"Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne" Anime Review

Well now there are many ways to approach this anime review. I could review it based solely on the anime or I could compare it to the light novel and inform you what was lost in the “translation”. For the sake of giving the anime a fair shot, I will score it based only on the anime itself but I will be injecting notes on what the anime could have done better in comparison to the light novel.

Story: 4/10

So the anime does a pretty piss poor job of explaining what is going on and keeping your feelings invested towards the characters. The plot is essentially a reuniting of Akito and his sister Akiko after a long separation. They end up living in the same house along with the student council at their high school and the usual boy x girl events happen. The anime unfortunately comes across as a generic harem while the light novel feels more like a serious drama. The anime has all the typical harem scenes that we have experienced in the past; the shower scene, the mall scene, ext. I hate to say it but the anime really looks and feels as if it was put together very half-hazardly and was trying to ride on the success of the light novel. Please understand that this is NOT a faithful adaptation of the light novel.

Animation 6.5/10

The animation is somewhat a mixed bag; it looks great in some scenes but the overall quality is somewhat lower than what I would expect from a 2012 anime. The characters are visually appealing but the show lacks a certain visual aspect that sets itself apart from all the other anime. This lighting is not done very well, you see many instances where proportions do not really match up, ext. The animation just comes off as generic for eighty percent of the time. 

There are some brief moments where the show tries to parody other anime; it kind of fails at that

As you can tell the animation isn't bad but the studio's way of trying to show comedic events is not done as well as some other anime.

 Sound: 7/10

The only redeeming quality for this anime in the sound department are the voice actors' performances. Each character’s voice actor did a superb job injecting their feelings into their characters. Anastasia has a cold, monotone personality that is expressed well by her voice actor. Even the annoying and too cute Akiko’s voice actor did an amazing job making Akiko a loved and disliked character. Other than the voice acting though the anime falls pretty low on the bar as far as sound goes. The background music is forgettable and generic but the intro and ending songs are quite catchy. 

Characters: 7/10

The cast of this anime work very well with each other even if most of them are forgettable. Akito, Akiko, and Anastasia were for me the stars of the show. Akito’s strong will and intellect, Akiko’s annoying but super cute personality, and Anastasia’s cold and cool attitude created so many funny and unique scenes throughout the entire anime. My personal favorite character was Anastasia because even though her personality with held most of her true feelings from everyone else, it was easy to always tell what was on her mind.Also her interactions with Akito were the most fun to watch. The other characters however were either boring or just not appealing. I especially found Arashi just out of place and a bother to the whole chemistry of the group. The young house leader was also quite annoying and off putting. Overall the main three characters really helps make the show shine but a couple others bring it back down.

She's just too cute :P

Overall: 6.1/10

Overall the anime adaptation of Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (what a mouthful) isjust generic. After reading some ofthe light novel a couple months before the airing of the anime, I was very excited to see the brother sister romance issue unfold with the student council. What unfortunately occurred here was taking a great drama with very thought provoking and witty conversations and turning it into another generic and barely passable harem anime. I advise that you steer clear from the anime and just read the light novel. It is much better than the anime and it will have you craving for more.    

"Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne" (Light Novel) vs Anime Discussion

After recently picking up the light novel version of Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne and reading up to volume three, I am blown away at how much the anime could have been…if it just followed the light novel’s direct pacing. It is amazing how different the anime feels in tone and execution compared to the light novel which in my honest opinion is the choice form of enjoying this brother/sister love fest. So let’s get down to the facts that separate the mediocre anime from the amazing light novel.

So first thing I noticed when reading the light novel was that the conversations really bring out the best in the characters. The first volume sets up how Akito comes to living with his sister AND how he becomes so close to the whole student counsel AND how everyone ends up living under one roof. The anime kind of just throws you into the story where they are already living together and Akito is already a part of the student counsel. I always thought that the first episode of Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne felt strange as if they were not explaining how some things came to be. Also the conversations in the light novel are extremely witty and well written. Each conversation is important to the plot and helps shed some light on why someone acts the way they do in public. There are scenes where a back and forth conversations between two characters can last for an entire chapter. You might find this tedious to read but I found that the light novel blew the anime out of the water in terms of how interested I was with the characters. The anime also takes all the seriousness out of the light novel. I was quite surprised to find out that the light novel was not a romantic comedy but more of a serious slice of life that explores two siblings pasts. 

So continuing on what I touched on at the end of the pervious paragraph, the tone of the anime is the second problem when being compared to the light novel. This might not be a problem if you just want another generic high school comedy harem but after reading the light novel’s first three volumes, there is no turning back to the anime. The light novel goes much deeper into how the student counsel goes about helping Akito cure Akiko’s “problem”. The way the anime introduces the main focus of curing Akiko is “Hey it’s wrong to want your brother’s d!#@ so stop that!! Oh we also all love you Akito!!!” So like I said if you want mindless harem, go with the anime. If you want a more serious drama, go light novel.

The anime tries very hard to be funny but the only show that can rip off other anime and be funny about it is Gintama

Now the biggest beef I have with the anime is the omission of some very important information. The light novel goes MUCH more in-depth to the back stories of the characters as well as what happened to Akito and Akiko’s parents. The novel even brings up why Akito acts the way he does around his sister. The flashback conversation he has with his parents when he was little is EXTREAMLY IMPORTANT TO THE WHOLE PLOT. It completely shows why he acts so caring around Akiko AND brings up some VERY IMPORTANT information that is never brought up in the anime. This information (that Akiko and Akito are actually not blood relatives and that it is Akito who is not really a part of the bloodline) is uhhh PRETTY F#@$ING IMPORTANT. How it didn’t make its way into the anime is beyond my comprehension. 

Ugh I am complaining a lot and I apologize. While I find the light novel the superior version of the story, the anime is not…all that bad. It is definitely more laid back and focuses more on the comedy aspects of the story but it still provides some of the key moments in the light novel. As a standalone anime it is decent but when compared to the light novel it will never quite match up. I have not been so engrossed in a story since my first read of the Sword Art Online light novel. I have a deeper appreciation of all the characters especially Akito after reading some of the Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne light novel. There is much more going on than the anime is telling you.

Dat face when you stay up late reading something awesome

"Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne" (Anime) Episodes 3-10 Thoughts

After ten episodes I finally know what Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne really is. It's not a good anime BUT an extremely cute one (so a s#!tty one right...?).

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne I think would be considered the generic harem anime of the season due to the fact that nothing really happens...ever. The only thing that I can tell you what this show is trying to accomplish is that there are four girls (two extremely cute ones and three others that I could care less about) trying to get with our main character Akito. They go through the typical “Going shopping” and “Shower” scenes that are in EVERY other harem anime. There just really isn’t any plot twists or hang on…any plot whatsoever.

But hey characters can save a show…right? I actually like Akito because unlike a lot of male protagonists in harems, he has likeable qualities. He is neither a perve, sex crazy adolescent teenager nor the polar opposite super shy but strangely likeable to every girl everywhere. He is simply a guy who lives with his sister and childhood friends while attending high school. He has sexual desires but he doesn’t want to lose “it” to just any girl. He isn’t the best male lead I have ever seen but a solid one that I can bear with. The female cast is however a mixed bag. We have five main female leads introduced by episode seven that compete for Akito's affection, Akiko the annoying (but too cute) sister, Anastasia the mischievous (and WAY too cute) instigator, Arashi the assertive s!ut, Haruome the…I don’t know what…(boyish looking girl?), and Arisa who is quite annoying and little. The only characters that I have even a lick of liking towards are Anastasia and Akiko. Anastasia is extremely cute and is always trying to get Akito to say inappropriate things. She is by far the one with the hardest time controlling the inner struggle of how to deal with her feelings towards Akito. The other female character, Akiko is Akito’s sister (I’m sure they will pull an “Oh she is actually his cousin/half-sister/adopted sister” crap to try to make it ok for incest -___-). She is madly in love with Akiko and no it is not the brother sister type love; it’s the type of love that apparently Japan loves to throw into anime…Unlike most of the world I don’t particularly mind a brother and sister getting married since in our past it happened quite often. Inbreeding to an extent can produce dangerous results but it has been scientifically proven that these odds are very slim. Even with this thinking though, the love that Akiko supposedly has for Akito seems very forced. She is also quite annoying as every scene I see her in makes me want to duct tape her mouth shut BUT she way too cute for her own good. The things she goes through trying to get Akito’s affection is remarkable and impossible not to find adorable. I wouldn’t mind having a sister like Akiko to be honest…Anyways the point is that minus these two characters, the rest in my opinion are s#!t. The other characters just do not appeal to me physically or ideologically; they are just boring and/or generic. 

How could you not find this cute!?

or this?!

So there’s no plot and pretty crappy characters…well the animation and sound are bound to be amazing by today’s standards right…? WRONG well kind of…There are many scenes where the animation is quite good such as the one-on-one scenes between Akito and the various female cast. The character models are where some of the…let’s call it quality control seems to slip a little bit. I don’t know if it is just lazy animation or a lack of a needed budget but some of the scenes sport some bad character models. Whether it is the hair, facial expressions, or just how the shot is well…shot, something always seems to be off. It’s like the characters could look better but they just don’t…IT may be just that I have become excessively picky with animation since technology has helped animation tremendously but I feel as if this anime is not getting the amount of work it deserves. The females are still very stunning in most scenes it just seems as if the quality doesn’t hold through all the episodes. Sound wise the voice actors have done a decent job expressing their characters. Even though Akiko and Arashi are very annoying (multiplied by their voice actors), the voice actors pull their personalities off quite well. The sound track however is extremely generic…Both the openings/closings and the music during the show are just not noteworthy. It is barely passable. 

Most of the scenes are like this; they are shooting for a comedic effect with the style of animation but it just isn't done very well.

So let me get this straight…there is no plot to be found, crappy characters, inconsistent animation, and passable audio qualities? Why the hell would I watch this then!? Well that’s a tough question to answer. It seems that many animation studios think that today’s audience just wants cute, high school shows rather than the thought provoking, action orientated, or deep romance anime we have seen in the past (Steins;Gate, Death Note, Fate/Zero (actually pretty recent), Rec, ext.). Maybe they think we are easy to please, I don’t know but I have to say one thing about this show; it’s decent. It’s extremely cute, funny in a lot of parts, and at certain moments rewarding. The character interactions are enjoyable to watch and each episode does not feel like it is dragging. Overall it’s an average show with some cute characters; is that not good enough for you?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN CUTE CANNOT CARRY A SHOW!!?

Currently Watching Anime (December 2012)

This past month has been absolutely hectic with finals finishing up. Not only did they mess up my anime posts but also my life in general. I have had barely any time to work on music, play TOR, or even hang out friends -___-. But hey with 5 weeks off from classes coming up I cannot complain. Here is what I am watching at the moment:

Initial D Fifth Stage 2 out of ?
Little Busters! 10 out of ?
To Love-Ru: Darkness 9 out of ?
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 11 out of ?
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 12 out of ?
Sword Art Online 24 out of ? Finished!!!
Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne 12 out of ? Finished!!!
Kamisama Hajimemashita 6 out of ? Stalled
K 1 out of ? Stalled
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san 1 out of ? Stalled

Sword Art Online is starting to get a little...ehhh along with Little Busters. I have still yet to know what the main focus of Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne is and where the hell did Initial D Fifth Stage go!!?? Oh by the way Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo are amazing so go watch them now.

Anime Currently Watching (November 2012)

Wow it's already November; this past semester has blown by so quickly. Here is a list of the anime that I am currently watching:

Initial D Fifth Stage 2 out of ?
Little Busters! 7 out of ?
To Love-Ru: Darkness 6 out of ?
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 7 out of ?
Sword Art Online 20 out of ?
Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne 7 out of ?
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 6 out of ?
Princess Lover 12 out of 12 Finished!!
Kamisama Hajimemashita 6 out of ? Stalled
K 1 out of ? Stalled
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san 1 out of ? Stalled

I really wanted to start watching K and Haiyore! Nyaruko san but for various reasons I have decided to put them off for now. Sword Art Online and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun are my favorites by far while Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne may be turning into the underdogs for this anime season. Have some different posts lined up so check back every now and then for some updates.

"Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne" (Anime) Episode 1-2 Thoughts

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (Holy crap that's a mouth full) is going to be that anime for this season. What do I mean by that anime? By golly its going to be our no nonsense, no plot, harem anime! -____- This is the impression the show gave me after just two episodes of watching. The anime starts off by showcasing Akiko moving in to her dorm which is now occupied by her dear brother that she loves a little too much. She most definitely has a brother complex because even though she is aware of the taboo of siblings falling in love, she pursues it to a scary level. Lucky our male lead Akito is not interested at all because if he was, I would of stopped watching the show after ten minutes. The other characters introduced so far unfortunately do not give the show its saving grace. Anastasia (who is my favorite so far from this bland cast -__-) is the typical tsundere that is very mischievous. The back and forth between her and Akito is actually somewhat entertaining to watch. Arashi is the character I despise the most at the moment because all she is showing to be is the lazy but most sexual character of the bunch. I really don't care for her at all; she brings nothing interesting to the table. Lastly we have Haruomi who at first looks like the goody goody who is the cook and caring one of the bunch. A scene in the second episode shows that she can have her buttons pushed but it seems that she and Akito have a past history.

The first and second episodes show that these four somehow make up the student council at the school...when was this established? Would of been nice to see them get appointed or something...it literally is presented as, "Oh look first day of school. OH look we are the student council here." Another thing is that the show hasn't introduced any other minor characters yet...we see the school populated by other students but they just seem like static fill ins which is very disappointing. We also have had it pointed out that all three female leads have a love interest in Akrito (OH BOY WHAT A SHOCKER).

All I can tell you is that this is going to be another generic harem anime that while looks impressive (animation), will be nothing more than a softcore anime. Lets look at the bright side though...hopefully its better than Mashiro-Iro Symphony and Campione...right? God I hope so...

Anime Currently Watching (October 2012)

Its October which means Halloween is close by! I don't know about you but Halloween is the only holiday where college students have just as much fun as they did as a child. Anyways going to be watching a lot of different anime until I find some that I like that have just started airing. This is what I have so far:

Little Busters! 4 out of ?
Kamisama Hajimemashita 4 out of ?
To Love-Ru: Darkness 4 out of ?
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 4 out of ?
Sword Art Online 17 out of ?
Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne 4 out of ?
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 3 out of ?
K 1 out of ?
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san 1 out of ?
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (Humanity has Declined) 12 out of 12 Finished!!
Gintama (2011 season) 16 out of 51 Stalled
Hyou-ka: You Can't Escape 1 out of 22 Stalled
Yuru Yuri (season 2) 12 out of 12 Finished!!
Tari Tari 8 out of 13 Stalled
Sket Dance 2 out of 77 Dropped

I have been VERY lazy with Tari Tari and Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita because I am very close to losing interest in them and I do not know why. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita was quite funny but I feel that the complete lack of a flowing plot is making me put it off while Tari Tari is just boring. Yeah its really sweet, looks and sounds great, and has great characters but I just feel bored when watching it. No matter what though I will finish them so I can at least put my thoughts down. Please recommend any new airing anime because I really haven't research what is coming out.

Edit 1:
Dropped Tari Tari because I have literally no urge to finish it. Also the anime version of Sket Dance proved to be quite boring but the manga is very well done. Picked up To Love-Ru: Darkness, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, and Hyou-ka: You Can't Escape because they all look like they have a lot of potential to be interesting shows. In addition to these shows, I decided to start trying to finish the 2011 season of Gintama. I absolutely love Gintama but when I was watching it awhile back, I just burned myself out.