Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
Every year, more and more kids who were nerds or geeks their entire lives discover that they’re all grown up and in need of a job. Those nerdy and geeky passions don’t go away though, and it becomes a balancing act between being a “normal professional” in public and a closet geek in private. This lifestyle was explored brilliantly in 2017’s Recovery of an MMO Junkie, but it’s getting an even deeper look in 2018’s Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzakashii.
The anime will focus on two main characters: Hirotaka Nifuji and Narumi Momose. The former is a video game crazy otaku who shuts himself away from society when he’s not needed at work. The latter is a fujoshi, a woman who’s obsessed with intense sexual fantasies between two men. The two meet after choosing to work at the same company, and realize they were both friends back in middle school. They realize their hidden passions are a bond they share, and they get along well enough even after being apart for years. They decide to start dating.
In the original manga, the relationship is far from perfect, but it explores real issues that nerds and geeks face in the public eye. Society still doesn’t see much worth in some of the more fanatical extremes of gaming and anime culture, and Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzakashii perfectly captures the feelings of isolation and shame this stigma can produce. The two main characters may only encompass the video game and sexual fantasy aspects of geek culture, but they both soon meet other otakus, each embodying a different aspect of geek and nerd culture, who are also hiding in plain sight.
The show also does a phenomenal job highlighting the shared bonds that adult gamers and anime fans instinctively share, and broaches the subject of whether or not such a bond is all two people need to maintain a relationship. If the anime follows the manga, you’ll shed more than a few tears watching this show, but you’ll have your fair share of laughs too. This anime is perfect for any geek or nerd who’s learning to find their place in the professional world, or who’s seeking comfort from the isolation that such passions can occasionally create.
