Genshiken

A new academic year means new members for the lovably misfit Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture! Club president Chika Ogiue now has to manage a fresh-faced trio of yaoi fans (one of whom dabbles in cross-dressing), a surly American transfer student with a penchant for obscure anime quotes, and her own rising career as a professional manga artist. Can she actually find time to draw her own vanity project for Comic-Fest? (Source: Kodansha USA) *Note: Genshiken Nidaime ("Second Generation") is a continuation of the previous series, with chapter numbering starting at 56. In the Japanese edition, the first volume of Nidaime is numbered Volume 10, to continue from the end of the 9-volume Genshiken series. The US edition renumbers the volumes so that the "Second Season" starts with Volume 1.*

The deafening whack-whack-whack of a helicopter above campus is the first indication that the balmy tranquility of the Genshiken Club is about to be disturbed. The chopper brings handsome Ranto Hairu: transfer student, scion of a powerful Japanese conglomerate, and newly named chairman of the on-campus club organization committee. Hairu has strong ideas about the kind of clubs that deserve to survive (earnest, industrious) and the kind that don’t (arty, frivolous), and he’s a big fan of brute force. For Madarame, Kousaka, Ohno, and the others, the idea of losing their cherished club is the ultimate nightmare—but it’s only the first of many. Fortunately, the Genshiken boys and girls have a few tricks of their own, including a certain sword fighter summoned from ancient times who could prove very handy.

Chihiro has been cursed with bad luck all his life. But all that changes when he wins a mysterious lottery that earns him a spot at the prestigious Rikkyoin High School, a strange place where everything is decided by chance--even who gets appointed to the student council. Although Chihiro has drawn the winning ticket, this is no ordinary honor. Each day the student-council members must risk their lives to save the school from various forces of evil. Chihiro's luck is about to be put to the test yet again, and one wrong move could mean death!

Since the Meiji Era, Torigara Kaoru's family has always operated a ramen shop out of their home. But ever since Torigara's father passed away, the ramen shop has lost its fame. In order to save the shop, a Ramen Angel appears and intrudes on his life and helps him save all that is Ramen!

It's about the married life between a newlywed working otaku and his pregnant wife.

The series is, in essence, a compilation of many of the standard themes found in certain kinds of anime and manga series: childhood promises as the source of relationship drama, the influential yet shadowy Student Council, somewhat contrived scenarios designed to push the plot forward, mid-series "recaps" to remind viewers of previous events, and a sudden crisis that threatens to alienate the main characters and jeopardizes the outcome of the series. Kujibiki Unbalance is meant to be a very stereotypical series, serving as both an homage to and a parody of the kinds of series that the otaku would enjoy.

V.11 - Naruto V.12 - One Piece V.18 - Macross Frontier V.28-31 - Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai V.33 - Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

Ogiue gets drunk and jealous of Oono modeling for the club's doujin.

Note: Oono Shiki Plus came out between volumes 3 & 4.

Different from the original Kujibiki Unbalance (which the heart between the words is supposed to symbolize), forming a new set of franchises together with the anime and manga series. It is essentially the same as the original.

Kousaka gets AIDS and dies, Saki commits suicide, and the rest of the group decide that life is too short not to live for the moment. -LWB