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EP. REVIEW: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku


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kinghumanity



Joined: 03 Nov 2014
Posts: 365
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2018 4:58 pm Reply with quote
Has anyone talked about the production value of the show yet? I can’t help but notice that Wotakoi looks like an extremely bare-boned, low-effort production. Characters are more often off model than not, there is usually nothing but blank space in the back ground, and character motion and body language is almost non-existent. In fact I’m pretty sure there is a scene in episode 5 where Narumi covered her mouth with her arm while talking, resulting in several seconds of literally STILL FRAME.

Shows about adult relationships are rare, and Wotakoi is a pretty good one. It’s a shame hat the show isn’t as visually impressive.

Not trying to start any arguments, but for a visually detailed and beautiful show consisting mostly of four main characters talking to each other, see Hyouka.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2018 6:56 pm Reply with quote
Hmm, looks like in the mad rush to post 13 mostly overdue reviews today (what was up with that?), Steve's byline was omitted.

Considering the five days it apparently took to write it, this was an extremely disjointed review. The opening paragraph is fine, but then we get this lead-in to the next one:
Quote:
Indeed, our main characters seemed downright horrified when they realized that Naoya had no freaking clue what they were going on about.

Huh, neither do I. At first it seemed like a transitional paragraph was missing, but reading further, it turns out that the whole review is written in reverse...sort of.

It begins with whatever it was Steve was referencing there (the game in their apartment? maybe?), then jumps backward in the timeline to the restaurant, criticizing the scene without ever recapping it in any way, just saying their misunderstanding is an old trope they did nothing new with. Then we're back to Hirotaka's place where the 2nd paragraph is now fleshed out, then back to the restaurant scene which finally gets a description, including the fun new things they did with the old trope, and finally to an overview of Hirotaka's situation during the entire episode. It ends with an ok summary paragraph about the overall impression.

It was a dizzying read, to say the least. Anime dazed At least the structure of the actual episode made sense.

All that aside, this might be my favorite episode so far. I love Naoya and how he is not the least bit intimidated by his lack of knowledge among the wild otaku, and I enjoyed seeing his relationships with Hirotaka and Narumi. With their natural, easy interactions, they really made me feel like they'd all known each other since childhood. And I thought the misunderstanding trope was still hilarious. I knew it was coming when Hirotaka's arm slid into view next to Kabukura's, but all the facial expressions were priceless.

I will agree that the "all individual friendships outside the main couple are suspect" thing was somewhat problematic, but I think they got themselves off that hook for the most part by distracting us with the reveal, so I guess I can forgive them.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2018 9:28 pm Reply with quote
I guess I don't really have a preference in this particular shipping war. I don't see any reason they can't switch off. The accompanying "illustrations" of the different arrangements made switching even more optimal. Superficial things like height, glasses or hair color are irrelevant to me and can't compete with personality. Kaba is more openly assertive, but Hiro has that silent, focused aura that makes resistance futile, so either works for me. Wink So would a threesome with Naoya... >.>"

The best part though were the reactions of the restaurant's other patrons overhearing the argument.

I loved the MMO part to, but any segment with Naoya in it is a win.

I had no idea that they were keeping their dating a secret at work. Is there a no-fraternization policy or something? If so, wouldn't all their speculation in front of their senpai also be a violation?
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:59 pm Reply with quote
Steve's byline is missing from the header again.

I really loved this episode, but Hirotaka is my favorite of the group, so the focus on him is welcome. I guess I enjoy watching him think - you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he tries to analyze things with gaming strategy.

I also wince at how Narumi stabs him without even realizing it because he rarely says "ow." The ear-piercing seemed like a metaphor for that. But communication is hard when no one will talk. (I know this because I'm the only one who seems to be talking!)
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Kokuryu Daimao



Joined: 04 Sep 2017
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:57 pm Reply with quote
Not much to say.
I'm enjoying the series and the relatable characters.

Communication, or lack thereof, is generally the root of all the drama/comedy.

Even the characters themselves are partially aware of this as Narumi points out Kabakura's frustration at Hirotaka not being frustrated at Hanako's drunk flirting with Narumi is because of his fear that Hanako will drunk flirt with someone else.

Then again Hanako does give off a bit of that 'drama-queen' vibe. The way she constantly jabs at Kabakura is interesting. Like during the Typhoon warning to backup all work, she jabs at him to suggest he failed to do so at a similar point in the past. Her drunken flirting might be intentional because she knows Kabakura doesn't like it and it gets him to pay more attention to her.

Either way I'm still looking forward to each episode and how the 'normie' date goes
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Crext



Joined: 04 Nov 2012
Posts: 211
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 5:21 pm Reply with quote
Nice, I really feel this anime has picked up the pase the last few episodes. Also, nice to see us weebs that are also good at sports getting some representation! xD
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:01 pm Reply with quote
I was pleasantly surprised when Kou turned around and it turned out he was a guy after all. I could just see it coming from the second we saw his back that this person would become Naoya girlfriend and boy was that predictable, but kudos to the show for doing something unexpected and not having the character be a woman and... huh? What's that? Kou IS a girl... <siiiiiiiiiiiiight>.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:39 am Reply with quote
Quote:
There wasn't much to this segment outside of giving Narumi and Hirotaka more opportunities to be insufferably cute together, but sometimes that's enough.

Really? That's all you got out of that? smh The point of it was to let Narumi become more aware of how she views Hirotaka, compared to how others see him. To her, he's just Hirotaka, an acceptably normal, Hirotaka-looking guy, while to the other women in the office, who seem to be getting a first good look at him since his face isn't hidden behind specs and his nose isn't buried in his work or gameboy, he's actually quite a looker (though she did notice early on that without his glasses and through her beer goggles he was kinda hot).

I think I need a Naoya in my life. Kou is great, too bad she was introduced so late - no, too bad this only has 12 episodes. I wanna hang out with these folks longer.
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asilenttree



Joined: 28 Mar 2018
Posts: 32
Location: California
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:30 am Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Quote:
There wasn't much to this segment outside of giving Narumi and Hirotaka more opportunities to be insufferably cute together, but sometimes that's enough.

Really? That's all you got out of that? smh The point of it was to let Narumi become more aware of how she views Hirotaka, compared to how others see him.


Bingo. This B story wasn't super exciting, but the purpose was to show Narumi that other females do find Hirotaka good-looking. If he cared to have better social skills and actually tried, he'd be someone that she would have to compete for. Poor guy was feeling really crappy the whole episode prior to their date because Narumi unintentionally was telling him that he wasn't attractive (understandably as a result from the fact that she's known him for so long as a dorky dude). I think this was a good first step for her to realize that he is actually the catch that Koyanagi was telling her he was in ep 2.
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asilenttree



Joined: 28 Mar 2018
Posts: 32
Location: California
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:02 am Reply with quote
Re:Kou, she really is best girl. I read the manga prior to seeing the episode, and thought she was okay, but seeing her animated made her so much better (I agree that her VA did a great job). She's just so helpful and earnest. I love how she made sure to heal the entire party before she ran off T^T
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:21 am Reply with quote
Gah, there's only 11 episodes? Crying or Very sad There'd better be a second season coming up.
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TheOtakuX



Joined: 16 Jan 2014
Posts: 344
Location: Wooster, Ohio
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:27 pm Reply with quote
"How many episodes are there?"
"11"
"When should we introduce the best character?"
"Hmmm... how about episode 10?"
"Perfect!"
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:15 pm Reply with quote
I caught up with this show in these past couple of days. Really liked it. It was funny, heartwarming and I loved all the characters. Particularly I really liked Narumi. She was funny and energetic but also really considerate, and I loved her facial expressions. I think she'll be a likely canditate for the best heroine of the year for me. Here's hoping that we get a 2nd season.
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AJ (LordNikon)



Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 502
Location: Kyoto
PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:37 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I should mention that it's totally okay if BL is not your thing, but in a world where dudes still monopolize the conversation around nerd stuff, BL's reputation suffers from a lot of homophobic dismissal.


So... would that make this comment heterophobic? Or can we just say and grown adult who like Precure is a Pedophile, and anyone who liked Zeon is a Nazi? Cause statements like the quoted above come off sounding like, "It's cool if you don't like it cause, there' still a lot of _______ around it". Cause as someone nearing 70, I love how today it seems that anyone who does not agree with someone else paradigm is intolerant.

You know, just because 95% of the global population is straight doesn't mean that 95% of the world's population consists of homophones.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:06 am Reply with quote
I felt like that paragraph was in response to what Kabakura said in the show. Kabakura said something like "Why do you like that kind of stuff with two guys? A girl with a guy is good enough." and "How can a guy enjoy a love story about two guys?". To me it felt a bit like Kabakura was dismissing the BL genre because he thinks that love between two guys is weird.
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