Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Wotakoi is supposed to be a comedy anime, not really a romance. Thinking about it now, I don’t even think it works that well as a comedy. That kinda sums up the whole show for me. Let’s get straight to what really bothered me—the romance. The two main characters, Narumi and Hirotaka, were childhood friends who reconnect and end up dating. But here's the thing: even before all that, Narumi makes it clear that he’s not her type and that she sees him more as a friend. So why on earth does she agree to date him when he confesses? Apparently it’s just because he’s alsoan otaku, and she’s never tried dating someone who shares her interests. It feels purely convenient.

Basically, from the start, it’s an uneven relationship—Hirotaka actually likes her but struggles to express it, while Narumi clearly doesn’t feel the same way romantically. So when Narumi starts getting attracted to other people and openly talks about it, I felt super uncomfortable. It just seemed disrespectful and inconsiderate. That’s kinda the bare minimum you'd expect in a relationship.

I get that she didn’t mean any harm, but it made it hard for me to connect with the characters. It left a bad aftertaste. Don’t get me wrong—things do get better in the last three episodes, and Narumi finally seems to care. But by then, it’s too late to fix what happened before.

The weird thing is, I actually liked the characters. They’re unique, and if we had more time with them—more scenes that helped us really connect—it could’ve been great. Right now they come off as a bit cartoonish and shallow. But with better development, it might’ve turned into something really good. Maybe the manga pulled it off better.