The Otaku Video is a 1991 Gainax OVA that provides a parodical glance into its titular culture as well as giving a very loose and fictionalized retelling of the founding of Gainax studios. Main character Kubo is an everyday college student dissatisfied with his life and hobbies, but a chance reunion with his old high school friend Tanaka drags him into his world of the Otaku. Kubo leaves his “normal” life behind and vows to become the “Otaking”. The anime skips forward in time as it follows the two friends from fanboys, to model distributors, to independent anime creators. As well as their various odd struggles in between, delivered in a comedic tone complete with underdog heroes and typical villains.
Dividing these chronological updates are odd live action mockumentary interviews. These are primarily staged interviews about otaku culture between Gainax employees and associates whose faces are typically obscured by mosaic with their voices digitally altered. Being made in a time when “otaku” still referred to general geek culture rather than that of anime, you even see some focus on things such as airsoft gun fanatics. Fake recording dates are given along with timely major national news, seemingly to punctuate these surprisingly self-loathing segments and their mockery of oblivious escapism and empty social lives. These interviews border on mean-spirited, and although it stems from Gainax making fun of themselves, by hiding their identities as they mean to depict broader otaku culture they end up dragging the identities of otaku fans in general through the mud as they’re portrayed as antisocial, perverted losers. For every question that genuinely probes into the minds of various subcultures and their appeals, there’s three that target the interviewee personally such as “Do you ever go outside?” or “Have you ever had sex?”. Clearly the public perspective hasn’t changed much since 1991, but for an OVA ostensibly celebrating the passion behind otaku culture it comes dangerously close to making its condemnation of the scene far more obvious than its appreciation.
It can be seen as honesty to present the optimism, solidarity, and excitement of otaku culture in an anime format complete with a comedic, melodramatic storyline and then to acknowledge the negative parts of it at the same time in reality. But not even the anime segments are free from this negativity and industry remorse, and a binary display of showing only the negativity and shame in the most realistic segments makes the bitterness much more impactful than the optimism. It’s a shame that I can’t picture The Otaku Video as being particularly made “for” anyone. Probably not otaku, for the frequent contempt it shows towards its own members’ ways of living, and the fact that the anime segments don’t focus as much on the otaku lifestyle as they do on a very brief story of rising in the industry of otaku – something almost no one watching will find relatable. The eccentric presentation and title will keep non-otaku miles away, and the depiction of the “real” otaku will make any one of them desperate to avoid that path.
Even not taking it seriously, The Otaku Video is just too sour for its own comedic purposes. Often too self-loathing, in a way that’s now particularly tired and reductionist, to set a consistent mood for laughter or joy. It’s also too heavily fictionalized to work as a reliable historic take on Gainax’s creation. There are some high-spirited moments scattered throughout as the characters stubbornly defend their interests despite being scorned by society and hope to end the prejudice, but these ideologies end up being buried by the creators’ negativity and own lack of confidence. And yet, the OVA is likable enough. In addition to crisp, colorful Blu-ray animation, this OVA’s very existence and even the contradictions about it are a testament to Gainax’s peak eccentricity and the concept and result is something that could only come from the incredible creative forces behind the studio and beyond it. It’s delightful, not for any possible attempt to capture otaku culture or Gainax’s founding, but its inherent display of the personality that made the studio so unique. In other words, this isn’t a video for otaku – it’s a video for Gainax dorks. Are you one?
