Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is based on the web manga of the same name, coming in at 11 episodes. The anime follows Momose Narumi, who is an office worker. She is an otaku at heart and blames this for her previous bad luck. Her frustrations includes being dumped by her boyfriends, and quitting her job in the end. The first episode begins with Narumi starting her new job and tries to make this one work by making her otaku hobby a secret.
Her secret is almost immediately blown wide open when she finds that Nifuji Hirotaka works at the same place. He is a childhood friend and otaku himself but much more blatantly than Narumi. Hirotaka would openly play Monster Hunter during lunch and ignore everyone else. Thankfully, their coworkers are understanding people... given that they're also otakus themselves (which is a complete coincidence). Both Hanako and Tarou have varying interests. Hanako is an avid cosplayer while Tarou likes bishojo, but he is noticeably the least intense of the four.
Narumi and Hirotaka are good friends and Narumi even states that she has no interest in Hirotaka. It is ironic that some of the only people who would accept her hobbies are otakus themselves, but she does not want to date an otaku. However, being the protagonist pair, you know that Narumi and Hirotaka are going to get together and the anime shows how this happened and how awkward it can be. It doesn't spend too much time on getting them together though, which is great because it allows it to focus on how the pair works together as a couple instead.
Wotakoi plays around the aspect of an otaku adult, showing that Narumi enjoyed spending time with other otakus and able to just be herself. They would shop around for limited editions and animatedly talking about their current favorites. It's very charming and lighthearted at times, and feels just like an everyday person enjoying hanging out with company and having a shared interest.
Within the two pairs, the dynamic in their relationships are completely different. With Narumi and Hirotaka, Narumi has a bubbly personality and is always energetic, while Hirotaka is stoic. However, Hirotaka's monotone delivery of his lines is perfect and makes a lot of the scenes really funny. The pair compliments each other well with their personalities, and this result in a really charismatic relationship.
With Hanako and Tarou, it's one more built on the tsundere kind. Both of them are annoyed at various traits of the other and they fight a lot. Yet every time they will make up since they understand each other, it's really sweet, but in a different way compared to Narumi and Hirotaka. Wotakoi relies on humor to keep its viewers' interest and it works really well. From the exaggerated reactions of its characters, to how melodramatic some of its scenes are, to the art shifts, it will all draw laughs from you. Who knew Hirotaka can be so threatening? The voice actors have done a great job, especially Narumi, it carries a lot of emotions, particularly when she's really animated about something.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of references that are to the real thing and not something spelled differently. We get mentions of Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter, as well as YuruYuri. Finding and recognizing these references is a lot of fun. By the time the ending comes, you feel as if there aren't enough episodes and you want more. It's doesn't really wrap up anything and since the series was just a little bit more than independent scenes strung together, there is nothing to resolve. Nevertheless, looking back, you feel that Narumi and Hirotaka has gone far in understanding and making their relationship work, considering that they only got together because Narumi was depressed that she couldn't find anyone.
Overall, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku feels like a sleeper hit. Its unassuming premise ends up being fascinating. The humor is spot on, the animation looks good and the voice acting is great. Wotakoi feels like it is depicting close to reality as it never gets too out there and that's what makes it resonate so much.
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