Movie Review: Otaku No Video
May 29th 2024 was a dark day for me. It was the day that Gainax anime studio in Japan, after four decades of operation, filed for bankruptcy. The legendary studio best known for Neon Genesis Evangelion and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, played a significant role in my formative years as a nerdy child of the 80’s. The 1991 OVA (original video animation) Otaku No Video is both a parody of 1980’s otaku culture and a loose retelling of the studio’s origin story. What surprised me so much upon rewatching it a few days ago was the degree to which the story delves into the negative aspects of Japanese otaku culture. It made for a much more impactful experience. Being ‘bout that otaku life isn’t for everyone. I loved that this film offered such a thorough examination of the subculture, warts and all.
Otaku No Video as mentioned is an OVA made up of two roughly 45 minute parts. The first half focuses on the life of Kubo, a typical Japanese young man who enjoys tennis and hanging out with his girlfriend. A chance encounter with an old high school friend named Tanaka leads him down a rabbit hole into the otaku culture of anime, manga, figurines, and other nerdy tomfoolery. Before he knows it Kubo is gaining weight and becoming sloppy in appearance due to long nights of watching anime. This culminates in his girlfriend breaking up with him ultimately inspiring Kubo to double down on his obsessions and become the ultimate otaku or “Otaking” as he calls it.
The second half is where things escalate quickly. Kubo and Tanaka open a garage kit business together which explodes in popularity. Kubo reaches the top of the Japanese corporate empire after building a massive factory in China. There are some crazy twists in the last section involving Kubo’s ex-girlfriend, Tanaka, betrayal, downfall, redemption, and finally a wild sci-fi adventure. I don’t want to spoil the details. Just note that it is all told very quickly because of a 90 minute runtime that includes several short non-animated documentary sections on the lives of otaku.
These documentary sections in a way are the real heart of Otaku No Video. They feature a very accurate Japanese news program style and are full of dry humor lampooning otaku culture. I call it “dry” because the portraits are almost too realistic. We meet an overweight lonely geek in a room full of pirated VHS tapes. We meet office workers desperate to hide their cosplaying past. We meet porn-addicts who have given up on finding love with a real woman and instead spend their days obsessing over hentai and adult videos. We meet “cel thieves” who brazenly break into animation studios and steal drawings to sell on the black market. What’s clear is that Otaku No Video has no interest in romanticizing the otaku lifestyle. The documentary sections, while clearly played for comedy, also very bluntly show the social problems that follow from the proliferation of otaku culture.
One of the themes in these portrayals is the degree to which these media-obsessed dorks are isolated and living in a kind of fantasy land. Given the spread of nerdy hobbies like videogames and comics and the popularity of otaku culture on the internet today it is interesting to consider the societal implications on today’s young people. It is a topic worthy of its own essay. For its part, Otaku No Video is not really trying to be a political movie. Yet it has more to say than you would expect.
Kubo’s journey is surprisingly deep given the relatively short runtime. I loved that his inspiration to become “Otaking” was born of despair from his girlfriend leaving him. I loved the side characters in Tanaka’s crew, each with their own unique expertise in military, science fiction, drawing, and other disciplines. I also loved all of the little stylistic “Gainax-isms.” The little intercuts of news events, the chapter titles, the scenic shots — it all brought me back to my days watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. The strict commitment to this style in the context of all the silly plot events creates a humorous contrast. Otaku No Video is hilarious precisely because it takes itself so seriously.
It is actually difficult to criticize this movie because it is just so dang wholesome. If you twist my arm though I could nitpick some things. The storytelling relies very heavily on montages. Some of the otaku documentary sections may strike folks as too dark for such a lighthearted anime. The characters aside from Kubo are pretty one-dimensional. In short don’t expect Otaku No Video to work as a great drama or character study. It is both a love letter to Gainax and an unexpectedly biting satire of otaku culture. It stays in its lane doing those two things well and not much else.
Otaku No Video will always hold a special place in my heart. Watching it takes me back to my middle school days in the 90’s when I would pirate episodes of popular anime by making VHS copies of Toonami broadcasts. Back then the weebs and anime nerds really were outcasts with no internet validation or pop culture approval. Otaku No Video is a refreshingly honest examination of that community and that moment in time. I recommend it to anyone nostalgic for that era or anyone who wants to get an understanding of it in an entertaining way.
Verdict: A-
