Genshiken Nidaime/Genshiken Second Generation Anime Review

Another series from this past anime season was Genshiken Nidaime, which picked up from the previous seasons titled Genshiken. It features an almost whole new cast, and follows the antics of the otaku club for another season. I enjoyed this show, but I certainly come from a bias that compares it to the original experience I had with the first 2 seasons of the show that aired back in 2004. So here is my review spoiler free.

Synopsis
Whether you’re familiar with Genshiken or not, this season introduces a largely whole new cast of characters, so those previously unfamiliar with the series can jump in. It’s about the The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, which basically breaks down to be a bunch of otakus obsessed with anime, video games, and cosplay. The old crew has graduated, with the only links left being Ohno and Sasahara’s girlfriend who is the new club president, Ogiue. Now the club is comprised mostly of “rotten girls” who are into BL (boy’s love) and are female otakus. The times have changed in Genshiken which used to be almost exclusively male club members, but the guys make re-appearances, with Madarame being the center of attention for a multitude of episodes. Although there’s a large cast, the story focuses mainly on the character development of cross-dresser Hato, and his attempts to be accepted by a group of women. Madarame helps Hato a lot in this regard, and Hato also helps Madarame back, and they end up learning a lot about themselves as they enter adulthood. The students banter back and forth, and get up to some pretty nerdy stuff, which is fun to see for any anime fan.

Review of No. 6

The last season for anime (spring 2013) was generally unappealing so I found myself turning to the list of anime from the Noitamina timeslot for a good watch. They’ve offered many greats like Honey and Clover, Paradise Kiss, Nodame Cantabile, Princess Jellyfish, Eden of the East, Kids on the Slope (all of which I will be reviewing in the future for those curious). The title appealed to me as it is set in a dystopian future divided by the haves and have-nots. Unfortunately for the haves who get to live in the seemingly perfect city No. 6 (for which the anime is named after), there is a tight grip over laws and what is allowed to be said. I think this is a great setting as we’ve encountered it many times within the past years (like the communist fear era during the Cold War) and frankly this still goes on in many countries. It’s a real fear that when it comes to powerhouses like the government, we ultimately have no control over our lives. This setting makes for a believable future and it’s great to see the characters (who only have good intentions) deal with this obstacle. For those curious, it seems to have a very similar set-up to the movie Elysium so those who are excited for that movie should check out this anime as well.

Without spoiling too much I want to go over the highlights of this anime briefly. In the first episode we are introduced to the two main protagonists Sion and Nezumi (referred to in the sub as Rat). Sion is your typical goody-two shoes boy who gets straight A’s is nice to everyone, naive but genuine and is overall a really nice good guy. Enter Nezumi. Like his name suggests he is a behind the shadows kind of guy who runs about the town without drawing too much attention to himself. He’s escaping the law when he enters Sion’s bedroom late one night. At this point Sion breaks the very strict laws by keeping Nezumi safe against the government for the night. Nezumi is dark and hesitant to trust anyone. Sion is bright and naive, allowing a total stranger into his bedroom (and this stranger broke in himself). The two play off each other very nicely. This of course gives Sion a shitstorm of problems but Nezumi returns later on to return the favor. The show continues with the two’s budding relationship in exile along with their struggle to reunite Sion with his mother and his lifelong friend Safu.