Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Hi everyone! I just finished watching the anime a few hours ago and right off the bat I can say that I adore it. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of Shojo, I usually enjoy the romance/slice of life genre through other things such as Asian dramas (cries in single). So I will be the first to say that this anime pleasantly surprised me! The characters are extremely fun and vibrant, you can't help but smile at your screen when watching them interact with each other. The voice actors truly did a great job bringing them to life. The setting of the story itself, giventhat it is about four adults is also very refreshing because from my experience, these kinds of stories often only take place in high school.

I have heard people criticizing the show for not really being all that romantic, or failing to be a good romance anime in general. I'd have to disagree with that. While it lacks the usual fan service or dramatic plot lines, it fully makes up for by providing an insight into romantic maturity. The fact that Nifuji and Momose are in love, and that Koyanagi and Kabakura are in love is obvious, it does not need to be shown through kissing, sex or contrived dialogue. They simply portray love in its unconditional and natural form. As an example, one of the biggest lessons this anime can teach any couple is that being with each other, sometimes means that sacrifices must be made. Throughout the show, Kabakura and Nifuji have to deal with Momose's and Koyanagi's obsession with yaoi. They let them enjoy what they want and sometimes do things that maybe they do not want to do themselves, but they still want to make them happy.

Personally, I am not in to yaoi myself but this theme can really be applied to anything. We all have something we enjoy/are obsessed with, we might even feel ashamed about it at times. This anime shows that the right person, will embrace you, including the things you love, and accept you. Pure romantic maturity, I can not stress this enough.

Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate how amazing Nifuji is? I feel like once you reach a certain age, you can see some flaws in romance anime or dramas and see how some of these relationships, while fun and entertaining to watch, can sometimes be very toxic and unhealthy if they happened IRL. Of course, not ALL of them are like this, but it is prevalent. What's great about this show is, that it has none of that toxicity! I am a 19-year old female, and I have never had a boyfriend before but if (by some miracle) I do in the future, I want him to be like Nifuji. So kind, comforting and compassionate. (all of this applies to Kabakura too btw, we stan)

In short, this is a beautiful story, I am holding on to hope that we will get a season two because I need these characters in my life again.

Thanks for reading :)

p.s: we must protect Naoya at ALL COSTS