Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku OVA
Synopsis
Sore wa, Ikinari Otozureta = Koi Tarou Kabakura, a third-year high school student and captain of the boys' volleyball team, is constantly being harassed by his underclassman Hanako Koyanagi, who is in charge of the girls' team. Koyanagi insists that since the girls have a match coming up, Kabakura should give up the courts to let them practice. When he refuses, she pulls out photographic evidence exposing his secret hobby. With the danger of his entire team finding out about his otaku interests looming over him, Kabakura agrees to hand over the volleyball courts to Koyanagi, giving her some private coaching as well. As the two grow closer, they begin to forge an everlasting bond. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Tomodachi no Kyori Second OVA expanding on Naoya and Kou's relationship. Shain Ryokou to Negaigoto Third OVA covering the employee retreat chapters. (Source: MAL News, edited)
Audience Consensus
The OVAs are generally well-received, especially for focusing on side couples and providing more romance than the main series. The Kabakura and Koyanagi backstory is a highlight for many viewers. Some find the second episode weak, and the third doesn't add much to the overall story.
Strengths
- Delves deeper into side relationships.
- Realistic couple dynamics with arguments and flaws.
- Well-written backstory, especially the high school flashback of Kabakura and Koyanagi.
- Improved animation quality compared to the original series.
- Focus on romance.
Weaknesses
- Second OVA episode considered lacking or unsatisfying.
- Third OVA episode is just a mandatory onsen episode, didn't really contribute to more than we knew of our main protagonists
- Some feel the main couple's story is left hanging and need more content