Narumi’s fear of being outed as an otaku causes an argument between her and Hirotaka. The final volume shows how they overcome these struggles.
The following contains spoilers from Volume 6 of the Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku manga.
The English release of Volume 6 of Wotakoi: Love is Hard For Otaku hit American bookstores on June 14th. The final installment of the Japanese manga continues to explore Narumi and Hirotaka’s relationship as their difference in opinion results in their first argument as a couple. Since the start of the series, Narumi has kept the fact that she is an otaku hidden from her coworkers, and Hirotaka doesn’t understand her reasons for doing so. They seek help from Hanako and Taro, who are experts at bickering and fighting.
At the same time, Naoya and Ko are treading the waters of their new relationship. Both shy and awkward, they reach out to others for guidance on navigating being a couple. The final volume of the series showcased heartfelt moments between the characters, combined with the same romantic comedy that fans of the series enjoy.
Narumi and Hirotaka’s story began in elementary school. The manga starts with Chapter 78, titled “Encounter,” which recaps the pair’s first meeting. Narumi noticed the battle pencils Hirotaka had. Each pencil represented a character from a video game, with their attacks printed on the side. With the pencils, children would battle with them. Narumi thought the pencils Hirotaka had were cute and wanted to see them.
Hirotaka asked Narumi if she wanted his pencils, but she felt guilty for taking them and offered to trade a pair of hers. At first, Hirotaka was reluctant since he had no friends to battle with. As a kid, he was a loner who preferred his own company, but Narumi assured him that playing with a friend was more fun than being alone.
Their personality differences reflected how Narumi and Hirotaka felt about being otaku. Hirotaka didn’t care about how others viewed him. He was content with people knowing he liked anime and video games and didn’t see an issue with others knowing. However, Narumi feared how others would perceive her. Her previous boyfriend broke up with her because of her otaku nature. She feared a similar situation occurring again and hid her interests from her coworkers. When Narumi almost exposed herself by dropping manga from her purse, she freaked out and ran. Hirotaka didn’t understand Narumi’s need to hide being an otaku, which caused an argument between the two. Narumi stormed out after Hirotaka told her she was continuously “nursing an old scar.”
The next day, Narumi sought advice from Hanako, who suggested that Hirotaka only acted how he did because of how much he cared about Narumi. Later that night, when Narumi was working overtime, Hirotaka approached her. She had started crying after reflecting on her behavior, to which Hirotaka said they should make up and go home. A few days later, Narumi invited her coworkers to dinner, where she finally revealed to everyone that she was an otaku and dating Hirotaka. While the two have different views on whether they should keep being otaku a secret, they come to understand each other’s points of view and respect one another.
The final volume features four exclusive covers. The standard cover features Narumi and Hirotaka in their work clothes, while Barnes and Noble’s cover shows the couple dressed up in formal attire. On the Books-A-Million cover, the two wear traditional yukata for a festival. Finally, the Kinokuniya exclusive cover features a young Narumi and Hirotaka holding the battle pencils they traded as kids. The volume can be bought for 12.99 USD.
Childhood Friends
Hard Being An Otaku
