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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Manga Review: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Volume 2, by Fujita


Rating (Out of 5): ~4
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: June 2018
Volumes: 7+
Spoilers?: Light.
Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

NOTHING VENTURED, NO XP GAINED Frustrated at the slow pace of their relationship, Hirotaka asks Narumi on a real date, with one critical stipulation: They can’t show their otaku sides at all! Can the two find something to bond over in the absence of games, manga, and anime? Meanwhile, Hanako and Taro revisit the origins of their own tempestuous relationship back when they were in high school, and even Naoya seems to be spending more time with a new friend!

Review:

This series is very quickly growing on me.
In the first half, the author plays around with mixing up the chapters, extending a main plot line. It makes for a fun read, though I think she does it better in the second volume with timing.
We get to see Hirotaka and Narumi go on a real date and try to leave out anything otaku related. It's hard, as that's a large part of their lives. Narumi also gets to act like a “real” girlfriend and take care of Hirotaka when he's overworked himself. In the second half, we get to see how Narumi and Hanako actually became friends by revealing their otaku obsessions. And we go way back, to see how Hanako and Taro met in high school and started going out. We got to see a vulnerable side of Hanako during this, which was really sweet—and honestly a surprise.
My main excitement in this volume, though, was seeing Naoya. He is literally the cutest, and I love him so much. I realized just how much in this volume, and I'm a bit obsessed. In this volume, he meets a girl, Ko, who is awkward and shy and afraid of interacting with people. Given how oblivious and outgoing Nao is, it makes for a really sweet pair. I will admit I was a little disappointed that Naoya doesn't meet a cute boy instead, but that's okay. I was kind of hoping there would be more diversity in the characters, but I was very quickly won over by Nao x Ko.
It might be mainly because of Nao at this point, but I'm a bit obsessed, and feel like I must read the next one as soon as possible.

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