Disaster Report: MY SISTER, MY WRITER
Is there any anime trend more regrettable than the imouto (little sister) romance? It started off simply enough, as creators in the late 2000s sought a way to distinguish their otaku-friendly harems and rom-com light novels from the rest of the crowd. It was the perfect fantasy for lazy, jaded otaku: here’s a cute younger girl who keeps house for you, already has an implicit relationship with you, brings an element of cultural taboo, and all of it is available without having to leave the house (or the family tree)! It soon made the shift from doujin and light novels to bargain-bin ecchi shows like Kiss X Sis and I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother . The closest it ever got to mainstream acceptance was 2012’s Oreimo . Its fandom grew steadily over the course of its two seasons (plus OVAs), even as it steadily denied that it was anything like those other little sister shows (at least, until it all ended with its bl...