Genshiken

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There's a huge misconception in the Western world about the word "otaku", especially regarding it's usage. Most Westerners believe that the term refers to someone who is a zealous fan of something, in particular (but not exclusively so), anime and manga, with the word gaining a distinctly positive bias over the years. This is partly due to Gainax's tongue-in-cheek usage of the term in their 1991 movie "Otaku no Video", however the word has much darker and far more derogatory connotations in Japan, something which continues even to this day.

Bit of a sombre beginning to a review of a comedy manga isn't it? Well it ... does have a purpose, particularly as Genshiken is a series about otaku in their various forms, from the cosplayers and fujoshis (girls who are crazy about "boy's love" stories), to the doujinshi mangakas and the game junkies, and everyone in between.

Created by Kio Shimoku in 2002, the manga quickly filled the void left by Comic Party and established itself as a firm fan favourite due to its realistically humourous take on otaku subculture. The story focuses on a university club called GENdai SHIkaku Bunka KENkyūkai (The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture - the capitalised letters show where the title "Genshiken" comes from), which, in truth, is nothing more than a collection of oddballs and social misfits who are only linked by a love of anime, manga, games, and other pastimes that are the "normal" realms of the social recluse. Into this strange environment walks freshman student and closet otaku Sasahara Kanji, a shy young man who wants to join a club that he would enjoy (and where he might be able to watch/read some hentai/porn).

If there's one memorable aspect of the slice of life plot that the manga adopts, it's the quirky, and often humourous, manner in which the various characters interact with each other. Genshiken is very much a character driven piece which, ironically enough, is also the main reason why the comedy works so well. In truth, the series is very much an otaku sit-com, and much of the humour is derivative of social stereotypes, particularly the more derogatory ones.

The thing that is most pleasing about the plot though, is that it presents a broad spectrum of otaku subculture rather than focusing on one single type. Each of the characters brings something unique to the story, especially Kusakabe Saki, who is basically the only "normal" major character in the series. Whilst it's true that otaku are portrayed through rose-tinted lenses throughout the manga, Genshiken also presents the characters as plausible human beings, something that no other otaku based story has done (until NHK ni Youkoso! that is).

The plot does have its flaws, but in truth these are mostly niggling annoyances rather than anything major. The story progresses at a good pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and because of the emphasis on the characters there are very few occasions where "events" are used to move it forward. Some readers may find certain chapters rather placid, especially those where nothing seems to happen, however it should be remembered that such small tales present the characters in ways that the manga may have only hinted at before.

As far as the artwork goes, I was honestly impressed by the level of simple detail in each panel. The author has taken great care with the designs of each character in an effort to make them as individual as possible while at the same time playing on the social stereotypes. This is particularly notable in the case of Kousaka Makoto, who is unlike the other members of the club (more on this in a bit). Given the focus on the characters and the fact that they are sometimes quite literally under the microscope, it's nice to see that the author has made them expressive in both mannerisms and actions. Facially the characters are pretty simplistic, however they are extremely emotive, and it's easy to tell what each character is feeling at a given time from their expression.

The backgrounds and settings, especially the clubroom where much of the story takes place, can sometimes seem haphazardly drawn, yet they are highly detailed, with very little in the way of open space used throughout the series. Each chapter takes place in an area that is literally filled with "stuff", and while the art may be a bit messy at times, each panel has a sense of realism about it because of the detailed nature of the artwork.

The characters form the centrepiece of Genshiken in terms of both the story and the club itself. Each of them are individuals to a tee, with their own thoughts, feelings, prejudices, hobbies, etc, etc. Genshiken is nothing if not a lesson in characterisation as each of the club members, together with the supporting characters, are complete from the start of the series. One needs to remember that because the story is set in a university club, the characters are adults for the most part. This gives the whole series an edge that many other otaku based tales lack in that the humour, the relationships, the prejudices, the emotions, the hang ups, etc, etc, are all presented in a manner that is more mature, more subtly humourous, and more accessible to fans of anime and manga, especially the older ones.

One of Genshiken's biggest achievements is the degree to which the characters develop over the course of the series. This isn't simply a story based on one year of life, but covers several years during which members of the club leave, whilst new members are admitted. Over the course of the manga there are many notable progressions for each of the characters, Madarame's attempt at shopping for "decent" clothes, Sasahara being made club president, Ohno and Tanaka's cosplay based relationship, and a whole heap of other points where the characters learn something new about themselves and the world.

Probably the most notable and interesting character is Kusakabe Saki, who is very much the epitome of normalcy. She is in a relationship with Kousaka Makoto, a self confessed otaku who, against all of Kuskabe's reasoning, logic and judgement, looks nothing like the stereotypical "freak". He is handsome, smart, stylish, sociable and amiable, and cares for her deeply. He is also the king of eroge (erotic video games), an anime junkie, and a dedicated club member. It is because of his association with Genshiken that she meets the other characters, and although she has a deeply rooted dislike for all things otaku, this openly conflicts with her desire to be with Kousaka, and with her gradual realisation that otakus may not be as bad as she first thought.

Kusakabe's relationship with Genshiken is probably the most important point of the story, as even though the otaku characters are very much plays on social stereotypes, she represents the voice of "society", and her gradual understanding of otaku subculture plays a huge part in the development of the story and every other character. In truth, one could say that Kusakabe is the most important character in the story, and that while Sasahara may be the main lead, she is the one whose influence on the other characters is the most telling.

Genshiken is a series like no other, not simply in terms of its realistic portrayal of otaku subculture, but also because of its sensitivity, humour, maturity, and the depth of its characters. Any fan of anime or manga will find themselves relating to the story in ways that they probably never thought of, no matter the age of the reader, and it's this level of accessibility that makes the series truly great. The dichotomy between normal and otaku is handled extremely well, however it should be noted that this is very much based on the Japanese perception of otaku.

At the beginning of the review I mentioned that the word "otaku" is misinterpreted in the Western world, and it's understanding this fact that brings new depth and meaning to almost every aspect of the manga, from Ogiue's unwillingness to "come out of the closet", to Kusakabe's efforts to have a "normal" relationship with Kousaka. If the reader remembers that, for Japanese people at least, the word "otaku" is generally a derogatory term (although admittedly this perception is changing as anime, manga and games become more and more mainstream), then much of the story becomes more understandable.

One thing I think will clear things up a bit more is the anime series called Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. In that show, the lead female character is a closet otaku who was shunned, teased and bullied to a degree when her schoolmates found out she was a huge fan of anime and manga. It may surprise many to know that this sort of reaction to fans of anime and manga was once considered acceptable, as otaku were, for the most part, shunned like lepers. This is how the word "otaku" is viewed in Japan. Not as something positive, but as something purely negative and derogatory.

Genshiken may be a comedy series, however it is in no way like Comic Party, Lucky Star, or any other otaku based comedies. The series possesses a sense of realism that is unlike many other manga, especially in terms of its interactions, and key to fully appreciating the story is knowing how the word "otaku" is meant to be used.

Now that you know the difference, give Genshiken another try. You may be surprised at how different it is.

With a medium-sized cast of characters, Genshiken provides a rich and realistic portrayal of otaku life, showing the otaku as not necessarily a positive or negative subculture, but simply one that is.

The characters designs are unique, with distinct yet reasonably subdued designs backed by an elaborately detailed look at the otaku world around them. The artwork changes significantly over time, but it manages to remain at a high quality all throughout. The only point in which the art suffers a little is in the volume 8 4-panel comics.

The series can be divided into roughly two parts, with the arrival of the character Chika ... Ogiue. Her appearance results in a gradual shift from a more general view of otaku life to more personal character studies, prioritizing their lives as human beings over the fact that they are otaku. However, that should not be cause for alarm, as the characters remain true to their existence, and the story Shimoku Kio proves is emotionally satisfying.

I cannot recommend Genshiken enough.

Summary: Genshiken starts off good. Then Ogiue appears. Which turns it from good to great. No, great isn't a sufficiently positive adjective for it.

So I'll say that Genshiken turns from good to Ogiue.

Genshiken: A fairly simple story concept which gets executed with surprisingly deep results. This is a tale of a loosely-run club of otakus, and of the trials and tribulations of the various members. Although none of the plots of the show is entirely original, the characters and the fact that they suffer through realistic otaku problems (combined with the fact that most readers are probably otaku) make it a very fun, and occasionally emotional, manga.

Characters: You have Sasahara (freshman), the introverted guy who opens up as he gets to know the rest of the club members. Kohsaka (also a freshman), who ... is the hardest of the hardcore in otakudom, but who looks like a normal guy. Madarame, a guy who wears otaku pride on his sleeve, has trouble dealing with ordinary emotions when he feels them (personally, I see his story as the most heart-wrenching). Saki, a non-otaku, stuggles to realte to her otaku boyfriend. Ogiue, a disgruntled artist, deals with her conflicting emotions towards otakudom (is one, but hates others). Other cast members are well developed, making the group dynamic very believable.

Art: Fairly expressive, and very cute (in a non-moe way). The first reason why I loved this manga was the twist on the classic "blood vessel pop" that Shimoku uses especially with female characters.

Story: The plot tracks various members of the club through their four years of development as otaku and humans. The overall premises aren't spectacular, but are enough to carry the group dynamic along.

Overall: A very nice, relaxed, funny, and heartful manga. Definitely worth a look.

What is Genshiken about? Put simply, it's about a group of college students who hang around in a college club for the 'study' of manga, anime and video games, the club being called Genshiken (The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture). The group go to Comicfest (a convention held twice a year where fan made manga gets sold) twice a year and hold a school event once a year, but most of the series takes place within the Genshiken club room. Also, there's no real main character -- some characters got more 'page time' then others but there wasn't a character that was ... focused on a significant amount more than the others.

Genshiken is a very odd series. You'd expect a series with a small amount of main characters, not a lot of variation in the backgrounds and lots of repetitive otaku (people with obsessive interests, with manga, anime and/or video games usually being the interest) fun to get boring after reading for awhile. But that wasn't the case with Genshiken -- whenever I opened up one of the volumes, I found myself able to read the book from back to front without issue. Maybe it's because I'm into anime, manga and video games myself and, to certain extent at least, can relate to the cast? I don't know. All I know for sure is that the dialogue was well written, the art was very well drawn and the author just generally put a lot of effort into his work. As a series made for otaku by an otaku, it succeeds.

A large amount of the chapters involve the cast simply sitting in the club room and talking about whatever the chapter in question focuses on. This allows Genshiken to be easy to pick-up and read, but it also means that the manga will fail in the eyes of someone who isn't able to like or connect with the characters. So, in a nutshell, what makes Genshiken work is the characters, and that's why I'm going to spend most of this review covering the characters in as much non-spoilerific detail as possible.

One of the few negative comments I can throw at Genshiken is that a couple of the characters don't come across as realistic. The majority do, Madarame in particular coming across as very real, but I can't say the same about the best character (in my opinion, of course) in the story, Kasukabe, and her boyfriend Kousaka. It was a smart move by the author to attempt to link the lives of otaku to the the life of a 'normal', clothes loving woman because it allowed people who aren't as crazy as the rest of the cast to connect to at least one character. However, it's hard to believe that, for a period of around four years, a 'normal' woman would hang around with a group of otaku when she doesn't even have much interest in what the rest of the group are into. And as for Kousaka, her boyfriend, have you ever seen or heard of a real otaku that has sex appeal, doesn't wear glasses, spends money on fashionable clothes AND has an incredibly hot/understanding girlfriend? I rest my case. And in terms of personality, he's just an airhead...or, put in a more nasty way, he doesn't seem all the ticket. I assume his character was only created in order to link Kasukabe with Genshiken, and that's exactly why his character was a failure in my eyes -- rather than him having been created as a realistic otaku, he was made completely unrealistic in attempt to make 'normal' Kasukabe loving him and joining Genshiken to be with him realistic. For a story that's supposed to show the lives fictional but real people, the above two just don't quite fit.

I do love Kasukabe's character, though. Believable or not, she has the sort of fiery personality usually reserved for red-heads, and I must confess to having something of a fetish for the 'red-head personality'. Her character alone made the series funny at first with her comments and general lack of understanding with regards to how obsessive manga/anime/video games fans function. It was hard not to laugh when she had a serious discussion about her boyfriend deciding to switch positions during sex (doggy style, if interested) so that he could face the TV when an anime episode was on. Again, I have to question the believability since I find it hard (think anything twisted and you're a pervert) to imagine any male being able to focus on a TV screen whilst having sex with an attractive woman...but, of course, that didn't make the mental image any less funny. Her role did, sadly, become less important as the story went on due to her becoming more accepting of the group she, for some odd reason, spends a lot of time with for four years of her life. I kept hoping she'd switch from being more of a supporting character and return to being more of a main character but it became clear she wasn't going to once she stopped trying to get the Genshiken club to vanish.

As for the rest of the cast, only Madarame, a true otaku, was a truly memorable character. The rest of the characters have a quirk or two that separates them from each other but very little personality beyond those quirks. Madarame, on the other hand, came across as a person as well as an otaku. He had the 'camera' pointed at him a lot during the first half of the story, just like Kasukabe did, and that resulted in him receiving some decent development as he and Kasukabe, opposites in just about every respect, bounced words off each other. The most interesting aspect of his character is the hidden feelings he holds for Kasukabe and how he hides his true feelings because he knows she'll never return them, which allowed him to become more than just another otaku -- he became a person with understandable emotions; not just an insane guy. One of the best chapters involved Madarame attempting to act normal when alone with Kasukabe in the Genshiken room for the first time, with her oblivious to the fact that he was sweating like a pig and didn't know where to look or what to do in order to look normal. Sadly, like with every relationship of this kind where, for one reason or another, the male won't reveal his feelings, the scenes the two shared alone never built up to anything beyond friendship...but there was a chapter close to the end that repeated the earlier chapter where the two were alone near the start, and this time around they actually managed to talk, which showed how much they'd both changed over the course of the story.

As the story moved closer to the end, a new character, who would end up getting a huge amount of chapters focused on her, came into the story -- Ogiue, an otaku in denial who enjoys drawing hardcore yaoi. The story started focusing more on the characters and less on otaku culture around the time Ogiue came into the picture. She was very difficult to like or understand because what she said (otaku hate) and what she did (joining otaku clubs, reading/drawing yaoi) contradicted each other. The reasoning behind her actions was explained in volume 8, but what was shown didn't seem to be a good enough reason for her to act as bitchy as she did for a lengthy period. Tsundere or not, I was never able to like her very much because what she did and the reasons behind what she did weren't equal enough for me to think, "Oh, I can understand why she was such a pain in the arse now. The poor thing..."

...If I keep going like this, talking about each character in detail, it's going to go on all year, so now that I've covered the most important characters I'm going to cover the rest of the important characters in a few sentences:

Sasahara (Kanji) - The first character in the story. He joins Genshiken right after he starts at his new college. At first he's afraid to admit he's an otaku and show his true colours, but the Genshiken group soon enable him to come out from within himself. He's a passive, rather boring character -- the sort that fades from memory quickly. He didn't have much to do until near the end, where he and Ogiue started spending a fair amount of time together. Out of all the characters, he was the most plain and lacked individuality.

Ohno: the cosplay freak. She joined Genshiken in order to cosplay. At first I thought she was just going to be there to show off her gigantic breasts in various costumes and smile (in other words, fan service), but her personality came out quickly once she started arguing about cosplay being a form of expression and the good of yaoi. She was one of the better, most likeable characters.

Tanaka - The model building and costume creating freak. He's not really a very important character, and he fades away like nearly all of the early cast do as the series goes on, but I thought I'd mention him because he's an important character for Ohno -- he makes all of her costumes and is involved in nearly all of cosplay related chapters.

There are a few other members of Genshiken but none of them are important enough for me to spend another couple of paragraphs covering. I'm sure after reading the above you will have a good feel for most of the cast and know if Genshiken sounds like your cup of tea already.

Like I said before I started talking about the characters, Genshiken doesn't have a main plot thread and, aside from a few chapters, most of the stories are self-contained. It's hard to rate the plot because of that. I was going to give the plot a 9 because, in this series, the plot and characters are one and the same...however, the open, inconclusive ending made me reduce the rating to 8 instead. Don't you just hate it when a story ends at a random point, without telling you anything about what happens to the characters? The Count of Monte Cristo did after 1250 pages; ‘Welcome to the NHK’, a very similar series to Genshiken, did and Genshiken also did. The blow was softened a little with Genshiken because there was a bonus chapter included that showed the characters talking after the end, but that didn't really make up for the abrupt nature of the ending.

Talking of bonuses, each Genshiken volume was full of extras. Every chapter has at least two four-panel stories, which connect to the chapter they appear after. They're all fairly amusing and added to my overall enjoyment. There was also a couple of bonus chapters, including what I mentioned above, and Del Rey spent a few pages in every volume explaining what certain words meant and what characters were referring to when they talked about certain otaku related things. If you're the sort of person who gets annoyed with buying anime DVDs and discovering no extras were put on the disc then reading the Genshiken volumes will please you.

And, finally, the art needs to be talked about a little. Each character was drawn excellently and I had no problem differentiating between them. It's worth mentioning that the characters often changed clothes between the chapters, which made the characters more real and showed that the author was far from a lazy person. And to back up that point, I'd also like to mention that the backgrounds are very detailed -- it was impressive to see that, in an attempt to make the rooms of the main characters look real, lots of games, books and models were included in their messy rooms.
The reason I haven't given the art max points? The Genshiken room. It appeared so much that I was able to memorize the layout, and that's saying a lot when I'm a goldfish. I got a little tired of seeing the exact same background over and over. It's not really a flaw when the series wouldn't have worked if not for the Genshiken room, but still...

Overall, I loved Genshiken. I put it straight into my top five after finishing it. There are few, if any, better character driven stories out there. It's a must read for every manga/anime fan because there aren't any out there that wouldn't be able to see parts of themselves in the characters. If money isn't tight or if you don't like to take the anti-piracy moral high ground then I recommend you read this series as soon as possible because you won't be able to stop reading once you start.

Rating: 9/10

“Otaku” is a term that I’ve labeled myself with in the past, when I’d eagerly watch new episodes of seasonal anime that come out weekly as a getaway from hours of tedious class lectures. Fully professing as one at the peak of my teenage years, I rejected most of the reality around me and got absorbed at the 2D world in front of my laptop screen. I had friends who would identify as one and we’d chatter away during school breaks about the latest developments in the anime world. I’d start obsessing over the latest doujins and video games which caused me to neglect ... real life priorities. This hobby persisted up until college, where I slowly lost interest due to academic stress. I’d still come back to its comfort frequently but it’s often short-lived. Now that I’m at the end of my college days, Genshiken came at the right time and reminded me that the days I’ve spent living the otaku life wasn’t time wasted.

One striking aspect of the manga is that it holds well a sense of realism. The Genshiken members act like what an otaku would act like in real life. They are hopeless and degenerate, but the story shows the embracement of it rather than shaming it. It is self-aware about the negative perceptions about otakus, but it addresses them in a mature manner. The eccentricities are present, but they are not overbearing to the point of being annoying. Rather, the manga uses it to its advantage to present a healthy group dynamic among the cast which results to very enjoyable and hilarious moments. The manga is split into two generations: the old and the new generation.

The old Genshiken members include the enthusiastic Madarame, the timid Sasahara, the cosplay otaku Tanaka, the artist Kugayama, the normal Kasukabe, the BL-loving Ohno, the flawless Kousaka, and the otaku-hating Oguie. It’s worth noting that the manga doesn’t have an actual main character, even though we are fooled to believe that it’s Sasahara at the start of the story. What I really loved with this generation is that it manages to develop and flesh out almost all its characters. The narrative shows how the Genshiken members warm up to each other over time, even leading to romantic developments. Every activity that they bond over with builds up their friendship over time, leading to a fulfilling closure as they separate paths in the future.

The new cast for Genshiken Nidaime sees most of the old members graduating and some of the side characters in the previous generation gaining more relevance to the story. The new addition to the mix includes the crossdresser Hato and the fujoshis Yoshitaka and Yajima. There’s an observable shift in the tone of the series, as most of the gags revolve around BL. It’s also used to progress the plot as there are some immense romantic developments that are handled in a way that is not forced. It might alienate the fans of the old Genshiken gang but it’s a refreshing way to continue the story. What I also like about the reserialization of the manga is that the mangaka came back with a really improved artwork.

There are some issues I have with the manga but most of them are just nitpicks. One of which is that we didn’t see much of the campus life outside the clubroom. It could’ve help put that realism up a notch. Another one is that it derails to certain romance subplots, detours with no conclusion, and then the manga picks it up again later. There are also some characters that could’ve used more of the spotlight to make the readers more invested in them. But then again, it could complicate the plot that was already at the brink of collapsing near the end, only to be saved by a well-executed conclusion.

Overall, this is a must read for anyone who has the slightest idea what it means to be an “otaku”. It’s a well-written story that throws in typical otaku clichés and stereotypes and makes it an enjoyable and emotional reading experience. If Welcome to the NHK displays the dark side of being an otaku, Genshiken shows the fun side of it while not neglecting its drawbacks. Don’t miss out on this amazing manga.

I gained slight interest of Genshiken after hearing about its premise. The story just being otaku life-style being explored in-depth and the praise I seen from the anime community/anime YouTubers made the series sounded very promising, though initially, I was turned off by its realistic otaku character design and the low production values of the anime to give it a shot years ago. My interest in the series came back at a time where I personally felt seriously depressed, questioning my purpose of being part of the anime/manga community as more of my in-depth, passionate analyses started to feel brushed off by most now, despite ... trying hard to get an interesting discussion rolling out of my analyses for this year. I figured that if I gave Genshiken a shot, maybe I could learn something more about the fans of each medium and get a greater understanding on how a natural otaku friendship forms. I chose to begin this series read the manga, since I still heavily disliked how the anime adaptation looked. Little did I know that I would become immensely/phenomenally engaged with Genshiken over the course of the manga’s ride.

The First Season was decent and had an interesting storyline, though a kinda bland beginning. The bold exploration of different kinds of Japanese otaku talking about otaku things (such as doujins, porn games, and cosplay) was interesting. There was also good, intriguing, and subtle/realistic character developments and complex/inner conflicts of discussing made the manga a nice read, but it did not make for a very engaging read. It was not until the first romance formed in the Genshiken (The romance after Saki/Kousaka) happened when the series finally became a captivating read. The character developments onward build up pretty greatly, with the last fifths of the first season personally impacting me to some degree in how I personally/boldly approach discussion on otaku hobbies.

The way Genshiken characters nonchalantly discuss even the most risqué subjects and naturally growing romances and friendships with each other was pretty inspiring to me. It was especially so inspiring for me with a certain couple that briefly develops an interesting story that involves working in the manga industry. The only complaints I have with the first season is just the extra content that explores each character’s personal tastes and online write-ups about fictional series created for Genshiken. The fictional anime/manga/game names made me cringe most of the time and the deep write-ups for fictional series did not interest me at all. As much as I understand the author wanting to add these to build extra layers to the otaku matters for the overall experience, I feel there were better ways to approach such deep explorations. The extra content broke the flow of the story for me so often, that I just skimmed over most fictional write-ups and character profiles just to read the next chapter. I understood the point of these and quickly moved from them after 10 chapters.

As for the Second Season, I personally think it is absolutely phenomenal and immensely entertaining. Although, the beginning chapters are rough. The story no longer focused on the growth/exploration the original Genshiken otakus, rather the new Genshiken members. I initially thought the new members had over-exaggerated personalities, despite the ok character developments that still show interesting otaku explorations that compliment with entertaining moments. That, the heavy focus on a certain/new Genshiken member’s conflicts, and the mangaka plot line slowly fading away made me worry that the series was going downhill with no interesting story directions to keep me interested. I did not understand what the author was doing, until the build-up to another huge plot line came around the 80+ chapter mark. That is when the series took off to an uncharted, immensely fascinating direction. I had become so engaged at that point, and my interest/care for the story/characters scaled higher and higher with each chapter.

I will not spoil what this plot line is, but I can tell you my compliments. Somehow, the mangaka managed to weave in otaku exploration, two super interesting character conflicts, SOMEHOW managing to make character growth feel realistic and natural, while also providing phenomenal build-up to the story, bringing several plot twists, and offering a colossal amount of entertaining moments that made me slowly love every character currently participating in this generation’s Genshiken club. The build-up led up to a sensational conclusion with the last 25 chapters that literally made me fucking explode in hype emotions for every fucking scene that happens. That plot line’s last chapters engaged and entertained me to a level that I have not felt in ages since first watching To Love-Ru Darkness’s 2nd season’s OVA conclusion. By the end, I could not help but feel depressed when reading the last chapter, knowing that it was the last time I will engage with these memorable characters, or should I say now, my closest friends.

I personally consider the Second Season way WAY better than the First Season, in terms of entertainment, engagement, and character arcs. For me, the First Season is easily outclassed by Second Season, no contest. Really, the only gripe I have honestly is that certain character’s conflict I mentioned earlier going on for too long. That character’s conflict grows so interesting as the plot line begins to set fortunately, but I felt there could have been more opportunities to have chapters exploring the other otakus and the older otakus that disappear in the story, but that is a minor complaint for me now. Everyone must read Genshiken. Whether you are a manga, anime, or gaming fan, I think you will have a great experience with this series, if you give it a chance to let the slow character developments and exploration unfold into something beautiful. I sincerely hope that the mangaka creates a Third Season, because I am very interested in the relationships that were established in the final chapters and the third generation of Genshiken members that could potentially make Third Season even more phenomenal than the Second Season. (I need more Ogiue and Sue in my life badly!!!)

Thank you Genshiken, for helping me fully accept my hobbies, demonstrating the true friendship of otakus, and giving me the courage to boldly express these hobbies to other fans across the globe. I will cherish the memories I have with Genshiken for years to come.

Art - 8

The art itself while stylistically bland and sometimes rough is fairly elaborate. Backgrounds usually are filled in with motion or scenery bringing you in to the scene instead of the stereotypical white background shot. There always seems to be something going on behind the story making it feel like an actual part of real life. Each and every place is filled to the brim with small details that generally go unnoticed but never seem to detract from the scene.

The style itself also plays very well with the message of otaku life. Characters are unique looking but somewhat ... plain. Making it easier for the proclaimed beautiful characters like Saki or Kousaka to stand out from the fashion disaster of Madarame.

Characters - 9

If there is one thing Genshiken does right its the characters. Its story focuses mainly on how these characters progress through there college life, so this is the most pivotal part of the story. Each character is in one form or another completely different from the other. You have a gaming otaku, a manga otaku, an anime otaku, a cosplay otaku, and these characters never seem to infringe on any other character. Each character instead seems to compliment another character in some form or fashion. A down to earth saki compliments an in the clouds Kousaka. The laid back editor Sasahara pairs well with the chaotic Ogiue. Even as the plot moves foward and we see the ultimate otaku Madarame have an unreciprocated crush on his polar opposite Saki that seems somewhat natural even in its most awkward of moments.

Story - 8

As I said above, this manga is a collective character driven manga. So the story is propelled by the characters themselves and not through any real fluid progression.

The first chapter of Genshiken is probably the worst chapter in the series. Its very awkward and the characters seem wholly unlikable at first. Its a great way to show the timidity of Sasahara in what he is trying to join, but its feel is off and is not an excellent example of the series. Fortunately, after a rocky start the manga actually picks up and we get to see the good interaction of characters and interesting plot movements.

The best example of how this manga is crafted is in chapter 4. It starts off with a standard otaku group conversation. Any otaku reading this and remembering this chapter will understand what I'm talking about. It then almost randomly gets broken up by a disheartened and clueless Saki in order to discuss Kousaka's anime porn collection. The rest of the scene goes from explanation of 2d porn to Kousaka's past history with Saki to the eventual pairing of the couple. All in one chapter. Its a massive amount of comedic content packed in one small scene and really exemplifies how a conversation is transitioned from one thought to another by each of the characters in the scene.

The 4-Koma additions to each chapter are also very pleasant and are very well done in relation to the story.

Enjoyment - 10

At the end of this manga I felt content. It pushed through the graduation of some of the older members and finally ended at where I believe it should have. I thought the translation and editing that Del Rey did was some of the best I've seen yet and overall it felt like a fantastic book

Genshiken: A character driven story
Overview and Analysis
Spoilers in paragraph 9

Genshiken is a story that is really about its characters than anything else, among all the, otaku humor, witty references, comedic relief, or romance, the characters are the epicenters. The plot of Genshiken revolves an otaku club in college which is known in English as “The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture”. As you gleam from overly pretentious sounding English title, Genshiken has a lot to do with itself, anime, manga, video games, cosplaying, and the otaku lifestyle (Hell, it even has its own anime inside Genshiken), both good and bad. Oddly enough ... however, I never really felt a specific emphasis on otaku culture asides from the occasional references of the characters doing otaku things. Not really once did the "otaku culture" progress the plot in a meaningful way. It seems as though it was a backdrop or setting for the characters to do their thing, unlike in other mangas such as say "Bakuman", which is specifically about making manga. I will talk about why later and in short I believe because it is a character driven story, therefore it seems as though the "otaku culture" isn't used so as much as vehicle for moving the plot but rather all it's other reasons.

The exposition of the manga brings us in the focus of a freshman college student Sasahara, who seeks friends with similar interests and so decides to join the Genshiken club. In beginning, we are introduced to several un-outstanding otaku club members, The president of the club (he's not important), Madarame, Kugayama, Tanaka, and Kousaka. What surprised me in retrospect is how at first, I didn't think any of them; they seemed boring and just a shell of nerds and otakus one would imagine in normal life, plastered into a manga. However after the long duration with all the characters, reading, watching and following them on their journey and also the subsequent addition of new club members, I find that I have come to love them all.

After their first encounter, the plot follows relatively smoothly. They do their university work, engaging in their hobbies, go on trips, most notably the biannual Comiket, and interact with each other, and often in hilarious and touching ways. I don't think Genshiken is particularly special in this regard, with the exception of the cast being college students. Being college students is slightly different from say high school students. Obviously high schoolers in anime are overly saturated. Being in college however frees up the author to do other things that one normally doesn’t see a high school based series, such as going out drinking, working on their senior thesis', working on their careers and so on. I think the fact they are in university does not make a terribly large difference in the grand scheme of things, in which I'm sure most of the plot could've existed much the same in a high school setting. Just that college in manga and anime is less common and adds a bit of variety and maturity to an already comedic and easy going series.

To segway on the maturity point, I believe the age maturity of the characters adds some nuance to the atmosphere of the series that one doesn't get to see play out often in other series that do not have their cast as young adults. Being a young college person means a lot of things, they independent, living their own lives, pursuing their own dreams, and completing each of their goals. We, as the viewer can see this play out through the series, and those who have been through it themselves could find it easily relate. We could relate by fearing about graduating and working right afterwards, we fear of the spite of social interactions between friends and or partners, we fear graduating a year late and being left behind by all your friends. All theses things from a young person's life experiences can make one very relatable to Genshiken's struggle, so that we enjoy their triumph with them and wallow with them in their despair or sadness.

Interestingly, I would say there is no main character in this series. It would seem like the characters tend to phase into and out of the protagonist spotlight. In an arc, one character may be the focus for many chapters while later they become a minor character in following chapters. If I had to guess, Sasahara would be the main character given how he was introduced, but Sasahara doesn't play much of a role in the later chapters. This is both good and bad. On the one hand since there is no main character, I feel as those it is easier to focus on all the cast rather than receiving the perspective from one character throughout the series. On the other hand, it feels as though the main character’s focus moves around too much and or that one gets stuck reading or seeing the point of view of a side character perhaps too often (I will talk about this later with Hato). For example, there is a clear shift of focus from the original cast second half of the manga, where new characters are introduced, however even so certain older characters seem to linger for much too long, hogging up the plot from the rest characters. Directionless or the collective direction of the genshiken group is vague which makes me feel like the series is going nowhere in particular, I feel that is a slightly bad thing. This detail arguably creates flaws that I see in the series.

As with my initial premise, I believe that character interaction and relation is the cornerstone of this series. It is with the characters that one gets to experience the hardships and also see the funny moments as they plays out. It is not really the plot itself that makes you interested to read or watch (come on let's be real, this is not a high quality action series or something) , but rather what these characters would do or say in a situation and the consequences of that. Because of, or rather maybe as the result, there is depth to the characters where one may or not be surprised to find them. For example, Sasahara, you get to know as a relatively nice guy and uninterestingly average, and sometimes as the lead character. But through development one can see how there is an ever so veneer of character depth and personality that lives and grows within the character. This is showcased when Sasahara decides to make a Doujin and gets into conflict with the artist, Kuguyama. He lashes out at Kuguyama, uncharacteristically up until this point. Later on Sasahara comes to the club with an untaken care of beard, and gets lectured by Kasukabe for being lazy (If I recall correctly). This is interesting because the show itself never really shows the cast doing class work and the view assumes everyone is doing well or working hard. This episode shows Sasahara's academic incompetence and anger seeping into their Doujin project. Of course by the end of their ordeal, Sasahara redeems himself, by taking responsibility, produces what he wanted to make, and makes up with everyone in the group.

Another club member that receives quite a bit of character of growth treatment is Ogiue. Ogiue joined the club subsequently since she was kick out of the Manga club. She is a sensitive and unapproachable character at first and we find that her propensity to hate otakus is from her past experience of BL and how it jeopardized her high school days. Her love for drawing manga is however cultivated by the other Genshiken members as she later helps Sasahara make his Doujinshi. We see her develop out of her shell as she agree to go with the group to Comiket and work to hand out the Doujin. The consequence of her development can be see towards the beginning of Genshiken Nidaime, in which she takes presidential role of Genshiken, loses her childish contempt for other members found in the early parts, and also find the courage to accept Sasahara as a love interest. Hell, she even loses her dorky, but ever so cute, hair style she started with the second half which shows her sincerity in growth as a character by the author taking her person seriously and not just as a purely eccentric or petulant character that was crafted to hold the viewer's attention.

Clearly the most interesting character in which their depth was thoroughly portrayed is with Madarame. Early on, we get to see a flashback of Madarame in his junior high years, in which he makes a wrong call in bad mouthing on a female classmate which causes another classmate to slap him so hard that he stays still in the classroom for hours. But in all honesty, this event was a watershed moment for Madarame. Previously he acted like a jerk to other people without consideration for their feelings, and once he received punishment for his actions, it hits him and is traumatized by it. We can see this trauma, if so subtly, in the way he interacts with girls or the deliberate lack of interaction rather. In the early parts of the story, Madarame claims he doesn't want a girlfriend and explains that he prefers 2D women over 3D ones. One can see this as a witty otaku response to brush off the other member's questioning, or rather more cynically or psychoanalytically as a self-defense mechanism to protect himself by avoiding the question.

Perhaps where this attribute of Madarame's characters comes into most importance is with his unrequited love and crush with Kasukabe. His love for her develops as they sit in the club room together alone. We see how Madarame develops feelings for Kasukabe, but is unable to confront her about it until much later. Madarame and Kasukabe's interactions are important, since it is through her that he is able to break his own shell and hopefully become more than just a “loser otaku” so to speak. Madarame grows confidence by forcing himself to go out buy new clothes, even in the disinterest of his otaku hobby, wear new glasses, in order to gain the approval of Kasukabe who is more or less impressed by his new fashionable endeavor.

Feelings for Kabusake never ceased, and it showed that Madarame still enjoys her company whenever they all go out in groups or when they competed in that one specific cosplay event. It is not until way later into the series, four years in their time, as they both graduated, that they finally confronted one another. For me, this moment was the penultimate moment in the whole story, Madarame building up the courage to finally tell Kasukabe his true feelings. The whole scenario is extremely heart tugging, and once Kasukabe finally turns Madarame down, it feels like a weight has been lifted from Madarame's shoulders and ours as well. Kasukabe poignantly remarks about how they could have been together in another “world”, referencing to how a visual novel game deals with possibilities of multiple endings or routes of love interests. I find this to be funny since throughout the series, characters often break the fourth wall and announce how the world they are in is real and it's not like some manga or anime. It also shows that Kasukabe knew all along that Madarame had feelings for her, and so does the rest of the cast apparently.

The real flaw of this situation with Kasukabe and Madarame is that of Kousaka, Kasukabe's boyfriend. Madarame seems to give little judgment, if any at all, to Kousaka even if he is formally Kasukabe's boyfriend. This inconsistency describe by the story in which Kousaka announces that he does in fact want Kasukabe and Madarame happy. At first I believe this was meant by him breaking up with Kasukabe so that Madarame can hook up with her, but that was clearly not the case. It comes off feeling that Kousaka is by far the least developed character, and that his personality seems to just conforms to everyone else's will so there is little conflict or drama as possible. One can see this fact since Kousaka's inner dialogue is never revealed to the viewer unlike other characters, and that he is personality always docile and neutral, which is nothing wrong in and of itself, however he lacks the interestingness and development time other cast members get. Perhaps Kousaka was just cool with Madarame having feelings for Kasukabe and Madarame wasn’t too worried about Kousaka’s reaction? Maybe so, it is clear that common sense was relaxed for the events for Madarame's plot to proceed smoothly.

Speaking of this show choosing to be not very dramatic, it does have it fair amount drama, gossip scattered throughout, with more towards the middle and end. This lack of 'overbearing drama' ties into what I believe as the show having a lighthearted tone. It is not very serious, unlike a similar series called "Welcome to the NHK" but it does have moments of seriousness. Another reason to why the series is lighthearted is that most of the cast are otaku, and that otaku tend to lack that vigorous personality that is required to act upon and create compelling and dramatic scenes. This is a generalized observation, but I see it rather that the interactions devolve into humor with the otaku, or rather shall I say, the socially inept characters acting as they would, rather then something event that entails drama; which is would argue that series is striving going for. The series tends to favor comedy and light-heartedness over the pure realism of how organic characters would actually play out in particular situation which is pragmatic and understandable enough. With that being said, the character interactions overall feel natural given their personality and proclivity to do certain things in a situation most of the time.

Genshiken is informally, but formally (in the anime) broken into two series, the second being called Genshiken Nidaime. This break in continuation does make a bit of sense since the change in characters and character focus is fairly significant to warrant a name change. In the second half up to now, we see most of the main cast graduated and continuing on with their own lives, having less time to come to hang out with Genshiken. The rest of the characters mostly take their leave in the story in exchange for a set of next generation of mostly female freshman members who join the club. I feel that this newly formed cast is mostly geared to female audiences, as most of the cast are female with exception of Hato who is quickly revealed as a male who crossdresses as a girl coupled with the only other forgettable concurrent male member, Kuchiki. What I find as the most noticeable change is that most of Nidame is focused on one character perspective, Hato. Which in and of itself is not a problem but that one get the perception that he sucks up too much attention, and I feel that it was out of whim to have Hato interwoven into the plot concerning the older Genshiken members.

With the addition of the new cast members, the plot is more layered since there are more possible interactions with characters that weren't there or possible before. The prime example Madarame receiving a harem, I personally wasn't really sure how to think about this. On the one hand, it is pretty funny to see a Harem with a male character, but the how it developed in accordance to Madarame person and how he is. I don't see it as all that convincing that he would get all these bitches! But I digress, it does create a problem since this plot device at least at the very moment of this review is dragged on too long in my opinion.

Which then brings us to the character of Hato. I think it is interesting that the author decided on which an edgy main character for his second half. Hato is a cross-dresser, but is not gay. He makes that clear very much through the instances in which he has a chance defend his sexual orientation when questioned. If I recall, he says "I don't like men but I like you" or something like to that regard. I don't know how true this statement is even though the statement was made by him. He clearly develops the most feelings for Madarame in story so it makes one believe he does like men, but only Madarame. I question his sexuality since it seems as though he is literally struggling with his gender. There is one point in which there is female version of him, floating around him, telling him to commit gay actions. If one looks at this in another way, this could be seen as pretty unsettling viewed as a sexual "Christian demon" apparition, hovering over him tempting him to do things he doesn't necessarily agree with. Sorry for that sinful interpretation (most of it was I'm sure purely comical intention, and not supposed to be seen as a twisted psychological insight) of Hato. He seems to at least suffer from some sort of gender identity or transgender issue that may well be address later on. My other more placid and less over-thinking theory to this ruse is that, what may the cause to Hato's instinctual tendency to crossdress emerged from his affection to Kaminaga, a high-school senpai, who he dresses in model of.

Also on a random note, Hato sort of reminded me of another manga/anime called Hourou Musuko, look it up if you're interested. It may seem like that I don't like Hato, but I do, I love me some gender bender, but I feel like it's hard to make a cross-dressing guy that likes one guy a main character without doing it with tender care like Hourou Musuko. Otherwise Hato's ordeal being in Genshiken does feel a bit unnecessarily out of place, or at least the issue was drawn out for too long.

Other things that were caveats but not really such a big problems were the "fake characters" of Sue and Angela. They exist, and play a role in the story but don't seem realistic at all and serve as purely fanservice or comedic relief, especially with Sue. The author even goes out of his way to point out they weren't (at least sue) genuine characters. Besides that point, I think they are fine (I don't dislike them), they spice up the series with some comedic relief and add variety to a rather tame and ordinary story.

Touching quickly on the ending, it ends as well it could end at the point where it did. In my opinion, the plot dragged far too a duration in the wrong direction to recover any semblance of a truly satisfying end such as Madarame’s confession, which I view as the real culmination and resolution. Despite all the criticism I spoke about throughout, Genshiken is not perfect, but it is a wonderful story of characters and their experiences of young adulthood that many of us otakus can relate and find humor, love and joy in.

Well, first off a manga about otaku life in japan. The story revolves around the Genshiken club at a university and the activities both the club members and the club go through in their 3 years of school there. The story is always a calm slice-of-life, it shows the pressure of non-otaku peers and otaku peers.
The art is especially fantastic, very detailed for the messy otaku rooms, comi-fes and even the light refractions and shadows from the trees and such.
Through the 3 years the story takes place, all the original characters grow from students to working adults at the end. Even the characters that ... come in the story later have great character growth. It shows their emotions for current situations and how different people perceive different situations.
Overall, I think any anime/manga enjoying person, even if they don't consider themselves to be an otaku will enjoy this manga.

Let me just say it beforehand: i think Genshiken is a must for any anime/manga fan who's minimally interested in the otaku/fujoshi culture and in how much things have changed from the 90s/start of this century to the present time. It's a social study in many ways. So, if you're interested in this kind of stuff or if you're not exactly new to the anime/manga world, you should definitely read this manga. Like, seriously, do it if you haven't yet.

Back to the review, it was a solid conclusion to the manga series/first anime season. The original Genshiken still stands as the best Genshiken for me, ... but Nidaime had some great moments as well and besides, it focused on the unsung hero of the manga, Madarame. He and Saki are the soul of Genshiken, so him getting the focus was a much needed development and idea that was left nearly unexplored in the original manga. So, for that reason alone, reading Nidaime was worth it since it effectively tied the knot around Madarame's character. Madarame is the quintessential Genshiken character, the one that most accurately demonstrates what Genshiken really is all about. And then, there's Saki. Who steals the show every time she appears and always changes the status quo whenever she's present, since she's actually not an otaku by any means - she's the most grounded, realest, no-nonsense character in the entire story. And for that reason she's also what makes Genshiken special, together with her complete opposite, Madarame.

In Nidaime, there's also Hato, who basically takes the deuteragonist role with Madarame. Hato is a really complex character, in many ways. I enjoyed how things turned out with him and i somewhat understand what he represents and how important he is for the overall message of Nidaime. In many ways, the original Genshiken was all about the old otaku culture and Madarame is the one who best represents that culture. As for Nidaime, it's all about the new otaku wave, it's all about the new generation of otaku. And that is basically the reason we went from a nearly all-male cast to an all-female one. The otaku world has changed and Genshiken explores that change in dept while also tackles some important social issues that are now more prominent than ever. Lastly, the way Shimoku gave closure to most supporting characters (the cast is big and many characters take the spotlight over time) is also worth noting, even though some of them still remained kind of a mistery at the end given the lack of focus on them, and that's probably the least positive aspect of Genshiken, but it's hardly something off-putting, at least for me. Everyone gets their fair share of development, after all.

Going back to the start of this review, i've always seen Genshiken not merely as a manga, but rather as a social study about manga and otaku culture, with lots of subtexts orbiting around: like the limbo between reality and 2D, interpersonal relationships, even sexuality, gender identity and discrimination - a manga that deludes the reader to think in a 2D kind of way only to cheekily defy his expectations with the most realistic comebacks you could possibly pull. It's a story based on hardcore otaku that primes for its striking realism despite how the characters usually behave and think. And above everything it's an incredible work that deserves to be read by any manga/anime fan.

This manga is a breath of fresh air compared to most manga I read. the chapters are usually one shot stories and the occasional mini-arc, as it follows the lives of a group of college students, which to me felt more enjoyable reading than epically long action manga that rambles on for 40+ volumes.
During the course of the series, the reader bears witness as the group grows in its cohesiveness over time, and bonds form between the characters as they begin to see themselves as more than fellow club members, but friends as well. We also see growth in characters like Sasahara, Kaskube and ... Ogiue, which will be noticed as you read along.
The character design may look basic, but also different from conventional styles, and the attention to background details is phenomenal! There are references to other manga, anime and video games ( as this is a manga about otakus) which will be fun to spot out and to test your trivia on manga, anime and video games.
This manga is only nine volumes and is worth buying, I found myself extremely entertained and has certainly become a favourite of mine!!!

The most tantalizing thing about Genshikken is perhaps that in the end it is a story about normal people. Sure each of them has their own quirks, but don't all people have their quirks? Sure they're all otaku, but that doesn't exempt them from the labors of life such as: attending class, buying food, finding jobs, pursuing romance and friendships, and most importantly trying to find a place in life. Because of this Genshiken is that rare manga where you can really find that character who you identify as yourself. Perhaps you identify with Sasahara (as I did), the timid and introverted otaku who knows ... what he loves, but is too afraid to admit it to others, even those who feel the same. Or perhaps you feel more like Madarame, who is too honest for his own good and so hides his feelings behind the veil of a fake personality.Whatever the case, at its heart Genshiken is a story about a group of teenagers, brought together by a similar interest (or in Saki's case, a cute guy with disgusting hobbies) who as a result all grow up together, and share their most treasured experiences with one another.

Oh, and it's a comedy, too. I did mention that, right? No? Well, it's a comedy. A pretty good comedy, actually. Genshiken is a veritable slew of parodies, ranging from Madarame spouting Gundam quotes left and right to ring tones that use theme songs from anime nobody even remembers. It is a story about otaku, for otaku, and there's something ironically humorous about it all.

The comedy of the club serves to show the reader just how important the Genshiken is to each of its members. This is a story about individuals who are drawn together via similar interest, and as a result become a family. A perverted, bickering, blundering, awkward family, but a family regardless. Genshiken is a slice of life. Genshiken is a comedy. Genshiken is a rare piece that I would say is a requirement for all serious anime and manga fans to read. It is a chronicle of those like you, a story about your life, even if the events don't quite match up. It teaches that it's okay to be open about your love. It teaches that it's okay to find comfort in those who have similar interest. It teaches that just because you're an otaku, doesn't mean you aren't also a human being. It teaches that in the end, everybody can find happiness, regardless of their likes and dislikes. To an outsider it might seem both alien and quaint, yet to us otaku it is a life changing piece that serves to both question and identify out place in the world: the same as anybody else.

Charming is the singular word I'd use to describe Genshiken. The book has its share of plot and characterization problems, but I've never failed to be charmed by a volume of Genshiken, so I forgive a lot.

The characterization of this series is just balanced so well. Shimoku Kio has created the best realized and most sympathetic otaku portrait of all time with Madarame. Unlike the protagonists of Welcome to the NHK and Ressentiment, we see Madarame go to dark places because of his investment in otaku-dom, but he never loses a sense of optimism. You can tell the author loved to draw him, too. ... His wide, expressive face is the punchline of the comic's best visual gags.

Not all members of the Genshiken get as much love as Madarame. Some are sympathetic, three-dimensional characters who go through real emotional arcs, but others, like Kousaka, just seem to inhabit archetypes that feel out of place next to great characterizations like Sasahara or Kasukabe.

The majority of Genshiken is talking heads in similar environments, but the art in the series is still very good. The characters are clean, consistent and expressive, and the detailed backgrounds have a real lived-in feel to them.

It's been said Genshiken sputters without a plot, but plot isn't what Genshiken readers are here for. They're here for the characters, and the series definitely has compelling arcs. When Madarame worked up the nerve to spill his guts to Kasukabe, I was sucked into his emotional struggle, and when the first generation of Genshiken members graduated, I felt closure and satisfaction.

Genshiken is a slice of life comedy about a college otaku club.

To start, I'll first state that I like to split Genshiken into three parts, based on the generation of the members of the club. There is the first part, with Sasahara, Saki, and Kousaka. Then, there is the second part, after Ogiue and Kuchi join, and then finally the third part with Hato, Yoshitake, and Yajima. While it's hard to choose a favorite, I think that the second part is the strongest, followed by the third, and then the first. If I were to rate them, I'd give the first part a solid 8, ... the second part a 10, and the third part a 9, which rounds to an overall 9/10 rating.

Where the story really starts to shine is through its characters. Every character is very different, and they all have great personalities. The author also manages to draw all of them with pretty discerning features, so I didn't get confused as I often do with some other manga. The story starts out by making you think that Sasahara will be a main character, but in reality the manga has no main character. Instead, it's about all the members in the club and what they go through, and I love this because you start to see all the tiny details about every character.

Something that the manga does very well is the old characters keep appearing, even if they have already graduated. It's great to see what they are up to, and see them interact with the newer generation. (That being said, I still wanted Saki and Kousaka to appear a lot more than they did after they graduated, but I guess that couldn't be helped.) Often, a lot of characters are just forgotten in other manga, but it feels like no one is left out in here.

But as amazing as this manga is, I wouldn't recommend this for everybody. To start, it's very obvious that the demographic is for slightly older readers, as the characters talk about things like doujinshi and porn very freely. The chapters are also very dialogue heavy, which means each chapter can feel very long (this might be a positive though!).

If you are the average person who isn't too much into manga and really just consumes basic shonen, you probably wouldn't like this as much as I did. But, if you consider yourself a fan of manga or anime, you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don't check this series out.

Extra note: The 4-Koma at the end of each chapter are hilarious and probably the best out of any manga I've read. They are all small additions to the story, or small clarifications to something that a character said, which I find very fun to read.

My first and favorite manga.

What makes this manga so great is the premise. What could have been a meandering slice-of-life kind of story about a college anime club, is transformed into something much greater by a very careful set up.

Although it takes a little longer to get there than in the anime, there is a definite story being told here.The manga doesn't just pull out random days for our amusement like most slice-of-life shows, it's building towards the conclusion of the conflict and the development of its characters.

Featuring some of the most three dimensional characterization I've seen, detailed and careful artwork and a story that ... actually has something to say, I can't do anything but recommend Genshiken.

tl;dr: A manga with a broad story of a club that is mostly a lot of amusing light hearted small fast paced stories that build up, but flubs a bit with a final story that’s much longer, heavier, and messier. 

Genshiken is a manga that changes tremendously as it goes on. It cycles through multiple years of a college club, and thus members graduate while others join. However, members that have already graduated still maintain connections with the club and pop up sometimes, with one such graduate becoming incredibly important. Still, for the most part it is the characters that are active members of the club ... that are the focus, and for the most part the complete stories of characters are told while they are still in college. This is done primarily through decently small and amusing story lines with quick character and relationship development that works very well in making characters likable and establishing bonds that the reader can get invested in, followed by the character and relationship development that occurred continuing to be shown off in the background as the manga begins focusing on other characters. That the development that occurred continues to be shown off even when not in the focus surprisingly adds a lot of value to the manga, in that it feels like most each of these stories get an extended epilogue that hits the right notes in just showing characters having grown and being happy.  

The exception to this is the last storyline, or rather set of storylines. A common theme for the various stories in this manga is coming to accept yourself for who you are and trying to connect with others as your true self. This starts off with a character coming to accept themselves as an otaku and making friends as such. It progresses to a fujoshi hating herself for her interests but finding love that would accept her even with them. And then it progresses to a character struggling with their gender identity and sexual orientation. This last jump is pretty major and results in the manga getting considerably heavier than before. As such, the manga spends more on this portion than all the stories before it. This story has some good moments, however, this story is also wrapped up in another story that is somewhat related but not entirely, centered around what is essentially a bizarre and maybe somewhat realistic look at how a harem story could play out. Now this story too is really interesting, and considering the character at it's center is easily the most likable one in the manga and one the reader just wants to find happiness one that feels easy to get invested in. However, both of these stories are occurring at once, resulting in each feeling like they have really slow pacing, which is the opposite of how the manga is outside of this, and furthermore that each isn’t allowing room for the other to breath. As a result, despite the slow pacing for most of these storylines, the endings to them, and the ending to the manga overall seems kind of rushed and a bit arbitrary. The actual ending itself I found pretty satisfying simply in terms of where things are when it ends, but because of how rushed some aspects were, here more than with any of the stories before it I simply wanted the manga to continue so I could see where things lead as was the case with the various other stories that had reached a conclusion but continued in the background, so I can’t say I’m complete satisfied with the ending.  

It is really important to note that while there is a good amount of plot and things can get pretty heavy towards the end, this is ultimately a comedy manga, and it does quite well in this regard. There is a lot of variety to the comedy due to how the subjects and characters in focus change quite a bit. A lot of it is centered around otaku culture with a crazy number of references, but even within that it felt like there was a good amount of variety so it didn't feel like it was getting repetitive. The art is solid enough at telling the story in a clear manner, but for the most part it doesn’t try to look all that unique or visually pleasing, though it is pretty good at that too when it feels like it's clearly trying to.