Non-otaku Naoya makes a shy new gamer friend.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Fujita
Translation/Adaptation: Jessica Sheaves
What They Say
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!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As with the Volume 1 of the English-language edition of this series, Volume 2 is comprised of two installments of the Japanese edition (Volumes 3 and 4). Meaning you get 270 pages of Wotakoi for the $17.99 MSRP.
Japanese Volume 3 is a mishmash of various scenes involving different combinations of the four friends. Although Hirotaka and Narumi’s romance is the central relationship in this series, only Chapter 19 focuses on that relationship, and for some reason, Fujita-sensei breaks that chapter into four parts and intersperses them in between other chapters. The content itself is actually entertaining (the pair have a normie date at an amusement park, in which otaku behavior is forbidden), but having to read it divided up is a little weird.
For those familiar with the anime, Japanese Volume 3 covers the same material in the latter portion of the TV series, except for Chapter 15, which is an April Fool’s episode, and Chapter 19, in which Hirotaka’s friends try to freak him out with scary stories. As in the previous volume, the chapters poke fun at otaku idiosyncrasies, especially Chapter 17, where Narumi and Hanako have a fujoshi dispute, and Chapter 18, where the four friends go shopping together. Footnotes and translation notes explain obscure references, so as long as you are somewhat versed in otaku culture, these chapters are fun.
At the conclusion of Japanese Volume 3, Naoya meets a shy schoolmate who plays a significant role in Japanese Volume 4. I assumed Naoya’s role in this series was simply to serve as a contrast to the otaku adults’ excesses. However, Fujita-sensei has chosen to pair him up, and because this series is subtitled “Love Is Hard for Otaku,” our resident normie winds up with a hard-core gamer, Ko Sakuragi. Unlike the other pairings, this one is characterized by innocence. This is partly because Ko is shy to the point of being asocial and partly because Ko’s gender ambiguous name and appearance cause Naoya to mistakenly assume she’s a he. As such, their interactions are mostly Ko struggling to converse normally and Naoya treating Ko like a guy buddy.
Also taking up a chunk of Japanese Volume 4 is Chapter 26, the origin story for Hanako and Taro’s relationship. Like Chapter 19, this chapter gets broken up and interspersed through Volume 4. The anime touched on this subject, but the manga goes much deeper into showing them as athletes and how an otaku purchase got used as blackmail. If you are fans of this couple, you should definitely pick this volume up.
Extras include a ton of translation/cultural notes, character profiles, author’s afterword, and 18 pages printed in full color.
In Summary
Even though Hirotaka and Narumi are the main couple, most of the otaku romance takes place with the other characters in this installment. Hanako and Taro have a well-established relationship now, but a trip down memory lane reveals its contentious beginnings as well as the start of Hanako’s fujoshi habit. In addition, otaku gamer Ko joins the cast as Naoya’s new friend. For now the two are just gaming buddies (which is plenty entertaining given the difference in their abilities), but considering the title of this series, that dynamic is probably going to change real quick.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: June 12th, 2018
MSRP: $17.99
