Name: Genshiken
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2004
Rating: Must See
Based on the manga by Kio Shimoku, Genshiken follows the life of a collage club and its members. This particular club known as Genshiken is a place where its otaku members can gather and appreciate their love for media such as anime, manga, figurines and the culture of cosplaying. Sasahara Kanji is a freshman, though he soon becomes a new addition to Genshiken his interest in anime, manga and gaming allows him to easily fit in. The life of Genshiken may seem unfamiliar to some however its target audience will certainly appreciate what it has to offer. This great example of a slice of life incorporates much of the otaku culture and the stereotypes associated with it. Fulfilling the duty of an otaku in going to the comiket, spending time playing “various” games and sharing their overall interest in otaku life is what this series is about.
I actually missed this series in its initial release, it was not until a while later that I was informed about this series. At first I was quite confused as the first few minutes of the first episode features a clip from a series known as Kujibiki Unbalance. This typical romance comedy is made within Genshiken, in other words its an anime in an anime. I found that this was quite interesting concept, the idea of creating a famous series that existed within Genshiken is quite creative and it would seem that many others have taken a liking to this idea too. (Kujibiki Unbalance was later made into a spin off manga and anime series) As for the artwork, the attention to detail as it can be seen in the screen shots is something to be noted. There are many good things that can be said about this series but its much easier to just see it for yourself.
