h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px Short Synopsis Wotakoi is a show about a group of four otaku all in romantic relationships who work at the same company a show that zooms in on the different aspects of Otaku culture and the different communities each represented by each character and the different people who are Otaku giving an inside look into the daily lives and progression of each of the characters romantic relationships. all the while having a smorgasbord of subtle and not so subtle references to iconic manga and anime as well as doused with tons of terminology borderradius: 8px borderradius: 8px borderradius: 8px h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px CHAPTER 1. h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px I Hate Highschool Romance Shows most of the time a frustrating part about romance anime is the fact that most of it takes place in High School of all times its not necessarily that I think these shows are bad or that the setting inherently saps quality away but rather that I think that the use of High School can sometimes feel overindulged at times for the genre and that the setting gets blander and blander. not to say that Ive never liked a high school romance Beastars uses its high school setting in a way that explores what its like for adolescent teenagers in an anthropomorphic built society with their own interpersonal conflicts that stem from what they are and how it affects how they are borderradius: 8px h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px School has become a used and boring set piece besides most of the high school setting in anime blending into a nebulous hazy image where youve seen the same backgrounds seriously how many school anime shows have you seen with the same copypasted background that youve seen a million times. h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px Highschoolers are boring when it comes to Highschool romance theres a quality in which the romance basically becomes the center point of these characters lives to the point where its all they think of or all that happens with these characters. borderradius: 8px It makes the characters seem as if they have no other interesting aspects other than being in love with each other which is a downside cause if I dont care about the characters on their own as individuals with their own aspects I dont feel any tension with the romance plot. And a lot of the times romance shows put heavy emphasis on the buildup to a confession or eventual dating of two characters witch can be done well but very rarely I feel that A. This is the entire goal for the show and its characters and B. That it takes entirely way too long for characters to get to that point I think this heavy emphasis on the buildup can kinda exaggerate romance way more than it needs to be at times Wotakoi keeps it nice and simple and honestly in a more relatable manner in which the characters do have emotional moments but its with more tuned down than any drama for the sake of trying to deliver a sense of tension Ive never delivered heartfelt confessions like I was staking my entire being on it and I find this aspect of h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px CHAPTER 2. h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px Enter Wotakoi instead of going for the signature type of romance Wotakoi is way more laid back the cast of characters have their own passions and interests which makes them interesting on an individual level without the romance aspect being pushed Narumi is an Otaku specifically in the realm of Boys love or BL manga and making selfpublished works she tends to compartmentalize her passion and interests due to how society tends to view Otaku as an embarrassing title and past failures at maintaining relationships which makes her feel as if she needs to keep a strict fence around work and relationship life borderradius: 8px knowing the characters personal likes and dislikes and who they are and arent as people helps to add to the romantic element of the show as its in the ways that contrast with their own partners that make for really meaningful mature and substantial relationship writing. forgive the rant but often times but sometimes I feel like romance anime has a tendency to have characters fall in love for loves sake similar to falling in love with the idea of falling in love despite not having synergy with the partner. this leads me to the next thing I want to talk about the show which is h1 fontsize: 100px h2 fontsize: 100px p fontsize: 100px Good Group Dynamics Not an easy thing borderradius: 8px borderradius: 8px I just want to talk about how each of the characters contributes to the group in ideology or a different perspective wether its ont their personal likes and dislikes of what kind of Otaku they are or how it influences their own personal relationships For instance like Ive said before Narumi represents a person more reclusive with being an Otaku as its affected her relationships in contrast to this we have Koyanagi who is not afraid she neither fights or flees when it comes to her passionate hobbies of cosplaying and you can see this throughout the Group Hirotaka is the outwardly cold blunt and quiet dispositioned gamer of the group who openly games a lot on breaks all the time hes not antisocial but hes also just naturally introverted Narumi is a Bl obsessed girl who can often times procrastinate but also ironically is very passionate when releasing her own selfpublished works shes also extroverted yet a bit shy or embarrassed when it comes to cosplay and mixing her Otaku life with other aspects of her life Kabakura is similar to Narumi also wanting to keep a lid on his hobbies due to embarrassment whilst being a rigid and slightly strict yet empathetic senior at work hes inadvertently one of the most passionate Otaku when it comes to his own personal feelings seemingly recording all the seasonal anime and binging it this makes it so that the characters can naturally clash in entertaining ways which only further highlights their own personalities and sometimes I think this plays in romance where I wouldnt have gotten into something without being dragged and begged into it which is how I got into Devilman and Undertale funnily enough Prologue Wotakoi is an exception for me to most romance anime and if you dont watch it after reading this well lets just say it wont be pretty https://www..com/watch?v=2VPdeHunUwk choose wisely my friend borderradius: 8px