This entry will be another quick one, which is somewhat unfortunate as the finale of the Merry Days of Anime block. Alas, I could only stomach two episodes, so I only have enough to say about two episodes’ worth of content. This is also a pretty popular series, so strap yourselves in for some harsh opinions.
Most of what I’ve heard of Wotakoi going into this was that it was cute and very game-centric. A wholesome bundle of fun without much substance. “Sounds pretty appealing,” I thought. Not to mention, I am 1. An “Otaku” (I prefer “Weeb”), 2. A gamer (I prefer literally anything else), and 3. A romantic. Everything lined up perfectly, so it seemed to be something that would entertain me, if not give me some pleasant “doki-doki” fulfillment. Does this set-up feel familiar? It should, because I basically did the same thing with Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? just before this, except in reverse. Like that previous set-up, the payoff is the same: everything against it, Zombie ended up enjoyable; everything supporting it, Wotakoi was an irritating snoozefest.
Again, two episodes. I could easily make “I could only endure two episodes of this dumb series for a reason” as a central argument, but I acknowledge that by only viewing the start of what is essentially building a romantic connection between two people from the ground up, others could simply see me as impatient. Sure, that’s fair. All I can say is that these characters, whom are supposed to carry the comedy and romantic flairs on their shoulders, feel so plastic that I could hardly make out feeling anything but contempt.
Everything about Wotakoi, from its characters, video game references, and otaku pandering, had an artificial feel to it. There was a stretch of time in the second episode where the characters were trying to converse in an awkward situation that took about 4-5 minutes of time, when it should’ve taken 1-2. The pacing is sloooooooow, and the dialogue between characters is so stilted and boring. Having one’s bust size come up four times in the first two episodes was already a red flag, but the characters have no chemistry with one another whatsoever. Again, early on, but to even employ a scene where the male lead makes an earnest statement of affection (with a blank face) only to have the female lead hug him after avoiding him for half the episode is so laughable to me. What is with this hot-and-cold relationship? The strange pacing? The video game references that add nothing to anything involved?
Pandersome is a made-up word that could effectively describe what I think of this anime. A “mature” romantic comedy for (conveniently hot) otaku with a bunch of video game/anime references (You kids like that shit, right?). Kudos to the series creator for making something with adults at a workplace; really, anime could use more workplace settings (Working!! was pretty good for two seasons). But what ultimately makes this not for me is the lack of any distinguishable personality, usurped by a lot of shiny trinkets thrown in to appeal to those who can relate to being otaku/gamers.
Thank you for your time. Have a great day.
The Visualist's Veranda 