(L) Genshiken 2 (Nidaime)

[erneiz_hyde]

Originally Posted by Endless Twilight

This chapter totally felt like it was constantly teetering around the possibility of Saki finally finding out/realizing Madarame is into her. It didn't happen here, but there's been so much teasing about it in Nidaime in general that it makes think it's an inevitability at this point... Not sure how I would feel about it, considering it would remove some weight from Madarame's decision to stay silent about it, so I guess I'll just wait and see how it's done (if at all).

I've always got the impression that Saki already knows. Didn't she caught Madarame buying off her cosplay photos from Ohno?

[tsunade666]

This chapter was amazing! its always a disaster when Saki comes shows up that I really miss her and I can't stop loving the first genration Genshiken. Nidaime is fun and all but th riot of the first series is just the best. Lol on Madarame's Harem

[Von Himmel]

I've always got the impression that Saki already knows. Didn't she caught Madarame buying off her cosplay photos from Ohno?

Maybe she got an impression that Ohno was only trying to sell her photos to Madarame but she didn't realize that Madarame was interested in her photos. So it's like she only know what was Ohno trying to do, but didn't realize about Madarame's desire to buy it.

[SidVicious]

She looked jealous in the end...

[Somnus]

Saki with a side-ponytail for a whole chapter?

Why hello there, heart attack! Wasn't expecting you today!

Genshiken's temporary return to it's former glory was fantastic. How I miss them, and Saki being the driving force behind it all.

Originally Posted by SidVicious

She looked jealous in the end...

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

I've always got the impression that Saki already knows. Didn't she caught Madarame buying off her cosplay photos from Ohno?

Erneiz has it right. She may still be learning the ropes of otaku culture, but Saki can read people incredibly well and is quite socially adept. Over the time of Genshiken she'd have figured out Madarame's feelings.

As opposed to jealousy I'd put it as her feeling sympathetic towards the fact that albeit being the awkward otaku that he is, Madarame has all these people with feelings for/interest in him, and yet he won't give them the time of day because he's still stuck on her.

It's a classic case, really. Rather, as anime watchers we see it all the time and often find ourselves wondering "Why can't the MC just like her? She's perfect."

[Vicious108]

Originally Posted by Somnus

Erneiz has it right. She may still be learning the ropes of otaku culture, but Saki can read people incredibly well and is quite socially adept. Over the time of Genshiken she'd have figured out Madarame's feelings.

Uh, that's just your interpretation, we have no actual confirmation of it. Sasahara's sister even when as far as to specify that she wasn't completely sure if Saki knew when she told Madarame that everyone in the club knew about it.

Not to mention that in this chapter we had access to Saki's mind and thoughts. You'd think she would have thought about how she might be the reason Madarame's not doing anything in spite of all the attention he's getting.

So yeah, I'm not saying it's impossible that Saki knows, just that I don't think she does, and there's no way to know for sure either way.

But yeah, I'm curious if Shimoku actually plans to go anywhere with this or is just teasing as usual. Could we actually still see Saki give up on Kousaka for Madarame? Even though I love their characters and the pairing, I'm not sure I'd like it actually coming to fruition, given how it's much more realistic for it to end the way it did before Nidaime came about. Well, I just hope they don't actually turn Madarame gay and have him go for Hato. That guy should end up with Yama if anything.

But yeah, chapters focused on the old cast are instantly better than any of the fujoshi-fest ones that constitute the new Genshiken.

[Somnus]

Originally Posted by Endless Twilight

Uh, that's just your interpretation, we have no actual confirmation of it. Sasahara's sister even when as far as to specify that she wasn't completely sure if Saki knew when she told Madarame that everyone in the club knew about it.

Not to mention that in this chapter we had access to Saki's mind and thoughts. You'd think she would have thought about how she might be the reason Madarame's not doing anything in spite of all the attention he's getting.

So yeah, I'm not saying it's impossible that Saki knows, just that I don't think she does, and there's no way to know for sure either way.

But yeah, I'm curious if Shimoku actually plans to go anywhere with this or is just teasing as usual. Could we actually still see Saki give up on Kousaka for Madarame? Even though I love their characters and the pairing, I'm not sure I'd like it actually coming to fruition, given how it's much more realistic for it to end the way it did before Nidaime came about. Well, I just hope they don't actually turn Madarame gay and have him go for Hato. That guy should end up with Yama if anything.

But yeah, chapters focused on the old cast are instantly better than any of the fujoshi-fest ones that constitute the new Genshiken.

I agree the argument of her knowing can go either way, but I find it highly far fetched that a club full of awkward people like Genshiken would be able to legitimately hide a collective secret like that from her, being as wary towards people (and personal relationships) as she is. She spent the entire first series learning to cope with an otaku environment, and helping the otakus cope better with aspects of society they weren't used to (personal relationships, etc.).

I mean, she's still doing the thing she does best in this chapter, by finding out the relationship status of her old friends.

What gets me the most is why people are so intent on thinking Saki is going to just up and drop Kousaka all of a sudden for Madarame (not directed at Endless specifically, since he/she seems to be fine either way). It's not going to happen. The mangaka made Spotted Flower for this very reason, to pander to this crowd. I like the original Genshiken crew as much as anyone else, but it's stuff like this I take issue with. It's repeatedly hammered in that she really values her relationship with Kousaka, and she's constantly portrayed as a straight arrow. So why would she jump ships on a whim after so many years?

Spoiler for Personal rant to vent based on topic at hand:

It really, really bothers me. This ridiculous double standard anime/manga fans have about romance, and the extreme romantic idealism they believe in. To relate to this specific case, they typically DESPISE when a girl drops a guy for another (essentially NTR) or just drops the guy due to something that occured, or a ridiculous scenario; but here they want Saki to drop Kousaka (a perfectly good guy) for Madarame.

Yes, I realize anime/manga is a wonderful escape from reality, but there's a limit to these things when the authors have made a continual point (through character development, or in this case through alternative media) that certain things just aren't going to happen.

[Von Himmel]

^
Let's not bring that to here, shall we? Some people I know despise NTR and despise the idea that Kousaka would dump Saki too, so let's not generalize it too much. I don't like the idea either (even when I really like that pairing), but I hope even if that happen, the mangaka would give us a pretty good reason and good build-up towards that plot.

..Considering how Saki seems pretty dense towards Madarame's feeling in season 1 even though she was supposed to be a very social person, and the fact that somehow Madarame got himself with his harem, the mangaka had already gone far-fetched towards his story. Let's not jump to whether it's logical or not in real life but focus on how the characters that are written in this story would deal about their problems in their character.

It's pretty much explained that for some reasons, Saki is so dense concerning about others feelings toward her. I don't even think she would realize it except if the other blatantly states their feelings or when other people mentioned it.

[Gus3]

I know that Saki said that Kousaka was at a game tournament, but doesn't anyone think its weird that we haven't those two together for a while?

[Vicious108]

I don't think anyone particularly cares for seeing them together (at least I don't, they don't have a lot of chemistry or fun interactions IMO) and clearly Nidaime in particular has moved on from that and wants to focus on other things. We haven't really gotten any Ogiue x Sasahara either when they were the center of attention in the last arc of the manga's original run. Madarame (and consequently Saki because of his crush on her) seems to be the only veteran character Nidaime still seems intent on doing something with (and maybe Ogiue and Ohno since they're always around, although they haven't received much development).

[kniteowl]

Genshiken Chapter 79 is out.

It looks like the Saki/Madarame situation will finally come to a conclusion in chapter 80, but only if Madarame goes first.

[Von Himmel]

Oh god.

Madarame, you need to stay and act like a man for a while. At least for the next few chapters. I don't care if you get dumped or scared for Saki, but you need to end this w.

..and it looks like Saki actually knows what happen?

[Johnny]

Saki is very perceptive so I find it hard to believe that she doesn't already know...

And Hato, damn I'm so tired of seeing him in the middle of things. Why couldn't it have been Sue who took more of an interest...?

[Myssa Rei]

Originally Posted by Johnny

And Hato, damn I'm so tired of seeing him in the middle of things. Why couldn't it have been Sue who took more of an interest...?

I think it's mostly because Sue is a known quantity (well, sort of), and is actually familiar with the intimate details of the older Genshiken and its members. The freshmen in Niidaime, Hato in particular, aren't, which makes them likelier to mix things up for their seniors.

[Vicious108]

Originally Posted by Von Himmel

Madarame, you need to stay and act like a man for a while.

He did. Back in the original run of the series, where he realized the obvious - nothing good can come out of him confessing to a girl who's going out with one of his friends - and decided to take his feelings to the grave with him. It's the natural course of action and, more importantly, no one else's business.

I can't fathom why Shimoku is bringing back this plot thread which received the most perfect conclusion possible in the original Genshiken, but if his goal was to infuriate me then it's definitely succeeded. Everything about it is so contrived. Keiko suddenly comes back and becomes this huge plot device through her incessant and despicably callous meddling. Hato is now suffering a huge case of plot induced stupidity: first he thinks it's okay to tell something like that to someone like Keiko, and now he actually believes it's a good thing to force Madarame into an uncomfortable and potentially emotionally scarring situation like that. And now even Kousaka is leaving the room so someone else can confess to his girlfriend? Seriously, what a fucking trainwreck.

The only reason I'm even emotionally invested in this is because I loved Madarame as a character back in the original Genshiken, so it's infuriating to see his character forced into a situation like this by his retarded meddling "friends". Seriously, what good can possibly come out of this? Let's say Madarame confesses, then what? It's painfully obvious that isn't gonna make Saki stop loving Kousaka and go out with Madarame instead, so what's the point? He knows she loves someone else. A guy who's also his friend, in fact. Which is why he's done the logical and tactful thing and has kept his feelings to himself. His behavior has been most understandable and even rather admirable and has avoided any needless feel bad situations among their social circle, so why in the blue hell does he now need to undo all of his efforts and silent suffering? So he can hear "Sorry, I only see you as a friend, plus, you know, I'm going out with that better looking friend of yours"? Boy that's gonna help him so much, right!?

</rant>

...So yeah, I'm sort of dreading how this thing concludes. Hopefully it's just more inconsequential teasing on Shimoku's part, but if it goes somewhere I hope the series just ends. Madarame and Saki's plot thread was basically the dramatic climax for the original run of the series, so it'd be nice if it also wrapped things up in Nidaime, which has already done enough damage to the original series and characters' legacy as it is.

[SidVicious]

She really knew...

[Vicious108]

Speaking of which, I also think Saki actually being aware of Madarame's feelings for her makes her behavior in the previous chapter arguably cruel. You know, rampantly teasing him about being popular with other women and doing nothing about it, when it's obvious the reason for that is that she's the only one he loves and is thus interested in. God, Madarame is simply surrounded by tactless people here.

[Von Himmel]

Well he still needs to man up for the upcoming rejection ...though now that you've said it, everyone is indeed pretty cruel for making him go through that experience when they know Saki is still with Kousaka (or not? w)

I don't know whether they just want him to move on or what, it's still kinda cruel

[erneiz_hyde]

Does anyone else foresee Hato finally going vocal about his feelings with Madarame because of this?

[Johnny]

Man up, he's already manned up and kept his feelings to himself. Although poorly since almost everyone knows anyways. Or like ET pointed out should he go behind his friend's back and confess his feelings? IMO a real 'decent' man wouldn't do that knowing they're a happy couple and would move on like he seems to be trying. Sure it isn't easy and been there and done that, but it doesn't help none when all his supposed friends are like that. I'd punch Hato in the mouth if I was him. Also it's no wonder he doesn't want to hang out with them either...