There’s a certain bittersweetness to the ending of a manga series. In my experience, the manga industry has refined storytelling into a variety of specific archetypes in a way western comics haven’t. Genshiken, being a manga in the “slice of life” genre, was always going to get an ambiguous, “life goes on” ending. That’s just how it works.

And, true to form, that’s what we got. The series’ major subplot - the unrequited feelings that uber-nerd Madarame holds for Saki, the only non-geek in their group of friends – is, if not resolved, at least brought to some conclusion, in one emotionally rough chapter near the end. It was always going to be a difficult moment to write, so I think the choice to make a silent chapter depicting the events after was an effective way of dealing with any expectations the readers had. Without being given dialogue, we’re free to insert our own, which, in a way, gives the story the exact ending we want, but for a series based around amusing and insightful dialogue, I’ve never missed it more than then.

Sadly, the other main plot I was hoping we’d see – the increasing trouble in Kohsaka and Saki’s relationship – never comes up. It’s the epitome of the life goes on ending - all the signs for the story are there, all the hints have been dropped, but when we leave the Genshiken cast, they’re not even thinking about it. It’s a chapter that’ll happen another day, without us.

The final volume isn’t perfect - the previous volume, in fact, is vastly superior – but it is a fitting end for the series. Most of the characters turn up for a last hurrah, and in Genshiken club tradition, a new president is chosen for the next Univesity year. As we leave, the club that began with Madarame, Tanaka, Shodai, Kugayama, Kohsaka and Sasahara consists of Ohno, Oguie, Keiko and Kuichi – the entire original cast have left the Genshiken behind, and presumably that’s why Shimoku Kio, the author, felt like it was time to wrap the series up.

I’ve said before, but I’ll say it again – Genshiken is nothing less than a must-read. Massively re-visitable, it’s up there with Scott Pilgrim as the comic I’d most like to be trapped in. You feel for these characters, not just because they’re well-written, but because you look at their actions, their thoughts, their successes and failures and you go “yeah, that could’ve been me.” I’ll never stop marvelling at how a depiction of geeks and nerds from literally halfway around the planet manages to be capture the mentality so well that it’s personally relevant to me. I’m sad to see it go, but glad that it never got bad.