Kirino Kosaka

Last updated
Kirino Kosaka
Oreimo character
Oreimo Kirino Kosaka.png
Kirino as she appears in the manga adaptation of Oreimo
First appearanceOreimo volume 1 (August 10, 2008)
Created by Tsukasa Fushimi
Hiro Kanzaki
Voiced by Ayana Taketatsu [1] [2]
In-universe information
Full nameKirino Kosaka
Nicknames
  • Kiririn
  • Rino
GenderFemale
OccupationStudent
Model
Novelist
Relatives Daisuke Kosaka (father)
Yoshino Kosaka (mother)
Kyosuke Kosaka (older brother; lover)
NationalityJapanese

Kirino Kousaka (高坂 桐乃, Kōsaka Kirino) is a fictional character and the main female protagonist of the light novel, anime, and manga series Oreimo , written by Tsukasa Fushimi and illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki. In the series, Kirino is a model student with excellent grades, competent athletic skill and great popularity. On the other hand, she's secretly an otaku with a fetish for "little sister"-themed eroge she has been collecting in secret. With the help of her older brother Kyousuke, who becomes her confidant, Kirino tries to reconcile her personal life with her secret hobby.

Contents

In the anime adaptation of Oreimo, Kirino is voiced by Ayana Taketatsu. [2] Although Kirino has become an extremely popular and somewhat of a breakout character in anime and manga fandom, she still received mixed critical responses from both fans and reviewers due to the character's "hostile behavior" in the anime.

Conception and creation

In September 2013, during an interview with Crunchyroll, Tsukasa Fushimi, the writer of Oreimo , was questioned why he made Kirino an otaku and he replied, "Now that I think about it, there might have been something like that going on, but originally I was only trying to make characters that I would find fun. And there is a part where I thought that by making Kirino an otaku, the viewers who are otaku could relate to her, 'Oh, I'm like that, too.'" [3]

Regarding the character's closure in the series, Fushimi stated that there was not a completely happy ending for Kirino, revealing that he couldn't write an ending where Kirino's affection and feelings were "truly and entirely rewarded", saying that "various circumstances prevented me from plainly writing that sort of ending. Nonetheless, I realized that she cared deeply for [Kyousuke], and so I felt I had to do something for her." [4] However, Fushimi still decided to give Kirino a happy ending, something he found very difficult to accomplish, because according to him, "I did my best to set up as good a situation for her as possible, for the sake of [Kirino's] future." [5]

Appearances

In Oreimo

In the light novel series Oreimo, Kirino is the 14-year-old younger sister of the protagonist Kyousuke. She is normally mature and independent for her age. However, this is a facade and she only reveals her true personality—immature, abusive, and ungrateful with an aggressive, tsundere -like character—to Kyousuke, [6] whom she orders to play her games and care for the characters, only to accuse him of being a pervert and a lolicon . [7] [8] She is secretly an otaku with an obsession for "little sister"-themed eroge, as well as the children's anime series Stardust Witch Meruru. She works as a magazine model and later becomes a novelist, the funds from which she uses to support her hobby. Despite her interests, she states she does not know why she started liking eroge and denies having a brother complex. Nevertheless, she frequently forces Kyousuke to spend time with her, whether it is playing games or taking her out, but denies that she actually enjoys the time they spend together.

Kirino is also shown to become frustrated whenever Kyousuke is with or shows interest in other girls. She even goes so far as to sabotage his time with another girl. Despite this, she is genuinely grateful to her brother. Although she states that she only likes eroge because of their cute characters, she shows a perverted side of herself when playing those games. She uses the screen name Kiririn when with her otaku friends. She used to admire Kyousuke in the past, whom she saw as a perfect brother. Kyousuke started distancing himself from her during elementary school. Kirino once tried to chase after Kyousuke (who ran away to play with his friends) but she tripped and cried in disappointment. This spurred her to start working hard on her academics and sports. She was also severely disappointed in Kyousuke's change in personality after the incident with Akimi.

Eventually, the two siblings fall in love with each other and Kyousuke asks Kirino to marry him, which she accepts. However, immediately after that, the two agree that siblings cannot get married in real life. They then decide to be a couple only temporarily, with Kyousuke putting a ring on Kirino's finger as a pseudo- engagement ring. They later arrange a pseudo-marriage at a church, where they reveal their genuine happiness for being siblings with a kiss. Kirino gives Kyousuke back the ring, ending their relationship with the promise of being a couple only temporarily finally fulfilled, and they go back to being normal siblings.

In other media

In addition to the Oreimo series, Kirino also makes a cameo appearance in the 11th episode of the anime adaptation of Eromanga Sensei , another light novel series written by Fushimi and illustrated by Kanzaki. [9] Kirino can be seen in the 11th episode of Haganai , although she is only shown from the back. [10] Kirino appears in the crossover story Ore no Imōto to Railgun Collaboration Project!, which features characters from both the Oreimo and A Certain Magical Index series. [11] Kirino makes a brief appearance in the A Certain Magical Index PSP game, [12] and she also appears as a playable character in Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax . [13]

Reception

Popularity

A fan cosplaying as Kirino Cosplayer of Kirino Kosaka, Oreimo at FF18 20110731.jpg
A fan cosplaying as Kirino

The character of Kirino has become extremely popular in anime and manga fandom. Since the release of the first volume of Oreimo, the pose that Kirino does on its cover has become a popular meme on internet, with several netizens editing Kirino's pose to make it look like other characters from various anime/manga series. [14] In February 2016, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that it would use Kirino as spokesmodel for its teen education efforts, with Kirino appearing in informational booklets that were distributed for free at select election symposiums. [15]

In July 2014, Kirino was voted third in the "Favorite Tsundere Anime Girl Poll" poll by 489 votes. [16] In August 2014, Kirino was ranked 18th among the "Top 20 Meanest Characters In Anime History" by 221 votes. [17] In June 2018, Kirino was voted fourth and third among the "5 Most Loved Snaggleteeth in Anime" and the "5 Most Hated Snaggleteeth in Anime", respectively. [18] In May 2020, Kirino's relationship with Kyousuke ranked third on the "5 Worst Anime Relationships" list. [19]

Critical response

In a review for Oreimo, Theron Martin of Anime News Network (ANN) compared Kirino to Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 's character Haruka Nogizaka, commenting, "Where Haruka Nogizaka was a delicate, gentle flower of womanhood, Kirino is cut more from a tsundere mold. While the former was merely into anime series, the latter escalates dramatically to ero games (though she is also a fan of certain anime)." [20] In a later review, Martin noted that Kirino is "still her usual irritatingly mercurial self", in addition to suggesting that Kirino's fascination with "little sister"-type ero games has a "deeper meaning". [21] Kim Morrissy of ANN made a comparison between Kirino and Eromanga Sensei's Sagiri Izumi, with Morrissy believing that the latter, unlike Kirino, "matches the otaku's image of the ideal little sister: a quiet, doe-eyed girl who exudes moe appeal." [22]

Reviewing for OTAQUEST, Hope Kim praised Kirino as "confident, headstrong, and knows what she wants". Kim also said, "I think the non-incest aspects to Kirino Kousaka and her sisterly fantasy that make her an appealing love interest are also worth talking about. Kirino's hobby of choice happens to be a pastime that caters to men in fiction and in real life. Thus, making her 'one of the boys.' She's cool. She's with it. She gets what it means to have a sister complex. Which in turn, makes it 'okay' for her brother Kyousuke to be into it!" [23] UltraMunch wrote, "She may not look like it to the untrained eye, but Kirino is actually a tsundere evolution. Her character combines tsundere with the 'imouto,' or cute little sister archetype, creating an interesting new formula that had audiences thrilled until things got a bit uncomfortable towards the end there. Regardless, Kirino is the ultimate hot and cold woman with an attitude that switches so fast it can give you whiplash." [24]

Tim Jones of THEM Anime Reviews strongly criticized Kirino by describing her as being "immensely unlikable", apart from also calling her an "abusive, unfunny creep", as the character's behavior in the anime becomes more hostile as it progresses, remarking that "[t]here is no absolutely no avoiding her selfish, haughty, jackass ways". [25] Another reviewer of THEM Anime Reviews, Allen Moody, gave his opinion on how Kirino was the "scariest" part of the second season of the anime. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Tsundere</i> Affectionate path of character development

Tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time.

<i>Oreimo</i> Japanese light novel series by Tsukasa Fushimi and Hiro Kanzaki

Oreimo, short for Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi, with illustrations provided by Hiro Kanzaki. The story depicts high school student Kyosuke Kosaka who discovers that his standoffish younger sister Kirino is actually an otaku with an extensive collection of moe anime and younger sister–themed eroge she has been collecting in secret. Kyosuke quickly becomes Kirino's confidant for her secret hobby.

ClariS is a Japanese pop music duo which formed in 2009 with singers Clara and Alice from Hokkaido, who were in junior high school at the time. The pair began singing covers and submitting them to Japanese video sharing website Niconico between 2009 and 2010. ClariS later signed to SME Records and released their debut single "Irony" in October 2010. Three more singles were released between 2011 and 2012, followed by their debut album Birthday (2012). Birthday was awarded a Gold Disc by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for having exceeded 100,000 copies shipped in a single year. Six more singles were released between 2012 and 2014, which were featured on their second album Second Story (2013) and third album Party Time (2014). Alice left the unit following Party Time's release, and Karen joined ClariS in late 2014. ClariS moved to the Sacra Music record label under Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 2017.

Tsukasa Fushimi is a Japanese author of light novels. He made his debut in 2006 with the novel series Jūsanbanme no Alice. This was followed in 2008 by his well-known novel series Oreimo, which spawned a media franchise encompassing multiple manga, anime, and video game adaptations. In 2013, Fushimi began writing his novel series Eromanga Sensei which ended in 2022.

<i>A Town Where You Live</i> Japanese manga and anime series

A Town Where You Live is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōji Seo. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 2008 to February 2014 and the chapters collected into 27 tankōbon volumes. The series follows the daily life of Haruto Kirishima as he becomes enamored with Yuzuki Eba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irony (ClariS song)</span> 2010 single by ClariS

"Irony" is a pop song by the Japanese duo and idol unit ClariS, written by Kz. It was released as the unit's debut single on October 20, 2010 by SME Records. The song was used as the opening theme to the 2010 anime series Oreimo. A music video was produced for "Irony". The single peaked at No. 7 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart.

<i>Imouto Paradise!</i> 2011 Japanese visual novel

Imouto Paradise! Onii-chan to Go nin no Imouto no Ecchi Shimakuri na Mainichi is a Japanese erotic visual novel developed and published by Moonstone Cherry. Imouto Paradise! was first released on January 28, 2011, playable on Windows as a PC game. On July 29, 2011, M-Trix produced an Android version of Imouto Paradise!, and on September 29, 2011, the game was released as a DVDPG edition by Dennou Club. MangaGamer released an English language localization of the game on August 22, 2014. On May 31, 2013, Paradigm published a light novel and an adult manga for Imouto Paradise! serialized in the Comic Potpourri Club magazine. A hentai original video animation series was produced. Moonstone Cherry released a sequel to the first visual novel called Imouto Paradise 2.

<i>Imouto Paradise 2</i> 2013 Japanese visual novel

Imouto Paradise! 2: Onii-chan to Go nin no Imouto no Motto! Ecchi Shimakuri na Mainichi is a Japanese erotic visual novel developed by Moonstone Cherry and released on May 31, 2013, for Windows PCs and later ported as a DVD TV game. Imouto Paradise! 2 is a sequel to the visual novel Imouto Paradise!, featuring a new cast of characters, but with a similar plot. Both games depict incest.

<i>Himouto! Umaru-chan</i> Japanese manga series

Himouto! Umaru-chan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sankakuhead. After two one-shot chapters published in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Miracle Jump in 2012, the manga was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from March 2013 to November 2017, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. A sequel manga titled, Himouto! Umaru-chan G, was published in the same magazine from November 2017 to April 2018, with its chapters collected in a single volume. An anime television series adaptation aired from July to September 2015. A second season titled Himouto! Umaru-chan R aired from October to December 2017.

<i>Ani-Imo</i> Shōjo manga series

Ani-Imo is a shōjo manga series by Haruko Kurumatani. Ano - Imo centers around Youta and his twin sister Hikaru. They are unrelated by blood and switch bodies with each other through an accident. Youta finds that the little sister which he thought he knew turns out to be very different. Hikaru, now in Youta's body, announces she has always had feelings towards her brother as more than a brother and intends to make him hers.

<i>Eromanga Sensei</i> Japanese light novel series by Tsukasa Fushimi and Hiro Kanzaki

Eromanga Sensei is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Fushimi and illustrated by Hiro Kanzaki. ASCII Media Works has published thirteen volumes in the series under its Dengeki Bunko imprint from December 2013 to August 2022. A manga adaptation illustrated by Rin has been serialized in Dengeki Daioh from May 2014 to May 2021. An anime adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures aired from April to June 2017.

<i>Nameless Asterism</i> Japanese manga series

Nameless Asterism is a Japanese yuri manga written and illustrated by Kina Kobayashi. It was serialized online via Square Enix's Gangan Online website from 2015 to 2017, and is licensed for English-language release by Seven Seas Entertainment.

<i>My Sister, My Writer</i> Japanese light novel series and its adaptations

My Sister, My Writer, known in Japan as Ore ga Suki nano wa Imōto dakedo Imōto ja nai and abbreviated as Imo-Imo, is a Japanese light novel series written by Seiji Ebisu and illustrated by Gintarō. A manga adaptation by Kō Narita launched in Monthly Dragon Age from December 2017 to September 2019, and an anime television series adaptation by NAZ and Magia Doraglier aired from October to December 2018.

<i>My Sweet Tyrant</i> Japanese manga series

My Sweet Tyrant is a romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Waka Kakitsubata. It began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Gene magazine from June 2013 to June 2018. An anime television series adaptation by Yumeta Company aired from April 6 to September 21, 2018.

<i>My Friends Little Sister Has It In for Me!</i> Japanese light novel series

My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me! is Japanese light novel series written by Ghost Mikawa and illustrated by Tomari. The series began publication by SB Creative under their GA Bunko imprint in April 2019. The light novel is licensed in North America by J-Novel Club. A manga adaptation by Hira Hiraoka began serialization online in December 2019. An anime television series adaptation produced by Blade has been announced.

Kazuma Miki is a Japanese light novel editor. He is CEO of Straight Edge Inc, editor-in-chief of LINE novel, and outside director of Egg Firm. He is from the Tokushima prefecture. He graduated from Sophia University as a physics major.

Younger Sister's Day is a Japanese holiday established by manga artist and author Kunio Hatada in 1991, celebrated on September 6 of each year.

References

  1. ↑ "スタッフ＆キャスト | 「俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない」アニメ公式サイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Wu, Xianwei (February 14, 2021). "5 Anime Featuring Voice Actors You Didn't Know Are Married in Real Life". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ lugiamania (September 10, 2013). "FEATURE: Interviews with the Staff of "Oreimo"". Crunchyroll . Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  4. ↑ 西尾泰三 (June 20, 2013). "桐乃の想いを何とかしてやりたかった――「俺の妹」伏見つかさは今何を思う" [I wanted to do something about Kirino's feelings - What is the author of "Ore no Imouto", Fushimi Tsukasa, thinking about now]. ITmedia eBook USER (in Japanese). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ かーずノトフ (June 14, 2013). "俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない最終巻 伏見つかさ先生へ「ラストについて」「次回作」などインタビュー！" [Last tome of "Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai" Interview with Fushimi Tsukasa about "the last one" and his "next work"]. アキバBlog (in Japanese). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Cubillas, Sean (January 24, 2020). "5 Tsundere Characters Everyone Loves (& 5 We Could Do Without)". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ Albert, Brianna (February 28, 2020). "10 Classic Tsundere Characters In Shounen Anime". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Jones, Isaiah (October 13, 2019). "10 Anime Couples That Should Have Never Happened". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Caroline, Victoria (June 18, 2017). "Eromanga-sensei #11 – Impressões Semanais". IntoxiAnime (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  10. ↑ Mittal, Sarika (December 10, 2020). "10 Weird Times Anime Characters Made Appearances In Other Anime". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Loo, Egan (May 5, 2013). "Oreimo, A Certain Scientific Railgun Get Web Text Stories". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ 『俺の妹』とのゲーム内コラボのお知らせ [News of a Collaboration with "Oreimo" in the Game] (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  13. ↑ Sato (May 9, 2014). "Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax To Add Taiga Aisaka And Miyuki Shiba". Siliconera . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ Mason, Aiden (2019). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Oreimo". TV Overmind. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ Baseel, Casey (February 11, 2016). "Little sister anime star grows up, becomes spokesmodel for Japan's teen voter education campaign". SoraNews24. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ Green, Scott (July 19, 2014). "10,000 Votes Cast in Favorite Tsundere Anime Girl Poll". Crunchyroll . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ Yomimaid (August 30, 2014). "POLL: Japanese Otaku Vote For The Top 20 Meanest Characters In Anime History". Crunchyroll . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ Fobian, Peter (June 26, 2018). "The 5 Most Loved and Hated Snaggleteeth in Anime". Crunchyroll . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  19. ↑ Jing, Jacki; Loveridge, Lynzee (May 17, 2020). "5 Worst Anime Relationships - The List". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  20. ↑ Martin, Theron (October 5, 2011). "Oreimo Complete Limited Edition DVD Box Sub.DVD - Review". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  21. ↑ Martin, Theron (September 16, 2014). "Oreimo 2 Sub.DVD - Review". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  22. ↑ Morrissy, Kim (May 10, 2017). "How Oreimo Made Little Sisters a Big Deal". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  23. ↑ Kim, Hope (January 1, 2021). "Into an Abyss: A Disturbed Sister Analyzes the Anime Oreimo and Its Ending". OTAQUEST. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  24. ↑ gigglingdonkey (September 20, 2019). "TOP 10 ADORABLE TSUNDERE CHARACTERS IN ANIME". UltraMunch. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  25. ↑ Jones, Tim (2010). "Oreimo - Review". THEM Anime Reviews . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  26. ↑ Moody, Allen (2013). "Oreimo 2 - Review". THEM Anime Reviews . Retrieved April 24, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.