I have notice the sheer amount of OVAs out there, as of late. It used to be that an OVA came out when there was a tale or two to tell that would not or could not fit into the standard run of things (like “Darker Than Black” #26) or you wanted to do something really goofy with things (Attack on Titan’s “Monster Character Theater”) or you were using it as a bridge to a new season of a show (“To Love-Ru”). But I am noticing that almost every show is trotting something out, so I guess this will be as big a part of anime as fan service (and if the OVA IS fan service, well…………..)

Now, I have done a full review of “OniAi” (Onī-chan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne! “As Long as There’s Love, It Doesn’t Matter If He Is My Brother, Right”), but I was a bit surprised to see this OVA come out, as the series concluded over two years ago. It is a five short-run series (about five or so minutes each) and done in this extreme Chibi style. And the plot? What have I told you about using the words ‘plot’ and ‘OVA’ in the same sentence? These are merely an exercise to get your inner ecchi on, but it’s not all that pervy, as we do it in this style, so things lack a sense of ‘realism’.

The still above comes from an episode where bees fly up their skirts and down their blouses. What does this have to do with anything? That’s the point. It is a set up to showcase how frustrated or perverted or over-the-top everyone is in this show. We know when they get ‘serious’, as the art style shifts to something more realistic, but that’s momentary. It’s just that I am perplexed by the real reason for this. I see nothing on the horizon to indicate there is a second season (again, one reason you air these OVAs, so you keep interest alive) and what they do in the OVAs could have easily floated in any of the series episodes, so you aren’t really telling me a story that couldn’t have been told.

Yes, yes, yes, everyone is cute and giggly but when they talk, they have a tendency to bounce up and down and that gets annoying. It is also limited animation, so no mouths open and you know who is talking by who is bouncing, but there is no fluidity of movement. All in all, it comes off more as a scenario or even a scratch test, to see what they have planned for a full episode, should they get the green light for it. Now, there is nothing intrinsically bad or wrong with the OVAs, but just general head-scratching and, eventually, disappointing, as you haven’t given us anything new, just something to fill our time.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 8 (Cute as a button)
Plot 2 (Flimsy as silk panties)
Pacing 7 (Seems forced)
Effectiveness 5 (To what aim or purpose?)
Conclusion 2 (Totally bridge pieces)
Fan Service 6 (A similar show would be “Mahoromatic”)

Overall 6 (Fell apart at the end)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. But he’s MY brother!