FIF#61-Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Narumi Momose has just started a new job in the city and she’s desperate to keep a secret, one that she believes caused her to change jobs in the first place: She’s a hardcore Otaku.  On her first day, however, Narumi crosses paths with her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji, who, like her, is also a hardcore Otaku, a gamer to be more precise.  Narumi’s secret is out of the bag and soon, she and Hirotaka begin to reconnect after years apart.  As the two realize that neither of them have had success in the world of romance, an idea blooms: they should date.  After all, they grew up together and love the same things, plus they’ve got the backing of their fellow Otaku coworkers.  But are two lifelong Otaku really compatible?  Or is this a recipe for certain disaster?

What is it like to date an Otaku?  Is it possible for an Otaku to find love outside of their beloved community?  And most importantly, how does it all work?  Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, looks to be taking all of these subjects and more head on, in a very charming, heartfelt and hilarious fashion.

It isn’t everyday that I easily venture away from my Anime safety zone: the scifi/mecha/fantasy genres.  When I do though, I often find myself enjoying shows I never thought I ever would: Free, Yuri on Ice, Bamboo Blade, Ouran High School Host Club and Haikyuu to name a few.  And while it would seem like this one would go over my head, Wotakoi seems poised to join the ranks of those shows. 

The setup feels very much in the vein of an American TV Sitcom like Friends or How I met Your Mother, featuring a cast of characters who are tight knit, into similar things and get into some wacky hijinks (If there isn’t a Wotakoi AMV mixed to the theme song from Friends, I need to rectify this ASAP).  Yeah, a lot of the reference and subject matter are cattered to Otaku but if you can enjoy The Big Bang Theory (for whatever ungodly reason) then this is a show I could see working for very casual Anime viewers too.  Every single adventure shared between Narumi, Hirotaka, Hana and Kabakura feels like an everyday event but in an Anime fashion, hence, for me, it can be widly entertaining even if this isn’t a show id approach easily on my own.  Learning more about each individual member of the core quartet only makes me more curious about them, especially how the two Sempai: Hana and Kabakura, ever came to be a couple in the first place.  Kabakura is the most stiff of the group so far, but only a bit more than Hirotaka.  Hana, besides being drop dead gorgeous (dear God), seems to be far more energetic and commanding (also fun loving when it comes to cosplay). I actually never expected there to be much of a clash between fandoms with the core group: Narumi’s general Anime, Hirotaka’s Video Games, Hana’s Cosplay and Kabakura’s…you know I don’t really know what his field of Otakudom is actually.  But man is it fun to watch everyone attempt to get everyone to try their fandom with varied results.

As for Narumi and Hirotaka…they’re pretty good.  Hooking them up almost right away was bold but I did like how Hirotaka, for all his wooden aloofness does seem to have genuine feelings and affections for Narumi, going back to when they were friends in grade school.  Getting these two together also allowed Watakoi to get right into the awkward trials that come with this little experiment.  Narumi is a fangirl of the highest caliber, right down to recognizing Hana’s famous crossplays, who also writes and sells her own Doshinji.  Hirotaka is glued to his Nintendo Switch like gamepad even when he’s at work on lunch break.  This clash of fandoms and character quirks does work better than you might expect.  Most of this comes from the surprisingly touching Hirotaka, despite how dull and uninterested he might sound.  He’s a good balance to the ticking time bomb of overexaggerated reactions from Narumi, though she is pretty cute when she flips out. I was kind of surprised that Wotakoi didn’t keep Narumi’s Otaku lifestyle a secret for very long.  I was immediately reminded of Himouto Umaru Chan in that I assumed the show would focus on Narumi’s constant struggle to keep her hobbies under wraps for fear of social ostracization.  Im actually glad it didn’t go this route.  It keeps things fresher and allows things to be a bit more flexible and daring with its storylines.

Three episodes in and Watakoi actually has me invested in where the romance could lead.  Narumi and Hirotaka are easy to root for and their misadventures are some of the funniest bits ive seen in a slice of life Anime in a long time.  This is a feel good show, easily accessible to non Otaku and loaded with references to tons of shows and games that will help normal Otaku feel right at home.  I can say that I will be continuing it until its conclusion (which right now sits at 11 episodes, I hope this show did better to merit another season maybe).  I’ve got my fingers crossed that things do workout for the two Otaku…but I also hope they don’t reach their big happy ending so soon…cause their pratfalls and the hilarity that comes with it might make this the feel good Anime of the decade.