Category Archives: genshiken

Who was there before Ogiue?

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While this blog is indeed called Ogiue Maniax, I thought I’d talk about two of the girls of anime who I called and still call my favorites, particularly the ones prior to my discovering Genshiken.

Daidouji Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura has, in terms of favorite characters, been #1 for a very long time. Her devotion to Sakura, her desire to help those she cares for, and just the strength of her compassion makes watching her in Cardcaptor Sakura simply a joy every time. In fact, to give you an idea of how highly I think of Tomoyo (or maybe how highly I think of Ogiue), I am going to have to rewatch some Cardcaptor Sakura so I can determine to myself which is currently #1 to me.

Maetel from Galaxy Express 999. Prior to Ogiue, she was the most beautiful character I had ever seen. I remember seeing the GE999 movie in a theater about 8 years ago, and it changed my life. Galaxy Express 999 is the best anime I’ve ever seen, and the timelessness of Maetel’s character contributes to that feeling immensely. Watching 999 leaves me very emotional, so it’s no wonder I consider Maetel not only one of my favorite characters, but one of the best characters in fiction, period.

There are of course more, but we’ll save those for another day.

Genchoken is STILL going!

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I’m here to remind everyone that while Genshiken 2 has been over for about a month now, the Genshiken 2 Radio broadcast, Genchoken, is still running bi-weekly.

So if you (as in I) have not gotten enough of your (my) Ogiue fix, then this can help a bit, and we can continue to pray for a Genshiken 3.

And her voice is like sweet, sweet, bitter honey.

Genshiken Novel On its Way

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I’ve ordered the Genshiken Novel, and it should be arriving in two to three weeks.

Stay tuned for a review. With any luck, there will be satisfactory amounts of Ogi.

(This will also motivate me to brush up on my kanji again.)

Crimes Against Humanity

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Genshiken 2 has been over for about a month now, and I am saddened that we never got to see Ogiue in a Megami poster or even a normal poster. I am also saddened that we have not seen any developments on the PVC figure end of the spectrum.

There is so much potential for Ogiue figures that I hope at least one or two companies take a stab at it besides Alter. How about a plain clothes Ogiue? Or a skimpy Elemental Battler cosplay figure (with jeans clutched to chest)? Final Ogiue from the manga? A fantasizing Ogiue would be nice as well.

Genshiken Novel Pre-Order impossible?

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Having checked with Amazon Japan, Asahiya, and Kinokuniya, it seems that it is not possible to pre-order the book before the January 23rd release date.  The only option is to order it afterwards, which seems kind of odd to me.

Well, there’s no special deluxe edition either so there’s no chance of missing out on it, so waiting till after the 23rd doesn’t seem so bad.

Friends are wonderful

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This actually occurred a few days ago, bu thanks to the generous efforts of kransom and his recent trip to Japan, I will finally obtain the limited edition Genshiken volume 6 (with school swimsuit Renko cosplay Ogiue) INCLUDING the official Project G doujinshi.

With this, my Genshiken manga collection is complete. Thank you, sir.

Well actually no, I still need to get REGULAR edition Volume 9, as well as the upcoming light novel.

And possibly the Del Rey version as well if I want to be truly hardcore.

How to tell that Ogiue really likes Sasahara

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I think this is somewhat common knowledge among Genshiken, but I’ll put it down here for archival purposes or something.

Ogiue is really affected by her relationship with Sasahara, and the biggest indicator of this is her eyes. If you compare Ogiue prior to dating Sasahara and Ogiue during her relationship with him, you’ll notice that she has a glimmer in her eyes that she didn’t have previously, not even during junior high.

Shiawase ni~

PS: This of course doesn’t quite apply to Genshiken 2 anime, because the way her eyes are drawn are different, and have a lower shine similar to Osaka.

Publisher’s Weekly Interview with Kio Shimoku

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You can read it here as well as buy it on newstands.

Reading this brings me joy because Kio Shimoku rarely speaks, and on top of that, it confirms many longstanding theories I’ve had regarding both Genshiken and Ogiue, such as Genshiken being about portraying otaku as human beings who think and feel and cry and love.

To feel that I accurately understood the important themes and particularly the themes surrounding Ogiue fills me with great joy.

Thanks to Anime News Network for this information, and kransom for bringing it to my attention.

Ogiue Lexicon

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I realized that there may be a few terms I use when discussing Ogiue that may not be familiar to some people. So I thought I’d clear up at least one or two of them.

fude: literally meaning “paintbrush,” this is a term used to describe Ogiue’s normal hairstyle. Also frequently referred to as “fude atama” or “paintbrush head.”

getting a little warped: translated in the Del Rey English translation as “getting carried away.”

Anata no Tonari: “By Your Side.” Ogiue’s Mugi x Sen doujinshi that she sold at Comic Festival.

What hints of Genshiken’s status do we get from the Kujibiki omake?

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A third post on this simple 3-page omake. Unlike the first post, there will be spoilers here, and this isn’t exactly fair game like the anime or manga, so this is your warning.

Ohno is waiting in the club room in a Yamada cosplay outfit. Ogiue, with hair down, comes in accompanied by Sue. Ogiue questions why Ohno seems to just be cosplaying for no reason, and Ohno in turn laments the loss of Ogiue’s fude. Ogiue says that she can’t wear her hair the way she normally does when she’s at work, which is fairly often these days. Ogiue then asks why Ohno is cosplaying as Yamada when she normally cosplays as the Vice-Chairman, and Ohno says it’s because the Vice-Chairman’s voice actor changed. Ogiue, switching her hair back to normal fude mode, asks how Ohno could be so tired when Ohno hasn’t even been looking for a job, and Ohno nonchalantly mentions that she’s actually postponing her graduation for another year. Ogiue accuses of her of purposely delaying her job search, which Ohno weakly denies. Ogiue tells Ohno that Madarame is the only super senior that Genshiken needs, to which Ohno replies that that’s not quite what Madarame is. Then Sue chimes in with

I’M IN DESPAIR! JAPANESE PEOPLE WHO CAN’T SEEM TO EVER GRADUATE HAVE LEFT ME IN DESPAIR!

Ogiue remarks that her despair is a little too valid. Ohno then says that Kuchiki will be gone by next year, implying that it’s a good reason to stay. Ogiue says she’s rather he leave sooner. Sue mentions that she’d like to see Madarame cosplay as Zetsubou Sensei. Madarame sneezes.

Now…

What can we learn from this?

First, is that this chapter clearly takes place after the events of volume 9. Ogiue’s un-fude hair is a direct reference to an image of her in volume 9 where she questions whether or not to have the fude at job interviews.

Ohno’s Yamada cosplay is from Kujibiki <3 Unbalance, instead of the normal series, and the implication is that this takes place in 2006, and Genshiken the manga has always been pretty good about maintaining its timeline. Sasahara, Saki, and Kohsaka all graduated in 2005. Further reinforcing this is the mention that Kuchiki will not be there anymore next year. So clearly this means that the Ogiue we are seeing is, in fact, Chairman Ogiue.

YES. Oh man, how I wanted to see Ogi-kaichou. Thank you, Kio Shimoku.

Sue is in Genshiken, and these events take place after her appearance at the beginning of Volume 9. I think that she has fulfilled her dream and is studying at Shiiou University. Her Japanese has improved considerably, as her remark that Madarame should do Zetsubou Sensei cosplay is not a direct quote or reference, but rather just her speaking normally, if with an American accent. Congratulations Sue!

Ohno delaying her graduation means that Ohno and Ogiue graduate the same year. I’m sure that was part of her plan.