This book is very kawaii! It's about two young co-workers that are both geeks, one is an otaku and one is a gamer. They are also joined by their fellow colleagues, who are also their friends. I would definitely read the other volumes because it's just so adorable.

Overall, I found very light and an easy to read manga. It would make you laugh, smile, and smirk. So if you want a fast-paced manga that isn't complicated, read Wotakoi.

I request a reading copy of this manga because of the rating and that there is a lot of feedback about it. However, I was a little bit disappointed while reading it because it was not what I've expected it to be. It is not that great and that I find nothing spectacular especially with the characters and on the flow of the story.

I thought this book was adorable. I love how it went into detail about how characters are deeply affected by fictional characters. I thought the premise was original and the artwork was nice, but I wish there was more. However, I can't completely fault this manga for not having everything I wanted because it is the first in a series.

I'm so used to webcomics being fully colored manga strips that it been a long time since I actually read a manga that is traditionally made, meaning black and white and full of comedy. I was able to read this amazing eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Real-Life-Otaku by Fujita, which is apart of the Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku series.


I give this book a star for having amazing drawings and artistry

I also award this manga with another star for its content and original content

Unfortunately, that is where the stars stop. I feel that this book would be better loved for those who are either an older teenager but not for an adult. 

There are times when I read the manga I feel that I am too old or the characters are too immature in their actions throughout the plot of the manga. This is surely one of those times because I felt that the reactions for most of the problematic moments in the novel were just too wacky even for a goofball like me.

I will also admit that I am not in tune with the Japanese pop culture since Netflix became an app. I felt that the drawing style was amazing and I really loved how it reflected real life in the way the objects, and environments were drawn however I just did not connect with this manga. I feel that I am more interested in more emotional manga such as Violet Evergreen, and not a com temporary romance novels of being an otaku.

Downloaded for review purposes. I really really enjoyed this. The characters are developed and it really incorporates what it means to be an affected fan of something while in a workplace. YEs, the death of a favourite character CAN throw off your entire day.

Narumi es una joven oficinista que esta iniciando su trabajo en una nueva compañía, es una apasionada fujoshi que intenta mantener oculta su afición. Por otra parte Hirotaka es un callado y capacitado oficinista adicto a los juegos de video, sin embargo al ser puntual y productivo en su trabajo, no intenta mantener en secreto su afición. Ambos se conocen desde la escuela y se han reencontrado en la misma oficina, en adelante ambos comenzarán una relación que al principio parece no ser romántica.
Es una historia verdaderamente muy divertida con la cual me senti en ocaciones muy identificada.
Este es el primer tomo de 6 (hasta la fecha, creo?) y lo que mas adoro es la relacion tan extraña entre Narumi y Hirotaka.

♥

I wanted to really like this but I just found it ok. That could have something to do with watching the anime adaptation of it as well. Regardless I just didn't find it that funny and the plot was pretty aimless.

Ce manga est un manga que j'attendais depuis très longtemps! Non seulement, je suis fan de la couverture, mais le résumé m'intéressait énormément!

Dans Wotakoi: love is hard for otaku, nous suivons principalement Narumi et Hirotaka qui se connaissent de longue date. Ces deux otaku travaillent dans la meme société.

Tandis qu'Hirotaka assume complètement son coté otaku, Narumi elle, a du mal à cause du regard des autres. Pour elle, ça n'est pas socialement acceptable de révéler ce côté de sa personnalité. D'ailleurs, pour elle, l'échec de ses relations amoureuses précédentes est du au fait qu'ils ont tous fini par découvrir que c'était une véritable passionnée.

Par un fameux concours de circonstance, ces deux se retrouvent à sortir ensemble. Cependant, bien qu'ils aient en commun le fait d'être tout les deux des otaku, cela ne rend pas pour autant leur relation plus simple.

Malheureusement, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à me plonger dans cette histoire. Premièrement à cause de Narumi qui m'a tout bonnement exaspérée, ensuite à cause du manque d'intrigue. En général, le fait qu'il n'y ait pas d'intrigue ne me dérange pas, mais ici, je me suis énormément ennuyée.

En revanche, j'ai beaucoup aimé l'humour très présent dans ce manga, ainsi que les différents clins d'oeil à la culture des jeux vidéos, des animes et bien plus encore.

En conclusion, j'ai beaucoup apprécié le thème principal du manga ainsi que l'humour. Néanmoins, ce double volume n'aura pas su me convaincre malgré son potentiel.

This was so, so cute! I love a romance that is centered around nerd stuff, and these two are definitely huge nerds. I'm interested in the character/plot development so far, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. (Plus it just got an anime!)

Hirotaka seems to be more of a Virgo and not a Pieces... Not to be bias by any means being a Virgo myself. Okay, I may be partial as my boyfriend is a Taurus. Parts of the story is a little difficult to follow along with at the beginning. But the further I go in to the story the more it makes sense and I love it. I do recommend this manga for anyone who is a otaku even in the slightest. Has bits of romance and nerdiness. I loved it.

LOVED IT!!!

The premise is great and the way you are slowly introduced to the characters and their challenges is fun. I particularly enjoyed the dictionary/explanation of all of the allusions at the end of each book of the manga. The main four characters all work together and have their own levels of being an otaku. The two main characters are all out! They are Otaku to the highest level. Their co-workers are also into otaku habits, but are much more able to pass in the real world as normal. The two main characters begin a relationship. It turns out to be more than the bargain they made at the start of the relationship. Watching these two as they grow into their romance was cute. At the end of this one I wanted to read more! I am looking forward the the next few books in this series!

2.5/3 stars

I had some mixed feelings concerning this story and a little unsure what to say. Originally, I picked it up because it sounded like a lot of fun and really loved the cover.

The story in many ways *was* fun. However, I was personally caught off guard by the amount of perverted comments or conversations. It really put a damper on things.

Though even with that said, I do commend the author because I still kept reading. This story *really* is a rom com with an awkward romance and that was a lot of fun to read. It was super cute and loved how the couple related to each other in many ways.

Not only that, but I have not read a story that had fun online game roleplaying and many references to video games and anime. That. Was. SUPER. fun! I had to laugh at Hirotaka and his epic video game skills. As an excellent Mario Kart racer, that particular scene was gold.

I'm still debating if I will continue the series. I wasn't super fond of both Narumi and Hirotaka senpai as well as the said perversion. Some of the smaller font was hard to read and admit to ignoring some of it when there were longer "paragraphs."

If you enjoy a fun, awkward romance with great video games jokes/references, but don't mind some of the things I mentioned above, then I think this would be a great read.

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)*

DNF at page 112.

I really wanted to like this much more than I did. Someone out there will like this one...

One of my favorite animes this season is Wotakoi so when I saw the first volume up on Netgalley I requested it so fast I gave my mouse whiplash. I loved it! I don't think I've related this hard to a manga in forever.

Wotakoi is the slice-of-life office romance manga that I never knew I needed! I seriously loved everything about it! I really enjoyed the fact that the romances are between people in their mid-to-late 20s but it also did an excellent job showing older otaku in a positive light! Being in my early 30s myself, it was really refreshing to see representation of anime/manga fans, cosplayers, and video gamers that I could relate more to. After reading it, I can see why this series has been so popular in Japan. I'm so glad that it's finally been translated to English!

I love the romance between Narumi and Hirotaka! They've been friends since they were kids so they know a lot about each other. I found it charming that as well as they know each other they have to start at ground zero romantically. It was fun watching them learn about one another on a such a different level. It's been a while since I've laughed this hard while reading a manga.

Good news! The other romance between Kabakura and Koyanagi is just as good! They are the other couple's work and otaku buddies. They have a slightly different romance since they have been dating since high school. Unlike Narumi and Hirotaka, they know each other completely and their slightly antagonistic romance was adorable. One of my favorite parts was watching them trying to help the other two with their relationship.

The illustrations were beautiful and the storyline was quirky and different! And it had so many fun otaku references. Plus, all of the BL side jokes and gaming references were awesome for this otaku. Overall, the whole thing just cracked me up! If you're looking for a cute and nerdy office romance, I can't recommend this manga enough! I can't wait to get my hands on volume two!

A fun story with a lot of meta-content for long-term fans of anime and manga. I would defiantly recommend this title for a light, refreshing read featuring crisp drawings and hilarious comedic scenes.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku 1 by Fujita

DNF @ page 53

I don't know. I just could not get into this one. I tried. I wanted something cute, light and fluffy and with cheesy office romance, but I was unimpressed with the pointless plot. The panels were packed with too many words and it overshadowed the art. It was unappealing to my eyes and the story wasn't enough to hold my attention. I'm probably just being incredibly negative and everyone will love this, but I'm not loving it and I won't be continuing.


Cover Thoughts: It's cute and fluffy.

Thank you, Netgalley and Kodansha Comics, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

If you like anime, manga, games, etc. you'll probably enjoy this manga! It's about two office workers who were childhood friends reconnecting and dating as a convenience. I really enjoyed the fact that this wasn't about high schoolers and about adults. As an adult who could be considered an otaku (who am I kidding? I probably am) I loved reading about others and I connected with all the characters in different ways. I look forward to reading more of the series and watching the anime!

This was so much fun! I already watched the anime before reading, so it was nice to see the differences. I honestly recommend that everyone read this and watch the anime.

Book Review
Title: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
Author: Fujita
Genre: Manga
Rating: *****
Review: So, it isn’t often that manga appears on NetGalley but as soon as it does I request it without hesitation as I am a huge otaku myself (my OTP now is a three-way tie between Victor and Yuuri from YOI or Aoba and Koujaku or Aoba and Noiz from DRAMAtical Murder). So, we are introduced to Hirotaka and Narumi who were friends back in elementary school and are both hardcore otakus. If you don’t know what an otaku it, it is a young person who is obsessed with computers or aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills or basically a hardcore gamer. Narumi is also a fujoshi - a self-mockingly pejorative Japanese term for female fans of manga and novels that feature romantic relationships between men. While Narumi decides to hide the fact, she is an otaku from everyone except Hirotaka because her boyfriends kept dumping her because of it, Hirotaka is out and proud about being an otaku.
As this manga series centres around romance I am almost 100% sure that at some point Hirotaka and Narumi will become a couple. And they do quite quickly although they disguise it as helping each other out with their individual otaku clicks and I was actually really excited to see where this relationship was going. Normally, I am not a fan of romance with the major exception of being a fujoshi myself (sigh!) However, their best friends are also in a relationship making double dates super easy but this manga while using some obscure references that only otaku will understand also makes references to very mainstream anime/manga series like neon genesis evangelion.
Narumi and Hirotaka’s relationship develops a little strangely at first because the transition from friends to couple is a little weird for them but they begin to work with instead of against their own unique quirks. One of my favourite parts so far is when Narumi sells her own BL comic and Comiket which is a bit like Comic Con and Hirotaka helps her finish her story and then travels to the event with her as a dedicated boyfriend would and it was just a completely cute and adorable scene. I already know that I will most definitely be continuing with this series.
Despite the hardships their relationship faces we see Narumi and Hirotaka develop a relationship that neither has ever had before and I also love seeing the relationship between Hanako and Kabakura. The first five episode make up the first volume and all of them were amazing and it has a realistic vibe, what I mean by that is the characters and the situations they find themselves in could happen anywhere in everyday life they don’t seem really out there and unrealistic like other (romance) manga. I also really loved the bonus comic strips that follow some of the episode they are funny and the references they make are just hysterical.
In the second volume we re-join the couple’s in the everyday lives and as all four of them are otakus they get along quite well although they have their differences for example, Hanako is really into cosplay and wants Kabakura to cosplay with her but he refuses because it would be embarrassing however, he is the only one of the group that hasn’t actually done any cosplay even Hirotaka has done a gender swap cosplay and damn he looked good.
We are also introduced to a new character Naoya also known as Nao who is Hirotaka’s younger brother by seven years who was also great friends with Narumi. I really loved the scene where Kabakura is sure that Nao is hitting on Narumi but then he thanks her for dating his older brother because he hasn’t found anyone he has connected with before, she is the only person. There was also a funny scene where Hanako bribes Kabakura into getting into a gender swap cosplay and I just found myself laughing out loud. I also liked the types of games played within this series they don’t stick to one type or genre. They play a range of games from solo handheld games to multi player MMORPG games. However, Nao is the odd one out as he is a non-otaku and is awful at games so is often left by the side-lines when everyone else is playing but isn’t salty about it he even enjoys watching other people be happy.
We also learn more about our characters like the fact that both Hirotaka and Narumi fear thunder and the first heartbreak Hirotaka had was when Narumi started dating other guys and not him although he never expressed his feelings. However, the heartbreaking thing was he went and got his ear pierced because her boyfriend at the time had piercing and she still didn’t notice him in that way making him feel terrible and she still isn’t aware of this, poor Hirotaka.
In the final section of this volume, we begin to see Hirotaka questioning whether he and Narumi are actually dating or whether they are friends who say they are dating so he formally invites Narumi on a date and she accepts. I can’t wait to read Volume 3 of this series, it is seriously funny with amazing artwork and compelling characters. If you want a funny, realistic manga then I highly recommend Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku.

My brain says three stars, but my heart says four. I think you need to trust your heart when it comes to humour and geeky references. We have two otaku couples. Our main couple, Narumi Momose (The all-round geek who loves her anime and manga and cries at character deaths) and Hirotaka Nifuji (A hardcore gamer with a cool demeanour).

Our second comic is Tarō Kabakura (The less-intense, grumpy otaku) and Hanako Koyanagi (Who loves cosplaying as male characters and reading yaoi)

The premise
Wotakoi centres around these two otaku couples and their antics in the workplace, on MMORPGs, gaming conventions or just when they chill together at home. This comic had me laughing from my belly several times. I really enjoy how the comic breaks through the stereotype of an otaku being a reclusive and anti-social person.

The plot
There is none, and I love it.

The Romance
Okay, I really loved the romance in this one. Momose and Hirotaka are a newly-formed couple trying to establish their routines, interactions and understanding of each other. I really enjoyed Momose and Hirotaka's relationship because they have been friends since childhood, and the way they reconnect based on their past is great.

While Taro and Hanako have been dating for years: I love Taro and Hanako because of just how much they tease and shout at each other.

The References
My inner geek was made so happy by these Neon Genesis Evangelion references:

Conclusion
Wotakoi is an enjoyable slice-of-life manga that I'd recommend to anyone who loves this genre of anime. It's sweet, reference-fueled and really, really funny.