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| Kujibiki Unbalance | |
 Title screen from the intro ofKujibiki Unbalance | |
| くじびきアンバランス (Kujibiki Anbaransu) | |
|---|---|
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Takashi Ikehata |
| Written by | Michiko Yokote |
| Music by | Tomoki Hasegawa |
| Studio |
|
| Licensed by | |
| Released | 22 December 2004 – 22 April 2005 |
| Episodes | 3(List of episodes) |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Michiko Yokote |
| Illustrated by | Kengo Yagumo |
| Published by | Media Factory |
| Imprint | MF Bunko J |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | December 2004 –February 2006 |
| Volumes | 3 |
Kujibiki Unbalance (Japanese:くじびきアンバランス,Hepburn:Kujibiki Anbaransu;lit. "Lottery Unbalance") is a three-episodeoriginal video animationspin-off ofGenshiken series, as well as a series of threelight novels byGenshiken anime collaboratorMichiko Yokote. Within the world ofGenshiken, however,Kujibiki Unbalance is a popular 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-orienteddojinshi based on the series, which constitute the motivation for some of the "club activities" held by the Genshiken.Genshiken characters who are fans ofKujibiki Unbalance tend to refer to it by the shorthand name ofKuji-Un (くじアン,Kujian).
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 theotaku ofGenshiken would enjoy.
The series was originally shown both as short "excerpts" within theGenshiken 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 withGenshiken in Japan. AtComiket 69,Media Factory announced the release of the second season ofGenshiken, which was later clarified as being a 12-episode season ofKujibiki♥Unbalance. In a reversal of its OVA release alongsideGenshiken, the DVD release ofKujibiki Unbalance included a total of threeGenshiken OVA episodes, introducing the character Ogiue and continuing the plot of the manga from where the TV series left off.
Kujibiki Unbalance was originally acomic within a comic in theGenshiken manga, which also had an anime adaptation (which was sometimes discussed). When part of the manga ofGenshiken was adapted to anime, the anime version ofKujibiki Unbalance was given greater emphasis though the manga is still the original work (theGenshiken members sometimes argue over theKuji-Un anime's faithfulness to the manga). The version ofKujibiki Unbalance as it appeared in theGenshiken anime was made into a three episode OVA released to DVD along withGenshiken, allowing for a small glimpse of what those withinGenshiken are almost always watching on television.
In May 2006,Anime News Network reported that the second series ofGenshiken, to be released this fall inJapan, was in fact the "first season" ofKujibiki Unbalance, though with major character redesigns.
InGenshiken proper,Kujibiki Unbalance is a popular manga serial created by "Yu Kuroki" (黒木優,Kuroki Yū), published in "Kudansha"'s "Weekly Shōnen Magazine". By the release of its fourthtankōbon 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 inGenshiken volume 2 (with club members writing under pseudonyms for their sporadically-publisheddojinshi,Mebaetame). The series' popularity is such thatdojinshi based on the series, as well as models of the characters, are a hot item at conventions such asComifes, and no less than four members of the club (Ohno, Kohsaka, Ogiue, and, under great protest, Kasukabe) havecosplayed as characters from the series.
TheGenshiken 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 theGenshiken 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 2004Genshiken anime are watching. The 12-episode2006 anime seems to be meant as a remake or re-imagining of the franchise (along the lines ofNegima!? versusNegima!) within theGenshiken universe, as members of the club comment on each episode during the next episode previews. However, this version deviates between theGenshiken 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 withinGenshiken, 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 morescience 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 thatGenshiken 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.)
The real-world OVA consists of Episodes 1, 21 (the "re-cap" episode, common to manyanime 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 threeGenshikenDVDs released byMedia 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.
In the manga version, the anime cast are imagined by the author (e.g. Yui Horie for Tokino). It didn't work out that way in reality.
| # | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "An Unbalanced Encounter" Transliteration: "Deai wa Anbaransu" (Japanese:出会いはアンバランス) | |
Chihiro enters Rikkyoin High and is placed, by lottery, into a team in the competition to determine the next student council. The first match: a culinary battle, featuring a mushroom theme. | ||
| 2 (N/A) | "Sturm und Drang! The Rikkyoin High Student Council Officers" Transliteration: "Shippū Dotō! Rikkyōin Kōkō Seitokai Shikkōbu" (Japanese:疾風怒濤!立橋院高校生徒会執行部) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 3 (N/A) | "With Know-How Comes Luck!?" Transliteration: "Un mo Jitsuryoku no Uchi!?" (Japanese:運も実力のうち!?) | |
Unproduced, though it is one of the episodes revisited in episode 21. Chihiro's team must compete against a team of computer geeks in creating a website that gets the most hits within a certain amount of time. Their general-interest topics are no match for their opponents' more prurient choice of content, until Tokino, Komaki, and Izumi come to the rescue... in swimsuits. | ||
| 4 (N/A) | "How high the moon" | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 5 (N/A) | "I'm Sorry, Baby" Transliteration: "Gomen ne Aka-chan" (Japanese:ごめんね赤ちゃん) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 6 (N/A) | "Seven People!?" Transliteration: "Shichi-nin Iru!?" (Japanese:七人いる!?) | |
Unproduced, but "revisited" in episode 21. Chihiro's team must engage in military operations against a seasoned group of pros. They are outmatched until they win over their opponents in an... unorthodox manner. | ||
| 7 (N/A) | "A Fearsome Reward" Transliteration: "Kyōfu no Hōshū" (Japanese:きょうふのほうしゅう) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 8 (N/A) | "A Sexily Modest Workbook" Transliteration: "Etchi de Tsutsumashii Mondaishū" (Japanese:Hでつつましい問題集) | |
Unproduced. The episode is, however, discussed at the end ofGenshiken volume 3, where Madarame takes issue with the delivery of some of the lines. To prove his point, he produces a VHS tape of said episode, and thus the discussion turns into a re-watching. | ||
| 9 (N/A) | "Shock ☆ Operation: Part-Time Job Full of Jellyfish" Transliteration: "Doki' ☆ Kurage Darake no Arubaito Daisakusen" (Japanese:ドキッ☆クラゲだらけのアルバイト大作戦) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 10 (N/A) | "Clash!" Transliteration: "Shōtotsu!" (Japanese:衝突!) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 11 (N/A) | "With Know-How Comes Luck!? returns" Transliteration: "Un mo Jitsuryoku no Uchi!? returns" (Japanese:運も実力のうち!?returns) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 12 (N/A) | "Dance! Kujibiki Singing Match" Transliteration: "Odoru! Kujibiki Utagassen" (Japanese:踊る!くじびき歌合戦) | |
Unproduced, though seen "again" in episode 21. The order of the day seems to be a karaoke contest. The scene "replayed" in episode 21 shows everyone in the room trying to escape the horror of Tokino's singing voice. | ||
| 14 (N/A) | "The Sickly Aliens" Transliteration: "Taichō no Warui Uchūjin" (Japanese:体調の悪い宇宙人) | |
Unproduced, though a clip from it can be seen in episode 21. Chihiro & co. must face off against a trio of aliens from the planet Eldo. The hyper-intelligent, athletic, and beautiful aliens seem to have no weakness, until Komaki unwittingly stumbles onto their secret: they have crippling digestive troubles. | ||
| 16 (N/A) | "Christine of the Harbor" Transliteration: "Minato no Kurisutīnu" (Japanese:港のクリスティーヌ) | |
Unproduced. It is, however, mentioned inGenshiken volume 5, accompanied by several "screenshots" and commentary from Sasahara (under his pen name "Benjamin Takeyo"). | ||
| 19 (N/A) | "One Whole Night in a Storm" Transliteration: "Arashi de Hitoban-jū" (Japanese:嵐で一晩中) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 20 (N/A) | "An "18-and-Up Only" Heaven" Transliteration: "Jūhachi-Kin Tengoku" (Japanese:十八禁天国) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 21 (02) | "Great Highlights" Transliteration: "Dai-Sōshūhen" (Japanese:大総集編) | |
Chihiro's team reflects on a variety of matches they've been in thus far, including soccer, getting the most website hits, enduring a sauna and a freezer, military operations, a swimming race against aliens, a high-stakes game of Mahjong, and a dungeon battle adventure. According toGenshiken in volume 5, the attack on Ritsuko near the end of the episode was "added for the DVD version" and did not appear in the (fictional) broadcast version. | ||
| 22 (N/A) | "Pianissimo..." Transliteration: "Pianishimo..." (Japanese:ピアニシモ......) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 23 (N/A) | "My Banner" Transliteration: "Ore no Hata" (Japanese:俺の旗) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 24 (N/A) | "Chocolate Battle! Confessing, and Being Confessed to..." Transliteration: "Choko Batoru! Kokutte Kokurarete..." (Japanese:チョコバトル!告って告られて...) | |
Unproduced. | ||
| 25 (03) | "Kujibiki Forever" Transliteration: "Kujibiki yo, Eien ni" (Japanese:くじびきよ、永遠に) | |
Chihiro's team splits up after the members have second thoughts about the competition. However, Chihiro regains the will to continue after a chance encounter with Ritsuko at his parents' grave, and works to convince his teammates to keep fighting. | ||
| 26 (N/A) | "Kujibiki Unbalance" Transliteration: "Kujibiki Anbaransu" (Japanese:くじびきアンバランス) | |
Unproduced. InGenshiken, this episode is postponed due to a typhoon, and it has not yet aired as of the end of volume 4. It is later suggested that it is not as much of a "wrap-up" as the penultimate episode. | ||
