Kujibiki Unbalance (2006 series)

Kujibiki♥Unbalance
Title screen from the intro of Kujibiki♥Unbalance
くじびき♥アンバランス (Kujibiki♥Anbaransu)
Genre	Romantic comedy, Drama
Anime television series
Directed by	Tsutomu Mizushima
Written by	Michiko Yokote
Music by	Tomoki Hasegawa
Studio	Ajia-do Animation Works
Licensed by	NA AnimeWorks
Original network	Kids Station
Original run	October 6, 2006 – December 22, 2006
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)
Light novel
Written by	Tatsuya Hamazaki
Published by	Media Factory
Demographic	Male
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Original run	November 2006 – December 28, 2007
Volumes	2
Manga
Written by	Shimoku Kio
Illustrated by	Keito Koume
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA Del Rey Manga
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Afternoon
Original run	April 23, 2007 – December 28, 2007
Volumes	2 (List of volumes)

Kujibiki♥Unbalance (くじびき♥アンバランス, Kujibiki♥Anbaransu^?), also referred to as Kujibiki "Heart" Unbalance in order to differentiate it from its original incarnation, is a 12-episode Fall 2006 anime series created by Shimoku Kio. It originated within Genshiken, Kio's primary work, as the metafictional Kujibiki Unbalance, a manga (and later anime) series which the characters could read, watch, and discuss on a regular basis.

At the same time, it was an homage to, as well as a parody of, the many clichés of contemporary manga and anime. That version was also made into a 3-episode OVA in 2004, ostensibly as episodes 1, 21, and 25 of the 26-episode anime watched by the characters of Genshiken.

The 2006 version is, however, substantially different from the incarnation originally presented within Genshiken (though it has since appeared there in this form as well), featuring redesigned characters and a new (though familiar) plot line. A manga adaptation of this version, drawn by noted dojinshi artist Keito Koume (with creator Kio handling writing duty), was serialized in Afternoon magazine from April 2007 (June 2007 issue) to December 2007 (February 2008 issue); the second and final volume was released on 28 December 2007.

This version of Kujibiki Unbalance has its roots, as with the original, in Genshiken. Within the Genshiken universe, Kujibiki Unbalance (without the heart) is a popular manga serialized in Kudansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, written by Yuu Kuroki. This manga, in turn, spawns a 26-episode anime adaptation focusing on the initial "Student Body Tournament" arc, which airs some time during Kanji Sasahara's first two years at Shiiou University. Despite the Genshiken's interest in the anime, fans complain that the tone of the series is uneven: the two halves are handled by two different directors, there is shoddy animation quality in several key episodes, and the conclusion, aside from never airing during the broadcast run, doesn't actually conclude anything. As a result, the reception of the series is mixed at best. Later on, a new anime series is announced. Instead of picking up where the previous series left off, however, it is a complete re-imagining of the story, with new character designs and a story independent of the manga. (This situation parallels that of the Negima! anime, whose successor, Negima!?, takes the series in a completely different direction.) This is that series.