Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai - Episode 9

After losing its way in rather spectacular fashion last week, normality returns to Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai for episode nine with nary a mention of Kirino's successful book turned anime, thank goodness.  Instead, we find Kirino on tenterhooks, jumping every time anyone so much as approaches the front door.  She is, of course, waiting for a delivery - the delivery of her The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Blu-Ray box set.  Wait, no she isn't... sorry, I'm projecting myself onto an anime character again.

Instead, Kirino is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the latest little sister-centric eroge she's ordered, and rather perfectly it turns up on a day when her parents are out of the house, allowing her to luxuriate in its goodness - not a tricky task given its installation time.  For much of this episode, we simply get to watch Kirino playing the game, enjoying her reactions as she plays through it (sometimes ironically so; witness her frustration at the tsundere little sister who refuses to give her brother a break for one second for most of the game) as over the top as they might sometimes seem - mind you, some of her outbursts of frustration and happiness reminded me of my teenage game-playing self, so coupled with her inevitable argument with Kyousuke there was a certainly feeling of reality grounding her reactions most of the time.

Aside from Kirino's day of eroge enjoyment, we also get to sneak a look into the daily lives of Kuroneko (can I start calling her Ruri yet?) and Saori, with the latter's home life proving to be not quite as surprising as I imagine it was designed to be while Kuroneko turns out to have an adorable little sister of her very own, who she somehow manages to keep happy while also carrying on with her otaku life of imaged witchcraft and Maschera role-playing.  Even Ayase gets a quick scene in this episode, although it's rather forgettable compared to Kyousuke calling Kuroneko to ask if she wants to hang out with him.  I sense some fraught times ahead on that count, although personally I can't blame the guy.

I suppose no matter what this episode offered up I was just glad to get away from last week's disappointment, and this instalment certainly delivered - there was no overblown drama or crazy antics here, but instead we simply got to enjoy a normal day in the life of a bunch of otaku.  It was fun, it was generally relaxed, and it had a little of something everyone can probably related to - that counts as "mission accomplished" in my book.  Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai is at its best when it just focuses on otaku being otaku; I just wish it would stick to doing just that without side-stepping into melodrama or flights of fancy.