An Imouto a Day

by eternal on June 26, 2010

Obligatory myface.jpg

Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki ja Nai n da kara ne!! is… well, first of all, it’s a mouthful to say. I’m not even sure if there’s a convenient nickname or acronym for it so I guess I’ll just have to refer to it as Oniichan.

More importantly, the series is – for lack of a better word – good. I can almost guarantee that it’s better than the image you have in mind of a stereotypical siscon ecchi series with pandering characters, lighthearted dialogue, and a touch of fanservice where it counts. Of course it has all of the above, but the mangaka does a few things to keep it fresh. It’s been a while since I’ve read something so thoroughly enjoyable, even though enjoying something like this feels as awkward as enjoying a low-budget harem anime. In fact, this may well be the only comedy/ecchi manga I’ve read that’s actually funny!

Now, I don’t want to advertise falsely: Oniichan is most certainly a male-targeted ecchi series, and there’s little point in reading it unless you’re familiar with the tried-and-true imouto pandering tropes. The first thing I noticed about the series that made it enjoyable for reasons other than the art is the fact that there’s a hint of self-awareness woven into the comedy. Specifically, Nao – the protagonist’s sister – doesn’t hesitate to go into long internal rants about her affection for her brother. And I’m not talking about KissxSis style borderline creepy obsession, either; Nao is more amusing than attractive. When she finds out that she’s not related to her brother by blood, her first reaction is disappointment at the fact that she can no longer live the “daydream” of being rejected by society and running away from home in pursuit of forbidden love.

Of course, no matter how amusing the series might be, it won’t make you laugh like a real comedy manga. The good thing is that the art is definitely above average, and the cookie-cutter harem members are drawn in all their deliciously generic glory. It’s hard to describe the quality of the art without linking to a million pages (feel free to browse if you’re curious), but even if Kouichi Kusano’s designs aren’t your cup of tea, it’s refreshing to see each panel as soft and detailed as they are. The SD drawings are fun, too, and the art complements the comedy when it needs to.

As for fanservice, Oniichan finds a happy middle ground. It’s certainly there when you want it to be, but it’s not the kind of series you’d read for fanservice. It’s generally at least somewhat amusing, and failing that, it almost always does its job (in other words, most of it is like this). The real appeal lies somewhere between the pandering character archetypes and the hilarious situations that they end up in. The best part about the fanservice is the fact that it never tries to be funny: if a panty shot is in a panel, the author doesn’t pretend that the girl’s inevitable kyaa~! and subsequent punch to the guy’s face is funny. Fanservice is fanservice, comedy is comedy. And hey, sometimes this approach is actually funny.

If there’s one thing I can say about Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen something or the other, it’s that it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read. After all, I normally wouldn’t consider writing a post on a miscellaneous, negligible ecchi manga, so the fact that I’m writing this says something about my opinion of it. The two main girls are just plain hilarious in their pursuit of the male protagonist, and it avoids getting bogged down with pandering by hanging a lampshade on the clichés that need to be there, like this. Everyone knows that the only thing worse than a bad ecchi series is a bad ecchi series that takes itself seriously, but thankfully Oniichan is neither of the above.

If you’re the kind of person who would like this sort of thing but you generally avoid it due to the amount of mediocrity in the genre, give it a shot: worst-case scenario you’ll enjoy the art and the fanservice while it lasts and promptly forget about it, but don’t be surprised if you get hooked on the characters and end up thinking that 20 chapters is too short.

~ ETERNAL
つづく

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Micchi June 26, 2010 at 11:01 pm

Title got my attention lol.

Read a bit of this a while back and it’s entertaining as a comedy. I just hope that they don’t add too many characters and keep it to a manageable number. Third volume just recently came out :3

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choux June 28, 2010 at 8:08 pm

Just read it. Hilarious. I love stories with friendemies.

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ETERNAL July 2, 2010 at 9:49 pm

Glad you guys like it. I’ll continue to explore the treacherous terrain of obscure ecchi manga (it’s reference material… or something >_>), but I’d be pleasantly surprised if I find something as enjoyable as this again.

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