I’m deeply disappointed with the delays in my schedule. The last anime/heavy metal review I did was all the way back at the end of June, effectively making it a month since the last time I put something up. Luckily, I’m refreshed from Connecticon & hanging out with my friends last week, and I’m ready to go! So let’s start off with a review of a show I required during my trip to Hartford. A show that’s down to Earth, and reflects the life of anime fans with a fair degree of accuracy. A show with character, charm, and wit! So grab some plushies, a box of pocky, and take a look at my review for the Otaku slathered Genshiken. Let’s begin!
Story/Setup
Kanji Sasahara is a simple-minded Otaku. Entering Shiou University, he’s looking for a group that will accommodate him & his peculiarities. Enter Genshiken, also known as the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture. Contained within are all manner of geeks, nerds & freaks: Makoto Kousaka the gamer, Harunobu Madarame the hardcore Otaku, Souichiro Tanaka the costumer & photographer, Mitsunori Kugayama the artist, and Kanako Ohno the cosplayer & resident geek girl. Along with Kousaka’s otaku-hating girlfriend Saki Kasukabe, the members of Genshiken go about their lives, working at school, and continuing their appreciation of all things otaku! It’s a wild ride, and you’re strapped in the front seat!
Slice-Of-Life is the name of the game with Genshiken. There have been only a few anime I’ve ever watched that I can relate to in even the slightest way, and this series is right at the top, if not close to the top. Anyone who’s reading this review right now has probably gone through the troubles of at least one of the club members: from spending too much money of manga, to finding the right costume, to being the girlfriend that isn’t necessarily big on her boyfriend’s hobbies (Clean & Dirty). You can probably relate to somebody in the club at some point, and this so-called relation is something that will still with you for the rest of your days.
Animation
Right away, you can tell that this comes from the early 2000s. 2004, to be exact. The hand-drawn elements can be seen quite clearly, but it’s evident that computer work was used to smooth things out & clean scenes up. For the most part, I like the animation! Genshiken is a slice-of-life anime, and as such doesn’t need anything over-the-top or fancy. The simplistic stylings of the characters animated looks nice, and the various unique features really separate everybody from one another as far as looks. Every once in a while a character might have a face that looks odd, but apart from them Genshiken’s animation is great!
Characters
If the story is relatable to our own geeky lifestyle, then we can connect to one of Genshiken’s characters right off the bat. Never have I watched a show in which it’s cast is eerily similar to someone I met in real life. Hell, I’ll admit that I’ve mirrored at least 2 of the characters in question, but I’ll leave said characters up in the air so you can guess who’s like me. Apart from that, practically everybody here is likable. Saki is the only one that really isn’t likable, but even then she manages to improve over the course of the show, and embraces her geeky side a little!
I do want to talk about 1 character in particular, and that’s Kanako Ohno the geek girl. I’ll flat out fully admit it, but nerdy girls are my thing! Whether they’re the busty & sexy kind, or those that are more like Ohno. The more kind, innocent, and perhaps humble kind of nerdy girl. Maybe it’s because one of my dear friends, but said friend reminds me of Ohno so much! Ohno is the kind of female geek/nerd/otaku that all others should aspire to be, and I’m proud to know the real-life equivalent!
Voice Acting
As much as I enjoyed this show for what I talked about above, it has it’s fair share of problems, and the voice acting is one of them. This is a Media Blasters/Anime Works title, and as such has a dub that’s.....questionable at best. It’s not that the voice actors don’t do a good job, because they do! The voices that project from each of the character genuinely fits them, but I wished that everybody put in more effort. One voice actor did come out at me however, and that was Rachael Lillis. Providing the voice for Kanako Ohno, she really brings out that character’s positives & negatives pretty damn well, although I didn’t realize it was her at first. Certainly the only voice most, if not all of you, will enjoy.
Availability & Pricing
In addition to the voice acting, Genshiken’s other flaw is it’s availability. Now, I’m strictly speaking of the 3-DVD collection, not the individual releases (Please leave a comment if you want to know how much they cost & where to find them). Already, you know it’s going to be tough to find when Best Buy & F.Y.E. don’t have copies available. Actually, that’s not completely true: F.Y.E. may have a used copy available, but you’ll probably get one through sheer dumb luck. Amazon is your only bet in this regard, but even then there’s issues! As I typed this review up, there are only 3 used copies available, each of which are $69.95 in price. Yeah, this is a tough one to grab folks!
If you’re curious as to how I got my copy, get this! Back at Connection a few weeks back, I went to the Swap Meet they were hosting, and as folks were heading out, one of the people at the tables asked if I wanted the show. Nothing to trade, no need to pay, etc. It was just given to me.....Sheer dumb luck folks!!!!
Overall Impression & Rating
Genshiken is one of those shows that I’m surprised doesn’t have a large following. While it’s gotten a revival of sorts in recent years, it still doesn’t have much widespread popularity. This is legitimately depressing to me, as there’s a lot of things going on in this show that many anime fans would enjoy. It might be hard to find, but seek out this geeky gem. You won’t be disappointed!
Genshiken gets a 9 out of 10.
Well, hopefully I can get back onto schedule with this review. Sorry for the delays, and to compensate, I got 2 more reviews I’ll crank out. September is gonna be a big month for the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, as it’ll be the 1st birthday of the site! See you soon, and see you in September as well!
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