OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Otaku No Video

In an early experiment in self-parody, Gainax's Otaku No Video was a 2-episode OVA from 1991 that takes a satirical look at the studio's history. The OVA also is a mockumentary of the lifestyles of anime fans in Japan. Vandread director Takeshi Mori helmed this multi-media project that was written by Gunbuster author Toshio Okada. The anime itself has been available in several formats through Animeigo with to date no English dub, even though that might be for the better considering the niche market this fits into.

The first episode takes place in 1982 where young man Ken has a prosperous life with a nice girlfriend as well as being a decent tennis player. This all seems to go down a very different path when he reunites with his old school chum Tanaka who makes him part of his anime fan club that covers a variety of geek connoisseurs. Ken begins to struggle finding a job and loses his girlfriend, so he and Tanaka decide to dedicate themselves fully to being captains in the anime industry as "Otakings". The final episode jumps to 1986 where our team of devoted otaku open a model kit company that branches into other merchandise and its own media empire, including the creation of a mature magical girl mascot. They eventually create their own amusement park at the turn of the century. Years later, there was some sort of apocalypse and they all managed to survive and return to the park to launch their space battleship homage to Yamato. All this is occasionally interrupted by live-action segments doing fictional interviews with various anime fans and who being an otaku can consume a person's lifestyle.

Otaku No Video was groundbreaking as it set the stage for future anime titles that reflected on the fandom such as Lucky Star and Genshiken. Gainax put their all into this with the stunning character designs of Kenichi Sonoda of Gunsmith Cats fame. Despite its short runtime, the OVA excellently demonstrates the life of an otaku in the 80s and how they had trouble fitting into mundane society. Its abrupt take on fan culture might be uncomfortable for some viewers, but you owe it to yourself to give this piece of history a look.