Genshiken Nidaime Chapter 122 Manga Review (The end of the harem.)

げんしけん: 二代目Chapter 122 Manga Review
Genshiken Nidaime chapter 122 Manga Review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Genshiken Nidaime Chapter 122 At Yajima’s home that evening, Madarame makes his decision and decides he’s not going to date any of the members of the harem. Rika is angry by this, especially after all this work that was put into setting up Madarame with someone. While he likes all of the members of the harem, he has specific reasons to not date them, which Rika wants to hear.

For Angela, his reason for not picking her is that she only comes to Japan twice a year. For Keiko, it is the fact that she often mentions Saki, which bothers him. For Sue, he finds her to be perfect except for when she blushes over him. He prefers Sue to be lovey on Ogiue, which pleases Sue, but annoys Ogiue. With Hato, Madarame recognizes the fact that Hato really isn’t into dating another guy and suggests that Hato just be a fudanshi guy who likes cross-dressing. Hato agrees with this.

Having stated this, Madarame announces that he’s moving away in the spring and get himself a job. This causes Kuchiki to grab Madarame and kiss him on the lips. With that, the rest of their trip continues without incident.

On the train trip home, everyone is asleep except for Hato and Yajima, who have a chat about things. Hato confesses to being relieved at being turned down because Madarame was right about him not wanting to date guys even though he still loves Madarame and probably will for a long while to come. Yajima notes that Hato’s speech pattern shifts from the very polite, which Hato apologizes for, but which Yajima is fine with.

Thoughts/Review:

And so the harem arc comes to an end.

Genshiken Nidaime Chapter 122

In order for my theory that Kio-sensei is going to arrange the story so that Madarame and Saki eventually become a couple and get married (making Spotted Flower canon), Madarame couldn’t end up with any of the people in the harem, so I’m fine with the result.

Madarame’s excuse for not dating Angela made the most sense. With her only being in Japan twice a year, their relationship would be very difficult, primarily on a physical level (sex), but also in terms of them always being an ocean apart and thus not getting to go on dates or just be together.

(As an aside, Angela’s joke about killing Madarame made me think that it would be just the other way. I could see him using her as his release outlet and killing her. 😉 However, were she in Japan, one could see them being a good couple together on a physical level. Since both are into H doujinshi, I can see them reading this in breaks between their intimate sessions.)

For Keiko, things were more of a stretch. I understand how her talking about Saki would bother him (and it continues to show that Saki is whom he truly loves), but in my mind, I would think that the biggest strike against Keiko would be her willingness to cheat on a boyfriend because it suited her whim.

His reason for not dating Sue was the biggest stretch. By his own admission, she’s the most perfect match. However, him preferring to see Sue clinging to Ogiue and being loving with her rather than being with him just made me roll my eyes. (I did get a kick out of Ogiue’s irritation at Madarame over this.) He did mention he didn’t like seeing Sue blush over him, but she’d get over that and eventually, they’d be normal together.

For Hato, I guess we learn that Madarame will boff anything that moves, but doesn’t have the courage to actually do so (after rejecting the three girls). It also seems to finally establish what Hato has claimed all along — he’s not a homosexual guy, but he does like BL and have a thing for Madarame.

The chapter seems to officially open the door for the Hato x Yajima relationship that has been shown in Spotted Flower. I hope this turns out to be the case and that we get this explored in Genshiken.

As for Madarame, it would seem that Kio-sensei is writing him out of Genshiken. I wouldn’t be surprised if we still see him from time to time, especially during ComiFes, but otherwise, it would appear he will go the way of Tanaka, Sasahara, and Kugayama, making only cameo appearances from time to time.

I really do hope that Kio-sensei pulls off his Saki x Madarame pairing. Spotted Flower is too short and sporadic to effectively tell that story, so maybe we’ll get that story in Genshiken.

In the meantime, with Madarame’s departure in the spring, this also the start of the new school term. As such, I would like to see a new member or two show up in Genshiken’s ranks. That would allow Rika, Hato, Yajima, and Sue to become senpai. Also, it would seem to me that we could be looking for a new president since Ohno and Kuchiki should be gone and Ogiue give up the reigns.

Regardless, I’m glad the harem arc is over and I’m hoping to see more fun in the manga in the upcoming chapters.

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6 Responses to “Genshiken Nidaime Chapter 122 Manga Review (The end of the harem.)”

  1. NullApostle says:

    Yoshitake’s little sister showing up as a freshman has the best odds. Let’s see if someone else will join.

  2. ctrn says:

    Isn’t Ohno repeating a year?

    And I’m with you on all you wrote. I want the spotted flower ending to be canon.

    Madarame is like Robert Downey Jr.’s Ironman on the Marvel films. Unless he has a short cameo, he steals the show (that if Saki is not around).

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      Madarame is like Robert Downey Jr.’s Ironman on the Marvel films. Unless he has a short cameo, he steals the show (that if Saki is not around).

      I hadn’t thought about him like that, but you’ve got a point. 😀

  3. arimareiji says:

    I wouldn’t have thought Kio-sensei could create any more of a square peg being hammered into a round hole (because plot) than Madarame / Hato. Then we got Keiko suddenly falling for Madarame. But that one probably needed a sledgehammer, and there was no way Sensei could outdo that. I mean, really. Just no way.

    “Sue, you’re perfect for me but I’d rather see you make out with my friend’s girlfriend.”

    …okay, I was wrong. I’m pretty sure that took a hydraulic press.
    (It may have also involved waterskis and a shark.)

    ~~~~~

    I’m grateful to Tukoman at Batoto for pointing out something I missed on the first go-around: Sue’s expression on page 23. Not the kissy-face one, the one to the left after Madarame says she’s better off without him.

    Maybe this isn’t over yet. I know we probably are being railroaded toward a predestined conclusion, but I’ve never been much of a Calvinist. (^_~) I think I’ve said before that Sue and Madarame have issues they need to work out before either of them could handle a healthy relationship, and it’s still true in this chapter. Yoshitake has been a world-class jerkbutt, and this doesn’t excuse it… but maybe good came out of bad after all.

    I’d be glad to see a year of Sue becoming more open, without relying on anyone as a crutch. And I’d be glad to see Madarame come back, having forged his own identity without the Genshiken as a crutch. If everyone could just butt out and stop helping for five minutes, you never know what might happen. (^_^)

    I really do hope Madarame isn’t locked into an inescapable hapless future of uke-dom, with his life being decided by Saki suddenly realizing she wants to dump Kousaka and have Madarame’s baby. To me, that would be a sad ending for a character with his potential.

    For Keiko, things were more of a stretch. I understand how her talking about Saki would bother him (and it continues to show that Saki is whom he truly loves), but in my mind, I would think that the biggest strike against Keiko would be her willingness to cheat on a boyfriend because it suited her whim.

    Absolutely true, but you never know: He might have become a little bit of a gentleman while we weren’t looking.

    Just because a thing is true doesn’t mean it has to be said, if it would only accomplish hurting someone. Why publicly say “Because you’re an immature brat who takes a little too much pleasure in cheap shots, and getting your way no matter who it hurts” (provoking her to lash out and learn nothing), if “it’s the way you keep mentioning Kasukabe-san every so often” might help her figure it out for herself (which is the only way most of us can accept uncomfortable truths)?

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      …okay, I was wrong. I’m pretty sure that took a hydraulic press.

      😆

      Sue’s expression on page 23.

      Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about that.

      I really do hope Madarame isn’t locked into an inescapable hapless future of uke-dom, with his life being decided by Saki suddenly realizing she wants to dump Kousaka and have Madarame’s baby. To me, that would be a sad ending for a character with his potential.

      The only way for Saki x Madarame to work is (1) there has to be a good excuse for her to break up with him (and I can think of how that could easily go) and (2) there has to be a good reason for Saki to give Madarame a chance.

      Absolutely true, but you never know: He might have become a little bit of a gentleman while we weren’t looking.

      Heh! Better to not blurt out the harsh truth and peddle a partial truth, eh?

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