Oh dear me. When you have an anime based on Otaku life, its not going to always be pretty. Still, the show is rather good for its own right. It was odd because the very first episode actually felt like my group of friends just sitting and talking anime like the podcast. Also, for those that want to learn a little bit, I should say you should watch all the way through the credits because after, they sometimes have little facts. I even learned from them even though I watch tons of anime.The main character is really a bland guy, but I feel that they did this for a reason. It brought us into this world with somewhat a clean view on things. Now if only he wasn't always talking about Hentai and dojinshi… I guess on the bright side, he is in a point that he's not a complete otaku but more on the edge who is just learning the deeper parts of his fandom.What's great about an anime like this is that there is a character that anyone could really relate to, not just the main character. Sometimes you can even take parts of the characters and put them together to represent you. They have the cosplayer, the game player, the over obsessed guy, an artist, and even a newbie in the group as well. All these characters help give a wide variety of story lines to grab hold of and give you a sense of connection. The feeling I normally get watching this is that this little clubhouse, this small sanctuary of otaku-dom is pretty much their home. They are almost like one big family who doesn't want to lose their life.The only person that really creeps me out is the head chairman. He has really black eyes and acts really odd most of the time. Also, many times he talks in almost a out of this world manner. Just something that really creeped me out when he actually did anything.People don't really notice this but this show has a lot of philology involved in the show. It does dive into the reasons as to why people go to anime without going way to out of control. They dissect what makes an otaku an otaku and the reasons behind why some people don't like it and some do. It's also about people trying new things weather or not they will actually like it.The animation is very bland, looking a little like Colorful but not as bad. It's a step in the right direction at least and they do have a rather good contrast between the real world with its rather toned down colors and the anime side with its bright and rich colors. I never really found any point where they lacked art styles or was off. If something was, then it was slight and pretty much unnoticeable. What you see in the first episode is what you get throughout the show when it comes to art style with it only slightly getting better as it was going. Each of the ending credits surprised me though. The artwork for the ending actually changes each show. It's not always the same ending.The dub isn't really all that bad actually. It's an older one so some of the voices are slightly stiff, but it doesn't feel unnatural. I would think they actually would be stiff when meeting new people or so and it's not like they don't end up warming up.

I am writing again as I have finished by 2x review of yet another anime series.Genshiken is the society for the study of the graphic arts which includes manga (japanese comics), anime (Japanese cartoons) and video games. This organization of course has it's selection of interesting members, each with their differing interest weather it is sexy video games, watching anime or just trying to get in with the pretty boy. Genshiken is an anime about those who love all the things that we think of as nerdy and geeky. It is a fun look into the lives of the otaku and the many relationships that come about.The series that I am reviewing was divided into two parts. In the first part the main characters are introduced and the basic ideas behind being an otaku are talked about. In the OVA new members join and the club starts to take a turn moving several out of school and into adulthood. The second season of the show works mainly on the ideas of maturity, taking responsibility for one's life and the relationships within the group.I found this anime really good as it is not one to poke fun of otaku (I being an American version of such) and yet at the same time gives a fairly good explanation as to what they are in the end. I really enjoyed the interactions between characters showing that the story was well done. The only grips I have with the story is that there were still a few loose ends not tied up after the series ended that bugged me so be weary.In the sub I was impressed by the detail they went to but found that they seemed to give little care when handling the American characters using voice actors that appeared to have only a basic grasp on English which made the supposed "Americans" look really stupid not being able to even communicate in their own language.In the Dub they did a good job matching voices and I have few gripes. The Americans came from a different angle with them leaving the assumption that they could both speak at least a bit of Japanese erasing the language barrier but also erasing some of the reasons to provide tension and still not coming up right overall but a good adaptation as they were originally doing things in English.Overall this is a great series and would recommend to any true Anime fans.

This is one of my favourite animes, as it combines comedy with drama incredibly effectively. It focuses on "otakus", a Japanese subculture made up of people who obsess over anime, manga & video games. It provides an insight into their lives as comparative outcasts without mocking or parodying them as often happens in American shows about nerds, etc. There is some subtle criticism, and personal quirks are shown without flinching, but the characters never become "ultimate nerd"-type caricatures, their humanity is never sacrificed.There are several characters that make up the club for otakus in a college that this anime's about. The hardcore otaku Hanarobu Madarame, the cosplay(dressing up as anime/manga characters) maniacs Souichiro Tanaka & Kanako Ohno(introduced later). Ohno is surprisingly beautiful & well-endowed for an otaku, but ironically she's one of the most obsessive. There's the artist Mitsunori Kugayama, and the video-game otaku Makoto Kousaka, who is strange in that he is handsome and not the typical misfit you'd expect an otaku to be, and has a girlfriend- Saki Kasukabe-who isn't an otaku in any sense of the word but is forced to hang out with Genshiken because she's attached to her boyfriend. Saki is violent & bad-tempered but also kind and slowly begins to understand the otakus & even help them out, subtly changing them, making them more socially acceptable and less reclusive. The interaction between the fashionable & popular Saki and the otakus is a relationship at the very core of the series in terms of how interesting it is. Also, there's Kanji Sasahara, the most normal otaku, who is initially in denial, but slowly accepts his otaku-ness.It's highly critically acclaimed & completely brilliant, but is meant for the more discerning viewer, so if you though "Dragonball Z" was complex, turn away.

I rarely like Anime, so the fact that I like this show so much, makes it a real gem for me. I was thrilled to find out recently that there will be a second season released in late 2006.Unlike most anime, this show is extremely realistic. It focuses on the members of a student activity club at a University in the outskirts of Tokyo. The club is a group of slackers whose sole activity is appreciating anime, manga, hentai, cosplay and other pastimes normally associated with nerds (sometimes called "otaku" in Japanese).Each episode in the first season more or less describes some new aspect of nerd culture. One episode shows the group getting obsessed about building Gundam models, another one shows the group going to Akihabara to buy erotic manga.The dramatic tension of the show is created through the character of Saki. She is the girlfriend of one of the club members. She is in love with the guy, but finds all the "otaku" stuff kind of weird and many of the episodes feature her struggling to come to terms with her love of Kohsaka, but her dislike of his hobbies.The show has very good character progression and many of the characters are allowed a depth to their characters not normal for Anime shows.In a medium that is too often plagued with clichés and repetitive plot lines, Genshiken is a breath of fresh air that should be viewed by both anime fans and non-fans alike.