After the death of Himenokouji’s parents, Akito and Akiko were forced to live with separate families for six years. They finally manage to find each other and start living together. It quickly becomes apparent that Akiko has romantic feelings for her older brother, but Akito sees her only as a younger sister.

When three more girls – Nasuhara Anastasia, Nikaidou Arashi and Sawatari Ginbei – move into their apartment, Akiko’s hopes of living alone with her brother fade. What’s more, these girls also have a crush on Akito, which makes it even harder for Akiko to gain her brother’s undivided attention.

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (2012) – Audiovisual design

Video

The visuals stand at a decent level, as the Silverlink studio has accustomed me to over the years. Especially important scenes have a lot of detail, others a little less. Backgrounds are aesthetically pleasing and blend well with the rest. The play with light is also noticeable. The animation of key scenes manages to impress, but I wouldn’t set my sights on constant waterworks here. I liked the design of the characters.

Audio

The voice actors carry the entire series on their shoulders. Kido Ibuki in the lead role (Akiko) is a masterpiece. Every scene involving her really delighted me. It’s a shame that, despite everything, screen time with Akiko was rather severely limited. Of course, the other actors also did a great job, perfectly portraying the different character types.

The soundtrack is not particularly memorable to me. However, both the opening and ending will probably make their way onto my playlists.

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (2012) – Plot and Characters

Introduction

I’ve been planning to watch this anime for some time now. Mainly as part of catching up on the Silverlink studio series I’m interested in. Due to the fact that I remembered it right after watching the series reviewed recently, I decided to finally get acquainted with it.

A quick look at the plot

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne, (or OniAi for short) is primarily an enjoyable and funny comedy about everyday life. Each of the heroines tries all her tricks to win the heart of the main character. However, this one is not interested in any relationships, especially one involving his sister.

Akito, however, has a secret. He becomes quite successful at a fairly young age, writing a light novel about his brother’s love with his sister in an alternate historical reality. When he learns that Akiko is his loyal reader, he tries even harder to ignore her feelings.

It is difficult to talk about any sequence of events here. Many episodes are not directly related to each other. We follow the progression of the plot after the events at school, or by getting to know more characters.

The really interesting thing about this series are the long dialogues in the one-on-one scenes between the girl in question and Akito. It was this aspect that made me stay with Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne until the last episode. As I mentioned above, I kind of missed the scenes with Akiko. I had the impression that the director heavily favored Anastasia (the one with the blonde hair in the screenshots above).

Almost all the action of the series takes place at the place where Akito lives. Occasionally we see the interior of the school building or the immediate surroundings of the property of the said estate. There was a lack of space for any excursions or trips to the beach. It’s a shame – it would have made the whole thing a little more interesting.

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (2012) – Characters

Each heroine represents a separate character type, but none of them is a pure representative of a particular personality type. Many episodes pay attention to individual girls. We learn about their past, but also get to know them better. Each one can be liked. For me, Akiko wins everything with her directness, cheerfulness and self-denial in pursuit of her goal.

Other remarks

I was a bit surprised by the ending. Everything pointed to the fact that it would be another unfinished adaptation, with a severed plot thread, without any suggestion of what would come next. In the final episode, we learn about a little secret. A secret that turns the whole thing upside down. We still don’t know what will happen, but at least the creators made it possible to guess the rest of the scenario. Of course, there also remains the option of reading the original in the form of a light novel. Its publication did not end until 2019, so seven years after the anime adaptation was released.

Fanservice showing female charms does not dominate here. In fact, I didn’t see a lot of scenes of this type, contrary to what I expected. Of course, there are quite a few suggestions and misunderstandings in each episode. On the visual side, on the other hand, it’s rather restrained, and there could have been more of it without causing harm to the rest.

Evaluation and summary

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne is a funny comedy that certainly won’t appeal to everyone. I would certainly not consider it a must-see production. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with it and spend your time pleasantly. Especially if you like positions of this type.

Finalny werdykt

Final evaluation

Which translation do I recommend to watch Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne (2012)

• Doki – as usual, without any major complaint.

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