We, as otaku, find happiness by watching a myriad of anime genres. One of the genres that anime, in particular, has been famous for is Slice of Life- a genre where we got a glimpse into the lives of the characters. It was fun, but there was always a hollow feeling in our heart because those characters were nothing like us and it was hard to relate to them. Thankfully, Genshiken provides what many fans of the genre are looking for: A Slice of Otaku Life anime.
Sasahara is a college student who is too shy to reveal to the world that he is an otaku. Upon discovering a club in college that caters to his otaku interests, which is made up of a cast of diverse, wacky and equally otaku people, he decides to join and what follows is his club life in the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.
The story here is rather weak, but that doesn't make the show weak by any standards. It is basically built around the activities, or lack thereof, and members of the Genshiken club (the Japanese title for the Society for the Study for Modern Visual Culture). The anime, like aforementioned, takes a slice of life out of the lifestyle of an otaku and the Genshiken club is the epitome of that lifestyle. While it is episodic, it does have an over-arching plot, which is fairly decent for a twelve-episode series. And due to its episodic nature, the plot is almost non-existent, which leads to a mixed reaction from viewers. If you’re looking for a laid-back, relaxing and occasionally humorous anime, then Genshiken is exactly what you’re looking for.
Things aren’t predictable or unpredictable...they just happen. It’s just not one of those anime that you’re going to be left wondering with at the end of each episode on what is going to happen next. Another interesting point to note about the story is its well-executed portrayal of the difficulties of being a closet (hidden) otaku. Many of us don’t tell our friends about our obsession for anime and we don’t go to conventions or buy anime merchandise when we are with them, because the majority of people still think anime is only Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. The struggle of not letting our otakuness come to the surface is one of the key selling points of this anime.
That said, the anime doesn’t have much else going for it. Due to the calm and slow-paced club activities, this series is completely devoid of energy. While many would enjoy this aspect of the show, it sharply decreases the entertainment factor. The humor gets rather stale after a while. Also, since most of the episodes take place inside the club room, the viewer occasionally feels claustrophobic and the lack of action only makes this flaw more prominent. Saki’s outbursts are the rose among the thorns though.
Another blemish that the club unanimously agreed on was the sub-standard animation. The bland art style does give off hints of Honey and Clover, but the choice of shades in Genshiken i s far inferior and the movements weren’t very fluid. The art style is a little on the dingy side since most of the episodes take place in the school at the Genshiken club, so you don't really get to see many backgrounds until they venture out into the cities or to a convention. What backgrounds you do see are pretty nice giving the animation style and date of which this anime aired, but most of the time, they usually focus on the characters and the backgrounds do seem like an afterthought. The characters themselves aren’t very detailed though.
To begin with, there wasn't much in the way of background music in the show. There were no particularly amazing or moving tracks in the show either, but that in itself fits just right with the lazy, laid-back feel of the show itself. The OP is very catchy and fun while the EP is lax and calm. The English voices do a good job of capturing the laid-back, realistic atmosphere of the show.
The characters are a tad linear and only Madarame and Saki manage to keep your attention through the series. The main character, Sasahara is more or less an onlooker and doesn’t do anything out of the blue, but his (slow) character development is something to watch out for. More often than not, you don't see people doing nonsensical things in public, so to try and keep things to that realistic effect, the characters, while possessing their own unique personalities, just kind of meshed together and it made them seem pretty dull. However, there is enough diversity between them so that they are not all completely opaque. The creepy Principal is sure to put a smile on your lips.
The atmosphere of the show is going to depend on the viewer. It connects to the viewer through the lifestyle of an otaku. This is kind of a risky subject because this show's biggest fans will be the ones who can closely relate to the overall presentation. The show does offer a lot of gags to break up the monotony and the gags that are there range from great to pure gold, but only if you possess that kind of sense of humor. There are many hidden references throughout the show to other anime, mangas, hobbies, etc, which goes back to my point about being an otaku yourself would give you a greater chance of enjoying this show. They don't overdo it though which allows the casual viewer to step in and get absorbed into the world, too. Most of the hidden references are tongue in cheek type moments anyway so it's not a huge impact. But at the end of the day, it was the still scenes that gave Genshiken a serene atmosphere, because that's exactly how they would appear in any gag-Slice of Life anime.
[ THE CLUB HAS SPOKEN ]
Overall, Genshiken is a niche anime that tries to please everyone who watches it and your level of enjoyment will be in direct correlation to your own lifestyle and/or views on the otaku life. It has a nice balance of slice of life with humor that doesn't go way over the top and keeps things flowing nicely. This is a show that is highly recommend to those interested in anime and other forms of Japanese pop culture. This anime will also be a welcome addition to the lists of those looking for a laid-back light hearted Slice of Life-comedy. Genshiken, despite its flaws is still pretty enjoyable anime series that can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace.
Rating:
7/10
