My fondness for Daidouji Tomoyo predates my obsession with Ogiue by a number of years. At one point, pre-Ogiue, I was talking with someone online, who mentioned that in his opinion Hotaru from Sailor Moon is a “better” Tomoyo. I held nothing against him despite his being completely wrong, but remembering this brief conversation got me to thinking about how many characters I would call variations of Ogiue’s character-type. Ogi-esque, if you will. After much deliberation, it dawned on me that no such other characters exist. Other fujoshi characters bear little resemblance to Ogiue, and are typically much more cheerful. It’s easy to call Ogiue a tsundere, but her tsundere is like nothing else. It’s not evenĀ a stronger type of tsundere, like with Kugimiya characters, but it’s a unique flavor full of body and depth that leaves you satisfied.
I think it has to do with Ogiue being a very balanced, well-rounded character. She has this mix of passion and repression that comes out in everything she does. Her simple one-word responses speak volumes as to the kind of person she actually is, particularly because throughout the story she tries her best to hide her true self. And certainly there are characters who often don’t say what they actually think or feel, but this attribute occurs much more frequently on far more aggressive characters.
Or maybe I’m just incredibly biased. Which I am. But I’m still right.

5 comments
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September 12, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Anonymous
KONATA IS A BETTER OGIUE LOLOLOLOL
September 12, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Laz
I think the fact that she does such a bad job of hiding her repression makes her that much more adorable. Konata is Ogiue with a sense of humor and self knowledge :) Just my opinions of course :)
September 12, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Kadian1364
>>> Konata is Ogiue with a sense of humor and self knowledge
Kind of, but Konata’s definitely more of an A type personality to Ogiue’s B type, self-isolating tendencies. Also, Ogiue is more serious and a focused worker (creates doujins on a tight deadline), while Konata is peppier and takes a more lax attitude towards life (MMORPGs>>>homework).
They’re actually nothing alike, besides being female otaku characters, and vastly different types at that.
September 12, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Kadian1364
Thinking about it some more, I’d have to agree with the premise that Ogiue is a unique personality in a sea of anime/manga cut-outs and copycats. But then again, Genshiken’s author was never concerned with “fitting the mold”, but focused on making a very believable, lovable cadre of offbeat outcasts. A true master of characterization.
September 14, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Omonomono » Ogiue the Madlib Maker
[...] Read the source article first–a tribute to a moldbreaker. [...]