Kubo is just your average college student trying to find a niche for himself
-- participating on the tennis team, tentatively dating fellow student
Yoshiko... A chance encounter with his old high school friend Tanaka blossoms
into an impromptu reunion, and Tanaka introduces Kubo to the inner circle of
"Otaku" culture.
Tanaka immerses Kubo in the rituals of watching anime, reading manga, painting
garage-kit models, swapping cels, and engaging in cosplay with a cadre of
like-minded obsessives and eccentrics. Once he's gone Otaku, Kubo finds
himself unable to go back. He sacrifices his old life and girlfriend all for
the sake of his anime obsession.
Eventually Kubo and Tanaka go on to form Grand Prix Studios for the developing
and merchandising of their own anime productions and paraphernalia, as
self-proclaimed "Otaking" with one singular goal: To conquer the world!
Or at least corner the anime market in Tokyo...
Review: Otaku No Video
The buzzword I'd heard describing Otaku No Video's milieu was
"Mock-u-mentary", which seemed about as complimentary as that other
meshing of two genres -- the "Dramedy". But Otaku No Video struck me as
a love letter to Gainax's roots as an animation company, the same way Cameron
Crowe's "Almost Famous" was a tribute to his days touring as an amateur
rock critic with Led Zeppelin.
Otaku No Video is part documentary of anime culture in the 80s, part adapted
grassroots history of Gainax, part candid Otaku interview, and part
self-parody. But its mélange of genres never smacks of an identity crisis; it
all comes together in a hilarious and wistful account. Actually two projects
in one, Otaku No Video's animated story segment, subtitled
"Graffiti of the Otaku Generation", is interspersed with candid
real-life interviews with current or former anime nuts, dubbed the "Portrait
of an Otaku".
Otaku No Video's main story opens in 1991 with Kubo snoozing at his desk in a nameless
regional office. He answers a phone request for some action figures that were
supposed to be in retail. Kubo snarls that it's New Years' Eve and to call
back when the offices re-open.
Hanging up and trying to return to sleep, Kubo seethes,
"God, I hate Otaku!". This sour-toned portent then rewinds to 1982
where we see Kubo just starting out in this path in life. Kubo, going home
early from an afterhours drinking session with his tennis crew, fortuitously
shares a lift with old high school pal Tanaka.
Tanaka and his crew have just returned from an anime convention, swapping
inside jokes, convention oddities, and dates on upcoming anime premiers.
Tanaka recognizes him they do some catching up; Tanaka is an aspiring animator
and collaborates with his fellow "Otaku". The stage is set.
I found Kobe's story very striking because of the accurate way it captures an
anime neophyte lapsing into otaku fandom. Though the anime culture has changed
somewhat in 20 years, mostly through advent of the internet, VCDs, LDs, and
DVDs, a lot of it has remained the same -- especially the ethos and obsession.
I swear I know these guys from the monthly University of Utah anime showings
in Salt Lake City... and Kubo can't help but get rapidly sucked into it, like
I did.
Sure, at first he seems overwhelmed, stumbling disconcertingly around the
otaku den remarking
"This place looks like your lives revolve completely around manga!",
but before you know it Kubo is standing in line for Macross movie premieres,
dressing up in cosplay, and swapping cels with the best of the otaku he's come
to befriend.
The pacing is sharp and demands more attention of the viewer than the typical
anime. When Tanaka and Kubo brainstorm ideas for Grand Prix Studios, images
are superimposed at a rapid rate -- cosplay costumes of characters from
"Lupin", "Galaxy Express 999", and even perennial favorite Lum
from "Urusei Yatsura" are identified, and references to hip and obscure
anime series abound.
Though the main story has a bewilderingly sappy ending,
"Graffiti of the Otaku Generation" is a nostalgic and empowering ride
that has you rooting for Kubo all the way. The
"Portrait of an Otaku" segment, which injects from time to time to
break up the main story, is a slightly more melancholy and bittersweet affair
than the hilarious antics of Tanaka and Kubo.
An interviewer speaks to a bunch of anime fans of differing predilection,
their voices altered and at times, faces blurred, as if they were informants
for the bust of a drug boss. You will likely see yourself mirrored in one or
more of these fellows to a certain degree, sometimes in a painfully
embarrassing fashion.
Probably the most poignant Otaku "portrait" is the guy striving for the
ultimate VHS anime collection, so he is probably the most ubiquitous. This
portly, piggy-faced fellow, with rolls of fat seeping from under his shirt,
speaks to the camera about the composition of a successful collection.
"Actually I don't collect all that much", he says, every inch of his
room clogged with tapes and manga. When asked how often he watches what he
records, his answer belies the tragic raison d'être of the true Otaku: "I
really don't have time to watch any anime I tape. There's so much anime being released all the time it's all I can do to keep on
top of the newest OVA's and TV series. I merely record the shows for the sake
of the perfect collection”.
When I look over at my own stack of anime on VHS,
languishing since their inaugural viewing, I can, fearfully, see what he
means.
Miscellanies: Otaku No Video
Throughout the course of the video we're also peppered with blurbs of
noteworthy incidents, both in the real world and the anime world.
Otaku No Video | |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 2 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Sep 27, 1991 to Dec 20, 1991 |
| Producers | Youmex |
| Studio | Gainax |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | Historical, Mecha, Otaku Culture |
0 comments
Post a Comment