Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii – 11 (END)

「ヲタクに恋は難しい」 (Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii)
“Love is Hard for Otakus”

I didn’t realize that Wotakoi was only getting 11 episodes.

Final Impressions

God, this show has been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster and I feel like there’s still so much more that this show still has to show us. Besides the surprise introduction of newcomer Kou (who I’m really digging after only one episode), there’s still so much we don’t know about everyone that it’s driving me crazy when I think about how things have come to an end.

However, I want to believe that that the success that this show found from a wide audience will translate into just enough financial success that a second season may appear on the horizon. And with that, let’s dive into the final impressions for a show that’s rocketed its way up to the top.

I couldn’t think of a better way to talk about things than to talk about each couple and how they differ from one another. With two (and I’m assuming eventually three) unique couples, I think it’s rather amazing how this show manages to blend so many different elements together into this amazing amalgamation of “feels”. Starting with the “main” couple of the series, I think I’ve said almost all that can be said about Hirotaka and Narumi. They are definitely the “otaku” couple of show and have done a great job at demonstrating just how fearless they are when it comes to showing how much they love their respective genres. What I think the two provide in contrast to everyone else though is their ability to straightforward with one another. Unlike another couple who we’ll dive into shortly, I can’t express how grateful I am that both Hirotaka and Naru are able to be honest with one another. Instead of beating around the bush and eventually pissing each other off, they’re able to push forward and just confront things as they appear.

Something that I think balances our other couple of Kabakura and Hana. Because if you think about it, I’m sure this show would have a totally different dynamic of things followed Kabakura and Hana. Luckily the more “mature” couple takes a backseat to our young lovebirds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t just as strong when it comes to making an impact to the story. As the more traditional anime-couple who fall into some pretty obvious stereotypes (two powerful tsunderes is a force that could probably rival that of a black hole’s), they provide a nice foil to Hirotaka and Naru’s easygoing nature. If anything, I would say that I actually enjoy watching the two get into arguments since it’s what you’d expect to happen. However, I think the story has done a good job at showing us just how much Kabakura and Hana have grown since the first episode with how they’re able to make it past the yelling without just walking away in frustration. Which, as great as it was to see some progress, was also a damn shame since we’re out of episodes to see just how far these two could go.

Last but not least, how can we not talk about Nao and Kou for at least a little. As the two characters who have received the least amount of screen time, I’m surprised just how big of an impact they had toward the end of the show. If I were to take a guess at where things are headed for them though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the story kept this running joke of Nao not realizing Kou was a girl to the point where Nao would be unable to accept it. That said, I think it would be amazing if Kou and Nao got together since they seem to be such an awkward fit that it might just work. That and, it looks like Kou is pretty tall for a girl and might even rival Hana as the tallest girl on the team!

Overall, I don’t think we could have asked for a better show. Wotaku managed to be just as amazing as it was on paper, if not even better when you add in the superb voice acting. With its ability to take its premise and roll with it, we were given a fantastic “romantic” slice-of-life that focused on the life of a slightly older crowd which gave it the ability to skip over all the crap in favor of giving us a real damn good show. With its wide range of characters with unique personalities that managed to build off of one another, I don’t think I’ve ever found myself so invested into an eleven episode show. So, would I recommend Wotaku to someone? OF COURSE I WOULD.

Anyways, thank you to everyone for keeping up with my posts and a big thanks to Stilts for covering last week while I was out for work. Be sure to keep an eye out for our Season Preview and stay safe out there during the shift if anime seasons. See you guys soon!