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Clarste posted:I think one major misstep with this new season is the introduction of a "trap" character (Kuchiki certainly seems enthusiastic about this). One of Genshiken's selling points has always been it's basic grounding in reality. It's not completely realistic of course, but it's striven to maintain a "this could happen, somewhere" feel to it. Unless the show feels like tackling a huge mess of gender issues that aren't particularly relevant to the supposed subject matter of the series, such a character just seems out of place. The original 9 volume run of Genshiken was one of my all-time favorite manga comedies. Everything about the new version comes off as a sad and hollow imitation. It's heartbreaking.
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Jul 7, 2013 14:11
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 04:43 |
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The original Genshiken run is legitimately a great comedy regardless of the references. Even if you don't get all of them, the misadventures of an anime club should be fairly universal to anyone.
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Jul 7, 2013 15:58
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I mainly feel like the original Genshiken cast was well balanced and played off and/or complemented each other quite well. It also had a lot more relatable issues, with the Saki vs. everyone else theme being the heart and soul of most of the story. I mean, you had a prominent fujoshi character, so it's not like that aspect was completely ignored until the second generation. Even setting that aside, the new cast is overall much more ~wacky~ with their gimmicks taken up to 11. Regarding Hato's issues, Shimoku Kio is not exactly Takako Shimura and it is handled in a way that very much fetishizes it, plays it for laughs, and panders. This might be OK if Hato was more of a side character, but by being the main character in all but name it's aggravating.
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Jul 9, 2013 11:53
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XboxPants posted:If you're looking for something more grounded you could always try the sequel/spinoff manga, Spotted Flower. It's about Madarame as a (spoilers for his future) married adult. http://mangafox.me/manga/spotted_flower/c001/1.html
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Jul 9, 2013 18:15
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way.
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sincx posted:I'm beginning to think that Genshiken Nidaime is too niche for SA. Hell, even on 4chan, Genshiken threads die surprisingly quickly.
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Dec 10, 2013 21:54
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The first iteration didn't completely hinge upon liking Sasahara, though. You'd be hard pressed to even say he was the main character for much of the story.
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Dec 10, 2013 22:07
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Clarste posted:Of course, being boring might be one of the reasons people found it easier to identify with them. To use a live action example, this is like what happened to Scrubs (and so many other sitcoms); the first couple of seasons were relatively down to earth and low-key, playing off of the strength of the actors and the freshness of the writing. But by the time they had got to the 5th season the material had run dry and everyone had become one-note, and to compensate everything had to be as Wacky! as possible.
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Dec 23, 2013 14:55
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There are such things as "background" or "side" characters who are able to round out an ensemble but do not necessarily need to be developed as heavily as the more prominent characters. This is not a "fault" if they were not intended to be the focus in the first place; it's like getting upset that the student council(?) member who tried to shut the club down hasn't been developed as heavily. Both Kugayama and the president graduate very early and are largely irrelevant; the focus of the first Genshiken was always on Saki and to varying degrees Sasahara, Ohno, Madarame, and Ogiue. That is an enormous difference in both depth and variety compared to the second iteration. AnonSpore, have you read Wandering Son? That is an example of tackling a character like Hato and doing so seriously. Conversely Shimoku Kio seems only capable of treating Hato as a fetish, possessing neither the skill nor the tact to give his character the due diligence required.
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Dec 23, 2013 16:31
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AnonSpore posted:And Nidaime's focus is on Hato and Madarame, who have been given large amounts of characterization; I was pointing out that Nidaime's side characters have enjoyed more characterization than those in similar positions in the original, and perhaps unfairly being snippy with people who have implied that the first Genshiken's wider variety of otaku interests (and while we're at that, it's pretty unfair to say characters like Kugayama and Tanaka represented many different otaku interests because they had liked drawing and photography/cosplaying, and then turn around and label all of the current Genshiken members as just "fujoshi" as if there is no variance between Yoshitake's maniacal love of history and Yajima's dabbling in art, but that's another matter) meant more character depth as well. coathat posted:Hato isn't treated as just a fetish. He's going through a serious crisis of sexual identity and orientation.
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Dec 23, 2013 19:08
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 04:43 |
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Genshiken Part 1 was ostensibly built around two cores: Saki and Ogiue, how they fit in within the group and outside of it, and how everyone grew as a part of their trials and tribulations. One of my favorite original chapters was when Madarame ran into Saki outside of club and acted like he didn't know her, which upset Saki a lot, ultimately resulting in them growing closer. Sasahara himself was also more or less defined by his interactions with Ogiue, which not so coincidentally also coincided with his brief presidency. These two cores were then supported by a bevy of subplots, most contributed to by Ohno or Madarame, such as when Madarame had to get a job (something that would continue being a thing in Nidaime, one of the few things I like about it). And stepping back even further, the whole thing was in the context of them getting through college; so the graduation in volume 9 was just about the most perfect and bittersweet way to end it. I would certainly say that I preferred this simpler set of themes and developments. It was a fun, amusing story that didn't wear itself out.AnonSpore posted:It's meant to poke fun at pregnancy, sex, and married life, which isn't entirely inappropriate considering the magazine it runs in is marketed towards adult women--that doesn't automatically mean that it fetishisizes it.
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Dec 23, 2013 21:31
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