Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (2015)
[ヲタクに恋は難しい]
Volume 1
Author/Artist: Fujita
Publisher: Ichijinsha
Synopsis:
A closeted otaku starts at a new company after being outed, only to be reunited with her childhood friend, a fellow otaku.
Story/Characters:
As I enjoyed the anime adaptation of this series, I wanted to read the original. The premise is nice, an awkward romance between two childhood friends, one who wants to keep her hobbies a secret for appearances' sake and another who's true to himself regardless of any social consequences. We don't do the usual Japanese romcom thing of futzing around for years and instead get things kicked off in the first chapter. Likely because most Japanese romcoms are all about the whole will they, won't they nonsense, it's really nice to have a series where starting the relationship is the beginning of the story and not the end. And it's not just the main couple. The beta couple of Kabakura and Koyanagi make for a nice complement to Hirotaka and Narumi and the four of them together has a good dynamic. The funny thing is that based on mutual preferences, Hirotaka-Koyanagi and Narumi-Kabakura would be the more natural ships, but this is mostly bait and not used as a source of conflict (but it does have a way of sticking in your head).
Narumi is more than just a garden variety fujoshi. She also writes her own doujinshi and sells it at Comiket and Hirotaka being the perfect boyfriend, not only supports this effort but will even hold down the fort for her while she gets her shopping done and takes pictures with Koyanagi, who happens to be a popular crossplayer. We then have Hirotaka invite Narumi to his place. What she thinks is going to happen and what actually happens don't quite match up, to amusing effect. What we get is Kabakura and Koyanagi joining in for a night of gaming and assorted shenanigans.
In the next episode, we have the gang out drinking when Kabakura and Koyanagi's usual bickering boils over and it serves to highlight Koyanagi's fragility beneath her tough facade and Kabakura's soft side hidden by his abrasiveness. While there's comedic value in the belligerent nature of their relationship, the author also isn't afraid to show the downside of such a relationship. The weaknesses in Kabakura and Koyanagi's relationship manages to draw out some of Hirotaka's insecurities as well, with him worried that Narumi has just settled on him because it's convenient and comfortable for her. These are things Narumi has wondered about herself, but we manage to tie it up nicely in the end.
Art:
The art style is sharp and appealing with a good sense of visual comedy. Honestly, I rather like the sketchier line work for the bonus illustrations as well. There are plenty of sweet and funny moments that make for quite a treat.
Other:
The prologue is in full color. We get character profiles for Hirotaka, Narumi, Koyanagi and Kabakura; illustrations of Narumi and Kabakura with glasses and Hirotaka and Koyanagi without them; a series of one-page comics; some mini comics between Episodes 3 and 4 and between 4 and 5; the quartet in Halloween costumes; a mini comic where Narumi sees the necklace Kabakura usually has hidden under his shirt; Narumi and Koyanagi clad in sweaters (to rather different effect) and Hirotaka as well for good measure (though his doesn't have the cleavage window); Narumi and Hirotaka in a Pocky vs. Pretz battle; a couple illustrations made from Twitter requests; a 2-koma of Narumi flirting with Hirotaka; and a few other illustrations scattered about (the ones of Hirotaka and Narumi as kids are particularly cute). Lastly, we have a two-page afterword comic.
Conclusion:
A nice grown-up romcom free of the shackles of adolescent hell with plenty of otaku fanservice? Yes, please. This is a nice story with great characters that doesn't need to go overboard on comedy or drama. It strikes a good balance between grounded slice of life and niche humor. Fellow otaku are going to get the most out of this, but I'd recommend it to just about anyone. However, if this ticks as many boxes for you as it does for me, you'll agree that it warrants a place in your collection.
Rating:
Own It