Comic Party

When you talk about otaku or doujinshi in anime, most people will automatically think of Genshiken, Doujin Work, NHK ni Youkoso!, Lucky ☆ Star, or even Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. It's a sad fact that the show that effectively spawned a whole genre is often overlooked in favour of the "new and shiny" anime that came after. That anime is Comic Party. Originally released for the PC in 1999, the game gained a degree of fame because of the adult content and the fact that it was inspired by the Comiket event held in Japan during the Summer and Winter. The real phenomenon however, came whenthe game was re-released (without the adult content), for the Sega Dreamcast. Most fans nowadays won't realise this, but the Dreamcast was once considered an essential item within the otaku community (one of the reasons why it's referred to in a number of anime, including this one). Because of the popularity of the DC, sales of the Comic Party game (which is kind of a cross between dating sim and doujinshi creation), were off the charts, something which ultimately led to an anime adaptation in 2001. What made the game different from others wasn't simply the doujinshi aspect though, it was also the fact that the game, and the anime, referenced other existing products, games and anime (something which hadn't really been done before to any degree). For otakus the game was a breakthrough as it made their passion more accessible to other people. Unfortunately the anime that followed wasn't as well received by hardcore fans of the game, however the average pundit found the reverse was true, and went on to try the anime, manga and games referred to in the series. The story, in any version, follows the life of Sendou Kazuki who, after a little persuasion from his "friend", Kuhonbutsu Taishi, has decided to become a doujinshi mangaka and sell his work at Comic Party (the story's equivalent of Comiket). Kazuki's childhood friend Takase Mizuki tries to talk him out of this though, as she considers otaku to be dirty, smelly and disgusting. What made the story unique wasn't simply the fact that it's based on otaku, doujinshi, or generally being a fan of all things anime and manga, but also because there was a character who hated otaku and all things anime. Granted the story plays very fast and loose with the conflicting idealogies of the characters, however the stage had been set for show like Genshiken and NHK ni Youkoso! to step forward and explore these issues. On the whole, the plot is decent enough, however this isn't meant to be taken as a serious anime. The roots of this story are pretty obvious when it comes to the development of the plot over the course of the series, and there are some episodes that actually feel like a dating sim. That said, the comedy is generally wacky enough, and the characters oddball enough, to keep you interested in the show. Art and animation are pretty good on the whole. The characters are all nicely drawn, but since they're all based on the games there's very little thought gone into the design. Because of this, the characters have that generic look about them which the anime can't seem to shake off. That said, the characters do give off a bright and cheery air because of the colour palette used in the series. The backgrounds are pretty good as well, and are sometimes very detailed, with several anime and manga references appearing behind the characters, especially in their rooms or at Comic Party, on several occasions. In terms of the animation itself, the series is well made, if a little too stiff at times. There are occasions when the animation is a little jerky, or clashes with other frames, however these are fairly minor details. Musically the show is pretty plain. What music there is, is often average, with little impact on what's going on. The OP and ED are typical J-Pop tracks that aren't really all that inspiring, and you may get bored of them after the first time. The voice actors are okay for the most part, however the acting is fairly one dimensional for several reasons, the main one being the characters themselves. Because this is an adaptation of a game rather than a manga or novel, the characters are mostly one dimensional. That doesn't mean that they have no value as characters though. It simply means that they only work within a given context, in this case, the confines of the story, in particular that of the game. The reason I make this distinction is because game developers, unlike mangaka, screen writers, novelists and authors, are mostly unable to write a good story or characters, regardless of where they're from. You can talk about your Final Fantasies, Metal Gear Solids, Shadowhearts, etc till the cows come home, but one should remember that well scripted games, even now, are still an exception, not the rule. Going back to the characters, the anime version, whilst giving the characters more detail and scope, is also severely limited in what it can do to develop the them. Unlike other forms of adaptation those that come from games, in specific those that adapt the story of a game to anime (like Tales of Symphonia and the rest), all have a pre-existing model for the plot and characters upon which they must work. The upshot of this is that characters in these types of game adaptation are often viewed in an extremely poor light, especially by fans of the game itself. This is both unfortunate and unfair, as to make the characters more "real", the producers would have to deviate, sometimes in major ways, from the original story. On the whole though, the characters are good enough to carry the story. Just don't expet anything more from them. This is effectively the "daddy" of modern otkau themed anime, so if you're a fan of any of the shows I mentioned at the start, then this may be the series for you. The bright, cheery style of the series makes it a good canvas for some decent comedy, and the time and effort spent creating doujinshi is nicely portrayed. There's a sense of unreality about the entire anime though, mainly because of it's origins, but don't let that stop you from watching it as it is pretty good overall. There's also a bunch of references within the series to anime, manga and games that were around at the time, in particular To Heart, so it's not a bad history lesson either. This anime may not be for everyone, but for those who are willing to give it a try, or who consider themselves to be otaku, may find themselves enjoying the series. The message, after all, remains the same even now. Otaku aren't always what you expect them to be.