Genshiken

Keiko's response to Hato's gender was hilarious as always.

(Also, I find it a bit amusing that Madarame's holding a book with a sketch of a guy in a samurai helmet in it. Wasn't he portrayed that way in one of the early chapters?)

There's so much character development right now but I'm having trouble reading this as anything but a gag manga (and doing anything other than laughing myself silly). Been spoiled by Nichijou, I guess.

The unorthodox faces (Sue's, Asada's, Konno's etc. - and Kucchi's, I have to admit) are so awesome and they really show off Kio's range. Unfortunately Asada is still woefully under-utilized.

I'm not sure Sue really has feelings for Madarame, that kiss was mostly a prank I think. And it seems that she is rather a Hato×Mada shipper to me… which is on good tracks considering the suspicious amount of denying from Hato these last two or three chapters.

Also, what's this thing below Kaminaga's eyes? Isn't mascara supposed to be on the upper eyelids? ò.Ô She looks like she's on drugs or something…

edited 29th Jul '12 11:20:10 AM by Lyendith

She is high on yaoi.

I think Kaminaga-sempai is supposed to look stoned, which is why she's got these shaded under-eyes/eyebags plus hooded eyes. Too many long nights bingeing BL comics will be the explanation I'll stick with.

Spotted Flower 6 is out at Sporeblog.

I didn't and still don't think Kousaka is great with Saki. Saki/Madarame would be better,but now? Still not great. Susie/Mada would be adorable,Hato/Mada hilarious,Hato/Yajima hilariously awkward and Yajima/Yoshitake 'awkward drunken experimentation' - thus, amazingly funny. :-D

edited 20th Aug '12 4:18:33 PM by AckSed

I now support Sue/Mada myself.

Keiko/Mada is also an acceptable pairing.

Madarame's clearly not seeing the rest of the flower garden before him because he's too fixated on the rose. Darnit.

I'm not sure if being around Saki has actually done anything for Kousaka. He doesn't need anyone else to help him be awesome and spacey at the same time. It's like he hasn't had any Character Development at all since season one whereas even Kugayama has changed (he's become more responsible) since graduating.

That's a pity indeed. Either the author wanted to develop him but didn't have the occasion in the first season, and in Nidaime it's already too late; or the author never intended to develop him in the first place and wanted him to stay a gag character (like a polar opposite to Kuchiki).

And frankly, I'd rather think the latter. Seeing Kōsaka actually caring about anything would seem almost strange. It would be as if Oosaka started to think like a normal human.

Now what exactly makes Saki cling to him apart from physical attraction is beyond me…

edited 21st Aug '12 12:36:12 PM by Lyendith

Genshiken Volume 12 Extras up at Sporeblog.

After reading a bit and coming across the part where Saki reveals her childhood background with Kousaka, I realized that the way he is right now might be the result of some kind of Character Development taking place before the series' timeframe.

Having been with Kousaka through whatever it was would make Saki comfortable (in one way or another) with the way he is now and her awareness of his Hidden Depths that no other Genshiken member could see would also explain her confidence that she can change him.

Meh, I haven't been a huge fan since the series restarted, but I don't mind the BL obsession TOO much. I just really don't think turning Madarame into a trap lover is an appropriate development at this point. It's just too much of a 180, and would require so much more development that I think I'd be sick of sticking through his sad story. It doesn't help that just about anyone other than Saki feels like a consolation prize ASIDE from the trap (since he's the only one we've seen much significant interaction with anyhow). I'm half hoping Saki really IS pregnant and that he'll just end up moving away and the original series will have some sort of closure (Bad End for him).

I'm really disappointed that we're not ever going to see much more of Kousaka. He would have made a very interesting character, but instead he's kinda reduced to being a gaming troll who happens to be Saki's boyfriend. About the closest I've seen him show any emotion is seeming tired whenever he's at work, and that time Saki started crying because people were giving her shit for that fire she started.

New chapter is out.

Well well well, it looks like Madarame and Saki's issue is coming to a head, finally. No resolution THIS chapter, but it looks like something will happen the next chapter.

Maybe. I'm not sure that Keiko's best-laid Engineered Public Confession for Madarame to Saki will work out as planned (it won't be funny after all), but still...

Sue's adorable as usual though.

edited 2nd Sep '12 5:52:21 PM by MyssaRei

So...

Saki knew all along.

I am totally putting my Shipping Goggles on and interpreting Sue's look at Madarame on page 14 as a longing one.

edited 2nd Sep '12 5:57:11 PM by Galeros

Yeah, it can be interpreted that way.

Myself? I'm kind of leaning toward the direction that Sue DOES feel something, but not really romance, like sympathy or empathy. Madarame is the type of guy that more than a few of my friends say needs a hug at times.

edited 2nd Sep '12 6:01:06 PM by MyssaRei

Oh man, Saki's face when walking into the clubroom expecting Madarame and being greeted instead by her crossdressing boyfriend was priceless. Though it's interesting that Kousaka figured things out almost instantly.

Still, Kousaka cosplaying as Mami? I think he lacks some important assets. Two, to be exact.

No, I don't think he was. In fact, I think he's wearing the SAME outfit that he wore during the summer Comiket, which is to say a crossdressing character from his company's game. The same one that Madarame talked about with Hato, in fact.

And Mami was done by Angela by the way, also in the previous Comiket.

Well, if the main subject was already aware of it, that will makes things easier… or not…

I like how no one can quite fathom what Sue is thinking and everyone can interpret her behavior as they please. I will intepret it as a look of sympathy. Cause Madarame already has one Occidental Otaku in love with him, having both would be too much.

Oh, right, that one.

And yeah, I do remember the Mami cosplay, mostly because of how apt it was.

A bit of a mindscrew, that one, when one recalls that the series is set roughly around 2006, heh. Then again, Genshiken seems to be working with a floating timeline anyway.

This is going to be my theme song for the next chapter.

Um, was there any point to forcing him into a situation like this? It seems like Shimoku wants to get rid of this character sooner than later.