Genshiken 2 Drama CD 1, a summary

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It’ s not typical for me to just use this blog for summarizing things, but I know that not a lot of people have access to it. I haven’t really had time to translate, so a brief summary will have to suffice.

The Drama CD is episode 8.5 of Genshiken 2, so fit it in there.

Sasahara gets a call, and it turns out to be his sister Keiko. Keiko says she’s staying over at his place. She comes over and then complains about how there’s nothing there and that it stinks, and then says she’s gonna go to the club room. When Sasahara asks why, Keiko says why not? She went to Comifest, she went to the beach with them, she’s like a half-member! Sasahara calls her an idiot.

At the club, Keiko encounters Ogiue and Kuchiki, who she’s meeting for the first time. Keiko thinks that Kuchiki is an annoying guy and that even though he’s thin, she thinks that he should be fat. Keiko is astounded by Ogiue, being the first complete fujoshi she’s ever met. Ogiue thinks to herself that Keiko’s make up and perfume are way too much. Ogiue and Keiko don’t get along all that well.

Madarame, Tanaka, and Kugayama come in. They begin talking about anime and being otaku in the workplace and what-not. Everyone is talking about how people try to change or hide themselves, but then Keiko says, “In the end they’re still otaku though.” Sasahara says that she’s the last person he wants to hear that from.

Keiko mentions that she’s been doing otaku things lately. She played “Dra Que V” (to which Sasahara responds, “That’s FIVE you idiot!”) and has even watched Gungal. Though when she mentions it’s G Gungal the members of Genshiken have to point out that it’s not like any of the other Gungal series. Keiko then mentions that she’s been to a butler cafe before, just for kicks. When she tries to remember how long it takes to get to the butler cafe, Ogiue cuts in and says it takes 90 minutes.

Keiko asks Ogiue if she’s been, and Ogiue, of course, denies it completely.

Ohno comes in and asks Keiko if she’s waiting for Kohsaka. Everyone thinks about how blunt that was. Keiko says yes, though. Keiko then wonders about being an otaku or going out with an otaku (Madarame calls this “Post-Densha), but Ohno replies that you can’t just suddenly become an otaku. It requires obsession, and you even have to decide how you’re going to become obsessed. Ohno is also subtlely trying to dissuade Keiko from trying it.

Saki and Kohsaka come in, and the reaction to Keiko is what you’d expect, with Saki asking why she’s even here and Kohsaka just saying hello. Keiko asks Saki what it’s like to go out with an otaku. Saki claims that they’re a normal couple. Completely normal. When asked where they’ve gone on dates, Kohsaka mentions Ikebukuro. While Saki points out all the very normal people things they do there, Kohsaka mentions all the otakustuff. Saki is defeated.

That night, Keiko sincerely asks if Sasahara has a girlfriend. Sasahara tells her to go to sleep.

————–

As to what I think of all this, I’m glad to see Keiko getting some focus even if it’s just in the form of a drama CD. I guess for some reason they couldn’t animate her, so they stuck with this method. She appears again in Drama CD 2 (which is actually the 3rd drama cd if you count the one that came with Genshiken manga volume 9). A nice story, with some nice Ogiue, as I love her interaction with Keiko, especially in the later parts of the manga.

Distance from Ogiue

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I realize that in buying a tablet, I am moving further away from how Ogiue draws, as she prefers using real pens and brushes.

Though actually, I somehow recall that she’s used tablets before and is sort of okay with them. I can’t quite remember where I heard that though. Either the Official Book or the one of the Drama CDs.

Oh no, I’m losing touch already.

Tablet Get

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I bought an Intuos3 9 x 12 Wacom Tablet. I think it’s actually bigger than my laptop’s monitor.

So to celebrate my new tablet…

…I’m going to need some practice

Sue must be someone’s dream girl

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Not mine, of course, but I can’t help but be impressed by the breadth of her anime knowledge.

Having listened to the second Genshiken 2 Drama CD (third overall) and hearing things like the aforementioned Jagi reference, as well as a hearty Shinobu from Dancougar impression (“YATTE YARUZE!”), I feel like we all should aspire to her level of creepy knowledge.

Not that the knowledge is creepy, but that it can be presented creepily.

GEN-SHEE-KEN TWO Volume TWO

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So I got my copy of Genshiken 2 Volume 2, and it comes with the long-awaited Drama CD, “Road to Ikebukuro.”

And a lot of it is in English.

Oh boy.

PS: Sue makes a Jagi reference. KUYASHII NO? KUYASHII NO?

The plight of the anime fan, for I am a fan of anime

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I’ve occasionally been asked (as well as asking myself) why I call myself an anime fan, when being a fan of only one form of animation is so limiting. I’ve talked a little about this before, but I feel like elaborating.

A lot of people may only watch what is best from every category of animation, to skim the cream of the crop until you get a wide variety of good animation from around the world. However, while my love of animation and comics is not confined to only that which comes out of Japan, the reason why I label myself as an anime fan is that I like the bad as well as the good. I’m not here just to see the envelope being pushed, seeing the medium progress beyond its current limits. I mean, I still certainly hope anime does that, but if you’re only seeing the best of the best, you’re not actually seeing everything anime has to offer. It’s the difference between ignoring your friend’s flaws and accepting them.

That said, I don’t really bother with bad cartoons from other cultures, and for that it may just be a matter of not having enough time to watch every cartoon and read every comic ever. This is also why I don’t necessarily fault people for being very selective with their anime, let alone with cartoons in general. Only if they’re being jerks about it.

I guess I’ll end on asking people if they have any favorite non-anime/manga animations, cartoons, comics, etc. that they’re willing to share. As for me, I quite enjoy the works of Norm McLaren, such as Synchromy.

Sasahara and Ogiue Have At Least One Thing in Common

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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.

I Love Nostle Orunch: Baccano!

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Baccano! takes place in early 1930s New York City and follows various Italian mafias in this era. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill story about gangs with tommy guns, though, as Baccano! adds an element of the supernatural to its setting and characters. The catch is, the series blurs the line between the two so that supernatural and natural abilities don’t seem that far off from each other. Being a hero or a monster is determined by the individual, and even then some characters can be considered both.

Baccano! has a large cast of characters, and they are incredible. And wonderful. Wondercredible. The story has no true main character, or should I say that every character is like a main character. You have Firo Prochainezo, a young baby-faced guy with a penchant for fisticuffs and a good heart. You have Ladd Russo, the sociopath whose only joy is to kill anyone who thinks that they’re completely safe. Then there’s Jacuzzi Splot, a man Kenshiro would be proud of, who manages to do the manliest things possible while crying like a girl. And not last (I told you that this cast was large), and certainly not least, are Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent, two skilled, yet bumbling honorable thieves who like to dress up for their various crimes and use the most distorted logic possible and happen to end up doing good as a result. They’re probably my favorites but it’s not like any of the other characters are far behind.

Wondercredible, indeed. And there’s so many more I haven’t even talked about.

Baccano! tells its story out of chronological order, so the events in each episode jump back and forth between 1930, 1931, and 1932. And you know what? I don’t care. I have no great desire to watch the series in “proper” chronological order, I have no motivation to see just exactly how all the dots connect. Baccano! is that engaging and entertaining that I did not feel like I was missing anything by having the story jump around so much. Events are grouped thematically, and it works very, very well.

So in summary, Baccano! hits it out of the park.

Gachiiiin!