Category Archives: genshiken

The True Appeal of Izumi Konata

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Konata is a surprisingly good character. There’s something very endearing about her and for a long time (since I finished watching Lucky Star), I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but now I know.

I’ve heard from numerous people that they think Konata’s popularity is because she has the same tastes as and acts like a male otaku. That’s not necessarily off the mark, but it’s a little too simplistic. The actual appeal of Konata is not simply that she’s an otaku, but that she’s an otaku who’s not afraid to show that side of herself in public.

I think there’s a fear within everyone (but particularly relevant to dorks) that if they reveal too much of themselves that people will think less of them. They will either believe they cannot make any friends, or that their friends will stop being so friendly. Konata stands in the face of all that. Where most of dvd-and-figure-buying comrades falter, Konata is able to confidently declare to her “commoner” friends that yes, she loves Haruhi, yes, she goes to Comic Market, and yes, she is indeed an otaku.

Combined with some of Konata’s more poignant scenes, such as the Hirano Aya concert or some of her conversations with her dad, Konata shows that she’s not just an impossible ideal for otaku, but that it’s possible to both feel weak and strong at the same time.

Konata, one might say, is the opposite of Ogiue. However, unlike, say, Kohsaka from Genshiken, Konata doesn’t appear to be too perfect. Sure, she’s athletic, sure she’s friendly and outspoken, but in the end she is still genuine to her own interests, still has her own doubts and insecurities, and really isn’t that much different from the otaku from which she is derived.

Stand-alone Genshiken OVAs DVD BOX Set on Sale

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The official Genshiken anime website has announced that they’re releasing the Genshiken OVAs (which introduced Ogiue to the anime) as a stand-alone box separate from the anime series Kujibiki <3 Unbalance for which they were originally OVAs. This is for the Japanese market. Whether or not America plans to release a stand-alone as well is unknown.

The R2 DVD Box will cost ￥6300 for 3 episodes, or approximately $62.00. It will come with an 8-page booklet, among other goods.

They are also re-releasing the 1st Genshiken series in a similar release.

Both will go on sale June 25th, 2008.

The Genshiken 2 DVDs continue to be de-fogged

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Let’s just leave it at that.

Back to the Basics

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I learned a little about myself recently: The title of this blog is very appropriate.

I haven’t really talked much about Genshiken in a while, and it’s expected. The second series is over, the manga is long over. I’ve talked about it numerous times in this blog.

But then recently one morning, I was suddenly struck by the lighting called Ogiue.

The sheer presence of her character moves me to evaluate myself and try to improve, in a number of ways. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but hey, this is fiction, and Ogiue, as realistic and complex she may be, is not real (as much as I might sometimes prefer otherwise). The events of her life are incorporated into the greater goal of a good story.

So Ogiue Maniax. I talk about Ogiue.

Because I CAN”T HELP IT.

My dream restaurant?

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She also likes takoyaki you know

An anime-themed restaurant of course.

But I don’t mean just people cosplaying or there being posters on the wall and anime music playing. Hell, I don’t need any of that.

What I mean by an anime-themed restaurant is that the food is anime-themed. And by anime-themed, I mean the food is taken straight from anime.

Hagu’s pumpkin mint ice cream. Usagi’s curry-that-doesn’t-look-like-curry is okay too. Fresh taiyaki served in a winged backpack.

If you have a large family, get one of the large meals. Choices are Luffy, Lina and Gourry, and Saiyajin.

Oh, and you can Kuga Natsuki any food for free (mayonnaise).

If only I had the money, I would totally do this.

Oh, and of course you can order the Ogiue special: Average-tasting food with some ikura sushi on the side.

Edward Elric and Edward Murrow

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Seeing this speech from the movie Good Night, and Good Luck, based upon a real speech by the great reporter and man Edward R. Murrow, immediately I thought about how this applies to anime.

The easy answer is that anime is all entertainment, and that all this “moe crap” or whatever is insulating people from the world, that it is providing them comfort.

But then I think about the fact that I have been inspired and informed by anime, on multiple occasions, not the least of which is Genshiken (remember, I watched the first season in anime form before getting to the manga). So many shows, while they have been a comfort, have caused me to set out and try new things, think new ideas, expand my horizons mentally, emotionally, and sometimes even physically.

So this post isn’t condemning or praising anime for being an agent of insulation or information. I look at even the simple shows, the simple ideas, one might even call some of them shallow, but then I know that for every person that is perhaps kept complacent by a show, there is another who may take the next step towards greatness.

Genchoken CD on sale

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A compilation of the Genchoken radio show is now on sale, for anyone who understands Japanese and sadly missed this wonderful radio show starring Mizuhashi Kaori (Ogiue), and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Madarame).

For those who aren’t familiar with Genchoken, it was a bi-weekly radio show starring the aforementioned two voice actors, as they tackled various topics regarding otaku. Guests included fellow voice actors from Genshiken, some of the original voices upon which the Vocaloid characters are based on, and a BL manga author. Genchoken stands for Gendai Chokaku Bunka Kenkyuukai, in other words, “The Society for the Study of Modern Aural Culture”

It’s also where I got to hear, “Yoiko no minna san…Ogiue Chika-sensei desu.”

Ogiue Chika-sensei.

The Ogiues who never were

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Mizuhashi Kaori landed the role of Ogiue and for that we are all grateful.

Landing the role, however, means that she had to have beaten out other voice actors.

So I have to wonder, who else tried out for the part of Ogiue? Who could have been the voice of Fujoshi Omega?

Sadly this mystery will probably never be solved.

Then we have no choice but to create it!

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15 minutes in Maya.

Why I Like Ogiue, Part 3

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Otaku obsess over characters, and I am certainly no different. Hell, I named my blog after obsession #1. I’ve often been asked though, how is it I could maintain what is now an almost 3-year-long interest in the character of Ogiue, especially in this age of constant fansubs where the viewers are witness to new characters every season. I really don’t know if I have a complete answer to that, and this post is going to be about trying to find a reason.  Warning: meandering ahead.

First, I think Ogiue is totally deserving of it. I believe her to be one of the most unbelievably complete and well-rounded characters in anime and manga. Actually, this applies to pretty much every other Genshiken character as well. What puts her above the rest is that she’s attractive to me.

Aside from that, however, is the fact that I have a tendency to carry long-term obsessions with characters in general, and it just manifests itself most strongly with Ogiue. Maetel, Tomoyo, Eureka, Cagalli, Hinata, in many, many cases once a character manages to catch my eye, they never quite leave. Some have faded a bit over time (Filia from Slayers TRY for example), but for the most part the strong presences of my past are not overridden by the strong characters of the present.

The real question, then, is why exactly am I able to obsess over characters for significantly longer periods of time compared to some of my peers? One possibility is that I form what feels like an emotional bond with the characters such that even if the quality of the character is not as great as I imagine, even if they turn out to be fairly big cliches, my memories of fondness for the characters are much stronger than objective reasoning. If they are indeed strong characters with strong emotions, such as Eureka, then that connection becomes much stronger and much longer-lasting. That said, I don’t think I’m all that susceptible to pandering fanservice characters (no matter what type of fanservice it may be), but there are always a few. I don’t call them guilty pleasures because they never really are.

I don’t think all that many people actually just cast their preferred characters aside when a new season starts, and the primary difference between me and some friends becomes how we display our passion for anime and its characters. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve stuck with the Ogiue paraphernalia (avatars, name tags, this blog) for quite a while. It’s the public display that is more important. New, strong characters appear every season, but I stick with Ogiue.

Maybe it’s just how I want people to think of me, but I feel more like I’m compelled to do so, because she is that strong of a character.