Meta-story
In Genshiken proper, Kujibiki Unbalance is a popular manga serial created by "Yu Kuroki" (黒木優, Kuroki Yū?), published in "Kudansha"'s "Weekly Shōnen Magazine" (a nod to Ken Akamatsu, whose work is published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine). By the release of its fourth tankōbon volume, it gains an anime adaptation as well. Nearly all the members of the Genshiken read and discuss the series, and their favorite moments from the manga are detailed in Genshiken volume 2 (with club members writing under pseudonyms for their sporadically-published dojinshi, Mebaetame). The series' popularity is such that dojinshi based on the series, as well as models of the characters, are a hot item at conventions such as Comifes, and no less than four members of the club (Ohno, Kohsaka, Ogiue, and, under great protest, Kasukabe) have cosplayed as characters from the series.
The Genshiken characters' opinions towards the anime are slightly mixed. Their chief issue is that there are two different directors for the two halves of the series, resulting in a more comedic, ecchi tone for the first half (directed by "Tsutomu Mizudori"), which alienated some fans and led to conflict with the producers. However, they cannot deny that this helped contribute to the show's cult status, and it certainly does not stop them from rewatching the show or buying the DVDs. A typhoon apparently caused the broadcast of the final episode to be postponed, and it had not yet aired as of chapter 22 (episode 12 of the Genshiken anime), leading some to speculate that the true cause was poor animation quality, making the studio rework the final episodes for DVD release.
The three episodes of the 2004 OVA are meant to be taken as a part of the same 26-episode series that the characters of the 2004 Genshiken anime are watching. The 12-episode 2006 anime seems to be meant as a remake or re-imagining of the franchise (along the lines of Negima!? versus Negima!) within the Genshiken universe, as members of the club comment on each episode during the next episode previews. However, this version deviates between the Genshiken manga and anime: in the manga, it airs towards the end of Sasahara's fourth year in college, and is not mentioned in the dialogue, while in the anime, it airs at the beginning of Sasahara's third year, and is referenced (if not given much focus) in club activities. Genshiken Season 2 refers to, and features some scenes from, a new OVA continuation of the original series; this OVA has yet to be announced for a real-world release, however.
The manga, as presented within Genshiken, actually continues well beyond the "student body tournament" storyline depicted in the anime, going as far as to show Kasumi's wedding and the eventual graduation of Ritsuko. A newer, younger cast (including Tokino's younger sister), and a more science fiction–oriented story are subsequently introduced, but despite the potentials of the new plotline, members of the Genshiken lament that the series really isn't the same without Ritsuko and the other graduated cast members. (This is, of course, a subtle jab directed at Kio's own critics, who complained that Genshiken itself was not the same after Madarame, Kugayama, and Tanaka graduated, and that the author was finding excuses to keep them around after the fact.)
Read more about this topic: Kujibiki Unbalance