June 2022 Patron Newsletter and Staff Picks

Happy Pride, AniFam! We hope you all managed to have a lovely month, real-world horrors notwithstanding. For those living in the US, we've been recirculating our two resource posts regarding reproductive rights, and will likely make a third in the future. Please stay safe. 

As a reminder, our patron tiers will be changing starting July 1st -- thank you once again to all of you for supporting us, whether you're new, old, or only have a buck to spare. We're grateful from the bottom of our hearts, and hope to keep growing as a platform worthy of that trust. 

June Recommendations

I Want to be a Wall (vol. 1, ongoing)

Format: Manga

Picked by: Alex

What’s it about? Facing the social pressure to get married, a gay man and an asexual woman enter a platonic marriage of convenience and must navigate their new life together.

Content warnings: aphobia; depictions of characters struggling with their sexuality; brief jokey fetishization of mlm relationships

Why we like it: While I Want to be a Wall has some wobbles in its first volume, overall this is a strong start to a potentially fascinating and sweet series about queer friendship. When it’s trying to be a comedy, the series is hit-or-miss—the scenes where Yuriko fangirls over her husband and his best friend like they’re one of her beloved BL ships feel clunky and in poor taste. Other, more grounded jokes land with more finesse, though. There are some great, gently funny moments as these two unlikely newlyweds do their best to be domestic.

Where this volume really shines is its sincere explorations of growing up queer, feeling displaced when you can’t yet put a name to what’s making you feel so lonely. Maybe it’s a trope we’ve seen before, but it’s still heartbreaking to watch Gakurouta’s unrequited crush on his long-time best friend unfold. Doubly devastating is Yuriko’s flashback to her late teens, feeling abandoned and broken as her friends dived into the world of dating, sex, and romance (Yuriko reads strongly as aro and ace, even if this terminology isn’t present. The manga describes her as asexual, using it as an umbrella term that also encompasses the aromantic spectrum). While their experiences are different, this husband and wife share a great sense of solidarity and are intent on protecting and supporting each other, and I’m intrigued to see where their story goes now that these foundations have been established.

Genshiken

Format: manga, anime (dub available on physical release)

Picked by: Caitlin

What’s it about? In his first year of college, otaku Sasahara Kanji must make a crucial choice. No, not his major – what geeky club is he going to join? He ends up skipping over the manga, anime, and game clubs in favor of the catchall Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, also known as the Genshiken. There, he meets a number of colorful fellow otaku and bonds with them over their shared love of the moe anime series Kujibiki Unbalance. But then there’s that normie girl, Kasukabe Saki, who hates most otaku activities but keeps hanging around because her boyfriend, Kohsaka Makoto, is a member. What’s her deal?

Content warnings: A couple jokes about sexual assault, creepshots, slapstick violence

Why we like it: Sasahara may be the ostensible main character, but dig a little deeper and you’ll soon realize that the real protagonist of Genshiken is Kusakabe Saki, the normie girl who hangs around the clubroom because she’s dating a member. Saki is rude and abrasive about anime and manga in a way that will definitely rub a lot of viewers the wrong way, but in a way, that’s what I like about her. Too often, otaku-oriented media ignore or dismiss people with mainstream interests like her, but her interest in, say, fashion is presented as just as valid and complex as those of the club members. There’s nothing shameful about her having a physical relationship with Kohsaka, even if some of the club members prefer 2D girls. She’s by far the most complicated character, as she bonds with the Genshiken and starts to take a slight interest in their activities almost against her will.

Plus, there’s very nearly equal weight given to both transformative and curative fandom. Madarame may be the kind of guy who collects trivia about Gundam like old ladies collect tchotchkes, and Kohsaka may put so many hours into fighting games he’s practically unbeatable, but Ohno Kanako and Tanaka Souichiro are there for cosplay and building models. Genshiken manages to be a celebration of otaku culture and sociality, without ever developing a sense of smug superiority.