Ask John: How Many Anime Within an Anime Are There?

Question:
Are there any other features which could be described as containing “an anime within an anime” – based on recollection, the only one I know of is Martian Successor Nadesico and Gekiganger 3?

Answer:
The Gekiganger-3 anime series invented for Martian Successor Nadesico is probably the best known “anime within an anime,” Beside the brief clips of the show seen in the Nadesico television series, there was a “Nekketsu Robo Gekiganger-3” OAV released in 1998 which served as a partial transition between the end of the Nadesico television series and the Nadesico movie. While the Gekiganger-3 OAV story took place within the Nadesico continuity, the self-contained episode, about Akito, Yurika and Ruri going to a theater to see the Gekiganger-3 movie, was mostly original Gekiganger-3 animation.

But Gekiganger-3 is not the only “anime within an anime.” I’m sure there are examples that I’m not familiar with, or have temporarily forgotten, but a few other examples include the Magical Girl Yongo-chan anime television series that Kazuto Iizuka of World of Narue loves; the fantasy anime created in Golden Boy OAV 6; the Kujibiki Unbalance anime TV series that the characters of Genshiken adore; and the Time Journeys and Louis Monde anime in the Animation Runner Kuromi OAV series.

While Nadesico spun off a single Gekiganger OAV, the Genshiken anime TV series has gone one step farther by creating three full length episodes of Kujibiki Unbalance. “Kujian” episodes 1, 25 & 26 will be released as bonus OAVs with each of the three Japanese Genshiken TV series limited edition DVD volumes.