ヲタクに恋は難しい

WOTAKU NI KOI WA MUZUKASHII

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
11
RELEASE
July 16, 2021
CHAPTERS
115

DESCRIPTION

Narumi Momose has had it rough: every boyfriend she’s had dumped her once they found out she was an otaku, so she’s gone to great lengths to hide it. When a chance meeting at her new job with childhood friend, fellow otaku, and now coworker Hirotaka Nifuji almost gets her secret outed at work, she comes up with a plan to make sure he never speaks up. But he comes up with a counter-proposal: why doesn’t she just date him instead? In love, there are no save points.

(Source: Kodansha USA)

Notes:

Includes 29 extra chapters.
The English edition combines 2 Japanese volumes into one each (so e.g. the first two Japanese volumes are combined into 1 English volume).

CAST

Hirotaka Nifuji
Hanako Koyanagi
Narumi Momose
Tarou Kabakura
Naoya Nifuji
Kou Sakuragi
Kensuke Mitsui
Yoshiki Ichijou
Chiba
Aiba
Baba
Doumoto

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO WOTAKU NI KOI WA MUZUKASHII

Cover Art for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

ANIME ComedyWotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

Cover Art for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA

OVA ComedyWotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA

Cover Art for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Comic Anthology

MANGA ComedyWotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Comic Anthology

REVIEWS

Benkei
87/100
Spoiler-free review of Love Is Hard for Otaku. Amazing comedy with a really nice romance setting.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Considerations ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ● __This is a spoiler-free review.__ ●__ 80+ in my rating means very good media.__ ● I've got to know about this work through the exploration section. I didn't look too much into the synopsis and just started reading. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Narumi Momose, a closed otaku, is facing a lot of problems in her love life because of her tastes. While talking with a childhood friend, Hirotaka Nifuji, who's a hardcore gamer, he suggests that she can date him instead, so she doesn't need to be so contained about her otaku habits. The story of Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii is really well made. It follows a SoL (Slice of Life) style with a lot of focus on the comedy. Even in the beginning, I had a lot of fun reading it, laughing out loud at some jokes and sending panels to some friends. I really find the comedy in it really well made. There's also the romantic side, as they're dating. The romance is good because it covers not only the protagonists and there are different types of couples. The story develops really well, and you can feel the story progressing as you read through the volumes.__ Include all that with the most perfect extras I've ever read in manga__, and there's really nothing for me to complain about. (I can't describe how much I laughed at this) ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Art Style ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art style is really good. There's a solid team with many assistants to deliver really good material. The cover illustrations and the first chapter of every volume are fully colored in an amazing style. It's really so well made that I sent some to a few friends. The manga is really good at dealing with shadows, lights and delivering impact through art. The drawing of video-game characters and other unrealistic scenarios is really well done. The backgrounds, character clothes, and design are well made. There's nothing for me to complain about it. ‎ ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There are a moderate number of characters in this manga; the main couple, their family, and a few coworkers. They're well made. I felt like each one had a different personality, mentality, and something different to add to the story. As the story progresses, the main characters slowly have their moments, showing backgrounds and explaining how and why they are the way they are. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point: __Read it.__ Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii has everything worthy of a recommendation. Really funny comedy, good art, good characters, and a really nice story development.
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ShibuyaConfidential
80/100
Otakus in love and we love them
Wotakoi is one of those manga which is pleasant for a wide variety of readers. It appeals to a young audience as to an older one due to its simple way of portraying love without an excessive dramatization of the events.

The daily life of Otaku couples is portrayed in a delightful way, with no moralism or lecturing or hyperbole of sorts which sometimes this kind of romance may deliver (i.e. long speeches, motivational moralism).

Here we have two established couples (Hirotaka/Narumi become one in Chapter 1), and this gives air to exposing their daily activities which move around work and playtime.

All two couples bring to the table some interesting comedic sketches and hindsight on the struggle to be Otaku and cope with a relationship which may be challenging.

Kabakura/Koyanagi are the counter altar to the new Otaku couple (Narumi/Hirotaka) with their "tsundere" attitude that is probably the pinnacle of the manga.
We more and more gravitate towards them due to their neglecting personality which shows here and there true love and affection boosting their interaction into the heart of the reader.

More pale may appear in the relationship between Hirotaka and Narumi which has no real boost if not towards the end where things have been rushed out slightly. Hirotaka is the interesting one as he does not care about any of the social conventions being a deep introvert he deals with everything around him if it does not disturb his gaming routine (or hurts Narumi) in an apathetic way. Narumi is the hyper-energetic female lead with a peculiar interest in BL that she tries (understandably) to hide.

There is some retrospective about Hirotaka and how childish he is compared to Narumi in his continuous search for loneliness and inability to properly communicate with others, but this is overcome thanks to being surrounded by "his own kind " of people - if you pass me the term. We see him developing as a person without losing his interesting and cryptic nature.

Naoya/Kou is the third couple and felt near to what we expect from a romance, with some slight misunderstanding and communication (typical of a romance), but then again it was handled in a smart and adult way that we never felt any frustration.

The comedy hits the spot due to the nature of his character than the shenanigans in which they are involved - but I admit I have never been a fan of quotes from other shows or too much reference to Otaku culture as I find it a cheap way to make a joke and narrowed to a niche.

Wotakoi moves mostly onto a sea of comedy, the romance is a background but is there, and has to be - otherwise the manga risked falling into an endless circle of daily life activity which is honestly boring. The author was able to develop all the characters calmly and (despite their gimmicks) - make them always look interesting, fresh and engaging, though some issue is the main lead who never looked going anywhere.

A light-hearted story, and a memorable one.
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