Kono Naka is an interestingly dangerous twist on the typical harem. The protagonist, your typical nice and indecisive lead, is burdened with having to find a bride before he graduates from his high school. However, he learns that his previously unknown half sister also attends his school, though he has no idea who it actually is. Thus we have an interesting duality of girls fighting over the dude while the dude tries to find his imouto to avoid any chance of incest.
The series has a strong focus on ecchi and light comedy, coupled with a dab of mystery. It's this last bit that sets this apart from your average harem- not only are you guessing who he's going to choose, you also are trying to guess who he's trying to avoid. I found this series to be an engaging and involved watch, even though it heavily utilized the magic amnesia card. If you're looking for a harem where the victor (and sister) are not immediately apparent, give this one a try.
Animation:
The animation is overall average in quality. The lines are not as crisp as I'd expect from a current series but the coloring is reasonable. Most of the scenes also have pretty basic backgrounds with fairly plain lighting effects. Character designs are fair, though Miyabi's hairstyle is... well let's just say unique. This is also a series where characters actually have wardrobes so expect multiple outfits per harem candidate.
This is not an action show so don't expect anything, be it fighting or H-level stuff. However, there is significant nudity, which is strange; the TV version requires the black plague over panties but is fine showing topless girls. Expect lots of excessive accidental skirt pulls, mune grabs, etc. Expect a lot of skin-based approaches by girls on the protagonist as well.
Sound:
The OP sounded disorganized to me so I didn't take a fancy to it. The light pop ED by the VA cast also didn't have a standout melody. In fact, the only musical component in the series that stood out was a single BGM piece that was just way overused.
The main VA cast is mixed with some veterans and some relative newcomers. Asuka Oogame's role was particularly interesting as Mana's bubbly personality was the complete opposite of Erio Touwa in Denpa Onna. The overall performance by the cast was fair. The standout is still probably Ami Koshimizu as she demonstrates her experience through voicing the tomboyish Ikusu.
Story:
The setup is surprisingly similar to Princess Lover. You have a dude who ends up being really rich and now tasked with courting girls. Unfortunately in the case here, Shougo is nowhere near as well trained as Teppei Arima, so it's a good thing no one is targeting him for assasination. Both series also share political undercurrents that eventually impact the main protagonist.
The series is fairly arc based as the girls are introduced one at a time into Shougo's developing harem. At first, it feels very odd that he grows so quickly on the girls (pretty much instantly in some cases)- if this were the real world he'd be worried about gold diggers in addition to his sister. In any case, the series "saves" itself by giving Shougo amnesia, therefore freeing itself from any restrictions on Shougo's childhood.
The one thing really going for the series is that virtually all of the main harem contenders do seem like they could be his sister. In fact, many of them actually insist at one point or another that they are his sister! You may very well be guessing who it is all the way up to the climax near the end. Is this story conclusive? If you're asking from the "mystery" perspective, yes, by the end of the series Shougo knows without a doubt who his real sister is. If you're asking from the "harem" perspective, no, the series gives a very open-ended anything goes conclusion. I wouldn't expect a sequel either as the primary differentiation for this series has been used up.
Character:
I'll give the series some credit, they at least didn't make the protagonist as weak as in some other recent shows. However, he's still indecisive and not terribly mature. As for development with the girls, you sort of can tell that some of them aren't really in the running (despite the OP/ED/Ad-Cut sequences). Of the remainder sister/gf candidates, each one is developed fairly nicely with an adequate background; this isn't a case where the series is favoring a particular candidate early on. There's some drama/tension in the series but it's fairly light overall.
The list of important characters is relatively short, which I like. Some additional characters are introduced late in the final plot twist though it wasn't bothersome. All in all, this was probably the strongest category for the series.
Value:
While not the best drawn or best cast series this season, this was an entertaining watch with twists that even a seasoned veteran can enjoy. If you're tired of subpar, boiler-plate harems that don't go anywhere, check out Nakaimo.
