Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Ok ok, maybe I'm biased. But let me start my review by saying this: I don't give away 10 stars so easily. I'm actually very picky. Most of my 10s are from a few shows from my childhood (nostalgia is a thing that affects all of us, don't you deny it!) and some are from shows that I actually, legitimately, truly loved. And boy oh boy, did I reeeeaaaally love Wotakoi. While it doesn't exactly have a linear plot (I guess it follows more of a "slice of life episodic" formula), the cast more than makes up for it. We have a fujoshi that doesn't want hersecret to come out to normies, a hardcore gamer who doesn't care what other people think of him 'cause he's pretty much antisocial, a cosplayer who's also a fujoshi and who mostly cosplays as male characters and a mild otaku who's not that into the weird spectrum of "otakuness" [except for lolis and yuri. he's VERY MUCH into that.]

And those are just the 4 main characters, I could spoil a bit and talk about the others but I'll let you watch it and meet them yourselves instead ;)

So. These four work together in a firm and become really close friends and THAT'S where the story really begins. Two of them were already dating but the other two start dating at the beginning of the story and it's really cute and funny to compare these two couples and see how different their dynamics is.

This anime deals with the awkwardness of being an otaku and trying to date with someone who is/isn't a part of your circle of interest. It deals with the friendships that you can find if only you open up a little bit and show other people your interests and see what their interests are like, too. It deals with light themes ("haha wouldn't it be funny if our boyfriends fucked each other? BUT MY BOYFRIEND IS TOTALLY A TOP! YOURS IS A BOTTOM!") and dark themes ("hmm i think i'm gonna get my ears pierced just so I can get the attention of my childhood friend who I have this major crush on"). And so on...

True, it does deliver more comedy than romance. If you're looking for kissing, romantic confessions and such... hmmm... maybe this isn't exactly the anime for you. But it will definitely melt your heart and put a smile on your face, for sure.

Another downside is that it's so SHORT. Only 11 episodes, 23 minutes each. But even so, I think it's a sweet, short ride that's worth getting on.