Otaku no Video
Reviewer: Piccolo
English Release: 1993
Production: Gainax
Year of Release: 1991
Genre: Documentary
Audience: PG

This is a very odd movie to review, so excuse me as I struggle for the right words. This curious OAV is pretty much about young college guy named Kubo who meets up with an old high school friend named Tanaka. Tanaka introduces his new circle of friends to Kubo, who are obsessed with anime and other hobbies. Through a crazy series of events and their determination, they make a half-believable rise to the top of the world as an animation company... and more. The movie progresses at a steady pace, and before long it is as dramatic (and just as silly) as a soap opera. It does get a little out of hand near the end though.

Before I continue, a quick explanation of the movie's title. In Japanese, otaku used to be a form of "you" but modern language has turned it into a label for someone obsessed with something, usually anime. no simply means "of". So, this video's title could mean "Video of Otaku", or perhaps if you are one yourself, you will read it as "Your Video".

Aesthetically, this movie is pretty good for its time. The animation is decent but by no means sub-par, and the voice acting by the Japanese cast conveys the feelings of an obsessed fan quite well. A lot of this movie's humor comes from the over the top drama, such as Tanaka being so inspired by a speech of Kubo's his glasses' lenses shatter. Fictional newspaper headlines fly around the background trumpeting their success. Kubo points to the rising sun as he swears vengeance. There are several cameos and refrences to other anime, weather it be posters on the character's walls, a cosplay, or one of the otaku bragging and showing off his new Macross cels. You'll probably miss many of these the first time through, and notice the smaller refrences as you rewatch it. The opening theme, "Fight, Otaking!" should be considered the National Anthem. The background music is tailor made to lift your spirits along with Kubo and Tanaka's, if you get into it. But if you don't, and just sit back and realize how ridiculous the whole thing is, you'll burst out laughing.

This video has another side to it; it's not just Japanese animation. Interspersed throughout the animated story are live action interviews with otaku. Some deny their obsession as a former life, others try to hide it, and others try to justify it. They are interviewed like criminals, with their faces censored, names and voices changed. At one point a suspected cel thief is chased down by the interviewers and the camera shakes like in one of those Cops TV shows. Aside from the actual theft of animation cels, I don't believe liking animation too much is a crime and they may have gone too hard on these people. Questions like "Do you have any real friends?" seem like they were written to humiliate those they were interrogating. Some people feel that this movie could have done without these live action segments, but I believe they were needed to balance out the zany half-fictional story.

This movie is not for newcomers to anime. It may even turn them off. However, for those of us who have already been sucked in, we will certainly see parts of these characters in ourselves. It may be frightening to realize that you have several anime tapes that you haven't watched in ages, just like one of the real life otaku, for example. But at least it is comforting to know that you're not alone, and even though what you may like is such a niche thing few people understand, there are people out there just like yourself.