Forum - View topicREVIEW: Genshiken GN 1
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Dejiko
 Posts: 276 Location: Holland (between Great Britain and Germany) |
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I can only wholeheartedly agree with this review... for me, it was surely one of the best manga of the year so far. The one nitpick worth mentioning is probably that it's not a title I'd recommend to beginners. Genshiken is holding up a mirror to seasoned fans, and while we may not always like what we see, its honest portrayal of the characters is what keeps me waiting for more. Highly recommended indeed!
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W-General
Posts: 280 Location: Ithaca, NY, USA / Taichung, Taiwan |
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This manga is also very helpful in pointing out one major difference between American/Western otaku and Japanese otaku which I have observed from my personal experience...
The Japanese otaku totally embraces the moe factor etc., while a large chunk of the American fanbase can often be scornful when some show's only selling factor is cuteness/fanservice etc. |
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Dejiko
Posts: 276 Location: Holland (between Great Britain and Germany) |
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Moe has hit it big commercially-wise over the last couple of years, but I don't think it'll be the dominating factor of Japanese otaku life for ever. Pretty much how serious SF and innovative mecha shows became less and less common over the last fifteen or so years. It'll be interesting to compare the Daicon animations, Otaku no Video, Comic Party, Genshiken and the otaku show of the moment in twenty years time and see how the market and tastes have changed 
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Jadress
 Posts: 808 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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Great review, I've been really interested in getting into one of these otaku-life-parody type series for a while now, and this one sounds like the one for me. One question I'll throw out to anyone, how's the anime series of this manga? Anyone think one is better than the other? Sometimes I'm too lazy/short on funds to look at both the anime and the manga, so I'll just go with the better version.. ^^;
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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They're both very similar in terms of story and everything. The only difference is that with the anime, you can catch glimpses of Kujibiki Unbalance (and full eps, since they'll be on the DVDs) and get a better feel for the characters' personalities through their actions and voices. However, the anime won't be out for a while, so you should go for the manga first. By the time the anime comes out, you'll love the manga so much you'll get it anyway. 
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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Genshiken Anime You might want to check out the anime first and the manga later as it continue the storyline. The ending for the anime was pretty bad, but everything before the last episode is exceptionaly well done. Also I don't like to view Genshiken as a "parody" because it's not a "imitation" of a culture for comic relief like other, it's more of a study of otaku and the lives they live. But take it how you want it, Geshiken is very good. . Wow bamboo, is this your first manga review? Saki is what really make Genshiken down to earth. We can't just have otakus and their views, we need outside "outside" view on the whole situation.
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Necros Antiquor
 Posts: 571 Location: Funny in a car crash sort of way |
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Does anyone have a count on how many volumes there are of the manga? I'm hoping it's not too long.
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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While I was pleasantly suprised by how well done Genshiken was, I don't know if I'd give it an A+ or call it one of the best titles released this year (though it has been pretty slow so far, aside from things with the word "Blue" in their title). But then again, I could be comparing it to G Senjou Heaven's Door, another story about manga that's really a serious character drama.
But in any case, Genshiken is well above average. It's funny without overdoing it, and the characters are grounded in reality, so it's quite easy to like just about everyone, no matter how pathetic they are. Great art too, with tons of detail and an interesting sense of design. Now that I think about it, there's been alot of stuff from Afternoon licenced lately and not just by Darkhorse. Maybe I'll get to see Japan Tengu Party Illustrated and YKK released over here in my lifetime... |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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No. ;p I've done manga reviews before, but it's been awhile. I really love Saki. She is beyond a doubt my favorite character. The way she thinks and the way other people react to her really drives in another depth to the story. Plug: Check out the latest issue of Protoculture Addicts for a feature on the Genshiken anime + some info on Kujibiki Unbalance. |
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darkhunter
Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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5 volume and still going. |
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biliano
Posts: 956 Location: Cleveland, OH |
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And while you do, make sure you also read her awesome editorial about the anime market.
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Six was actually just released (aren't I just full of useless information). As for Protoculture, I've never really looked into it. Though I'm not really into anime as much as most people here (I mostly just leach off friends), I'm always for reading obscure information even if I have little interest in a series (see above). I guess I'll give it a shot; plus it should have some manga coverage. |
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Chrno2
 Posts: 6172 Location: USA |
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Excellent review on this title.
This might be something worth looking into. I want to check this out myself. I remember when the anime was out on fansub and it seemed they brought this over really quick. After reading the review I definitely want to recommend this for our library's collection. I work for an art college so I pretty much deal with the majority of anime and manga requests to add to the video collection. Most of the time the students there make requests too, but unfortunately we can't honor every anime request because most of the titles they are requesting are pretty standardized. Like requesting Trigun, Fruits Basket or Gundam Wing. Considering how much anime is out there, you really have to be selective. For an art library you want material that's going to relate more to the "subculture" of Japan. Material that can be used for both entertainment and reference. So I try to help keep a balance between "anime" and "animation". I had thought about Comic Party which delves in this subject matter as well, but I think Genshiken might be a better pick. The anime and the manga. |
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HeeroTX
Posts: 2046 Location: Austin, TX |
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Actually, for an Art College, I think "Comic Party" is definitely a worthwhile title. Don't get me wrong, Genshiken is DEFINITELY a more "realistic" type title, but Genshiken IS more related to Otaku "culture" in general, Comic Party is related to the doujinshi subset specifically. I think Comic Party is an "idealized" rendition of the doujinshi culture in Japan. The "harem anime" style is obviously unrealistic, but the specific interest in creating a doujinshi and the efforts the protagonist goes through to complete that goal are definitely interesting and (I think) "inspiring" (to a degree). In a relatively short span, I feel like the series covers various elements of the excitement and process of creating and marketting your own homemade comic, and so, for the "artist" I think it is especially "poigniant". Genshiken (on the other hand) will spend long stretches discussing how otaku can have a deep abiding appreciation for animated/video game porn and discussing at length the type of debates one would expect out of their local anime club. I agree with the review that this is VERY "true to life", and from a cultural viewpoint aspect, probably a VERY worthy addition to the library (altho I find it a little TOO slow or "thick" at times), but I think for the "artist" fan, Comic Party should not be overlooked.
On a related note, I think the most "obvious" difference between Japanese fans and American fans that I have seen is the doujinshi market. I find it interesting in Genshiken that the crew makes weekly(?) appointments to go to the local shop and browse through the current offerings and look for the sought after items. Comiket is an obvious example, and altho I wish we had such an enthusiastic type event here in the US, I find it very intriguiing how "doujinshi" shops could flourish in Japan. From the images it seems that the Japanese doujinshi shop would be analogous to the American "comic" shop in terms of customers and overall shopping experience, the only difference (I guess) being an aspect of the merchandise. I wonder if its something like: given the "leeway" Japanese otaku are given, "rookie" artists can find their footing doing "parody" works which capture the attention of fans of a title (like Kujibiki Unbalance) whereas more experienced artists or writers can try to capture attention with their own original work. (yes yes, it's always best to do your "own" work, but honestly, you could be the next JK Rowling, but if no one READS your work, it doesn't matter) Todd McFarlane got known for doing Spiderman, then the popularity he built doing that allowed him to break out on his own and do Spawn. Anyway, I wish we had something like the doujinshi market here in the US. |
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Coffeeman
Posts: 298 |
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Comic Party doesn't delve into the subject, so much as use the subject as a backdrop for the things that happen. Just as easily, Comic Party could have been a sports manga. The role of Kazuki as a rookie with talent, who is at first press-ganged into an activity, but later finds enjoyment, and friendship within that sphere, isn't really as setting-specific as Genshiken is as far as anime culture is concerned. Genshiken is also more realistic in that the characters are more realistic in general, helped by the splash pages profiling each character's tastes, and actually have good sides and bad sides; for example, Kugayama is a large guy, but he has a speech impediment. In Comic Party, it would have meant he added an extra word to the end of his sentence, but in Genshiken, it means that he has trouble speaking in public and gets very annoyed. That's a very rough example, but I feel it sheds light on the differences between the two series. You could also compare the part where the Genshiken are walking around Akihabara, while two other guys talk loudly about sex... There's no such obvious line drawn between normal culture and otaku culture in Comic Party. |
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