Like any bad day, this show seems to have its bad episode with some unbelievable, corny and silly moments. I wonder, who is going to get an Anime adaption after they wrote their first light novel? If you guess Kirino, then you are right!
This episode obviously explores the processes in the Anime Industry and how adaptations are planned. Meetings like these are normal, except it involves big animation studios. It’s also true that shows only get 12/13 episodes for the trial run and they are given another season if the show is successful. From the looks of it, this is true, but this episode takes it a step further by making it really harsh and exorbitant.
I have a strong feeling that Kirino was a bit unreasonable with her demands with her choice of voice actors, story, endings songs, and etc. One of the biggest examples of her unreasonable demand is that her show needs to be 52 episodes long. The problem is that there isn’t enough material to cover. In addition, the Animation Studio is taking on a really risky project and don’t know how successful the show is going to be. On the other hand, the demands from the other side is unreasonable too, especially when they don’t want to faithfully adapt the original source material as the author intended. In a way, it feels a bit rage worthy.
After that meeting, Kirino becomes weak and depressed. Like the other incidents, Kyousuke has to bail her out again by meeting with the animation studio. After that, we get more rage between the party like the first part… and it gets resolved when Kyousuke yelled at the guys and then says that “if it doesn’t turn out right, she will die of depression.” This line kinds of screams The Room that what they are doing is “going to destroy Johnny.” Maybe not as bad since this episode isn’t like a horrible movie. I still think that reaction is pretty bad and basing on that, I expected Kyousuke to say, “Kirino is very sensitive.”
Also, Kuroneko takes the stereotypical haters and jealous girl role. She rants about how much she hates what Kirino watches, her light novel and how successful she is. In a way, she sounded pretty annoying, whiny and fell out of character. It makes me wonder, what happened to the characters? Why they are reduced down to nothingness?
After all of the begging from Kyousuke, they finally caved in. Now, they are incorporating most of the things Kirino wanted. UNBELIEVABLE!!
I still have to agree with the various comments in the blogosphere; I think this episode was a mess since it focused too much on the Meta of the Anime Industry. In a way, this episode felt like an Anime Original and had no relation to the original material. I have a gut feeling that the studio is crying in their tears since they are hypocrites over faithfully adapting the original source material. If you want to remain faithful, you wouldn’t insert original material that has the Anime Industry Circle Jerk written all over.
In short, Episode 8 is one of those episodes that you can skip. It wasn’t entertaining and I felt a sense of rage in myself… Hopefully this episode won’t fall into this pit again. ¶
I think it is fine to be meta, as good stories can probably be made of any subject. I think you pointed out the real problems:
1) Passing up good use of characters for the established plot mechanic (Kuroneko doesn’t develop, and big brother comes to the rescue).
2) Unrealistic! Describing the anime production process is fine, but respect your audience enough to represent the process in a believable fashion.
I think shows can have a good meta storyline since Lucky Star and K-ON is the proof of that. The problem I see is that this episode is too ideal and just caving into Kirino’s demands. She really need to be taught that things can’t go her way all the time. In comparison, its like giving material stuff to a spoiled child even though they act like a jerk.
I still think that Kyousuke shouldn’t bail her out… if he keeps bailing her out, she will never learn the harsh realities and be stuck in a protective room for rest of her life… maybe not, but yeah.
This episode was pretty much anime original. I’m not saying that the original chapter in the light novels, which dealt with plagiarism (Kirino’s novel was stolen by a woman who pretended to be her) was much better, because I didn’t like it either, but at least it was better than this.
I mean, I think it’s a mistake to ask for realism in Oreimo. The problem is coherence. Let’s accept that Kirino gets an anime version. I mean, that is going to affect her life. Will she become a professional writer? When she goes to comiket, will there be references to her own anime/novels? The answer is no, just like in the light novels. Although mentioned a couple of times, in the novels after writing her second novel Kirino says she doesn’t care about it anymore and gives up being a writer.
However, at least in the novels the meta references about the publishing world sounded a little more realistic, while what Kyousuke did was more reasonable.
Episode 9 will also be an anime original
I haven’t read the light novel, but its pretty interesting how it didn’t focused on the plagiarism. It’s an important issue that is real (e.g. Baka to Test/5cm/s). Like I said earlier, Kyousuke isn’t doing her a favor by begging in front of the producers and have them cave down Kirino’s demand. Its like treating her like a spoiled child… they will never learn. I also felt that this episode is just showing the animation studio’s agenda more than the original premise… focus on the plagiarism. If it focused on that and Kyousuke went there and attack them on their claims to protect Kirino, then this would be a better episode.
As I’ve said on the other people’s blog posts. You can’t always have the good things. Kuroneko said it herself: Someone would sometimes have to be the bad guy and put Kirino in her rightful place.
But saying that doesn’t mean that we actually have the authority to mutilate the adaptation from the original content. The anime industry, in their quest for profit, seems to forget that, something that OreImo itself was getting touchy with. Although OreImo should’ve tackled this issue, they sidetracked it and diluted the discrimination in order for the anime industry to not come in a totally antagonistic light.
Why? It’s because OreImo shouldn’t, but given the nature of the show, it must.
Kuroneko really deserves my respect as a fan.
Considering the subject they must cover, I do agree… It’s obviously true that the Anime Industry is in their quest for money. Aren’t all businesses are. It is pretty important to cover how the Anime Industry does things because they obviously cannot use everything from the original source. Book to Movie adaptations are the same way… they have to cut scenes or change them so they could fit.
We can’t have good things all the time… life isn’t like that, which is why Kuroneko is right in this situation even though she is envious of how successful Kirino is.