I really like this manga. More then I thought I would. It was actually after reading the first two chapters of Spotted Flower that I started reading Genshiken, when I found out it was the main story. Love it now too.

I notice that most people hate the fact that the chapters take so long to be scanlated. The truth is, I'm pretty sure only three chapters are released per year, every four months. Just look at the release dates... http://www.mangaupdates.com/releases.html?search=59921& stype=series

So in truth they're actually released in a timely fashion. Which I'm grateful for. Too bad the same can't be said about Genshiken releases.

I've got a suspicion though. Something that I like to do is try to guess what writers of my favorite series might be trying to hide from the audience. Or what their big reveals are going to be. Most people think that the manga as an alternate story. To show what would happen if Saki and Madarame got together, without ever actually revealing their identities.

What I think Spotted Flower actually is, is a sequel thinly masquerading as an alternate story. I think the author is showing us what happens after Genshiken before he actually ends Genshiken. When Genshiken eventually does end, I think that Saki and Maradame might get together. The last chapter of Spotted Flower may be released at or around the same time, finally revealing the identities of the main couple. It would be a very clever way to end both stories.

Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. I always like the idea of the nerd/otaku, awkward and introverted, getting the girl at the end, after a long struggle and a lot of character development.

What do you all think of this theory? Or you can just post about the series and why you like it.

sorry to break your heart but it isnt saki and madarame this is a question and the authors answer in an interview
What is the relation between your other manga "Spotted Flower" and Genshiken?

Hm? There isn't one.

...And that is my official statement.

The title name was just a playful idea that I came up with after creating the concept of the couple and noticing them feeling very familiar to me. I'm honestly not sure what to do with the big reaction that it ended up getting from the fans afterwards.

Even from the planning stage, there was no intention of making the two titles related in any way. The idea never even came up during discussion with my editor either.
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-02-03/intervie w-genshiken-creator-shimoku-kio/.84036 here is the link to the interview.

But yet they are converging now. See the last few chapters.

I've read the whole things and not once did i even think the wife looks anything like saki, ill post something long, sorry in advance but it has alot of information

These characters are what they call Expy (look up the word), they are based off of multiple character personalities and looks (for example 1 characters eyes, another ones hair, etc etc), but they arent the characters themselves. This shouldnt even be label an alternate of or even related too genshiken cause it is a totally different story with 2 characters that are only based off of multiple genshiken characters for each person in this manga, not the characters themselves, even the author of this manga has confirmed that as you can see in the interview linked below

On chapter 20 they even joke about the name Saki when the grandma is helping with naming the baby by saying " you have to know there's an actual manga that uses that name", then they name the baby saki, proving the wife isnt named saki herself or they wouldnt have even mentioned another manga using the name (this is just a common sense thing here, would completely make the saki being in another manga part pointless in the rest of the dialogue they had in them panels if the mothers name was saki, i'm sure she didnt forget her own name). You will see alot of these little jokes and referencing genshiken, in the spotted flower cause that is what the author was going for since genshiken is his most famous manga

http://i66.tinypic.com/28jrdj.jpg This is Saki at the end of the last manga

http://i64.tinypic.com/293u7nc.jpg Here is the wife in spotted flower

They dont even look anything alike, if the wife looks like anyone, it would be Chika Ogiue http://i64.tinypic.com/ng6gro.jpg end of genshiken manga and here are 2 animated pictures of ogiue http://i66.tinypic.com/2hn6qub.jpg
http://i64.tinypic.com/2d92pas.jpg, Ogiue definitely looks more like the wife then Saki

This is a picture of the husband http://i65.tinypic.com/sfgh1j.jpg, again no way a sane person can look at that and say he is madarame (the husband doesnt even have madarame trademark snaggle tooth that is always hanging out and there are plenty of wide open mouth shots in this manga, the dot sized pupils ( anyone that has read genshiken and watched the anime know what i mean, his pupils are almost literally a dot, maybe 2 dots on top of each other) that are also a trademark of madarame look, and only a few spots does he even remotely look like madarame, mostly when he is looking to be in a panic)

This is a colored picture of the husband and wife http://i64.tinypic.com/5xn2mt.jpg from vol 2 extra, you seriously trying to say these 2 are madarame and saki, come on really.
This is the 2 color picture of saki http://i65.tinypic.com/24lsow8.jpg from anime
http://i67.tinypic.com/16m0rap.jpg from manga, not only do they not look alike but saki has good size tits in both the manga and anime while the wife in spotted flower is flat chested til she gets pregnant and even then they aren't that big.

Here is Sue in the same anime outfit (saki isnt the only character to ever wear that cosplay)
http://i68.tinypic.com/10xwyew.jpg

This is the author at a signing, you cant see his face, but by his build and even the glasses (look just like the husbands) you can tell he probably draws atleast 1 character after himself atleast a little, that could be why some characters look similar even though they are different characters. For example, i could take an entire character from one manga and put them in another with a different name and backstory, then bam not the same character even though carbine copy https://www.genkidama.com.br/anikenkai/2014/03/08/kio-shimok u-o-autor-de-genshiken-em-fotos/

When it comes to the same manga artist, alot of their characters end up looking like each other, that is just the way it is for most of the artists, it is easier sometimes to just throw a face that you are use to put some different eyes, hair, etc on them and call it another character and that is what happened here, as much as some people want it, this is not saki and madarame, again sorry to disappoint.

Here is a picture of his newest manga Hashikki Ensemble, but these characters have names and guess who they look like http://i67.tinypic.com/2q8sz9f.jpg, as you can see here he recycles characters features but with a different name and backstory, these characters are no longer the same just like the spotted characters. Just more proof that the characters in spotted flower and genshiken are not the same, just recycled features ( which again the wife looks nothing like saki and more in line with Ogiue if she was based off someone from genshiken)

He relates to ogiue in this interview where he says she is based on him and his experiences giving more credibility to him using her as a base for the wife not saki https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/co mics/article/15931-genshiken-kio-shimoku-and-the-otaku-soul.html ( just use find and type in ogiue name if you dont want to read whole interview) Shimoku is the author btw if you didnt know when you read the questions

I know there are some shippers for them two here and if that is what you want to imagine i say go for it, but putting false info on a manga page and confusing new readers isnt the right way to do things, when you put all the facts together without rose tinted glasses this manga is clearly neither a Alternate universe nor the actually characters from genshiken.

that's all anyone needs to remember.
I can be guilty of having homogenous tastes in a series and wanting the series to be extended rather than pick up a new series/characters.
it's also very lazy in fandom to not examine new characters respectfully and just label them as a 'clone' of a character they are already familiar with after a few issues, and put on those glasses for the remainder of future reading.