A Look at the Otaku Identity Through "OreImo"

One of the most anticipated shows for this fall season of anime is Ore no Imouto ga Konna Kawaii wake ga nai (My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute). This lengthy title of a show is an adaptation of a light novel with the same name that debuted two years and has come out with six volumes thus far. Due to my inability to read Japanese, it always makes me glad to be able to enjoy light novels animated and voiced. OreImo, the truncated name which I will be using for the rest of this entry, is two episodes in and so far has defied my initial expectations of it being just another entry in the (over) saturated slice-of-life comedy.

Cover of the first volume of the light novel.

OreImo, in short, is the tale of a popular, fashion magazine model middle school girl Kirino who harbors a secret: she is a diehard otaku. One fateful day, her secret hobby is accidentally and slowly discovered by her older brother who she thoroughly ignores on a daily basis. Being the nice guy he is, however, he promises to keep his mouth shut and Kirino is finally talking to him under the guise of what she calls "life counseling" which also includes forcing him to play the games she does to better make him understand her passion.

Certainly, OreImo is not the first series to focus on the otaku culture and identity. There's Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (The Secret of Haruka Nogizaka) which has a more fluffy, romantic undertone or Lucky Star which celebrates and parodies the otaku life without holding back. It's tough to say in what direction OreImo will be heading in since I have not read the light novel and the anime only recently begun but I feel it may be more serious in what it has to say. For example, their strict, conservative police man father makes his dislike towards the otaku very clear at the dinner table which makes Kirino understandably uncomfortable. Yet she herself gets uncomfortable around the otaku guys in her class even though she clearly has a keen interest in what they're talking about. I can certainly agree that it's hard being an otaku when you don't have anyone to really express that to without being criticized for it. Will the eventual revelation make her a stronger person or lead to an unfortunate breakdown?

As the series continues on, I'm sure more fears and anxieties of the otaku identity will be addressed. OreImo has started off strong so far and I look forward to seeing further commentary. Even fictional otaku need some love.