Un très très bon manga ! Des personnages atypiques et une belle histoire humoristique. J'adore ! La suite est sortie depuis longtemps et j'ai pu la lire, c'est de mieux en mieux !

This is a super quick and cute read that would primarily appeal to those that consider themselves to be an otaku (huge fan of anime, manga, and gaming/tech) like that characters. It's definitely a rom-com that runs a little on the slower side so if you're one that wants a lot of actions early on and upfront, this title may miss the mark with you. However, if you enjoy a good, cozy slow burn romance (with a dash of geekiness), I definitely recommend giving this a try!

this was super cute rom-com manga that I devoured very quickly. I really liked the art style and how the story progressed!

The art style was cute and I liked the basic plot for the most part. The story was not the greatest but this was an okay story that filled an afternoon.

This is a HILARIOUS rom-com(ish) comic. The chapters are very episodic and slice of life, I only wish it had more of an overarching and interconnect plot. Still, it's HILARIOUS and the illustrations are great.

This was a fun first volume in the series, that introduced the characters well and set the scene. The story follows Narumi, an office worker who likes yaoi, and Hirotaka, a 'salaryman' who loves games. They hide their respective interests, fearing that they'll become social outcasts if anyone finds out, but slowly begin to get to know each other and realise that they're very similar. I enjoyed the humour in this book, and the art was so well drawn, but I probably won't continue on with the rest of the series, because it didn't captivate me enough.

[This is an initial review written as part of a regular "Our Favourite Media of the Month" feature. A full review will follow and be added.]

Wotakoi Omnibus Volume 1 by Fujita, translated by Jessica Sheaves — I live-tweeted this one, mostly accidentally, because it's fun. They're childhood friends who work at the same company! She collects (and draws) BL manga and games! He is a massive video game nerd! Together they... Work together, wrangle Comiket, and sort-of date?

Wotakoi cracked me up, because in some ways it reminds me of my own social group – if you have ever had to ask one of your best friends to edit your smut for you the night before a deadline, this manga sees you – and all of the different flavours of nerdery you can find. Some of the humour doesn't work for me (there's a few scatological jokes and a recurring theme about how flat-chested the protagonist is, which leaves me cold), but mostly it's warm-hearted and fun. ... And then it blindsided me with quiet, sincere moments of genuine affection!

But yes, it's fun and funny, and might work as a pick-me-up if you too binged Complex Age and need something happy about fannishness to soothe your fractured heart.

[This is the full review that will be listed on the Lady Business website next week]

My first inclination based off the premise of <em>Wotakoi</em> was to do a comparison between it and <em>Complex Age</em>, as they SOUND like they're talking about similar things – a young office worker who's heavily into fandom gets dumped because her boyfriend finds out she's a fujoshi! (Here used for someone's who heavily into BL manga/games, although I believe in Japan it has specific connotations.) But if you were expecting any similarities between the two, they stop there – <em>Complex Age</em> is a coming of age story about fandom and societal expectations, whereas <em>Wotakoi</em> is (almost) a dating-of-convenience story between a social group of geeks who work in the same office and nerd out together!

... I’m not gonna lie, my main note on the first omnibus of Wotakoi is just “I FEEL CALLED OUT!” in big letters.

<a href="https://twitter.com/Spindilly/status/999902021653164034">I livetweeted <em>Wotakoi</em>, because it is <em>full</em> of mutual admiration, which works for me! It honestly reminded me of my own friendship group and all the different styles of nerdery you find side-by-side in the wild (especially the fannishness, because <em>look at these beautiful nerds cosplaying and drawing doujinshi with all their hearts</em>)! Especially because there's awkwardness and affection in equal measure!

<em>Wotakoi</em> is mostly comedic, which doesn't always work for me (Seriously, there are SO MANY JOKES about the protagonists' chest sizes. SO MANY), but when it's doing geeky humour it's <em>great.</em> Plus, sometimes it just blindsided me with sincere emotion, which I am <em>absolutely here for!</em> The protagonists are trying to date despite one of them having been in love forever and the other literally never having considered the idea before. It's sweet and kinda slow-burn despite the fact that the initial getting together happens in chapter one! Seeing them trying to negotiate their relationship, and build on the friendship that came before it, was <em>great</em> for me.

But yes, I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm planning to pick up the rest of the series to see where it goes.

<em>[This review is based off a review copy provided by Netgalley.]</em>

Wotakoi is about a group of friends who are all varying degrees of Otaku. The two main characters, Narumi, a fujoshi who's hiding her real self from the world and Hirotaka, a hardcore gamer grew up together and now work together. Narumi has a string of failed relationships behind her and Hirotaka has a pretty big (and adorable) crush. They get together, but could this convenient coupling actually be true love?

I found this pretty refreshing actually. The art is SOLID and the humor is mature, but different to mainstream manga these days. I'm hoping the next volumes live up to the first.

Very real love story, but also great insight into modern Japan. Not sure the best ages for this, likely older teens (YA) and adults.

I lovd reading manga. So this was a good treat for me. The story is about the otakus(which is person who obsesses over a pop culture most the time it's anime or video game.) Who are adults.
I liked how the mangaka showed how adult otakus are. Otakus who are adults will relate to this. And also story line is to good. You will love reading this and won't regret it. It's funny to.
And also apprently there a anime on this. But before you watch it, you should read this. You will enjoy on it.
Thank you to mangaka/author and netgalley for providing me with the e-book and this has in no way has influenced my review.

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku is something of a rarity still in the US — it’s a manga starring adults in an office setting. It’s a comedy about nerds in their workplace and romantic lives, which I tried because I like seeing more mature characters in manga than the usual school-age kids.

Narumi has been hiding her fandom, because guys keep dumping her for liking yaoi. (She won’t date another otaku, because they’re “creepy”.) She bumps into old friend Hirotaka, a gamer who doesn’t care who knows it, at work, and the two start pretending to date. Their two best friends, slightly older co-workers, are also geeky and also dating, but more for real.

The series is a little slow to get going if you’re not as hardcore into video games and references as it is, but there are plenty of notes to help. The chapters are short, interspersed with one-pagers and sometimes character comparisons. Since the series began as a webcomic, it’s understandable that it’s episodic. I liked best the chapters with clearer purposes, as when Hirotaka helps Narumi exhibit at a comic convention, or when all four of them end up at Hirotaka’s apartment for a gaming party.

Kodansha’s presentation is nice and chunky, with two Japanese volumes in each US book. I liked the second half more than the first, because once it gets past the establishment of the premise, it settles down to short gag chapters with events that were more about the group hanging out, less about making fandom points. Narumi’s friend, a cosplayer, tries to talk her boyfriend into dressing up, or we meet Hirotaka’s clueless younger brother, or they all try playing an MMORPG together. Now that we’ve gotten to know the characters, these everyday events are enjoyable to share with them. It’s fun hanging out with other adult geeks.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is the first volume in the Otaku Can't Fall in Love manga by Fujita. This series was originally published in 2015, but the English translation was released in April of 2018.

Narumi and Hirotaka are, by all appearances, a power couple. They're young, good-looking professionals. But they have secrets from everyone but each other: They're serious geeks! Narumi is a fujoshi, and Hirotaka's a hardcore gamer. Their sweet, awkward love story started life as a webcomic before becoming a full-blown manga series by popular demand, and is about to become a major anime series!

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is a fun manga series that shows day in the life drama of gamers and geeks that are also friends. They might all have real jobs, and look professional, but they also love anime, games, or cosplay. I liked the story arch about them all trying to find their place in their friend group, and in relationships. It is complicated and sometimes cringe-worthy, just like real life. I liked the story and the characters, but to be honest I wanted more of the secondary couple, I found them to be a little more interesting, but as a whole the story was light and fun. I like that the book offered vocabulary and information for terms that casual readers might not already know or need some clarification on. I think I might follow up with the next book, or maybe I will wait for the anime.

It is rare that I don't enjoy a graphic novel especially one that has such a cute story line. While I did enjoy the artwork very much, I just had a hard time being drawn into the story. Even as a gamer myself, I just found the whole plot a bit hard to relate to. It could just be a case of not fully understanding the the life of an Otaku. That being said, the love story is cute in its way and the artwork is lovely. I do think the novel will find the right audience, I just wasn't one of them.

Super cute and funny manga which I think is a great place to start if you've never tried reading mangas before. It is easy to read and the story is so adorable that you will fly through it.

A pretty well drawn manga. However, I didn't really connect with the characters and found the story a bit challenging to enjoy.

Wotakoi was unexpectedly funny! I knew there would be some comics but a lot of the humor was extremely relatable for me being a lifelong geek. I liked all 4 of the main characters and their interactions with each other while exploring different areas of nerd culture. I did feel that the romance development between Narumi and Hirotaka is kind of weak. While yeah, dating as an adult is difficult and awkward and not very clear, but it is so sudden and suddenly they're just in a relationship and like each other. The romance between the other two characters is better developed. Will definitely be following this series in the future.

The artwork is darling, but I found it challenging to connect with the characters. A quicker plot progression would go a long way.

Unfortunatly I didn't really like this Manga.
I just could not get invested in the story and didn't connect to the characters in any way.
I still think it is not a bad Manga, but it is just not for me

o when I started reading this manga I was hoping that it would go a bit deeper than it actually went. I was hoping that the story overall had more substance than it had, maybe that will happen in the next volumes, I don’t know.

In the first English volume, there are two Japanese volumes. And in this volume we are introduced to the character. I do have to say that I love the way the characters interact with each other and the fact that they are not teenagers. And I actually enjoy the main couple, they female part of this couple is very different when she is around her friends and her boyfriend, than with her co-workers because she can be her true otaku self around them. I did like the humor, but I didn’t always get all the references they were throwing in there and I have watch my fair share of anime.

Would I recommend this to anyone who is new to manga and anime? No, because you won’t get the term used by the characters. Would I recommend this to anyone who enjoys manga and anime and wants something lighthearted? Yes.

Wotakoi was a good read and I liked the idea of two nerds falling slowly in love.

But with all the games references it was hard to fall in love with the manga. I’m sorry but this time I enjoyed the anime more than the book. It just comes out so harsh.

I would recommend to watch the anime first and then reading all the Mangas. It’s much funnier this way.