Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 1

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By Fujita. Released in Japan in two separate volumes as “Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii” by Ichijinsha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Comic Pool. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics. Translated by Jessica Sheaves.

In general, when we see romances in anime and manga that also involve “otaku”, they tend to revolve around an otaku and a seemingly “normal” person who fall for each other. Kiss Him, Not Me! is a good example. We’ve also seen the occasional otaku couple, but they’ve been fairly minor characters in a story which focuses on someone else. With Wotakoi we’re finally zeroing in on romance and otaku in equal doses, and all four characters are deeply into it. Indeed, the fact that it is equal doses is the big selling point. Wotakoi is very good at balancing out its (admittedly slow-moving) romance between the leads and also the everyday otaku banter that they go through, and it makes it feel all the more realistic, because I know couples like this, who will suddenly sing a theme tune when they’re even vaguely reminded of it. Despite the otaku veneer, Wotakoi feels genuine.

Hirotaka is the guy on the cover, he likes playing games. Narumi is the girl, she’s more of a fujoshi and also makes her own doujinshi. They’re childhood friends who meet again when she starts at a new company, Over the course of the book, the two slowly enter into a… wait, no. Over the course of the very short first chapter, the two enter into a relationship founded on “hey, we might as well date”. I really liked this, because it felt very real to me, even as it’s lampshading her “mercenary” otaku mindset. And they really *do* make a great couple, as is clear immediately to everyone else except perhaps Narumi. Hirotaka does have genuine love for her, and is content to wait while she figures everything out (though he’s also not very good at emotional bonding). They also have two coworkers who are also dating and also happen to be otaku, though Taro is the most “normal” of the bunch. He and Hanako are very different from the two leads, and I loved them to bits.

In fact, that may be one of this double-volume omnibus’ flaws – the beta couple interest me more than the lead. This is, admittedly, not uncommon in romance series, particularly one where the main girl is cute and slightly oblivious like Narumi is. Taro and Hanako have that sort of “we fight all the time but love each other deep down” relationship that only seems to work well in fiction but I love it anyway. They’re also hot, leaving our main leads to fulfill the “cute” function. And of course everyone is an adult, and actually feels like one, even Narumi. We’re seeing more and more manga get out of the high school and into the workplace, but the chwracter design still seems to be stuck back in the teens for the most part. I liked seeing people who look their age.

Wotakoi’s coming out in omnibuses, and Japan is only up to Vol. 5, so we’re going to catch up pretty quick. But I definitely recommend Wotakoi both to otaku who want to see a realistic depiction of how they work in life as opposed to the “creepy otaku” stereotypes, and also to romance fans who like comedy and don’t mind characters talking about their favorite games all the time.

Also, Taro and Hanako in evening wear. YUM. I can see why they used those shots in the anime OP.

Outbreak Company, Vol. 3

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By Ichiro Sakaki and Yuugen. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

Japanese anime and manga cater to their audience, and knows what the audience wants. And since Japan lives sports, that means a lot of sports manga. Over here in North America, we’re finally at the point where sports manga is also very popular, but for years it was the opposite, and titles like Whistle! or Prince of Tennis were the odd ones out. It didn’t have a built-in audience. And that’s the issue that Shinichi is dealing with in this volume, as the elves and dwarves in his class are unable to relate to the various types of sports manga that are being offered, because… there really aren’t any sports in their world. So there’s only one thing for it: it’s time to introduce the Eldant Empire to the glories of soccer. Of course, best-laid plans and all that… if you guessed that this would end with a giant melee battle, you’d be right.

Since we’re presented with that cover at this point, let’s get what I didn’t like about this volume out of the way here. I am not all that fond of when Outbreak Company tries to be a typical harem comedy romance, which means that the whole plotline of Elvia being in heat didn’t do much for me, nor was I bowled over by Petralka sitting on Shinichi’s lap and his reminding us constantly how much like a little girl she looks (and frequently acts). Myusel is a notable exception to this , and the interaction he has with her has a greater depth of feeling than any of the others – I’m not sure if romance will ever be resolved in this title, but I know who Best Girl is in my opinion.

That said, the rest of the book is far stronger. The plotline of the second book is mostly dropped, as the Japanese government deals with yet another prime minister and so has dialed things back. The introduction of soccer, and the inherent disasters that become revealed o0nce you realize that most of the players involved can do magic and there are no explicit rules saying you can’t use it, is fast-paced, funny, and entertaining. The best part of the book, though, was the development of Brooke as a character, giving us a tragic backstory, but also greater insight into how the Lizardmen think and react to things. Outbreak Company’s goal is to show that prejudice against other races is bacd, and in this volume we see that even the seemingly cold and impenetrable Lizardmen can turn out to have similarities to humans deep down. It was really well handled.

I’m not really sure if there is a grand final plan for this series beyond “introduce otaku things and watch the fun stuff that happens”, “continue to show that equality is a good thing”, and the occasional “oh no I’m getting aroused by these gorgeous girls but don’t realize they may actually like me” moment. But I’m content to find out, and regard Outbreak Company as a nice solid series in J-Novel Club’s lineup.

Umineko: When They Cry, Vol. 17

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Story by Ryukishi07; Art by Eita Mizuno. Released in Japan in three separate volumes as “Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Requiem of the Golden Witch” by Square Enix, serialized in the magazine Shonen Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Stephen Paul.

(If you aren’t spoiled about Umineko by now, best not to read this review.)

It does feel something of a cheat to be introduced to Will and Lion and then have them barely appear for the entirety of this next omnibus. Indeed, the author lampshades it. But it’s also something of a necessity. Battler wasn’t able to solve this. To a large degree, neither was the reader. And thus Will is here to reveal the culprit and have them explain everything. We’re not getting ALL the answers here, and the story plays a bit coy with the culprit by using Clair as the personification of the backstory. But here we learn about Yasu’s life as a servant in the mansion, her interaction with Battler, and what exactly it was that led to everything that happened in 1986. Yes, we finally learn Battler’s sin, and it’s the sort of thing that’s very hard to blame a young boy for but also very easy to.

That said, one of the answers we get spelled out here will, I suspect, frustrate the reader immensely. The Riddle of the Epitaph has always been fairly hard to figure out, but here we find that not only would it be hopeless for Western readers, even more Japanese readers were never going to get anywhere. Not because of the tortuous alternate kanji readings that infest every aspect of it, but simply because the one clue that would have started things off is deliberately hidden from us till this book, which is Kinzo’s “hometown”. Even Yasu, who ends up solving the riddle right at the end of the book, needs Genji to explicitly give the hint of “Taiwan” to start the ball rolling, and it’s *still* frustratingly obtuse. I credit the translator for not simply giving up and throwing his hands in the air.

I was, admittedly, about ready to throw my hands in the air when we got to the final scene, where “Beatrice” dons her regalia and is presented to Kinzo so that he can grovel and apologize to her. What Kinzo has done to Beatrice is so loathsome that even Genji, putting out feelers to see if he can get away with revealing who Beatrice really is, all but asks “Are you just going to rape her again?”. Ryukishi07 means this scene to be somewhat sad and pathetic for Kinzo, but I still can’t get over my intense hatred and loathing for the man who abused his family and made them into what they are in 1986. That said, the rest of this volume is excellent. The scenes of Beatrice and Shannon in the Golden Land are very well-adapted and help explain why Beatrice is so fixated on (and in love with) Battler. The art is also very good, conveying several times the “…wtf?” face that is the only reaction to events here.

We have one more large omnibus to go, and clever readers will be wondering what Bernkastel is up to. But Yasu’s story is not quite finished either, so put up with the backstory a little more. As for those dissatisfied with the riddle’s solution, well, can’t help you there. Umineko fans will find this essential, though.