For all those itching to get some conclusion out of this show, Oreimo 2 has it covered and then some. Oreimo two picks up right where the first season truly ended, where Kousaka makes the trip to the US to drag Kirino back. If you don't recall the first season well, I highly recommend a refresher before jumping on this one as there is very little exposition.
Kirino is now back in Japan but it appears Kousaka has been busy with her friends in the meantime. The second season explores Kousaka's "complicated" relationship graph with various female cast members and how his sister reacts. There is a three part OVA that follows the main show. While it provides virtually all of the show's conclusion, know that it was an OVA for a reason (probably in addition to raking in additional cash). The first season really pushed the limits of brother-sister relationships and expect this season to do the same. While I'm glad that this provides a conclusive end to the franchise, I'm also somewhat irked at the treatment of some of the female cast. That being said, if you liked the first Oreimo season, there's no reason to hold back.
Animation:
The animation is as you would expect from the first season. Light, simple coloring and a lot of blushing are probably the strongest takeaways. In addition, I did appreciate the varied wardrobe of the characters; even Kuroneko has multiple outfits. There are a few new characters though in general they play pretty minor roles. As A-1 Pictures have quite a few good hits in recent years, expect some easily noticeable cameos from other series such as Sword Art Online.
You can expect the same level of action as in the first season. I'd say there is slightly more ecchi in this season as Kousaka seems to be a bit more aggressive with his perverseness, perhaps as a result of playing too many H-games?
Sound:
Sound continues to be a high point for this franchise. While I don't like the new OP as much as the first season and likewise for most of the EDs, the BGM retains the unique and supportive nature of season one.
If anything, I think the voice cast is even better than in the first season. Yes I know that the cast is pretty much everyone from the first season. This season is superior in that the air time is much more evenly spread across the skilled VA cast. In particular, Kana Hanazawa and Saori Hayami both feel like they have significantly expanded roles, and if you haven't noticed I'm a fan of both VAs. Ayana Taketatsu likewise does a pretty good job at Kirino, who expresses less of her tsun and a bit more of her dere side.
Story:
While the story starts a bit on the slow side, and in my opinion wastes an entire episode on Saori, it definitely has significant substance in the central and latter episodes. Expect quite a bit of drama and a bit of angst as Kousaka, Kirino, and really most of the cast deal with the difficulties of maintaining and managing relationships when they really don't exactly understand their own feelings (kind of like real folks). From a relationship standpoint, there are a significant amount of cliffhangers though ultimately there's a nagging feeling that (given the title and all) the story is bound to go in a predefined direction. This did bother me at times as some of the events in this show felt a bit forced and artificial.
The show really leaves you with a different feeling depending on whether you finish at episode 12/13 or S3. Since the end of the TV series ends on a monumental cliffhanger of finally understanding why Kirino behaved as she did throughout the entire show so far, I'll assume the viewer will invest the additional 1.5 hours necessary to get the complete conclusion. This final climax and conclusion seem fair given the sensitive moral nature of the topic. Though plotwise they nailed the conclusion, I can't help but feel that Kousaka is both an overly-nice masoch*st and the world's largest jerk.
Character:
As the first season did a good job of establishing all the character backgrounds, expect significant development of character relations (indeed some of the romantic nature). I did find it a bit odd that certain secondary characters received abundant additional exposition while others received virtually none. Regardless, I found the overall character interactions fun and enjoyed Kousaka's slightly perverse behaviors towards Ayase. As with the first season, I found the characters favorable to many of the other offerings of the season.
Value:
For Oreimo fans, the value of this second season is absolutely clear. For general audiences, this may be a bit on the iffy side if only just because of the ending. As for me, I felt that the author and director dealt with the issues in a fair and rational way, giving both sides something to be happy about. As this is essentially a harem with an actual "choice", you do need to be prepared for (potentially favorite) characters to be turned down, and sometimes in a pretty cruel, blunt fashion. If you can wash out the bitter aftertaste from these issues then you'll find this an entertaining and conclusive end to the Oreimo series.
