Meet Takuya Seo, an otaku who sits behind the popular gals in class, Ijichi and Amane. As people from different “castes”, you wouldn't expect them to have much in common. But when their worlds collide over a borrowed eraser, Takuya slips up about his favorite anime, and Amane…is rather quick to correct him. She says she's not a fan, but her familiarity with the series suggests otherwise. Could she be…a fellow geek?!

Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? has art by Sakana Uozumi and story by Norishiro-chan. English translation is done by Kashi Kamitoma and lettering by Rachel J. Pierce. Published by Yen Press (November 4, 2025). Rated OT.

Bolts
Rating:

I'll be honest, I ended up being a lot more entertained and endeared by this story than I was originally expecting. You read the title and you get the initial set up for this type of story almost immediately. The chapters are extremely short, only about six pages each with little text blocks that really do hammer in the same joke consistently. It's a setup that I've seen a lot before and, on its own, the joke isn't strong enough to carry an entire book. I understand why the trope of a geeky introvert interacting with more outgoing, flashy girls is so popular but in 2025, it's already tiring on arrival.

We get the same setup and pay off for the first half a dozen chapters where our main character wants to express himself as an otaku and overthink things. However, credit where credit is due, there is genuine character development and character progression in the story. I thought this would be a story that would be obsessed with its status quo. But after a certain point, it becomes clear that the author does want there to be developing relationships between our three main characters. Now it is still typical with a sort of love triangle forming between two different strong personalities pining for the same introverted personality. But I still liked what I was reading. There is a bit of charming heart to the story that I wasn't expecting. Is it possible that this story is more than I thought because my expectations were originally so low? Absolutely, and I don't think you're reinventing the wheel with this type of setup either.

However, the relationships were believable from what I read. Every time I think the story is going to play completely safe, it chooses to take another step in the direction of these characters getting closer to each other. I believe the chemistry between the cast and while I wasn't laughing out loud at any jokes, I did find myself smiling at everybody coming to terms with how they feel. It looked like people are actually talking and are a lot more overly aware of each other than you would originally expect. I have to give the story a lot of credit for that so even though it isn't anything remarkable, I did enjoy my time with this. I'm curious to see how far the author is willing to push these relationships, so I'll be on the lookout for that. If you're looking for something a bit more laid-back and safe, then I think this manages to secure that feel while providing a little bit more to keep things engaging.

Romantic comedies with gals are getting a bit too played out. We need a new hook. Mmm...

GAL GALS GAL$

… Okay, I'll take it.

What we have here is your typical romantic comedy about a hapless otaku getting adopted by a sociable gal who, as it turns out, is open to his hobbies. But this time around, there are two kogals: the bubbly Ijichi and the aloof Amane. (Our protagonist is named “Takuya,” by the way.) The fun part of the story is how Takuya, or “Otaku-kun,” as the girls call him, has a different relationship with each girl. Ichiji is bubbly and does more heavy-lifting to pull Takuya out of his shell, while Amane and Takuya can share their mutual love for anime. It's actually a rather cute dynamic with the three of them. I'm somewhat disappointed that the story actually leads to a romantic triangle because it's so much cuter if they just walked out of this as really good friends who helped Takuya find the right girl... but, the same way you don't take a boy to see Jurassic Park if not to see dinosaurs, you don't read a manga about an otaku making friends with gals if not to get some wish-fulfillment out of it. I'm not looking forward to any potential drama between Ijichi and Amane since we see them being such close friends.

The sad part about the romantic angle is that the story flourishes so much better when it's just Takuya and the gals palling about with each other, learning who they are as people beyond their superficial archetypes. Takuya and Amane marvel at Ijichi's stellar grades, Amane and Ijichi learn how proficient Takuya is at illustration, and Takuya and Ijichi learn what Amane is like when she breaks her facade and shows her passion (usually for her favorite Glittermon, adding to the gap-moé). This is a story about teenagers realizing that their friends are actual people, and as such, they contain multitudes. It's a cute dynamic, and helps lend Gals Can't Be Kind far more weight than simpler wish-fulfillment. Provided, it does lack the kind of deep emotional character study that we've seen in other “gal”-themed media.

The artwork is of particular note in Gals Can't Be Kind; Ijichi and Amane are appropriately pretty and cute as needed, and their various outfits impress. But also, credit goes to Sakana Uozumi for the in-universe Glittermons designs, which do include some genuinely cute critters for what are supposed to be blink-and-you-miss-it fakemons.

For people who love gals, this is already a must-read; it's hard not to love Ijichi or Amane. For people just looking for a teen romantic comedy, Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? has some stellar execution only marred by how predictable a lot of it might be. But at the very least, they gave us two gals this time. Mandatory for gal-lovers, recommended with minor reservations for everyone else.

Kevin Cormack
Rating:

While the terms “gyaru”(gal) and “otaku” have very particular meanings in Japanese culture, and perhaps don't always translate exactly to the West, in this instance, it's completely fine to substitute them for “cool girls” and “obsessive nerd boy” here. Takuya is a socially inept high school student with a culturally abnormal fixation on a Sunday morning girl's magical girl anime that seems to be a mix between Card Captor Sakura and Pokémon . He obsesses over every detail of the show, from in-universe plot developments to production trivia, plus he seeks out rare merch. The show doesn't even seem to be that popular among its target demographic, so Takuya struggles to find anyone to share his extremely niche interest with. That is, until he begins to interact with the two popular girls who sit next to him in class.

Thankfully, Takuya isn't bullied or made to feel inferior due to his very specific obsessions – he's insecure enough that he does that to himself. No, the blonde, bouncy Ijichi's bright, friendly personality and generosity with physical touch help to bring down his barriers, even if she doesn't initially understand his interests. In comparison, the tall, seemingly unapproachable Amane (who herself admits she intimidates people due to her Resting Bitch Face) may, in fact, harbor the same depths of enthusiasm for the magical girl show as Takuya.

Gradually, the three main characters all get to know one another, deepening their friendships, with hints of romantic feelings becoming more evident towards the end of the volume. Takuya is a relatable character. I expect a great many of this site's readers have felt ostracised, or at least out of place amongst family and peers, because of what may have been perceived by others as niche interests. Certainly, when I was a kid, anime and manga weren't “cool” interests, so I can empathize with Takuya's confusion over why these girls treat him as a human being, not as a punchline.

Similarly, both girls are fun, three-dimensional characters with believable reasons for wanting to associate with a nerd, without the story coming across too much like wish fulfillment. In a way, it's almost a little sad that it looks to become a love triangle, even if I can see either girl becoming half of a happy couple with Takuya eventually. I don't want that to get in the way of their friendship, however!

I really enjoyed this very amusing romcom, and definitely recognized myself (and possibly my wife) reflected in its characters. I'd like to read more!