#wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii review

[joseispiral]

IN THE GAMER CLOSET (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku)

by Fujita | 11 volumes | 2014-2021

6.5/10

I’m surprised I haven’t read this one before because it’s really popular and allegedly marketed as josei (according to Wikipedia). Perhaps it’s because Wotakoi started on Pixiv as a webcomic. The early chapters fall victim to the rigid, screen-catered panelling and cropping common in webtoons, but it falls away as the work goes into print. It’s cool to see how much the art changes overtime, I have a soft spot in my heart for projects that have a scrappy start. 

I find this manga particularly interesting though, because it seems to fulfill, IMO, a specific and common hetero male fantasy right in the premise: Childhood friends reconnect years later in the workforce and bond over the fact that they are still otaku (anime/gaming nerds). The lead male character, Hirotaka, has difficulty expressing his feelings and spends literally all of his free time gaming but scores his childhood crush who loves and accepts him for who he is because she’s equally a “freak” (albeit a more sociable one). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this fantasy, I don’t use that word with derision; a good romance plays out, and plays with, our collective desires and it’s nice to see a nontoxic fantasy for boys to enjoy. That’s why it doesn’t really feel like josei to me, though - it’s not twisted, it’s not dark, it’s pretty straightforward. There’s not really any of the difficult contradictions I associate with manga geared towards the tortured musings of the adult woman’s mind (lol). I guess I might be biased because my favourite love stories happen to also involve mature topics like realistic representations of labour, gay angst, death and suicide, sex, sex work, gang violence, eating disorders...

Wotakoi almost feels like a seinen premise dressed in shoujo clothes for how light and fluffy it is despite being geared towards an older audience. If it seems I’m hyperfixated on these demographic categories, forgive me, but I think this is a useful angle for analyzing how the story operates. Wotakoi feels a bit like Horimiya (classic tropes of relationship dynamics from both lighthearted and serious angles) meets Sweat and Soap (weirdos in an office setting). I mean hell, one of the romantic side stories was basically just Kimi Ni Todoke action, simplified. I knew what was happening instantly there with Ko and Naoya but I still enjoyed its unfolding. Perhaps it’s more special if you read Ko as genderqueer...?

I understand the argument for Wotakoi being a josei manga, though - I really enjoyed the characterization of the female main, Narumi, with her nerdy interests and how she feels the need to keep it a secret. I was like, “this is exactly how I feel thinking about how I can’t let my students know that I love watching competitive Smash!” (lol.) I liked seeing her friendships with all the different characters, too. The MMORPG sessions with the group, the chance encounters at the manga store, the degenerate collective fantasies between Narumi and Hanako; these situations are all great. It’s this larger social network that really bring the story to life, in my opinion - just the individual romances alone feel a bit too one-note in their progression for me. Which is weird, because that’s usually the juicy part that I’m wanting the most. 

That brings me to the biggest issue I have with the manga. The story is super relaxing to read because it incorporates familiar romantic tropes in a lighthearted tone, and since it’s for an older audience, the characterization feels more realistic in maturity and not over-the-top (unlike Horimiya featuring highschoolers with extreme characterization, who become caricature-like after the first part of the story). On one hand, I appreciate that they’re not acting like caricatures; on the other hand, they still don’t quite have as much dimensionality as I would like to because it feels like everything is going so even and steady all the time. I never really felt like there were stakes or that anything was really in danger of being lost or damaged. I feel like I would have really enjoyed if that subtle characterization was paired with more complex narratives and emotional stakes. There’s something that feels a bit surface or underdeveloped to me in this series, like the author’s refusal to draw the faces of side characters, which becomes a running gag and gets better by the end. Maybe this “stopping short” is a remnant of its doujin-esque roots. Similarly, while the panelling and pacing improves as the series continues, I actually prefer the character designs in the first volume just because they look less cookie-cutter conventionally attractive. There’s something a little more toothy about the rockier art at the beginning.

On the other hand, maybe who cares about “tooth” and it’s just a comforting story for all demographics to enjoy. I thought the ending was lackluster at first but then I realized that it ties things up well in terms of emotional arcs and not everything has to culminate in some crazy dramatic shoujo ending. Hirotaka and Narumi are the chill and low-drama otaku couple, after all. Considering how much Wotakoi plays cliche romance tropes like angsty confessions, angsty group trips, etc. in a pretty conventional way (nothing about the panelling or art felt too exciting or avant-garde to me), I was surprised by how much I liked it. I found it a bit too toothless to really be great but I still had a good time reading it. The art and characters are pleasurable and relaxing to follow and it was cool to see a slice of life so attuned to contemporary internet culture. More gamer mangas please!

P.S. sorry it’s been a while, I realized that I can’t pump out reviews at the standard I want so I’ve given up on polishing them in favour of recording my feelings. So reviews might be a bit inconsistent in style from now on!

[justshitandanime]

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii/ Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (Anime) Critic, opinion, no spoilers

A cute simple serie of “the life of 4 otakus and their normal life issues”, perfect if you are a calm ass like me who don’t want to keep watching a random hero blasting random powers.

The design is pretty fine, and well, don’t expect too much in this kind of anime, like, is not demon slayer lol but yet, in some moments it have a great design.

The story is simple but cute, at least it not fall into the “teenager issues”, thing I appreciate since I’m far far far away of teens (never ask my age). It touch a lot about personal growth, specially how each character grow different from childhood.

Characters? only 4 and is perfectly enough.

The male protagonist is kinda my style of dudes (kind semi tsunderes obviously), he remind me to Saiki K so much that he only need pink hair.

The girl is also great, she is not the overly annoying girl (just a little) which I also welcome.

And the relationship between them is great, a mix of share a a few interest but also a conflict with their personal way to do the things. Even more when you add the other 2.

Score: 3.5/5 and 7/10 Nothing special but good enough if you like soft romance.

[limowlee7389]

2023 Year in Review.

Alchemy of Souls:  Light and Shadow (8/10). The Interest of Love (8/10).  Love to Hate You (7/10).   Call It Love (7/10). Revenant (7/10). Moving (7/10). D.P. 2 (7/10). Arthdal Chronicles:  Sword of Aramun (8/10).  Daily Dose of Sunshine (7/10). My Dearest (9/10).Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (7/10). Yugire ni, Te wo Tsunagu (8/10). Rikon Shiyou Yo (6/10). Hidden Love (8/10). Lost You Forever (9/10).

I am trying something a little different for my year in review. Thought it may be kind of fun to review the year like this.

THEMES

Taylor Swift Era

Anime Era

Webtoon Era

FILM 

Released in 2023

Past Lives (2023) ★★★★★

Oppenheimer (2023) ★★★★☆

Barbie (2023) ★★★★☆

Taylor Swift:  The Eras Tour (2023) ★★★★★

Spider-Man:  Across the Spider-Verse (2023) ★★★★☆

Watched in 2023

Past Lives (2023) ★★★★★

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) ★★★★★

Suzume (2022) ★★★★☆

Decision to Leave (2022) ★★★★★

Palm Springs (2020) ★★★★☆

TELEVISION

Released in 2023

BEEF (2023) ★★★★★

The Bear (2023)(s2) ★★★★★

Everything Now (2023) ★★★★☆

BLUE EYE SAMURAI (2023)(s1) ★★★★★

Ted Lasso (2023)(s3) ★★★★☆

Watched in 2023

The Bear (2022)(s1) ★★★★★

Normal People (2020) ★★★★★

L’amica geniale (2022)(s2&s3) ★★★★★

Killing Eve (2022)(s4) ★★★☆☆

Heart Break High (2022)(s1) ★★★★☆

DRAMAS

My Dearest (2023) ★★★★☆

Lost You Forever (2023) ★★★★☆

Hidden Love (2023) ★★★★☆

The Interest of Love (2023) ★★★★☆

Arthdal Chronicles:  The Sword of Aramun (2023) ★★★★☆

ANIME

Aired in 2023

Skip and Loafer (2023) ★★★★★ 

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (2023) ★★★★★ 

Trigun Stampede (2023) ★★★★☆

Tengoku Daimakyou (2023) ★★★☆☆

Jujutsu Kaisen (2023)(s2) ★★★☆☆

Watched in 2023

Made in Abyss (2017)(s1-s2) ★★★★★

Kimi ni Todoke (2012)(s1-s2) ★★★★★

Mob Psycho 100 (2016)(s1-s3) ★★★★☆

Recovery of an MMO Junkie (2017) ★★★☆☆ 

Beastars (2019)(s1-s2) ★★★☆☆ 

MUSIC - Album

Released in 2023

Barbie the Album ★★★★★

Hannah Jadagu - Aperture ★★★☆☆

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS ★★★★☆

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version) ★★★★★

Stray Kids - ROCK-STAR ★★★☆☆

Listened in 2023

Sweet Crude - Officiel//Artificiel ★★★★★ 

The Greeting Committee - This is It ★★★★★ 

Lizzo - Special ★★★★☆

Taylor Swift - Folklore ★★★★★

fig - BUD ★★★★☆ 

Artists

Taylor Swift

RADWIMPS

THEY.

Stray Kids

Lizzo 

Tracks

Millenium Parade feat. Ringo Sheena - WORK

Kvi Baba - TOMBI

NewJeans - Super Shy 

quinnie - touch tank

Stray Kids - ZONE (Bang Chan, Changbin, HAN)

BOOKS

Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner ★★★★☆ 

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong ★★★★☆ 

Dear Girls by Ali Wong ★★★☆☆ 

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson ★★★☆☆ 

Set Boundaries, Find Peace:  A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab ★★★☆☆ 

GRAPHIC NOVEL - Manga / Webtoon 

Hell’s Paradise:  Jigokuraku ★★★★★

Romance 101 ★★★★☆

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii ★★★★☆

Nice to Meet You ★★★★☆

Sweet Home ★★★★☆

Currently Reading

Skip and Loafer

She’s Just My Type

Mystic Prince 

One-of-a-kind-Romance

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 

Recaps, Challenges, & Lists

2023 Spotify Wrapped

MDL 2023 52-Week Challenge

MDL 2023:  Completed

MDL 2023 Alphabet Challenge

trakt 2023 Watched

2023 serializd: wrapped

serializd 2023: Completed

TV Time 2023 Rewind

letterboxd wrapped

2023 Webtoon Recap

End of Year Drama Challenge 2023 Edition

[theweirdnerd]

I posted 20,382 times in 2022

That's 7,603 more posts than 2021!

7 posts created (0%)

20,375 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@blubebbie

@activateemo

@aftersun2022

@superchat

@jango-of-sparta

I tagged 5 of my posts in 2022

#wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii - 3 posts

#wotakoi - 3 posts

#wotakoi: love is hard for otaku - 3 posts

#love is hard for otaku - 2 posts

#sakuragi kou - 1 post

#kou sakuragi - 1 post

#hololive en - 1 post

#hololive english - 1 post

#amelia watson - 1 post

#watson amelia - 1 post

Longest Tag: 31 characters

#wotakoi: love is hard for otaku

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

That they/them pussy got me inflicted with status effects

1 note - Posted January 22, 2022

#4

Beew

6 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#3

HOLY SHIT

22 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#2

The dreadful slurp

27 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Images that precede The Slaughter

139 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: Mood Board

I’m in the mood for something funny and romantic: Love is Hard for an Otaku

I’m in the mood to be inspired: Run with the Wind

I’m in the mood for something nice, simple, and good: The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent

[blixeysmangatalk]

Wotakoi Review

Overview: 'Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii', known in English as 'Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku' is a romance manga series written and illustrated by Fujita. The series was originally uploaded to Pixiv by Fujita, before being uploaded to a web magazine called 'Comic Pool', created by Pixiv and Ichijinsha from 2014-2021. 'Wotakoi' follows Narumi Momose, a closeted otaku and fujoshi (fujoshi translates to 'rotten girl', and is a term for women or girls who enjoy boy's love romance media). She reunites with her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji at work, who he himself is a hard-core gamer otaku, and the two try out dating. Meanwhile, their Co-Workers, cosplay enthusiast and also fujoshi Hanako Koyanagi and semi-otaku yet bishojo (cute girl) enthusiast Taro Kabakura, try to work out their bickering relationship troubles. Later on, we are introduced to Hirotaka's younger brother, non-otaku, non-gamer, and super cheerful yet naïve Naoya Nifuji. Naoya gets involved with socially anxious, hardcore solo-gamer Ko Sakuragi, and the two awkwardly try to blossom a relationship of their own. The overall story follows these three couples, as Hirotaka and Narumi try to work out dating one another while Narumi tries to hide the fact that she is an otaku from her peers, Hanako and Taro try to work out their problem with fighting one another on a daily basis as they prepare to take their relationship to the next stage, and Naoya and Ko awkwardly try to express their feelings for one another, despite both being inexperienced in the romantic field. An intertwining, nerdy, and adorable love story is the result of the mixture. Review: This manga hits me on a personal level. I grew up an athlete, playing sports ever since I could walk basically. However, I was very interested in video games, comics, cartoons, and anime as well. As I got more popular in highschool, I tried to hide the fact that I am an Otaku myself, and I can admit I still hide it today until I really get to know people. Because of this, the story was incredibly relatable to me, especially out of Narumi. While some readers may not understand Narumi's hesitancy to closeting her inner nerd, I understood and related right away. Because of this, I was already a fan since before really reading the story. And now, as I read the final volume as soon as it delivered to my house today, I can comfortably say this is one of my favorite series I have ever read, easily a top 10 pick for me. The story is cute, funny, angsty at times, and (again at least for me) relatable, and I'm sure any one with even minor Otaku traits could find something that reminds them of themselves in this series. I enjoyed the ending a lot, as I believe all three couples got a satisfying ending that suits them all respectably. The video game and overall nerd-culture references that filled the series from start to finish were enjoyable as well. Also, I love how this story is centered around working adults and college students, rather than your average highschool love. As much as I do enjoy a good highschool love story, it's so refreshing to see one centered around working adults and college students. I also it even easier to relate to, as I too am a working adult/college student. The art style is very shojo-esque, but isn't anything over-the-top either, unless it wants to be in a rather comedic way. I enjoyed all the characters as well, as I could find at least one trait in all of them to be something I could relate to. Despite the love story being nothing special in it's core, what really sets this story apart from others is the fact of how incredibly nerdy it is, and it uses that trait and knocks it out of the park. I can comfortably recommend this to anyone who calls themselves an otaku, a sucker for romance stories, or those who enjoy a nerdier story filled with video game and anime references. Overall, I would rate 'Wotakoi' an 8.5/10, and the only thing keeping it from getting a 9+ would be that the love story can be a little generic and predictable, but I do not mean that as a bad thing.

[mioreviews]

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku

Finally the end has come. For those who don’t know, the ‘Wotakoi’ manga ended! Such a bittersweet moment ( ╥ω╥ )

↑Covers of the first four manga

<Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku> is about a group of otaku office worker friends and how they balance their everyday lives and their obsession for anime, manga, video games, cosplay, you name it. If it wasn’t obvious already, there’s also some 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒.

Probably one of the best slice of life, romance comedy manga out there. Very quickly, people end up in relationships. It was fresh for the story to be about the relationship developing instead of the guy chasing the girl or vice versa. Since its slice of life, there’s no huge drama that happens. No one gets hit by a train or launched into space lol. It’s simple and realistic, but that was the exact reason why I loved it. It was a chill, everyday read, and you could fly through chapters.

The downside is the references might be hard to catch. They reference a lot of anime/manga and video game terms that you won’t get if you aren’t part of that niche fandom. May be hard if you’re a newbie into the otaku world, but catching the references you do know is really fun.

TL;DR

<Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku> was a sweet manga I’m sad to say goodbye to. It blew up when the anime came out, which is exactly what should’ve happened since the manga is so good. If you enjoyed the anime or want a romcom that matches our own everyday anime-loving lives, I recommend <Wotakoi>!

[formulaorange]

Wotakoi - 11 Episodes 2018 Spring Season Idk why I waited so long before watching this. I'm not one for romance shows or slice of life but that's really quickly changing. This show is excellent, very cute and 100% entertaining. I'm a little sad there's only 11 episodes but it just means I have another series to add to my manga collection and read past the anime. lowkey bought the first volume of the manga half way through episode 1 because of how much I enjoyed it. 9/10

[taiyo-tori]

wotakoi: love is hard for otaku (wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii, frequently abbreviated as wotakoi)

genres: slice of life, comedy, romance

number of seasons: 1

studio: a-1 pictures

manga status: completed

what it's about: narumi momose has a secret - she's an otaku. due to her colleagues at work finding out, she resigned and is now looking for a new job. she gets the job and is determined to keep her secret this time. however, hirotaka nifuji, her childhood friend who knows about narumi being an otaku, works at the same company! and, to make it worse, he asks her whether she'll be attending a summer anime convention!! luckily, the only witnesses, hanako koyanagi and tarou kabakura, are otaku as well. narumi and hirotaka go out for drinks, and hirotaka suggests that narumi might want to try dating an otaku so that she wouldn't have to hide her interests. he suggests himself, promising to care for narumi, and so begins their relationship!

my personal opinion (i usually rate anime on the speed of my watching. for example, if i like an anime, i will watch it really fast because i'm looking forward to what happens next. on the other hand, if i don't like an anime, i will watch it slowly and not dedicate as much time to it): i liked this anime, watching it quickly. there is a plot, but you don't really have to think a lot about it. there is a pretty small cast with only 6 characters. each character is distinct, having unique personalities and interests. for me, the opening was an absolute banger.

my favorite character: hanako koyanagi. she's a cosplayer and a yaoi shipper. for me, she's interesting because i both want to take up cosplaying and can honestly relate to the last part.

---

you'll enjoy this anime if you like light-hearted romantic comedies!

[escaping-thoughts-reviews]

Love is hard for an otaku [Wotaku ni koi wa mizukashii], 2018 (11 ep.)

When Narumi starts her new job, the last thing she espected was for her childhood friend Hirotaka to be working at the same office. The problem? Narumi has a secret and Hirotaka could expose her to the rest of her collegues, putting her career on the line.

-

Narumi is an otaku trying to keep her passion a secret as she starts a new job, but it’s short lived when a childhood friend, Hirotaka, turns out to be one of her collegues and exposes her to the rest of the office.

Thankfully, other collegues are also otaku and Narumi finally finds friends she can be herself with. She also starts a relationship with Hirotaka, which helps him get in touch with his “human side” and share his favourite videogames with the others.

The anime is upbeat and easygoing, with a simple but fresh plot. There’s no “will they get together?” drama and no love triangles. Both couples are established from episode 1.

The opening theme is catchy and all characters are likable, but the series has its serious moments. Though they aren’t dwelled on for much (probably will be expanded in the manga).

We discover that Hirotaka has had strong feelings for Narumi since they were kids and tries to be a good boyfriend, but feels left behind by her (she changed, he didn’t). He wants her to be happy and fears she’s not with him in her life.

The other otaku are Kayonagi (cosplayer) and Kabakura (manga reader). They have a weird relationship: together since highschool, they constantly bicker in public and from the outside no one would think they are a thing. But when alone, they show their soft side. It’s clear they care for each other and even if their interest differ, they find common ground.

Even side characters, like Hirotaka’s brother (Naoya) get a side plot, with potential love interest (Kau).

In conclusion it has really nice animation, that focuses on the expressions of the characters. It also uses a lot of shoujo clichès, but also subverts them more than once.

———————

Rating: Enjoyable

[justintaco]

top 10 of 2018?

As usual, in no particular order (though the last 5 were the easiest to choose, take that how you will): 

10) Dagashi Kashi season 2

(post)

9) Pop Team Epic

(post)

8) Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

(post)

7) Golden Kamuy  (and season 2)

(post)

6) Hinamatsuri  

(post)

5) Zombieland Saga  

(post)

4) Yuru Camp  

(post)

3) Record of Grancrest War 

(post)

2) Beatless (et al) 

(post)

1) Planet With

(post)

[medea10]

My Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

[aliceinmangaland]

First Impression: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku

Note: This review is for volume one of the omnibus edition of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, which includes volumes one and two of the original edition.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is about Narumi Momose, a young woman who is a closet otaku. After her latest break up, she joins a new company where she hopes this time, she can successfully keep her nerdiness a secret. At least that is until she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, her childhood friend and new co-worker, who inadvertently outs her by asking if she’s attending Comiket. She later reveals to Hirotaka that the reason she hides her otaku side is because all of her previous boyfriends dumped her once they found out. Hirotaka then proposes that to solve her problem she should just date a fellow otaku, more specifically, himself. Can two otakus fall in love?

While I did not come into Wotakoi with extremely high expectations, I can’t help but feel somewhat dissatisfied. While I can’t quite pinpoint the exact reason, I think a part of me was waiting so long to read the official translation, that when I finally did, I just felt like I was left wanting more than I was given.

The flow of the story felt a bit disjointed and all over the place. It has a 4-koma feel without actually being a 4-koma (if that makes any sense), but I think the 4-koma format would have been a better vehicle to deliver the story. There also isn’t much in the way of romance, but I will acknowledge that it is relatively early on in the series. And while this isn’t necessarily a gripe, I did not immediately get a lot of the references due to cultural differences (though the footnotes and index did ease some of my confusion), so I wasn’t able to find the humor in all the jokes.

With all that in mind, Wotakoi is fairly entertaining (though not the laugh-out-loud variety) for the most part and I will probably add it to my literary breather list. Perhaps I just need time for the series to grow on me, much like Narumi and Hirotaka on each other.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review! I hope you will check out Alice in Mangaland for more manga reviews in the future! Arigato gozaimasu! Thank you!

[in-the-name-of-fangirling]

Animes I saw in 2018 and my opinions (that no one asked for but whatever, enjoy)

So I made this huge really passionate review about Wotakoi but Tumblr erased everything so I'm just gonna tell you it's FUCKING ADORABLE, ITS THE BEST AND I LOVE EVERYONE.

Really my favourite anime of this year 10/10 💗💗💗

This series it's so funny and adorable it's the best

[animay-be]

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku / Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

Synopsis: Having slept through all four of her alarms, the energetic Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day of work at a new office. As she races to catch her train, she makes a promise to herself that none of her coworkers will find out about her dark secret: that she is an otaku and a fujoshi. Her plan goes instantly awry, though, when she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, an old friend from middle school.

My Thoughts: Okiedokie, here's all I gotta say, watch 👏🏽 this 👏🏽 anime. It's so cute!!!!!!! And there are a few tender moments that just make your heart warm. I really really hope this gets renewed for a second season! It was so funny, SO relatable and just really worth the watch. All four character dynamics work extremely well together, I'm just in love. Plus, the theme song is adorable! This whole things adorable.

Overall, 10/10, it's a great comedy and romance anime, it reads kinda like a K Drama (of that makes sense) which was cool too.

[curestardust]

if you want: wholesome stories / great comedy / slice-of-life

Hinamatsuri was a last minute addition to my Spring watchlist (yes, I’m STILL watching Spring Season anime) and I almost dropped it based on the first episode. But I’m very glad that I didn’t because it turned out to be a very fun and wholesome experience.

Let me explain. The first episode starts out with Hina appearing at Nitta’s house. She has psychic superpowers. Nitta gets sent on a suicide mission cause he is part of the yakuza and Hina helps him out with her powers. We get some backstory on the place Hina came from and how they used her to order her (possibly) to kill people and such. There’s some minimal comedy as well but it’s not very prevalent. This episode is one of the worst pilot episodes I’ve ever seen. Why? Cause NONE of the rest of the anime even resembles the tone set up here! The yakuza bussiness? Irrelevant. Hina’s powers? Irrelevant. Hina’s backstory? (Almost) irrelevant. Comedy? Cranked up to the max. 

Even if you aren’t quite fond of the dynamic of Hina and Nitta, or their personalities in general, no need to worry cause there are actually 3 main characters in Hinamatsuri. First we’ve Hina of course. She is very careless and childish and I’m not going to lie, I had trouble tolerating her at some parts. Second is Anzu, who’s sent by the “organization” to bring Hina back. She uses her powers for about 2 seconds, loses, realises that she can’t go back and becomes homeless. Her story is the most touching out of the three, with the least comedy. Our third character is Hitomi who’s completely seperate from the superpower/organization plotline as she is just a normal schoolgirl who gets dragged into having to work (keeping it as vague as possible).

Episodes consist of 1 story in the first half and a completely seperate one in the second half. The main character keeps changing which is great, cause as I said all 3 characters’ stories have distinct feel and tone to them. 

The comedy is really good imo. Great timing and great reactions with the jokes being surreal but not too much as to become too weird. The art style may get a little to get used to however the animation quality is up to par. [8/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | This anime killed my parents 

if you want: cute girls / cute female friendships / some pure fun / exciting story / good character development / basically no fanservice!

And in today’s “only Japan could come up with something like this” we have racing horse girls, The Anime!

And I’m going to start with what’s all on your minds when you look at this the first time. “Horse girls, anime of a mobile game = bad production, no story and lots of creepy fanservice” right? Actually, no! Not even close. I avoided this as well cause that was what I thought it was going to be like but I gave in and I sure am glad I did! Because there’s no fanservice, the production quality is great and the story is actually thrilling! 

So in Umamusume there are girls who are half horse and half human which basically means that they have the physical capabilites of a horse but the looks of a human (with cutesy ears and tails of course because anime). These girls attend schools to take part in races. That’s it, that’s the anime. But wait! It’s actually...pretty exciting?

First off, from reading other people’s reviews and doing some minor googling, it turns out that the characters in the anime are actually based on...real life, actual racing horses. Not only that, but their hair colours are actually based on those horses’ fur! This is why a lot of them have weird white streaks in their hair because the horses often have white spots of fur. I know that’s a minor detail but I was amazed by this because...it shows that the creators not only have knowledge of the base material but are actually dedicated about it. I’ve also come to know that the races we see in the anime are also based on real races that happened with the same outcomes.

We basically have 2 main characters, Special Week and Silence Suzuka. Suzuka is an already established and talented horse girl who however is losing her love of racing. Spe-chan (Special Week’s nickname [incredible]) is new to the school and taking part in races and we follow these two on their journey. 

In regards to characters, there are a shitton of them. First we have the trainers of the 2 teams. The male trainer is the one whom you would expect to be the “fanservice/self-insert” thing character and they kinda set him up as such in the first episode however he becomes more of a father figure to the girls. Then, there’s Team Spica with their members who are the main supporting chars and Team Rigil who’re the secondary supporting characters. We get to know the Spica girls more but they’re mostly there to provide some additional entertainment. Which is a big shame cause they’re shown racing in the opening and they all seem to have different techniques but we’re not shown that in the anime itself. BUT! While I’m sad about that, I’m also glad that the anime knew what to prioritise in its short runtime of 13 episodes. In the end, the focus was Special Week and Suzuka’s character development in which the races WERE the focal point.

And the races! Yes, it’s just a bunch of girls running in a big circle but they made them so exciting! There’s one quite impactful race where the main character is not doing quite well and then the background and sound dissapears and she takes a deep breath. And I was rooting for her so hard and so stressed that I unconsciously took a breath WITH her. That’s how invested the anime can make you. 

Oh and side-note, the winning girls put up basically an idol performance at the end of the day of the race with singing and dancing and all that but the anime basically pays no attention it so I’m guessing that it was only included because it’s in the mobile game(?).

Umamusume is a surprising little gem. The creator’s dedication to horce racing bleeds through the anime and is one of the big reason that it’s so enjoyable. With lovable characters and an exciting and heartfelt story, I’d recommend this to anyone. [9/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | This anime killed my parents

if you want: (hetero) romcom / adults juggling IRL and being weebs / some not cringy romance / to go “uwu” / relatable shipping problems / relatable gaming problems

Wotakoi is definitely not something that’d be my first choice when deciding what to watch. Romance focused anime isn’t really my style but I saw another user that I like blog about it and saw how high rated it was and as there was the “comedy” aspect I thought...eh there isn’t really much to lose here, at most I’ll just dislike it. But I’m incredibly glad to say that this, just as the other 2 anime included in this post that I only gave a chance due to “peer pressure”, actually didn’t dissappoint!

Our main cast is made up of adults in their mid-twenties, working an office job. In the first episode we are introduced to Narumi who’s switching to work at a new firm where she founds out that her childhood friend Hirotaka is also employed at. Narumi was first planning on hiding her hobby of being a big-ass weeb but she soon finds out that 2 of her co-workers also share this hobby of hers. The first episode then ends with Hirotaka and Narumi deciding to “date” purely because they’re both weebs and it would be convinient not to have to hide it.

There’s a great chemistry between the 4 main characters and the shippers are probably having a field time with this anime as basically all of them are shippable with each other. 

So, obviously this being a shoujo, the main appeal to most fans would be the romance but that definitely wouldn’t be enough for me to enjoy something. But this is where the comedy and the “relatable :100_emoji:” aspect comes in. The 2 work in tandem, with most of the humour steming from typical “otaku problems” and how much being a weeb affects their everyday life. 

One downside would be the kind of rushed ending. Wotakoi isn’t a plot focused anime but they introduce a new character like 2 episodes before the finale and I just didn’t see the point. It DOES show the text “See you later” or something at the very end, so maybe there will be a second season? (Would watch). I also thought there was a missed opportunity with the last character introduced as she is obviously also set up as a love interest for another character (not one in the main cast, don’t worry) but this char thinks that she is a guy. Now, the main 2 female characters are BL lovers and I thought that introducing an actual gay couple into the anime would force them to realise that, you know...it’s not very polite to fantasise or obsess over gay people just cause of their sexuality...but eh, I guess that’d be a too serious topic for something as lighthearted as Wotakoi.

All in all, it was a nice, short and fun 11 episodes and if you like comedy, romance or both, I’d definitely recommend! [7/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | This anime killed my parents