

Manami Tamura
She is Kyosuke's childhood friend and a high school student who attends the same high school. She has a laid-back and modest personality, and Kirino calls her "Jimiko." She has been friends with Kyosuke for a long time and has built a comfortable relationship with him. She is the daughter of a Japanese confectioner and is good at cooking and general housework.

Sena Akagi
She is a high school student who attends the same high school as Kyosuke, and is not only in the same year as Kuroneko, but also belongs to the same game research club. She is a fujoshi who likes BL and gay men, and often gets carried away with her fantasies. She has an older brother who is a classmate of Kyosuke's.

■ Episode

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• #1/"My Little Sister Can't Come Back Again"
• #2: "There's no way that the guy I trusted and sent off to school would get hooked on a mobile game and start sexually harassing me."
• #3/ "My friend would never take off his glasses"
• #4: "There's no way my sister's rival would come to Japan"
• #5: "There's no way I'm my sister's boyfriend, and there's no way my sister has a boyfriend."
• #6: "My sister would never bring her boyfriend home"
• #7: "There's no way I'd become a couple with my junior."
• #8: "There's no way I'll make summer memories with my juniors"
• #9/"My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute!"
• #10/ "My Little Sister Can't Wear a Wedding Dress"
• #11/ "There's no way my sisters would barge into my brother's room when he lives alone."
• #12 / "There's no way that the angel Ayase-tan would descend upon my house, where I live alone."
• #13/"There's no way a little sister would fall in love with her brother"

■ Related works

The following works are related to "Oreimo".

• My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute (1st Season)
• My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute TRUE ROUTE

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs for this work are as follows.

OP1
"Reunion"
Lyrics by kz
Composition: kz
Arrangement: kz
Sung by ClariS

ED1
"Emotion Line Loop"
Lyrics: Saori Kodama Composition: Hidekazu Tanaka (MONACA)
Arrangement/Hidekazu Tanaka (MONACA)
Vocals: Takasaka Kirino (Taketatsu Ayana)

ED2
『Filter』
Lyrics by mampuku
Composer: mampuku
Arrangement: mampuku, Yuichi Yagi, Ryuka song: Ayase Aragaki (Saori Hayami)

ED3
"forever···"
Lyrics by Kohei Oikawa Composition by Kohei Oikawa Arrangement by Kohei Oikawa, Naoki Chiba "naotyu-" Vocals by Kirino Kosaka, Kuroneko, Saori Bajina (Ayana Taketatsu, Kana Hanazawa, Hitomi Nabatame)

ED4
"Honest☆Rhapsody"
Lyrics: Alc Composition: Alc Arrangement: Alc, Meis Clauson
Vocals: Takasaka Kirino (Taketatsu Ayana)

ED5
"Keep"
Lyrics by Rioto Composition by Takahiro Nishijima Arrangement by Takahiro Nishijima, Naoki Chiba "naotyu-" Vocals by Kirino Kosaka (Ayana Taketatsu)

ED6
"Monochrome☆HAPPY DAY"
Lyrics by Takashi Wakuzawa Composition by Naoki Tachikawa Arrangement by Naoki Tachikawa, Nagareka, Nobuhiro Makino Vocals by Kuroneko (Kana Hanazawa)

ED7
"Happy Today"
Lyrics by Noël
Composer: FuwaP (Storie)
Arrangement: Reina, Chiba "naotyu-" Naoki Vocals: Tamaki Goko (Yui Ogura)

ED8
"Ephemeral Destiny"
Lyrics by sheep_clever
Composition: Mamagoto P
Arrangement: Mamagoto-P, ACOMPANAR
Sung by Kuroneko (Kana Hanazawa)

ED9
『answer』
Lyrics: Kou Kou Composition: Satsuki
Arrangement: satsuki
Vocals: Takasaka Kirino (Taketatsu Ayana)

ED10
"It's Stardust Cosplay☆Witch! ・Omega"
Lyrics: A than_Lily
Composition: A than_Lily
Arrangement/A than_Lily, ACOMPANAR
Sung by Bridget Evans (Misaki Kuno)

ED11
"Towards an Ordinary Future"
Lyrics by Mihane Composition by Takahashi Shun Arrangement by Takahashi Shun, Yasui Koaki Song by Tamura Manami (Sato Satomi)

ED12
"Thoughts"
Lyrics: Shikkoku Composition: Shikkoku Arrangement: Shikkoku, Naoki Chiba "naotyu-" Vocals: Ayase Aragaki (Saori Hayami)

ED13
"True Feelings"
Lyrics by Yusuke Nishida Composition by Yusuke Nishida Arrangement by Yusuke Nishida, Deka Taika by Kirino Takasaka (Ayana Taketatsu), Manami Tamura (Satomi Sato)

Insert song 1
"Planet Burst"
Lyrics by Fushimi Tsukasa Composition by Kamisaki Akira (MONACA)
Arranged by: Akira Kosaki (MONACA), Keiichi Hirokawa (MONACA)
Sung by Meruru (Yukari Tamura)

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

Although "OreImo" is a comedy about the relationship between a perfect superhuman sister and her ordinary brother, it also contains a deep human drama. In particular, the changes in the relationship between Kirino and Kyosuke and the growth of each character are carefully depicted, leaving a strong impression on viewers. It also attracted attention as a work that deals with the theme of otaku culture, and was supported by many otaku fans.

The animation quality is also high, and the character designs, background art, music, and more are all done by first-class staff. The opening and ending songs in particular have captured the hearts of viewers and are loved by many fans. The subtitles for each episode are also full of humor, making viewers laugh.

■Reasons for recommendation

"OreImo" is a work that skillfully incorporates otaku culture while depicting universal themes such as family love, friendship, and growth. The relationship between the perfect superhuman sister and her ordinary brother, as well as the growth of the unique characters, are carefully depicted, deeply moving the viewer. The animation and music are also of high quality, making it a work that can be enjoyed both visually and aurally. It is recommended not only for those who are interested in otaku culture, but also for those who want to enjoy family love and human drama.

Above, we have introduced detailed information about "My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute" and the reasons why we recommend it. This work is a masterpiece that continues to be loved by many viewers, so please give it a watch.