My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku Vol 1 by Nico Nicholson was a cute and fun volume to read and SO nostalgic for me, having also been an avid...anime fan in the '90s.

We follow a relatable, endearing FML as she reflects and helps empower us who remember and bridge those younger to some of the things we dealt with as otakus during this time. It's so mainstream now all over the world, but it wasn't always like that. Full of fun references, OMG I did that too moments and adorable style to the art this is a series I can't wait to dive more into.

Rating: 3.82 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover (+art): 4.75/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shojo
-Comedy: 2/5
-Romance: 2/5
-Shojo: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed it! It feels like home girl is going to end up meeting her penpal AND the guy from high school but I'm not sure. Really would love to read more from the series.

A very fascinating look at how cultural norms change over time. Meggers is a very relatable character and you find yourself rooting for both her past and present self. A great read alike for fans of Wotakoi.

“Today’s otaku don’t know how good they have it,” thinks Megumi Sato, a forty-two year-old single mother and focus of Nico Nicholson’s My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku. And to be fair, she’s 100% right. During that time, admitting that you liked anime was worse than saying you were a Trekkie or a Star Wars fan. A mere mention of Sailor Moon or Goku was asking for a trip to Swirly Town or Wedgie City, with even tabletop gaming nerds aligning themselves with the schoolyard bullies. But now, anime and manga rule the world, whilst the other sci-fi stuff are but mere shells of their former selves. (Insert evil laugh here.)

So yes, anime fans and manga readers are now looked at with admiration. But it wasn’t an easy battle for us, especially those who planted their boots on the ground first for the likes of Robotech and Ranma 1/2. We’ve got those stories about what lengths we had to go to not just find the anime stuff we loved, but also hide it from the biggest critics. Have you ever had to go to Suncoast to spend $20 for a two-episode VHS of the uncut Tenchi Muyo!? Because I did, and let me tell you: my wallet still has PTSD over the amount of money I spent on overpriced anime!

Sorry, old war flashback took over. Where was I? Oh yeah, My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku. So Megumi, who now has an anime-loving daughter of her own, reflects on her high school life, where she did her very best to hide her hobby. She enters Tama North Public High School, and attempts to blend in with the other kids. But her nervous introverted self often takes over, as she fantasizes over the likes of Slam Dunk and Evangelion. That’s when Masamune Kaji enters her life.

At first, Kaji seems intimidating, giving off bully and punk vibes. But Megumi soon finds out that he’s the class president, and a wiz at basketball. After an afternoon with him involving a scuffle and a nap, Megumi may just have found a true high school crush. But there’s a problem: Kaji doesn’t just dislike otaku; he downright despises them! So poor Megumi must now do her best to hide this side of her from the most popular boy at school.

I’ll admit that I felt like there was a bit too much punching down at the anime fandom in the first volume of My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku. However, I had to keep reminding myself that this was the way things were. Having Megumi constantly beat herself up over her love of anime is something that I sometimes had to do myself in order to fit in. (Thankfully, things took a turn for the better during the turn of the century, when anime on American TV hit its first sweet spot for the mainstream world.)

Hence why I have to applaud Nicholson’s storytelling here, as it does a great job of focusing on the mentality of anime fans. Hiding this passion was easier said than done, but it results in a bit of loneliness. That’s why things like pen pals came in handy, which Megumi has in the form of “Yui”. But what Megumi doesn’t realize is that “Yui” isn’t another girl-in-arms for anime, a fact that puts the male pen pal in a predicament that could jeopardize his friendship.

Much of the first volume of My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku is focused on Megumi doing her best to fit in. She has her troubles when it comes to Michiko, who does nothing to hide her love of anime and attempts to pull Megumi back into the nerd fold. But where the story shines is in her interactions with Kaji. Perhaps the strongest part comes in a shopping trip between the two of them, which gives the students plenty of moments to bond.

However, there’s Kaji’s issues with otaku, and it has nothing to do with a certain real-life serial killer who identified himself as part of the anime culture. Where his issues rest are in his own home, with a mother who spends her days glued to the boob tube, ignoring her children. It’s a lone image that gives readers a very good idea on why Kaji has a disdain for anime and manga, and one that certainly has plenty of potential of building towards something deeper.

Still, the question remains: how come Megumi is reflecting on all of this in the present day? Is she trying to figure out what went wrong with her marriage? Could she maybe have the urge to seek out Kaji or “Yui”? Will something from her past play into what is about to occur in her future? I’m not entirely sure, but there are many different routes this manga can take.

It’s these possibilities that make My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku an interesting read. You can tell that Nicholson puts a lot of love for anime in their series, what with the references and homages to shows past. But where this story will go — on top of Megumi’s current journey destination — remain to be seen. Could anime of today be the answer, or will her past offer a proper clue as to where she should go in her life? Whatever it may be, it’s bound to be something that’ll resonate with any anime fan reading My Lovesick Life as a ‘90s Otaku.

This was a cute little volume about anime fans in the 90s and now. In the 90s, Megumi was a secret Otaku, fan of anime, manga, and video games. She had to transfer schools because of how she was being treated for her interests, so at her new school she tries to focus on her love life and put her Otaku ways behind her. In the present, Megumi is a single mom whose daughter is an Otaku, but in a time when it is much more accepted. This was a fun little story and the art was pretty cute.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me with a copy of this volume!

This was a cute and fun volume to read. We follow Megumi, as she is reflecting back on her life as a teenage otaku in the '90s. During this time, she tried to keep this part of her life a secret in order to fit in with her peers (very different compared to now). I really loved all the references to '90s manga/anime! I was not familiar with all of the references, so having the translation notes at the end was great!

I really really loved this. Adult Meg and kid Meg were both very relatable. I enjoyed the artwork! I enjoyed the story. Looking forward to volume 2!

Thank you NetGalley for sending an eARC in exchange of an honest review!

This is such a sweet and funny read! I’m enjoying reading about Megumi’s 90s otaku life and her struggle to accept who she truly is. I’m thoroughly enjoying the way the story is unfolding. The dynamic between Megumi and the Prez is interesting and I’m excited to know more about it in future volumes. I’m also very invested in the Yui storyline (I hope this develops more).

I’m also loving seeing Megumi in 2023 as a 42 year old mom of a 16 year old otaku, it’s super cute and I’m hoping to see more of present Megumi in future volumes (with perhaps a love interest).

Favourite quote of the manga;
“Why is it bad to be an otaku? One anime can change a person forever. One manga can stir a person’s soul … or even save their life.

When something has such power … why is it bad to love it so fiercely?”

This is a definite 5 stars and will continue this series as well as start collecting the physical volumes!

This is a cute idea, but I'm not really invested in the characters or story enough to want to continue the series. The art is nice, but not my style.

High School is tough for everyone. But when you like something that isn’t mainstream you’re seen as weird, creepy, and an outsider. The same is true for our heroine Megumi Sato. She’s considered an “otaku” which is someone who loves manga, anime, and video games. And in the 90’s? Otaku were outcasts with no friends, no love life, nothing.
The story is told in two parts, by 42 year-old Megumi whose teenage daughter is an Otaku and yet she is still popular and cool. Then also by 17 year-old Megumi as she transfers to a new school and does her best to hide her Otakudom from her fellow classmates so she can finally “fit in”.
This story was adorable and pulled on my heart strings because I was an early 2000’s “manga kid”. And it wasn’t something I really embraced because it was different. Megumi is relatable and funny, she’s just coming into herself but she’s fighting between who she thinks she should be and who she really is. Will she show everyone her true self? Or will she hide it for popularity and a possible romance?

Omg! This manga was so good! Reminds me of my middle school days although thankfully I was born a smidge later than the heroine and it was so cool to be into manga and anime! I’m super invested in what happens next and on the lookout for the next volume! Love the flash forwards too, nice to see future Megumi!

Thank you Kodansha publishing for providing me with the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku.
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As a woman born in the 90s that loved anime this manga hit me in the feels. Even though the mother ( main character) of this story is in her 40s and im in my 30s I still found it very relatable. The "struggles" I faced as a pre teen and teen who enjoyed anime in the US lined up with her struggles. There was very much a bias towards Otakus and or "anime nerds" when I was growing up.

I found the artwork to be cute and detailed and the storyline to be quick and up beat. I look forward to the next installment in what I hope to be an amazingly sweet and entertaing series.

Big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this!!

4.5 stars

My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku is a cute, lighthearted, rom-com manga packed full of 90s anime nostalgia. The perspective changes Megumi as a teen girl balancing her otaku interests with trying to make friends at her new school vs Megumi as a 42-year-old single mother navigating that chapter of her life were done quite well, and that’s something I haven’t seen done in many mangas, so it was a nice change of pace. The little references to 90s anime and manga were really fun, especially the Tokyo Babylon ones, I haven’t seen that particular manga referenced a lot in newer manga. The character dynamics are also delightful, but I wish we could’ve gotten to see a bit more of “Yui”, as I found his character very intriguing. The cliffhanger at the end made me want to pick up the rest of the series immediately. I can’t wait to see how this story progresses, especially on Masamune’s end.

I found myself relating so much to Meggers, the main character of this book! I was much like her as a younger person-- very invested in my anime and manga, and a bit nervous to share my love for these niche things in public for fear of being made fun of. Kids today truly don't know the struggle. This was hilarious, totally sweet and I cannot wait to keep reading more of Megumi's story!

This volume was amazing! It trainspotter me back to being a high schooler again and living through some of these troubles myself but in the most hilarious way!
I loved the inner monologue from Megumi and all of the references throughout… some of which even I hadn’t heard of!
Truly brilliant and cannot wait to see how the story develops. Highly recommend!!

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku 1 by Nico Nicholson was a sometimes funny, sometimes a bit melancholy manga volume about a single mom who notices how much easier it is being an anime fan in today's culture compared to when she was a teen in high school. Most of the volume is a flashback of some of her experience, struggling with her fandom love while also wanting to be accepted by her peers. In moving to a new school, she gets a crush on the popular basketball player in her class and tries to hide her interests from him after he says that he hates otaku, though could there be more to that than meets the eye? Overall, I enjoyed this volume and the art was great, though in seeing where the mom is now, I'm worried there won't be a happy ending for her. Reading this definitely made me grateful to have become an otaku in this day and age though!

This was absolutely hilarious!!!! I loved this story. As a fellow otaku who also had been judged for her likes this is so cute! I empathize with the main character so much and the art style is seriously adorable. I like the budding romance and this is such a good beginning I'm absolutely going to reading this entire series.

Nico Nicholson's 'My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku' is a heartfelt journey down memory lane, capturing the essence of a generation that found solace and excitement in the world of anime and manga. This autobiographical exploration intertwines the personal with the cultural, creating a tapestry of lovesick adventures in a bygone era.

Nicholson's narrative skillfully weaves together the threads of otaku culture and the universal experience of navigating the twists and turns of young love. The author's authenticity shines through, making the reader feel like a close friend sharing tales of awkward confessions, convention escapades, and the profound impact of iconic anime series.

The 90s were a golden age for anime, and Nicholson expertly captures the spirit of the time. From the ecstasy of discovering a new favorite series to the heartache of bidding farewell to beloved characters, the book immerses readers in the emotional rollercoaster of being a passionate otaku during those years.

What sets this memoir apart is Nicholson's ability to connect personal anecdotes with broader themes. The exploration of how anime and manga served as a guide through the tumultuous waters of adolescence adds depth to the narrative. The author's reflection on the influence of these stories on resilience, courage, and self-discovery resonates with readers who have experienced similar journeys.

The inclusion of the soundtrack of the 90s as a backdrop is a stroke of brilliance. Each reference to opening themes and character songs evokes a sense of nostalgia, creating an immersive experience that transports readers back to the magic of that era.

While the book primarily targets those with a fondness for 90s anime, its universal themes make it accessible to a broader audience. Whether you're a seasoned otaku or someone curious about the cultural phenomenon, 'My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku' offers a charming and relatable narrative that tugs at the heartstrings.

Nico Nicholson's ode to their lovesick past is a delightful read, filled with laughter, tears, and a warm appreciation for the transformative power of anime. It's a love letter to the 90s otaku community and a testament to the enduring impact of those animated dreams on real-life lovesick adventures.

As an otaku pushing 40 this is very relatable and I love the reaction of her protagonist when she sees how much the culture has become mainstream. Seeing how things use to be growing up and seeing the theme of acceptance was very refreshing to see.

Alright, Nicholson-San, why you gotta call us Otaku's out like this?

Every word spoke truth to how it was growing up as an Otaku. *<i>(For the UK it was early 2000's it began big!)</i> The art kids who enjoyed Anime and Manga were seen as weirdos to our peers for appreciating an alternative media. We were closeted. But down to the little details, like using the stationary you would buy in magazines, to the phone charms, to Purikura and sharing your love of your favourites through clothing, hairstyles, art and fanfictions. I felt very seen, and called out. The story itself made me laugh throughout, because of it's relatability and is a very enjoyable read!

I will say, the plot does feel very *predictable* or maybe I've just read too much Manga at this point to understand the storyline and where it might be going. 4.5 Stars!