Genshiken Second Season - Episode 4

As a special visitor flies in from overseas, final preparations for Comiket are, quite literally, getting a little manic at Ogiue's apartment.

After a number of sleepless nights to get all of the necessary work on the offerings in question finished, it seems that the president's team of hard-working assistants are at the end of their tether, and Hato's concerns about the fact that he might be starting to grow a beard are enough to send the whole endeavour catapulting into outright madness.  The next thing we know Yajime is in cosplay while Hato borrows her clothes so that he can dress as a boy and thus resolve any beard-induced trauma, and it isn't long before the entire crew is cosplaying for reasons that nobody really seems to comprehend any more in their sleep-deprived states.

Still, when push comes to shove all of the necessary work is completed in time for Comiket - unfortunately, it seems that Ogiue has pushed a little too hard and brought herself literally to the point of collapse, meaning that she doesn't make it for the opening of the big event and thus misses an outpouring of appreciation for her work.  When the president does finally put in an appearance, it's just in time to catch up on some unwelcome memories from her past - luckily, it seems that Ogiue is too feverish to even comprehend what's going on, which looks set to bring her Comiket to an end - possibly not a bad thing, with more complications looming on the horizon.

As I've mentioned in previous weeks, Genshiken Second Season seems impressively comfortable with not only adapting its original manga faithfully, but also in terms of making it work on the small screen - once again, this week's instalment brings some precise comic timing and an ability to illustrate the events at hand in a way which surpasses its source material for the most part to continue its role as an enjoyable examination of otaku culture that distances itself not inconsiderably from the original series of Genshiken.  Indeed, this episode in particular is a great demonstration of just how quickly and proficiently the new cast have gelled while replacing the old, allowing this series to shine it its own right - and at this juncture, it most definitely deserves to.