Search
Resize text+=

‘Oreimo: Volume 4’ – Advance TPB Review

Oreimo: Volume 4 opens with Kirino’s two worlds colliding when she runs into her best friend Ayase at a large doujinshi event in downtown Tokyo! Ayase knows nothing about Kirino’s otaku side, and it’s up to Kyousuke to save the day and try to keep his little sister’s popular school idol image intact. At the same time, how will Kirino’s new friends react when they learn she’s never mentioned them to her school pals? Can Ayase accept Kirino’s hobby, and will the girls still be friends at the end of the day?

I love manga, so I was excited to get to read Oreimo: Volume 4. While siscon (sister complex) isn’t my favorite genre, a female protagonist who is secretly into anime, manga, doujinshi, and adult games is something I can relate to personally, and I loved Kirino almost immediately; however, as creepy as he sometimes seems, Kyousuke took my heart as the top character in the volume with his desire and willingness to protect and aid his baby sister at whatever cost. 

MILD SPOILERS BELOW

What I Liked:

• Kyousuke and Kirino’s relationship was so sweetly awkward and affectionate that I just wanted to hug them both. I could easily believe that they had only recently begun to relate due to Kirino’s hidden hobby. It was obvious that they cared for each other, even if they didn’t always do a good job communicating.

• Kirino’s storyline with Ayase is simultaneously one of the sweetest and funniest female friendship tales I’ve seen in manga. Granted, I don’t usually read shounen manga (I like the girly stuff.), but while the misunderstanding between them was slightly ridiculous, the difficulties in rebuilding their bond felt very similar to my friendships in middle school and high school. Go, girl power!

• Kyousuke’s complete lack of awareness of the effect he has on the girls around him made me giggle. It’s a fairly common trope in harem manga/anime, but Oreimo doesn’t exactly fall into this category; however, those girls who like Kyousuke find him completely blind to their hints, probably because he’s so focused on Kirino.

• How the plot handles the “video games/anime/manga/insert your favorite hobby to blame here causes violence” argument. Instead of weakly allowing Oreimo to perpetuate the belief that various types of media cause anti-social behavior, the creators actively challenge it in this latest plot line. It’s easily one of the best parts of the entire volume.

• Kyousuke’s speech to Ayase is another strong piece of this part of Oreimo. While the plot suggests that Kyousuke’s feelings for Kirino are not entirely brotherly, I prefer to interpret this scene as him being an extremely protective older brother.

What I Disliked or Didn’t Work for Me:

• My only real complaint with Oreimo: Volume 4, as well as the previous volumes, is that the art isn’t very interesting. It tends to be standard manga-style drawing, and there was one panel where the pose looked incredibly awkward and even potentially painful; however, that’s a pretty minor gripe.

4.5 Fan-Made Eroge out of 5

Jodi Scaife, Fanbase Press Social Media Strategist

ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=150&d=mm&r=gforcedefault=1

Mid-30s geek type with a houseful of pets, books, DVDs, CDs, and manga

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top