Dec 29, 2025
Otaku no Video is a polarizing piece. Part retelling of Toshio Okada's journey in the formation of General Products and Gainax, part [and rather starkly contrasting] look into some of vulnerable otaku and a minute look into multiple niches. While there's some rather interesting subject matter, the issue at the end of the day is with only an hour and 40 minutes worth of time-skipping animation and pseudo-anonymized interviews, we neither see a lot of the extremely interesting details of Toshio Okada's journey and this part of his life. We don't see Anno, Kazutaka, Nihon SF Taikai, Daicon, the actual importance of things like Wings
...
of Honnaeamise, Comiket, WonderFes, or really delve deeper into these subcultures and facets of different Japanese pop-culture at the time.
While I won't say don't necessarily watch it, I will say, if you're as interested in the actual lore surrounding Gainax, General Pro, the Otaking, and other extremely important people that in a lot of ways shaped a lot of the way Japanese pop and otaku culture evolved, I would sincerely recommend TJtheEmperor's history of Gainax series, especially its very well researched first episode. Otherwise, if you're solely here focusing on your pride as an otaku and trying to deepen your love and connection to sci-fi, the world of animation, cinema, and art-media in general... while Okada's team provided a lovingly conclusion, I don't your life will be changed or that you'll necessarily be extremely moved between the juxtaposition of its interviewees and how surface level some of the contents the OVA actually provides you with; especially compared to something like Daicon I'M intro released and produced by the same team not even a decade ago with a mere fraction of the runtime with infinitely more passion and unbelievably greater ripple across the whole of pop-culture in Japan, and of course, the hearts in generations of otaku.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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