An anime making me nostalgic? Genshiken did that.
Warning: The following journal entry contains memories of a geek's time with his college anime club mixed in with views on an anime about a college anime club. If you don't feel like reading a rambling rant that ultimately goes nowhere of real consequence, you can skip this. However, if you're curious, go right ahead. I won't stop you unless there's groping. Then there will be hell to pay, and it's an expensive lease.
I finished watching the TV series Genshiken tonight. At twelve episodes, it's not very long, and in fact it probably could have easily lasted another twelve or thirteen, but it's not a bad little show. The series is about the members of an all-purpose anime/manga/model building/cosplay/gaming club on a college campus. The club's full name translates to "The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture," but everyone just calls the club by the abbreviation "Genshiken."
The most amusing thing about the series, at least from my perspective, is how much the club and its members remind me of the Anime Discovery Project back at the UW. Although there are still plenty of differences, there were times during the show where I nodded and laughed because I could remember analogous situations or behavior patterns from my time at the ADP. One of the biggest similarities is probably the fact like the Genshiken, the ADP is (or at least was up until I graduated) notorious for being completely apathetic when it comes to directly participating in events with other anime clubs in the region. Like the ADP, the Genshiken crew just uses their office space to store their stuff, sit around, watch anime, and play video games, but least the ADP is more active in holding weekly showings.
Through all of the reminicing, I was actually reminded of a pair of specific memories from the ADP in particular, although they don't really have too much of a direct relation to any event from the series. The first was when I entered the ADP office for the first time my freshman year. It happened to be Friday evening, a little before five o'clock, and I was interested in what the club and the showings were about, but the only person in the office was Darrick, the then-club president. There wasn't a showing that week, but everyone else had gone out to the theater to catch Perfect Blue. In the short while I was there, something dramatic happened on the anime he was watching on tape, so I asked him what he was watching.
I was under the mistaken impression that Kodocha was a dramatic series for about a month and a half. I was such a n00b. Discovering the reality was a shock, but a fun shock. Come to think of it, part of me is still surprised that Kodocha is actually on DVD in the U.S. now. I didn't think that series would ever see a western release.
Where was I? Oh, right. On with the rambling. The other memory Genshiken brought back for some reason was the infiltration of Gabe De Los Angeles during my sophomore year. At the time, Gabe was a member of the Sakuracon committee, as well as a student at the UW. He spent the entire year hanging out in the club office with the usual lunch crowd. He also attended the club's Friday showings and held drawings in which the winners received free manga. Towards the end of the year, he announced his candidacy for ADP club president, and the cat was out of the bag. Gabe's entire platform was essentially an effort to get the ADP more involved with activities outside the club (read: Sakuracon). Since I was up for re-election as the club A/V Officer, I was down on the floor with the other candidates while he gave his pre-voting speech. I took the opportunity to make faces behind his back. Childish and stupid, I know, but I think I got a few people to crack up. Gabe never even noticed, either. The hilarity came to its apex in the voting, where Darrick was re-elected by a landslide. Gabe got a single vote from his girlfriend.
In a way, Gabe actually reminded me a bit of the evil leader of the manga club in Genshiken. It's a shame that more wasn't done with that character, though. If the series had gone on for a full season, he probably would have played a bigger role in the show. The saga of Mr. De Los Angeles had enough meat that it could probably sustain a whole story arc if it were transcribed to manga.
God, those were some fun times.
I finished watching the TV series Genshiken tonight. At twelve episodes, it's not very long, and in fact it probably could have easily lasted another twelve or thirteen, but it's not a bad little show. The series is about the members of an all-purpose anime/manga/model building/cosplay/gaming club on a college campus. The club's full name translates to "The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture," but everyone just calls the club by the abbreviation "Genshiken."
The most amusing thing about the series, at least from my perspective, is how much the club and its members remind me of the Anime Discovery Project back at the UW. Although there are still plenty of differences, there were times during the show where I nodded and laughed because I could remember analogous situations or behavior patterns from my time at the ADP. One of the biggest similarities is probably the fact like the Genshiken, the ADP is (or at least was up until I graduated) notorious for being completely apathetic when it comes to directly participating in events with other anime clubs in the region. Like the ADP, the Genshiken crew just uses their office space to store their stuff, sit around, watch anime, and play video games, but least the ADP is more active in holding weekly showings.
Through all of the reminicing, I was actually reminded of a pair of specific memories from the ADP in particular, although they don't really have too much of a direct relation to any event from the series. The first was when I entered the ADP office for the first time my freshman year. It happened to be Friday evening, a little before five o'clock, and I was interested in what the club and the showings were about, but the only person in the office was Darrick, the then-club president. There wasn't a showing that week, but everyone else had gone out to the theater to catch Perfect Blue. In the short while I was there, something dramatic happened on the anime he was watching on tape, so I asked him what he was watching.
I was under the mistaken impression that Kodocha was a dramatic series for about a month and a half. I was such a n00b. Discovering the reality was a shock, but a fun shock. Come to think of it, part of me is still surprised that Kodocha is actually on DVD in the U.S. now. I didn't think that series would ever see a western release.
Where was I? Oh, right. On with the rambling. The other memory Genshiken brought back for some reason was the infiltration of Gabe De Los Angeles during my sophomore year. At the time, Gabe was a member of the Sakuracon committee, as well as a student at the UW. He spent the entire year hanging out in the club office with the usual lunch crowd. He also attended the club's Friday showings and held drawings in which the winners received free manga. Towards the end of the year, he announced his candidacy for ADP club president, and the cat was out of the bag. Gabe's entire platform was essentially an effort to get the ADP more involved with activities outside the club (read: Sakuracon). Since I was up for re-election as the club A/V Officer, I was down on the floor with the other candidates while he gave his pre-voting speech. I took the opportunity to make faces behind his back. Childish and stupid, I know, but I think I got a few people to crack up. Gabe never even noticed, either. The hilarity came to its apex in the voting, where Darrick was re-elected by a landslide. Gabe got a single vote from his girlfriend.
In a way, Gabe actually reminded me a bit of the evil leader of the manga club in Genshiken. It's a shame that more wasn't done with that character, though. If the series had gone on for a full season, he probably would have played a bigger role in the show. The saga of Mr. De Los Angeles had enough meat that it could probably sustain a whole story arc if it were transcribed to manga.
God, those were some fun times.