Creative Staff
Story/Art: Fujita
Translation/Adaptation: Jessica Sheaves
What They Say
GAMES OVER ROMANCE Narumi Momose has had it rough: Every boyfriend she’s had dumped her once they found out she was an otaku, so she’s gone to great lengths to hide it. When a chance meeting at her new job with childhood friend, fellow otaku, and now coworker Hirotaka Nifuji almost gets her secret outed at work, she comes up with a plan to make sure he never speaks up. But he comes up with a counter-proposal: Why doesn’t she just date him instead? In love, there are no save points.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
If you are a manga newbie who knows nothing about Japanese pop culture, Wotakoi is not a good choice for a first series.
However, if you are an enthusiast familiar with otaku subcultures and especially if you identify as an adult otaku yourself, I highly recommend this story about four coworkers who maintain a respectable normie facade at the office but indulge in otaku hobbies on their own time.
Narumi Momose is a cute 26-year-old OL (office lady/female office worker) who has had several boyfriends. Unfortunately, every one of them dumped her once he discovered she was an otaku. So she makes a fresh start with a new job, determined to keep her otaku identity under wraps this time. But after Hirotaka Nifuji, an old childhood friend and fellow otaku, nearly blows her secret at work, he make a suggestion: why not date him instead?
The title and the premise implies that this is a romance, and indeed Narumi and Hirotaka’s relationship is central to the story. As it turns out, Hirotaka has been crushing on Narumi since they were little kids, so her becoming his girlfriend is the fulfillment of a dream. But while there are a couple tender moments, their romance isn’t exactly steaming up the pages. That’s partly because they’re in their mid-20s and Narumi’s already had a bunch of boyfriends, and partly because Hirotaka has the emotive capacity of a rock. As such, the series focuses mainly on how their otaku interests shape their dating interactions. Or to put it another way, it’s a sitcom about work-life (im)balance for those utterly devoted to their hobbies.
To add breadth to this picture of otaku courtship and lifestyle, we have the supporting cast: Taro Kabakura and Hanako Koyanagi, who are Hirotaka’s and Narumi’s senpai (seniors) at work respectively. Taro and Hanako are also otaku who are dating. However, they’ve been together for years, and their relationship is a tempestuous one. In addition, although all four characters identify as otaku, they have different primary interests. Hirotaka is a hard core gamer; Narumi is a yaoi doujinshi artist; Hanako is a crossplayer who loves BL; and Taro’s a well-rounded otaku. Put them together, and you have scenarios where the women are trying to force their boyfriends into BL poses and conversations with nonstop anime and video game analogies. If you are a member of the otaku tribe, you’ll find a lot to relate to and laugh at.
Fujita’s characters are also easy on the eyes, an aspect of the manga that I really appreciated. In addition to being employed, self-supporting adults, these otaku are not stereotypical unhealthy geeks. Hirotaka is tall and handsome (even though he’s a chain smoker) while Narumi is cute enough to have attracted all her normie ex-boyfriends. As for Taro and Hanako, they are athletic types (both were captains of their high school volleyball teams). And because they’re able to look and function like well-adjusted members of Japanese society, the contrast when they dive deep into their otakuness (i.e., Narumi frantically finishing her doujinshi for Comiket) is that much funnier.
For those familiar with the anime, the anime content is more extensive than the manga. However, if you love these characters, the manga is worth getting. For one, you can actually read the detailed character profiles that you only get a glimpse of in the anime. Secondly, the translators take great pains to explain the myriad manga, anime, video game, and Japanese cultural references made throughout the story. Lastly, Kodansha chose to include both Volumes 1 and 2 of the Japanese edition into Volume 1 of the English-language edition. Meaning you will get 269 pages of Wotakoi for the $17.99 MSRP.
Extras include a ton of translation/cultural notes, character profiles, cute commentary on the bottom of the pages, author’s afterword, and 18 pages printed in full color.
In Summary
Wotakoi doesn’t have a strong plot arc. Instead, it throws four otaku friends into various comedic situations at work and at home. If you yourself are an otaku and you’d like to watch grown, working adults interpret love and life through the filter of anime, manga, doujinshi, cosplay, and video games, this fun, quirky, and well-drawn manga is likely to please.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B
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