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Motorcycle Book Store > Motorcycle books beginning with G
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Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Volume 9 |
Author: Kio Shimoku
Published: 2007-11-27 |
List price: $10.95
Our price: $8.76
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As of: January 07th, 2009 03:48:19 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 And another chapter of Otaku life comes to a close...
It's been a heck of a long journey with the crew of the Genshiken. We've gone through five presidents, several conventions, quite a few meltdowns, and a Madarame living quite well under the veil of unrequited love.
In this, the very last (*sob*) volume of Genshiken, quite a few old faces make a final appearance as Sue and Angela return to the land of the rising sun for the winter comic convention and group trip to the shrine for New Years Eve/Day. It's a visit full of characterization as not only are Chika's tsundere traits given more panel time, but Madarame's feelings for the group's other tsuntsun deredere, the ever so cute Saki, come out in a nicely downplayed manner as well.
Later chapters include Sasahara and Oguie's first major fight as a couple, a "silent film" cosplay event (all art, no dialogue bubbles) and the graduation ceremonies for the last of the original freshmen in the club (Sasahara, Saki, Kousaka) who have all long since gotten jobs in their respective specialties.
Just be sure that you don't skip over either the 4 koma comics at the end of each chapter or the special bonus chapter at the very end detailing in tongue-in-cheek irony just how each of the girls of Genshiken could be "moe" (the term for endearing cuteness in otaku-ese).
The art definitely shows some stylistic changes in character design in comparison from the first few books, but I cannot figure out if that is just Kio Sensei's maturing as an artist or just a visual representation/progression of the characters growing and coming into their own. The best example of this I can see is in Saki Kasukabe's progression from violent pseudo-fashionista in to a confident business person who is, decidely, a woman. It harkens back, perhaps a little ironically, to "moe" (which literally means "budding" in Japanese) in that over the course of the manga, both in terms of character development and PARTICULARLY character DESIGN, she has blossomed into a lovely woman. It makes sense that her "moe" qualities would be discussed heavily in the bonus chapter.
In any case, this book warrants my MUST BUY/READ recommend with the standard caveat of reading all that came before.
Now here's hoping that both the OVA's (attached to the Kujibiki Unbalance full "Second" series) and the second season (airing now in Japan) will make it over the ocean as soon as possible.
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