First Impressions – Genshiken Nidaime
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Ah, so welcome to (another super late) first impression post, but this time for Genshiken Nidaime! To be honest, it wasn’t until my winter break a few months ago that I found out this continuation/reboot to Genshiken actually existed. As a huge fan of the original, I was incredibly happy, but then I grew ecstatic when I found out the anime adaption was premiering this year. I’m a bit worried for those who haven’t read/watched the original series, but overall I think everyone will be able to understand the basics and enjoy at least the fun, crazy antics from the members of the one and only Genshiken.
To Recap or To Not Recap?
I’ve already seen some questions on whether or not one should watch/read the original Genshiken to understand this second ‘generation’ series. My verdict? It’s not essential. This series focuses more on the new members to the club and their lives and how they interact in the club. However, as the first episode has shown, there are some characters from the original series there, and those that will make possible appearances later in the show. A lot of the major events in the series were also vaguely covered in the episode. Basically, you’ll be missing just the fine details, but still be able to continue the series smoothly. Of course as a fan of the series I’m going to recommend reading the manga simply because it’s an entertaining series.
Meet the New members…and the Old ones
Let’s start with the oldies despite how misleading the title is. Oguie is the manga artist aiming to become a full-fledged manga author. She’s helped the Genshiken make their own doujinshi to sell at Comic-fest, and created her own BL doujinshi (both of which were shown in the recruitment scene). Ono is of course the cosplayer and cosplay fanatic, frequently attempting to get others to cosplay, which has succeeded in the past. Kuchiki, meanwhile, is just the residential…weirdo. Nothing more to add about him, really. Sue is not necessarily a new character, nor new to the Genshiken. She is Ono’s friend from America and came to Japan originally for just a visit. However, she returned as a full-fledged exchange student and only just officially joined the Genshiken. As for the rest, Yoshitake is the fired-up fujoshi that isn’t afraid to show her love for it, while Yajima seems to be more reserved about her fujoshi feelings and would rather step back from all the craziness. Then there’s Hato, a truly rare character who’s both a cross-dresser and fanboy that’s actually into BL. He’s already quite the interesting (and adorable) character with a lot of mystery to him that I’m eager for the show to uncover.
From Gundam and eroge, to fujoshi and BL
Where the original Genshiken focused on not just anime, but eroge, doujinshi, and other typical male otaku aspects, this second generation seems to be focusing on the same things, but with the fujoshi twist a lot of us fangirls know and love. It’s a change that Oguie is afraid of, at least in regard of keeping the idea that the Genshiken is a place for not just one aspect of otakuism, as in it being not just an anime club or just a manga club, but a club where people who love anime, manga, and/or video games and more can join and express their love for all these things without restraint. Not that this change matters to the original characters, since the general spirit of the Genshiken has been about accepting just about anyone. Personally, I like the fangirl twist as it definitely gives this series a more distinct vibe without completely changing the concept of the original. Plus, as a fangirl, I can relate to more of what they’re talking about, heh.
So far Genshiken Nidaime has kept true to the atmosphere of the original with lots of craziness from the mixture of the old and new members in the club. The wackiness and unpredictability of the some of the characters was one of the things that made me love the series in the first place, so I’m glad to see it’s still intact. Anyway, I was surprised the episode brought back some of the original characters right off the bat (other than Oguie, Ono, Kuchiki, and Sue who are central to this second series), which is probably hinting that more than likely they’ll continue some of the main stories from the original. I haven’t been able to catch up on the manga lately, so I’m excited for this possibility.
I’m also interested in the general theme of this second generation series. One of the notable ones in the beginning of the original series was accepting being an otaku, and to not hold back from what you like. Sasahara, Oguie’s boyfriend, at first wasn’t adamant about admitting he liked doujinshi, hardcore PC games, and the like. He held himself back so much, he hardly made a friend with the same interests. Even Oguie, at the start of her regular appearances in the manga, claimed to hate all otaku, especially female otakus. However, she regularly engaged in buying yaoi doujinshi and the like. Eventually the Genshiken ended up helping them accept themselves for who they are and to not hold back from their interests. However, none of these new members are afraid to show what they like nor afraid to admit their fujoshi, so I’m still wondering what exactly will Nidaime be about in general. Anyway, with that, I’ll conclude this super late first impression post. This coming episode seems to have a lot more going on, so I’ll be back…in a few days.~
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I haven’t seen any of the previous show, but I do get the sense that the torch is being passed. I hope the next episodes focus more on this group, and see that manga get worked on.
Sue is mai waifu!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’ve watched about 2/3 of the first series, so there was a bit of a discontinuity between the group with Madarame, Sasahara, Tanaka, Kousaka, Saki, and Kugayama and the group that there is now, like why is Ohno still in the club but Sasahara graduated. I don’t know if I’m completely sold on the overall transformation from all guys + Ohno as an otaku group to a pretty much all fujoshi group (so far I’ve found Kuchiki to be useless), but I’ll stick with it.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The previous season escaped me but I surely see this one is helmed by a new generation of characters. With a few jokes here and there, it’s a passable first episode. What disturbed me was how well Hato was crossdressing as a girl, even down to a very girlish voice.
If I were the girls, I’d keep a 24/7 watch on Kuchiki. The guy’s unstable and a latent criminal. He’ll eventually do something drastic because of his insatiable lust and it’s kind of pathetic he thinks that he has a harem.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 21 comments
I decided to watch this anime as soon as i saw the first pic!!!!!!!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’ve watched the original, although it’s been quite a while. I was happy to see it was getting a new series. I like the fact that some of the old members have graduated. People do graduate from university and move on with their lives, so that’s a welcome touch of realism to the series. Plus, with some of the old members gone and new ones added to those who remain, the mix changes (as shown by the change towards fujoshi). That allows new material to be brought in for comedy, keeping the jokes fresh.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
i…am lost in this show
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
In a good or bad way?
It really doesn’t take more than watching 2 or 3 episodes of the first one to get pretty much the entire concept of the show. You might catch a couple of them, then come back to this.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Having caught up with all of the manga, I also can’t wait for more of Hato’s developments, some interesting stuff happens, and he’s a lot more than the typical one-note fanservice character traps tend to be. There’s also a number of interesting developments with some of the older characters as well, following up on old plotlines. Hopefully it gets to some of the later real juicy stuff, if Nidaime gets a second season.
I also highly recommend everyone who finds they like this show, to start reading the Genshiken manga as well, from the start – it’s fantastic and touching and one of my favourites. The anime fudged about with the story a bit and missed quite some major parts…particularly the last two whole volumes leading up to Nidaime. So I think reading the manga is the much better choice.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 167 comments
Genshiken turned into an all-girls anime D:
Dropped!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I’m amazed tht ppl can drop a show for such a shallow reason.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 21 comments
Thats my reason for watching this show 🙂