Ranked #50

Genshiken (Manga)

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. read more

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 read more