Product Description

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

It’s the spring of freshman year, and Kanji Sasahara is in a quandary. Should he fulfill his long-cherished dream of joining an otaku club? Saki Kasukabe also faces a dilemma. Can she ever turn her boyfriend, anime fanboy Kousaka, into a normal guy? Kanji triumphs where Saki fails, when both Kanji and Kousaka sign up for Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.

Undeterred, Saki chases Kousaka through the various activities of the club, from costume-playing and comic conventions to video gaming and collecting anime figures–learning more than she ever wanted to about the humorous world of the Japanese fan . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #297606 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-26
• Released on: 2005-04-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

1st impressions are decieving...
When I first saw the cover of Genshiken, I didn't know what to expect. I assumed that it would be another male-oriented manga where the main male character would fall for a girl who fit neatly into one of the manga stereotypes while everything revolves around fanservice & typical cliches. Boy was I wrong!

Genshiken surrounds a whole cast of characters, most specifically that of Sasuke, a freshman in a local college. He decides that he's finally going to join a group devoted to anime, manga, or both. He almost loses his nerve until he discovers Genshiken and becomes immersed in everything otaku. Along for the ride are a lovable cast of characters that are all distinct and never cliche. Everyone has a set personality that the reader can relate to, and the storylines are actually true to life. There's no magic moves, no love triangles (not really, anyway), and no transforming... even though the characters would probably love it if it actually happened. For the most part everyone's a realtively well adjusted person.

Would I recommend this series? Yes, but some may not get all of the jokes. Luckily Del Ray is faithful about putting explanations in the back of the manga. Fledglings will need them, but die-hard otaku probably won't. ^.^'

Good, good stuff
There are no flying robots, fiery dragons, or space aliens in this one, rather Genshiken is about a select group of boring people with boring stories to tell. So why five stars? It is only that these boring stories are brought to us in the most kind and personable way, like a meal of white bread, served on a silver platter by the quirkiest waitress you ever did see. In the end, it was a fabulous dinner. Genshiken uses slight humor, slight romance, and a lot of good art. Highly recommended!

New Favorite
This is the funniest thing I think I've ever read!
There's no cheesy sci-fi/fantasy stuff or day dreaming girls trying to get married. The situations are realistic, which makes them even funnier. If you've every dated a super dorky guy or find that you're spending your free time watching anime (almost exclusively), you'll really enjoy this manga.