New this month from Sq. Enix is a romantic comedy manga with a nerdy twist in The Otaku Love Connection. Life has its easy joys, and for geeky fanboy Wataru Otonari, that’s admiring his beautiful classmate Yuzuru Kakoi and her equally beautiful boyfriend, Chihiro Kawai. Fortunately for Wataru, his classroom seat subsequent to Yuzuru offers him an ideal view of his OTP. However this self-professed NPC doesn’t appear to know he’s simply as stunning himself! As Wataru encounters different college students who stan his faves simply as a lot as he does – though some have very, very totally different takes on their dynamic – each day turns right into a rollercoaster of feelings for this obliviously stunning boyfailure!

Otaku themed romance is a nicely explored style with latest hits like Wotakoi: Love is Onerous For Otaku and My Gown-Up Darling taking it to office and highschool settings with nice success. The Otaku Love Connection nevertheless takes the tropes you’d fantastic in these sequence in a relatively totally different path. While romance is a key driving level of the story, nearly all of it’s pushed by the spectators watching on and actively celebrating their favorite {couples}. It’s commonplace to see followers delivery pairings between fictional characters however seeing them cheering on actual {couples} is a complete totally different kettle of fish.

Wataru’s unbridled pleasure at delivery his favorite college couple and his subsequent discovery of fellow followers present loads of hilarious moments while giving a enjoyable tackle delivery tradition. The truth that Wataru is unaware of his personal bishonen (fairly boy) look while admiring Kakoi and Kawai’s good seems to be and chemistry to an nearly obsessive diploma additionally give the sequence a wholesome sense of irony. Creator Chu Amairo moreover offers Wataru some enjoyable characters to play off. His fellow shipper Tomaki struggles to reconcile her unrequited emotions for Wataru along with his one-track thoughts with regards to delivery. Their interactions give the sequence an attractive hook as we query if Wataru will ever see Tomaki as something past a fellow otaku.

Amairo can also be no slouch with regards to the artwork division. She throws herself wholeheartedly into the shojo stylings you’d anticipate in a sequence like this. Her characters are all nicely designed and intentionally overly fairly together with loads of over-the-top moments to go along with the comedy. However she additionally does nicely with extra refined points with Tomaki – particularly – exhibiting a variety as she processes her emotions that transcend comically exaggerated expressions of emotion (readers have Wataru to ship in that division).

It is a enjoyable sequence that celebrates otakus while placing in some twists with regards to their roles in romantic comedies. Manga followers searching for their subsequent shojo comedy will certainly wish to give The Otaku Love Connection a glance.

The Otaku Love Connection 01 is out 11 February from Sq. Enix Manga (9781646093694, p/b, £12.99)

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