Hato’s the uke in THIS relationship episode, so he takes the picture slot for the third week in a row.
What They Say:
Is it time for Hato x Mada? Or will it be Mada x Hato? Maybe Hato-kun just needs to have a long talk with herself about this.
The Review: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Madarame reappears, and is the focal character, of this episode of Genshiken. The episode reminded me why I liked the first season so much. While Genshiken Nidaime is among the tops of summer 2013, it’s just not reaching the same level of greatness that the first season did.
Sasahara’s younger sister (he had a younger sister?) walks into Madarame in the club room. He mistakes her for Kasukabe, setting in motion the events for the rest of the episode. In a quick clean up, Ohno and Ogiue mention that they will in fact be on time for Ogiue’s deadline and the Comiket deadline, thanks to the other Genshiken members. There’s some important stuff here, namely that the three kohai girls (Hato, Yajima, and Yoshitake) go to Ikebukuro and explore good ole Otome Road. It allowed them to grow closer following being assistants to Ogiue’s one-shot manga.
The beef of the episode occurs in the second half, when Madarame and Hato get some time together in Madarame’s apartment. Madarame is feeling kind of lonely since all the other Genshiken members are female and he can’t feel quite comfortable. He tries to cling on to the only male member (Kuchiki notwithstanding, as he isn’t mentioned). They do bond and, in a bit of comedy, Hato discusses which of them is the seme and uke in this relationship. This is the good old Genshiken that I know—two otaku boys talking about otaku things. I like the changeup of all girl Genshiken (and Kuchiki), but it’s nice to see the stereotypical otaku do otaku things.
The amazing part of the episode of the envelope behind Madarame’s shelf though. Throughout the episode, people tease Madarame about whether he likes Kasukabe or not. He vehemently denies it, but we the audience knows he does. This is proved to Hato when he finds the cosplay pictures of Kasubake in that hidden envelope. The reveal could have been poor, and it could have been dissatisfying. But it was instead touching and just subtle enough.
In Summary:
It looks like we’re moving on to the traditional Comiket episode next episode, and I’m actually kind of disappointed in that. As I said, the interaction between Hato and Madarame has been my favorite part of Genshiken Nidaime so far. Nevertheless, I hope they continue this level of quality with the girls’ interaction. The little bit they had separated the Madarame x Hato moments perfectly.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: Radeon 7970M, 15.6” 1080p LCD display, Audio Technica ATH-A700
