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The Otaku Love Connection #1
The Otaku Love Connection 01
A hilarious slice-of-life rom-com about one high school's gorgeous power couple and the romance otaku who stan them!
Life has its simple joys, and for geeky fanboy Wataru Otonari, that’s admiring his gorgeous classmate Yuzuru Kakoi and her equally gorgeous boyfriend, Chihiro Kawai. Luckily for Wataru, his classroom seat next to Yuzuru gives him a perfect view of his OTP. But this self-professed NPC doesn't seem to know he's just as beautiful himself!
As Wataru encounters other students who stan his favs just as much as he does—although some have very, very different takes on their dynamic—every day turns into a rollercoaster of emotions for this obliviously beautiful boyfailure!
Life has its simple joys, and for geeky fanboy Wataru Otonari, that’s admiring his gorgeous classmate Yuzuru Kakoi and her equally gorgeous boyfriend, Chihiro Kawai. Luckily for Wataru, his classroom seat next to Yuzuru gives him a perfect view of his OTP. But this self-professed NPC doesn't seem to know he's just as beautiful himself!
As Wataru encounters other students who stan his favs just as much as he does—although some have very, very different takes on their dynamic—every day turns into a rollercoaster of emotions for this obliviously beautiful boyfailure!
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2023
17 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 16, 2025
Let’s cut to the chase (before I resume meandering) - this story is a LOT. And it is absolutely idiotic. But it is deliberately a LOT and intentionally idiotic. The zany nature of it almost makes this survivable. For many of you, it will be.
Which sounds like I’m about to rip it a new one, but I’m not. This is very good at what it does, but by framing a traditional shojo style through the eyes of two obsessed fans it evokes the lunatic obsessions of Tamon’s B-Side.
I can only handle the biases and stanning and OTP’s so much in such screaming text before it wears me down. There is a lot to enjoy if you’re able to weather that storm and I did enjoy this up to the point where it wore me out.
I particularly like how it makes some very playful swerves - Otonari is a fanboy, but he’s as attractive as anybody else (his glow-up when he forgets his glasses is well realized. Still, he’s obsessed with the gorgeous Kakoi and her boyfriend, Kawai. Cough cough.
Immediately, Kawai starts getting crazy suspicious of the weird guy watching them all the time, which is really great. Then it turns out that Kakoi is wearing the pants in the relationship beneath her skirt and Kawai’s definitely on the bottom.
Which wouldn’t make much of a story, minus Otonari’s insane proclamations about his love for the two (another thing it has in common with Tamon), but we start getting even more fans of even more of the cast.
We quickly add in Tomaki, who’s super into Otonari when he’s being obsessed with the other two, plus she likes them as well. Then, once the four of them become friends, we have an end of volume reveal of a fujoshi who wants Otonari and Kawai to hook up and her friend, who’s a himedanshi (a male who enjoys yuri - talk about feeling seen!) and wants the girls to get together.
This is all very clever and the way these extreme personalities interact - Kakoi and Kawai’s coffee orders are wild and the way the latter gets when he’s jealous is hysterically prickly - makes for a pretty easy read.
I’m just not rating it higher because it’s exhausting. This book is always on. There is no quiet, no lull, no breathing space. It moves and moves loudly. It is a lot when read in bulk.
This might be a bit too much; I will probably grab another volume to see how the new characters change the dynamic, but I’m feeling that my own tolerance for this will not see it beyond that.
3 stars - my 3 stars could very easily be 4 stars for somebody else and if this sounds fun I do urge you to try it for yourself. It’s very subjectively not for me, but there’s nothing to keep it from being a great fit for the right reader.
Which sounds like I’m about to rip it a new one, but I’m not. This is very good at what it does, but by framing a traditional shojo style through the eyes of two obsessed fans it evokes the lunatic obsessions of Tamon’s B-Side.
I can only handle the biases and stanning and OTP’s so much in such screaming text before it wears me down. There is a lot to enjoy if you’re able to weather that storm and I did enjoy this up to the point where it wore me out.
I particularly like how it makes some very playful swerves - Otonari is a fanboy, but he’s as attractive as anybody else (his glow-up when he forgets his glasses is well realized. Still, he’s obsessed with the gorgeous Kakoi and her boyfriend, Kawai. Cough cough.
Immediately, Kawai starts getting crazy suspicious of the weird guy watching them all the time, which is really great. Then it turns out that Kakoi is wearing the pants in the relationship beneath her skirt and Kawai’s definitely on the bottom.
Which wouldn’t make much of a story, minus Otonari’s insane proclamations about his love for the two (another thing it has in common with Tamon), but we start getting even more fans of even more of the cast.
We quickly add in Tomaki, who’s super into Otonari when he’s being obsessed with the other two, plus she likes them as well. Then, once the four of them become friends, we have an end of volume reveal of a fujoshi who wants Otonari and Kawai to hook up and her friend, who’s a himedanshi (a male who enjoys yuri - talk about feeling seen!) and wants the girls to get together.
This is all very clever and the way these extreme personalities interact - Kakoi and Kawai’s coffee orders are wild and the way the latter gets when he’s jealous is hysterically prickly - makes for a pretty easy read.
I’m just not rating it higher because it’s exhausting. This book is always on. There is no quiet, no lull, no breathing space. It moves and moves loudly. It is a lot when read in bulk.
This might be a bit too much; I will probably grab another volume to see how the new characters change the dynamic, but I’m feeling that my own tolerance for this will not see it beyond that.
3 stars - my 3 stars could very easily be 4 stars for somebody else and if this sounds fun I do urge you to try it for yourself. It’s very subjectively not for me, but there’s nothing to keep it from being a great fit for the right reader.
August 6, 2025
too ridiculous without any semblance of a plot and I don't love the art but I did laugh a couple times
February 12, 2025
This was hilarious and cute. Otonari is an otaku shipping his classmate Kakoi, the smartest and most beautiful girl in their school, and her boyfriend Kawai, the handsomest and most liked boy in their school. He’s absolutely hilarious in his obsession that gives his life meaning after losing his previous ship in his favourite manga, which didn’t end up the way he wanted.
His obsession is shared by Tomaki, a girl in their class who has a real life crush on Otonari. Not that he has any idea, as he only has attention span for his faves’ love life. His best friend Takahiro tries to tell him he’s handsome, but it doesn’t even register.
Together Otonari and Tomaki spend their school days being fed content by their faves, not that the pair have any idea. Their ship isn’t the same either, as Otonari knows Kakoi is the top in that relationship, whereas Tomaki believes it’s Kawai. But then Takahiro comes up with a stunning suggestion: Otonari should try to befriend his faves. Is that even possible? And can he survive such a blessing? (Answer: not really.)
I absolutely loved this. Otonari and Tomaki stalking their faves could’ve been creepy, but it was handled with suitable humour and self-awareness. Kakoi and Kawai learning about being their otaku ship could’ve been awkard, but they took it really well. Well, she did anyway. And the volume ended with one more ship added to the mix, their classmates shipping Otonari and Tomaki, and alternately the girls together and the boys together. All pairs would work. Art was good too, with Otonari’s beauty comically emphasised. I’ll have to read more.
His obsession is shared by Tomaki, a girl in their class who has a real life crush on Otonari. Not that he has any idea, as he only has attention span for his faves’ love life. His best friend Takahiro tries to tell him he’s handsome, but it doesn’t even register.
Together Otonari and Tomaki spend their school days being fed content by their faves, not that the pair have any idea. Their ship isn’t the same either, as Otonari knows Kakoi is the top in that relationship, whereas Tomaki believes it’s Kawai. But then Takahiro comes up with a stunning suggestion: Otonari should try to befriend his faves. Is that even possible? And can he survive such a blessing? (Answer: not really.)
I absolutely loved this. Otonari and Tomaki stalking their faves could’ve been creepy, but it was handled with suitable humour and self-awareness. Kakoi and Kawai learning about being their otaku ship could’ve been awkard, but they took it really well. Well, she did anyway. And the volume ended with one more ship added to the mix, their classmates shipping Otonari and Tomaki, and alternately the girls together and the boys together. All pairs would work. Art was good too, with Otonari’s beauty comically emphasised. I’ll have to read more.
May 7, 2025
extremely nonsensical and silly but super cute
May 21, 2025
Incredibly weird, but that's also why it's fun. Gorgeous art!
June 6, 2025
This is so cringe—but also very fun?
We’ve got a nerdy pretty boy—Otonari—who ships two of his classmates—the handsome Chihiro and the adorable Yuzuru. He’s a big fan of their love—but can’t imagine being actual friends with them. They’re like his idols. But, once the pair discover that they have “fans”, they obviously want to be friendly.
Many kinds of otaku begin to crawl out of the woodwork from there.
If you are big into fan culture of any time or enjoy manga that reflect on and poke good fun at fan culture, you’d probably enjoy this series.
Just be mindful that the secondhand embarrassment is INTENSE~
We’ve got a nerdy pretty boy—Otonari—who ships two of his classmates—the handsome Chihiro and the adorable Yuzuru. He’s a big fan of their love—but can’t imagine being actual friends with them. They’re like his idols. But, once the pair discover that they have “fans”, they obviously want to be friendly.
Many kinds of otaku begin to crawl out of the woodwork from there.
If you are big into fan culture of any time or enjoy manga that reflect on and poke good fun at fan culture, you’d probably enjoy this series.
Just be mindful that the secondhand embarrassment is INTENSE~
November 16, 2025
This is definitely one of those "you know it isn't okay to act like this in real life, right? right?" type stories. Otonari's very cute, even while the reader sees that his mind works--to say the least--obliquely to an ordinary human's. He swoons whenever his paired classmates flirt with each other. He doesn't have romantic feelings for either of them individually, but for their interactions as a couple. The story puts him right in the path of their private rendezvous every single chapter, so he ends up being a voyeur. And thrilled about it!
Otonari doesn't go out of his way to peep on Yuzuru and Chihiro ("Chihiro and Yuzuru," in fellow fan Mashiro's point of view), it just kinda happens, so this whole thing isn't as off-putting as it could be. Comedy at least in part is about transgressing social boundaries, and this whole grouping could very easily come across as a some kind of complex polyamorous shape. But the blushing (and there's a lot of it!) comes across as being more on the innocent end of the innocent-horny spectrum.
As with a lot of manga, this story is about becoming fast friends underneath the absurd comedy, and building bonds even while you have no chance of completely understanding the other's point of view. The normies' baffled responses to Otonari's behavior are a lot of fun, especially when he responds ecstatically to stimuli that would make another normie quake in fear.
It looks like the next volume introduces a couple of new characters, a f/f fan and a m/m fan. As usual with comedy, I suspect my tolerance for this series's schtick won't last as long as the series does, but I'm up for at least another volume or two.
Otonari doesn't go out of his way to peep on Yuzuru and Chihiro ("Chihiro and Yuzuru," in fellow fan Mashiro's point of view), it just kinda happens, so this whole thing isn't as off-putting as it could be. Comedy at least in part is about transgressing social boundaries, and this whole grouping could very easily come across as a some kind of complex polyamorous shape. But the blushing (and there's a lot of it!) comes across as being more on the innocent end of the innocent-horny spectrum.
As with a lot of manga, this story is about becoming fast friends underneath the absurd comedy, and building bonds even while you have no chance of completely understanding the other's point of view. The normies' baffled responses to Otonari's behavior are a lot of fun, especially when he responds ecstatically to stimuli that would make another normie quake in fear.
It looks like the next volume introduces a couple of new characters, a f/f fan and a m/m fan. As usual with comedy, I suspect my tolerance for this series's schtick won't last as long as the series does, but I'm up for at least another volume or two.
March 22, 2025
This manga was such a fun read.
Art-immaculate
The art style is both super pretty while also able to portray the male leads as being hot.
The faces that are made when fangirling, essentially, are great as well, I was laughing on nearly every page. Speaking of laughing...
Humor- Maximum
To start with, the premise of a real life OTP is fun, mix that with silly high school students and you have a perfect environment for shenanigans to occur.
Being a fan of someone or something can be really fun and exciting and I think this manga was able to capture this really well.
Art-immaculate
The art style is both super pretty while also able to portray the male leads as being hot.
The faces that are made when fangirling, essentially, are great as well, I was laughing on nearly every page. Speaking of laughing...
Humor- Maximum
To start with, the premise of a real life OTP is fun, mix that with silly high school students and you have a perfect environment for shenanigans to occur.
Being a fan of someone or something can be really fun and exciting and I think this manga was able to capture this really well.
June 22, 2025
I was very interested in the premise, since it’s different to what I’m used to. I did not expect to get flashbacks to high school and the ridiculous obsessions me and my friends had. We never went around stalking classmates, but we had our fun otaku moments and loud giggling sessions. That being said, this was less nostalgia for me and more second hand embarrassment. I had fun, but probably won’t continue.
February 16, 2025
Unhinged, chaotic, fun! I didn't quite know what to expect when I pre-ordered this manga. I mainly bought it because the art looked so pretty (which it IS), and the synopsis interested me enough to try something new. Every character in this series is unhinged in their own way, and seeing the different reactions to Otonari and Tomaki's otaku tendencies was a riot.
I can't wait to read even more volumes as the series progresses!
I can't wait to read even more volumes as the series progresses!
April 8, 2025
2.5/5 stars
This was like an amalgamation of some of my favourites: Wotakoi, Ouran, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, so you'd think it'd be a win for me. But while this was fun and so easy to binge, with super pretty art, at no point was I actually laughing out loud, and that's what I want from my comedy manga. The ML was also just a tad too much for me.
This was like an amalgamation of some of my favourites: Wotakoi, Ouran, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, so you'd think it'd be a win for me. But while this was fun and so easy to binge, with super pretty art, at no point was I actually laughing out loud, and that's what I want from my comedy manga. The ML was also just a tad too much for me.
May 4, 2025
This is very zaney, over the top fun. But it just isn’t for me. We see why the shop is developed and I get it but I guess I’ve never really been into stuff like that so it’s hard for me to relate. Even as a kid I never celeb worshiped people so it’s hard for me to relate. I think I would like it as an anime better cause it is so fun.
May 30, 2025
A fun and silly read as long as you don’t take time to think about how weird this would be irl. The art style is so pretty and maybe the highlight of this volume for me. I was thinking that I not continue with the series but the arrival of two new characters at the end did make me curious to see how interactions would change so I will probably end up picking up volume two after all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2025
Super cute manga! I read it in Japanese and was able to follow along fairly well in spite of all the slang. The premise is really silly, but it's a very funny story that I couldn't put down. I laughed out loud more than I thought I would.
February 19, 2025
Cute and strange manga about people in fandom. I do find it weird to ship real life people, but this had a good balance of this is strange, but adorable. I do ship the otp couple. I like that it plays with expectations. It was a charmingly funny book.
February 22, 2025
I couldn’t resist laughing, this was the funniest manga I’ve read so far! Absolutely fun and chaotic and oh-so-real at times. Very refreshing and funny as hell 😂 Definitely reading the next volume(s)!
May 3, 2025
This was absolutely insane, very cringey at times, but so over-the-top that you can't help laughing. In the words of one of the characters, “The real fandom was the friendship they made along the way!!”
November 9, 2025
I had so much more fun with this than I was expecting! I too ship the “main” couple, and I think the other main characters are adorable as well! I’m looking forward to the fujoshi & himedanshi showing up in volume 1.
October 7, 2024
They say the most ridiculous things, but it’s so cute and funny. I’m kicking my feet.
February 21, 2025
totally zany and over the top....I do really love some parts and the main "it" couple are pretty cute. after a while though, wataru's behavior began to seem like too much lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2025
Are the otaku characters relatable to me? Absolutely. Is RPF still fucking weird and creepy? Yep.
March 22, 2025
3.5 stars
May 5, 2025
So over the top and silly. It was a fun read but definitely not something I would continue to enjoy. One volume is enough for me. LOL
May 11, 2025
Not for me
Pretty much cover to cover fangirling and shojo romance tropes. I hated every page. I'd rate it lower if I could.
Pretty much cover to cover fangirling and shojo romance tropes. I hated every page. I'd rate it lower if I could.
May 12, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐️
June 16, 2025
this book is deeply ridiculous but i had fun so what's good
3 stars
3 stars
July 25, 2025
This was honestly a cute manga! I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. The art is amazing and just how unhinged the otaku's are...they are just like me for real!
July 31, 2025
3.5/5, but it was really cute. Glad I continued it.
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August 21, 2025This might be the weirdest manga I’ve ever read but I can’t deny that it made me laugh a ton.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews