WOTAKOI

WOTAKOI: Love is Hard for Otaku

A serialized manga that came out from 2014 up to now with currently 8 volumes. Written by Fujita and published by Ichijinsha. An anime adaptation of the manga came out in 2018 with 12 episode..

An anime about Otakus of their own fields of expertise who try to hide their being otakus fearing that they will be rejected. Just like how real-life otakus are that some are rejected by people who cannot understand them and their hobbies.

Basic story flow follows four main characters of the story, mainly the main female character Narumi Momose an office worker who changed jobs after her former co-workers found out that she was an otaku at the same time her boyfriend during that time broke up with her after finding out about her hobby. She is a Fujoshi She later meets and reunited with her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji a gamer otaku who works in the same company where she transferred. Narumi was hiding her otaku nature but Hirotaka was able to expose her being an otaku when he greeted her and mentioned about the upcoming Comiket event.

Hirotaka Nifuji the childhood friend of Narumi Momose. He is a gamer otaku or was dubbed on him as a Specialized Gamer Otaku. He is somewhat a tech otaku as he exclaimed in episode 2 that he buys his books as e-books. A hardcore gamer as well and can play games as if it was second nature to him. He never had many friends so having to meet Narumi again and becoming a couple was big thing for both of them. Also having two of their co-workers as a couple of otakus as well was an added bonus having co-workers with similar hobbies to hang out with after work. Hirotaka was also ready for anything that Narumi throws at him making them somewhat of a perfect otaku couple for the series. Despite Narumi’s desperation to hide her otaku nature Hirotaka did not fail to expose her since for him there is no need to hide his otaku nature.

Narumi and Hirotaka

Hanako Koyanagi is a female co-worker of both Narumi and Hirotaka and their senpai in their work place. She is also a fellow otaku as well as a fujoshi. She is also a famous crossplayer and cosplayer who dress as a male character and very famous to female fans. She was the first to recognize Narumi’s otaku nature after Hirotaka mentioned about Comiket when they first met in the hallway of their office building.

Taro Kabakura the male office worker of the same work place and often hangs with Hirotaka when they drink. He is also an otaku in his own way and into much more into manga. He is also the boyfriend of Hanako.

Koyanagi and Kabakura

The series follows four individuals who became a couple at the same time both couples are almost similar other than being otakus in their own fields of expertise. Koyanagi and Kabakura both went to the same school with Kabakura graduating first and later end up working in the same office and became a couple. The next couple as Nifuji and Momose childhood friends who later met again after several years and became a couple from which at first was just because Momose was not being able to be herself during the time she was former boyfriends who broke up with her after finding out she was an otaku and worst she is a fujoshi, an otaku who is more into boy’s love type of manga or anime. Nifuji and Momose became a dating couple who often drink and play games on weekends and later playing games with both Koyanagi and Kabakura who were also a couple and also both otakus.

This anime is almost close to real life since there are people who are not into anime that are in a relationship with anime fans and not just anime fans but fans of different media. The most amazing for me are those who can accept the hardcore fans, the kind of fans whose lives are no longer complete if they cannot satisfy their hunger for the stuff they love.

In the anime they showed the struggle of the two couples not only they seem to hide that they are otakus but also, they decided to keep their relationships as couples a secret from their co-workers which was a challenge since both Koyanagi and Momose have their own charms towards he male co-workers. Koyanagi was a voluptuous and mature female office worker that has attracted younger male office workers in their department which was shown in one of the episodes while Momose though petite and clumsy in her work has also attracted a number of male office workers but were automatically turned down after hearing her mention to another female co-worker that she spent her Christmas with her boyfriend which made Nifuji happy after hearing it as well.

Not only is that the challenge for them but also their difference as being an otaku of different fields. Koyanagi is a cosplayer who cosplay the male characters and is famous to female otakus and fans in anime events. This was one of the challenges for Kabakura since Koyanagi wanted to share her likes to her boyfriend as well as passion for cosplaying the only problem is that she wants her boyfriend to cosplay as the female character which was the major problem for Kabakura. Wherein for Nifuji who seem not bothered by Momose’s fujoshi fanaticism, he was of to put on a wig and some makeup and pose with Momose for a picture which she showed to Kabakura and Koyanagi who were convinced that Momose was with another female friend and later found out that it was Nifuji after Kabakura mentioned he wanted to be introduced to the female she was with, in the picture.

Kabakura x Koyangi ,  Kou x Nao , Narumi x Hirotaka

The anime series of 12 episodes got me hooked from start to finish and made me want to watch it twice after finishing the first run.

I would recommend this to anyone asking me what to watch for their first anime or for those who just want to watch more anime which will entertain them to a point.

The only downside for this anime is that it made me want more. Rumors for season 2 has been going around and according to some anime forums, there is a chance for a season 2 the only thing that seems to be hindering it is the manga version. The anima adaptation caught up with the manga version, up to the event where the younger brother of Nifuji was introduced as well as another character named Kou who in turn was a reverse trap a female who looks like a male. In the manga it would seem that Nao Nifuji and Kou Sakuragi might end up as a couple. Kou is a gamer otaku who often is by herself and only Nao has not noticed that Kou was female until that one moment seen in the manga. Nao was not into any otaku stuff until he met Kou and started getting into playing online game not because he found out that Kou was often by herself but also, he wanted to be friends with her, during this time also in the anime only Nao’s friends knows that Kou is female and never mentioned it to him. So hopefully the second season comes out anytime soon.

 The only thing that seems to come to a reality is that an OVA is to be released any time so hopefully the second season will come right away.

A live action film will be released some time in 2020. Not sure if I will watch this but maybe I will give it a go just for the fun of it. Will be waiting for more details for this one.

credits to the owners of the pictures and video