Kujibiki Unbalance as it exists in the real world, is a three-episode OVA from the highly popular 2004 anime Genshiken, as well as a series of three light novels by Genshiken anime collaborator Michiko Yokote. Within the world of Genshiken, however, Kujibiki Unbalance is a popular ongoing manga and 26-episode anime adaptation, which is eagerly watched and discussed by the main characters. These same characters also purchase associated products and adult-oriented dojinshi based on the series, which constitute the motivation for some of the "club activities" held by the Genshiken. Genshiken characters who are fans of Kujibiki Unbalance tend to refer to it by the shorthand name of Kuji-Un.
The series is, in essence, a compilation of many of the standard themes found in certain kinds of anime and manga series: childhood promises as the source of relationship drama, the influential yet shadowy Student Council, somewhat contrived scenarios designed to push the plot forward, mid-series "recaps" to remind viewers of previous events, and a sudden crisis that threatens to alienate the main characters and jeopardizes the outcome of the series. Kujibiki Unbalance is meant to be a very stereotypical anime series, serving as both an homage to and a parody of the kinds of series that the otaku of Genshiken would enjoy.
The series was originally shown both as short "excerpts" within the Genshiken manga, as well as three full OVA episodes (labeled as episodes 1, 21, and 25 of an assumed 26-episode TV series) released to DVD with Genshiken in Japan. At Comiket 69, Media Factory announced the release of the second season of Genshiken, which was later clarified as being a 12-episode season of Kujibiki♥Unbalance. In a reversal of its OVA release alongside Genshiken, the DVD release of Kujibiki Unbalance included a total of three Genshiken OVA episodes, introducing the character Ogiue and continuing the plot of the manga from where the TV series left off.
History
Kujibiki Unbalance was originally a comic within a comic in the Genshiken manga, which also had an anime adaptation (which was sometimes discussed). When part of the manga of Genshiken was adapted to anime, the anime version of Kujibiki Unbalance was given greater emphasis though the manga is still the original work (the Genshiken members sometimes argue over the Kuji-Un anime's faithfulness to the manga). The version of Kujibiki Unbalance as it appeared in the Genshiken anime was made into a three episode OVA released to DVD along with Genshiken, allowing for a small glimpse of what those within Genshiken are almost always watching on television.
In May 2006, Anime News Network reported that the second series of Genshiken, to be released this fall in Japan, was in fact the "first season" of Kujibiki Unbalance, though with major character redesigns.
Meta-story
In Genshiken proper, Kujibiki Unbalance is a popular manga serial created by "Yu Kuroki" (黒木優 Kuroki Yū?), published in "Kudansha"'s "Weekly Shōnen Magazine" (a nod to Ken Akamatsu, whose work is published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine). By the release of its fourth tankōbon volume, it gains an anime adaptation as well. Nearly all the members of the Genshiken read and discuss the series, and their favorite moments from the manga are detailed in Genshiken volume 2 (with club members writing under pseudonyms for their sporadically-published dojinshi, Mebaetame). The series' popularity is such that dojinshi based on the series, as well as models of the characters, are a hot item at conventions such as Comifes, and no less than four members of the club (Ohno, Kohsaka, Ogiue, and, under great protest, Kasukabe) have cosplayed as characters from the series.
The Genshiken characters' opinions towards the anime are slightly mixed. Their chief issue is that there are two different directors for the two halves of the series, resulting in a more comedic, ecchi tone for the first half (directed by "Tsutomu Mizudori"), which alienated some fans and led to conflict with the producers.[citation needed] However, they cannot deny that this helped contribute to the show's cult status, and it certainly does not stop them from rewatching the show or buying the DVDs. A typhoon apparently caused the broadcast of the final episode to be postponed, and it had not yet aired as of chapter 22 (episode 12 of the Genshiken anime), leading some to speculate that the true cause was poor animation quality, making the studio rework the final episodes for DVD release.
The three episodes of the 2004 OVA are meant to be taken as a part of the same 26-episode series that the characters of the 2004 Genshiken anime are watching. The 12-episode 2006 anime seems to be meant as a remake or re-imagining of the franchise (along the lines of Negima!? versus Negima!) within the Genshiken universe, as members of the club comment on each episode during the next episode previews. However, this version deviates between the Genshiken manga and anime: in the manga, it airs towards the end of Sasahara's fourth year in college, and is not mentioned in the dialogue, while in the anime, it airs at the beginning of Sasahara's third year, and is referenced (if not given much focus) in club activities. Genshiken Season 2 refers to, and features some scenes from, a new OVA continuation of the original series; this OVA has yet to be announced for a real-world release, however.
The manga, as presented within Genshiken, actually continues well beyond the "student body tournament" storyline depicted in the anime, going as far as to show Kasumi's wedding and the eventual graduation of Ritsuko. A newer, younger cast (including Tokino's younger sister), and a more science fiction–oriented story are subsequently introduced, but despite the potentials of the new plotline, members of the Genshiken lament that the series really isn't the same without Ritsuko and the other graduated cast members. (This is, of course, a subtle jab directed at Kio's own critics, who complained that Genshiken itself was not the same after Madarame, Kugayama, and Tanaka graduated, and that the author was finding excuses to keep them around after the fact.)
Anime
The real-world OVA consists of Episodes 1, 21 (the "re-cap" episode, common to most anime series and used here as a means of giving some idea of what has happened in prior, unseen episodes), and 25 (the penultimate episode, and first part of a two-part finale) of this metafictional series. One episode is included in each of the three Genshiken DVDs released by Media Blasters in the United States.
As far as can be understood, Chihiro Enomoto is a freshman at the prestigious Rikkyoin High School (立橋院高校 Rikkyōin Kōkō?). The students of Rikkyoin are engaged in a year-long contest designed to determine which individuals will become the Student Council for the subsequent school year. At the start of the contest, lots are drawn (kujibiki roughly translates to "drawing straws" or "drawing lots"), and students are organized into groups according to the numbers they draw. These chance drawings also determine the positions and roles the students would take in the Student Council should the group they are a part of win the Kujibiki. (Chihiro, for example, would become Student Council Secretary.)
Competitions are staged between different groups, and because even one loss means that one's group is automatically eliminated from the Kujibiki, teamwork and cooperation is essential. The competitions appear to range from mental exercises to physical challenges, including a cooking contest, a swimming race, endurance tests against both extreme heat and cold, and an intense war game.
The side-story running alongside the main plot seems to involve the cold and calculating Student Council President, Ritsuko Kübel Kettenkrad. The viewer learns from flashbacks that Ritsuko and Chihiro were childhood friends. A pivotal and frequently-referenced scene in the series involves Ritsuko asking Chihiro to marry her someday, if she stops "being a crybaby". On the rare occasions she and Chihiro speak during the Kujibiki, she never brings up their childhood, but there is plenty of evidence to indicate that it is never far from her thoughts.
