I’ve always believed Madarame was a sex symbol. The first time I heard the word moe, it was in a Genshiken fan sketch of Madarame. “I’ve always thought Madarame was the most moe character in Genshiken,” the artist commented.
Even though I’ve since learned that “moe” is a word more often attributed to babyfaced high schoolers with huge, glittering eyes, the connection in my neurons is still stuck.
Hence, the most fascinating part of Genshiken: Second Season, also known, confusingly, as the third season of Genshiken, is the self-fulfillment of this prophecy. Virtually every girl (and boy!) wants a piece of our favorite 2D loving misanthrope.
Well, except for the one he wants.
Like most longtime Genshiken watchers, I’ve always held a torch for the appealing but impossible Madarame/Saki pairing. The scene in which Saki finally gets Madarame to admit his feelings—only to gently turn him down—was the most emotional scene I’ve watched all year.
In a way, Saki was letting all of us down in this scene. But it’s clear that Genshiken mangaka Shimoko Kio did his best to go easy on us—in the form of a ready-made Madarame harem the very minute Saki stopped being an option. Will he pick the beautiful, crossdressing Hato? The bold, American Angela? Or petite Sue, who looks like she walked straight out of Madarame’s 2D loli fantasies? Kio better not leave us hanging.
This post is the third installment of The Twelve Days Of Anime, a blogging series in which anime fans write about shows that inspired or impressed on them this year.