Genshiken (げんしけん)

Which will it be, as God in heaven says...

Two hearts in balance! Kujibiki Unbalance!

Love, dreams, yearning, don't let them stop.

The dazzling sun through the trees sparkles and dances in your eyes.

I want to gaze at you beside me always.

Do you remember? Our childhood promise.

Two hearts in balance! Kujibiki Unbalance!

Come on, predict where we'll be tomorrow.

It's just so-so, balance. Kujibiki Unbalance.

Love, dreams, yearning, don't let them stop.

Sis! Time to get up!

Uh-oh.

Episode 1: The Study of Modern Visual Culture

Suioh University

You by yourself?

Y-Yes.

Like mahjong?

Every played it for fun?

Sure...

Oh, you have?

It's handy when you get a job, and it pays off a lot more than part-time work.

No, uh, I'm not interested...

Hey, are you a freshman?

Have you picked a club?

I like your style.

You should come see our Media Club, it's great.

Lots of our members end up in big-name media jobs.

But we have fun, too. We start off by playing tennis at Tateshina.

Get lost.

Just split, right now.

Hey, you!

What?

What year are you?

Is that you, Saki?

Huh?

No way!

Kohsaka?

B-But didn't you have short hair?

That was in grade school. It's been years since then.

So, what were you listening to?

A CD by the voice actress Sumire Matsuzawa.

Really?

Voice actress?

Anime Research Society

That was an editorial decision. Anime Research Society

Anime Research Society

Nakamoto promotional cels sure suck.

What a letdown.

Tsutomu Mizudori... Wasn't he his apprentice?

Why does he make harem anime?

Manga Research Society

His boss said at Animerama that... Manga Research Society

Manga Research Society

...he was an incompetent apprentice... Manga Research Society

...and he personally expelled him or something.

I saw one episode, it was okay.

H-Hey, you're really interested in the Manga Club?

Yup.

Astronomy Research Society

How about the Astronomy Club?

You used to have a telescope, Kohsaka.

I sure did.

But for now, I'll try talking with the Manga Club.

Anime Research Society

Um...

Manga Research Society

All right!

Excuse...

Excuse me!

What kinds of things does the Manga Club do here?

Oh, you want to join?

Yes.

Well we've got more of a history than the Anime Club.

We do various things...

...but I guess the main ones are releasing hand-drawn mags and...

...drawing likenesses at the school festival.

Unfortunately there're only a few of us now, but we used to have around fifty.

Oh, of course there's no hazing like in the physical clubs.

And we deal with the student council, but that's about it.

Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

I've decided on my summer costume. Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Y-You'll make Miss President's helmet yourself? Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

As long as I use a German army one as a base.

T-The problem is how heavy it is.

In reality it won't be.

I-lf you make this, you should do it right.

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture P23

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture Room 304

Here we are.

A few days later

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Genshiken

Here we are.

Oh?

Are you with Genshiken?

Are you one of the upperclassmen?

No, l-I'm a freshman...

Just like me, then.

Have you joined already?

No, not yet, I thought I'd come see...

Is that so.

I've already joined.

Huh?

Care to see?

Sure.

Hello!

Hello.

This guy wants to check out the group.

I'm okay...

You don't have to...

Ah, there's some over...

Ugh, it's warm...

Kohsaka, is Kasukabe coming today?

Who knows?

I haven't heard.

Then today we're without our "straight woman" Kasukabe.

She's so good at it, though.

I'm really sorry.

But it's not like she's joined yet.

Right.

Did you see the Kujiun opinion site?

It felt very divided.

Whatever they thought of it, there were a lot of screen captures.

T-There were already comments by French people.

W-What a laugh.

Maybe it's not such a badly made show...

...and it's easy for first-timers to get into it.

T-The scriptwriter Yokotari o-originally did Crusher.

Yeah, I think it's an adventure framework, like Tarurun Family was.

T-They all get blown up.

Yeah, yeah.

It has good points so will it be a good adventure or just go out on a limb?

I wonder which way Kujiun will go.

Hmm, i-it's okay...

Yeah.

Have you seen it?

Huh?

Kujibiki Unbalance.

Uh, no. Sorry...

I-It said "Muranaka" on the original drawings.

It didn't really seem to fit. Didn't he originally do action stuff?

N-No, lately he's been doing p-promotional cels and whatnot.

He's generally involved in Studio Pulp productions.

Maybe he gets used for convenience, since he seems speedy.

Ah, that's probably true.

That's Shonen Magazoone.

I still haven't read this week's...

What's up?

I'm going to the bathroom.

Oh, okay.

Hey, the cooking match has started.

Start!

Let's go!

Yamadoritakemodoki...

A c-cooking match in the first episode, h-huh?

It's cool to show off, but that's pushing it.

It could also be because it's the first episode.

To present a world view and developments to the viewer.

Doesn't that make it too hard to understand?

At first glance, you can't tell if it's a romantic comedy or an action show.

The director spends some time making this fight the central point.

F-Fight?

K-Kujiun isn't about fighting.

But to introduce Renko and Yamada, they had to have a fight.

What a dilemma...

Hello.

That's Final Fantasy, but I'm not sure which one...

Oh, okay. I got it.

Mr. Chairman.

Let's go.

Don't have too much fun.

That was from Laputa.

S-Sorry, I have to do something.

Huh?

S-Somebody should c-come back before long.

Oh, you have to go?

S-Sorry.

It's down to just us.

So? Will you join?

Hmm, I don't know.

What made you join?

Hmm.

Well, the easygoing atmosphere seems to suit me.

Flower Girl Lunlun?

Yeah, I'm in the club office...

Okay, all right.