Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 release date: WotaKoi: Love is Hard for Otaku manga compared to the anime [Spoilers]

Where could the anime Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 take the story next?

Anime fans are shipping Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 just as much as their hopes for the “best” otaku girl in the series. The WotaKoi: Love is Hard for Otaku anime (also known as Otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii or It’s Difficult to Love an Otaku) has been very popular both in Japan and internationally via Amazon Prime video, but is there enough source material for animation studio A-1 Pictures to produce a second season?

The anime series is based on the web manga series created by mangaka Fujita. The Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii manga started life on Pixiv, but since it was the most popular work on the site it was eventually picked up by the Ichijinsha’s Comic Pool for monthly digital serialization. (The anime noticeably featured both company’s names in the bookstore episode.)

The manga eventually started being physically published in hardcover tankobon format in 2015. As of February 2, 2018, the physical release is up to Volume 5. The release date for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Volume 6 is scheduled for July 31, 2018.

Even before the anime adaptation launched in 2018, the manga volumes had sold millions of copies, with new volumes often ranking number one on the Oricon charts. Volume 5 was even in the top 20 for manga volume rankings for the first half of 2018, beating even popular series like The Seven Deadly Sins (check out our article on The Seven Deadly Sins Season 3).

Kodansha Comics has licensed the official English translation of the WotaKoi: Love is Hard for Otaku manga and it’s catching up to the Japanese release at a brisk pace. In fact, the official English translation is barely behind the unofficial fan translation projects available online.

As of June 12, 2018, the paperback English version is up to Volume 2 and Volume 3 is scheduled to release on October 2, 2018. However, readers are reporting on Amazon that each paperback volume comes with roughly two tankobon volumes, so that should mean the English Volume 3 will include the Japanese volumes 5 and 6. The English Volume 2 also ends with Chapter 26 and an afterword.

This article provides everything that is known about Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.

All you woke-takus out there already know this, but the word wotaku has the same meaning as otaku, but hardcore otakus invented wotaku so they won’t be confused with any normies who hijacked the word otaku and made it mainstream

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Manga Compared To The WotaKoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Anime

Note: For the purposes of this section, the anime will be compared to the Japanese manga volumes and chapters, not the English translation. This section will also be updated once Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Episode 11 releases.

Manga fans usually get upset when an anime adaptation takes too many liberties with the source material, but in this case, any changes have not hurt because the anime has been well-received. The anime does rearrange the ordering of events and introduce some new elements, but the additions only seemed to make the story flow better.

For example, Episode 1 adapted only the first 20 pages of chapters 0 and 1 by adding anime original content. A-1 Pictures even slid in an advertisement for one of their upcoming movies and the manga’s PSP was updated to a Nintendo Switch, with Monster Hunter gameplay thrown into the mix. The manga originally had fujoshi Narumi Momose established at the company, and she was seemingly aware of rumors about other otaku working there, whereas the anime eased audiences into the setting by allowing the characters to introduce themselves naturally on her first day at the new job.

The first page of the manga literally opened with Narumi and Hirotaka Nifuji accidentally bumping into each in the hallway. In only 8 pages they were already dating, so for the anime, A-1 Pictures slowed down the fast pacing several notches and gave fans extras to smile about. But for the most important scenes, the anime has been a panel-by-panel adaptation.

The second episode continued the slower pace by introducing original content that developed the characters gradually. The second episode covered the awkward office interactions of chapters 2 and 2.5, but jumped ahead to Chapter 18 of Volume 3 for the bookstore scene. While that’s a pretty drastic rearrangement in the timeline, the change did not disrupt the flow of the story and it made sense because it showed the otaku couples bonding.

For those wanting to read the manga, the following provides a quick guide to how the anime adapted the manga chapters and the order in which the chapters appeared:

• Episode 3: Chapters 3, 4, 4.5 and 5.
• Episode 4: Chapters 5.1, 5, 6, 7.2 and 5.5.
• Episode 5: Chapters 7.2, 7, and 7.1.
• Episode 6: Chapters 2.5, 8, 9 and 10. Original content included childhood flashbacks, Hanako Koyanagi and Narumi talking about Christmas, Hanako and Tarou Kabakura eating together.
• Episode 7: Chapters 11, 17, and 16. While the manga timeline was out of order again, original content arranged the previously disconnected manga chapters into a linear story.
• Episode 8: Chapters 12, 12.5, and 13.
• Episode 9: Chapters 14, 17.5, 19.5 and 21.5. In the original story, the date at the amusement park was split up by unrelated chapters, so the anime adaptation connected the chapters into a single whole.
• Episode 10: Chapters 20, 21, 28, and 27. Elements of establishing Kou Sakuragi and Naoya Nifuji as the third power otaku couple were probably shifted into Episode 10 so the first season didn’t end with the focus on them.
• Episode 11: Chapters 23, 25, and 22. The anime introduced several new conversations in order to connect the scenes from the manga. Reordering the presentation of the chapters allowed the story to focus on reaffirming Narumi X Hirotaka, which made for a good ending.

The anime did skip some chapters which could be adapted in the second season. Chapter 15 of Volume 3 went all Freaky Friday an April Fool’s joke, which could be in the same episode as Chapter 19, which had Narumi trying to freak out Hirotaka after he refuses to be scared by horror movies. Those two chapters combined would make a good OVA episode 12. Chapter 24 was probably skipped because it was an oddball story about how the characters would differently approach pealing a tangerine and how that related to their personalities.

Chapter 26 is a flashback to when Hanako and Tarou were younger. Technically, Episode 11 did briefly touch on the subject, but the full story shows how the two argued over the volleyball courts but began bonding. This story would also make a good OVA as Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Episode 12.

All in all, the anime has adapted the chapters from the two available English manga volumes, so fans wanting to read ahead of the anime will need to wait until October 2018 when the third volume releases.

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Blu-Ray/DVD Volumes Delayed Until Late 2018

According to the official website, the WotaKoi Blu-Ray/DVD volumes were originally scheduled to release in the July to October time frame. Due to “production circumstances,” the release date for the anime’s four volumes have been delayed to the following dates:

• Volume 1: September 12, 2018
• Volume 2: October 10, 2018
• Volume 3: November 14, 2018
• Volume 4: December 12, 2018

The current 11 episodes are available with English subs only through Amazon Prime Video. An English dub has yet to be announced.

WotaKoi Season 2 Release Date

As of the last update, A-1 Pictures or any company related to the production of the anime has not officially confirmed the Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 release date. Nor has the production of a sequel been announced. Once the news is officially confirmed this article will be updated with the relevant information. In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the WotaKoi Season 2 premiere date will occur in the future.

The end card for Episode 11, which was based on the final panel of manga Chapter 22, certainly seemed like a teaser for a sequel. But other anime have ended with similar messages only to be canceled

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be enough source material for producing a second season soon. As of June 2018, the monthly manga is up to Chapter 40 in Japan, so mangaka Fujita will need at least a year to publish enough chapters.

Unless the second season has even more anime original content, the lack of source material probably means anime-only fans will need to wait several years before A-1 Pictures might come back to the series. That shouldn’t be too surprising considering even popular franchises like Sword Art Online and The Seven Deadly Sins have waited many years between anime seasons produced by A-1 Pictures.

Nao X Kou will be featured first in WataKoi Season 2?

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 Spoilers

WataKoi Season 2 has a lot of ground to be covered when it comes to certain relationships. The dynamic between Kou and Naoya was barely introduced before the first season came to an end. Thankfully, the cover of Volume 5 is one big fat hint about where the manga takes their story.

The biggest progression in their relationship is when Naoya finally realizes Kou is a girl when he spots her exiting the girl’s restroom. Kou blurts out, “I’m sorry!” and confuses Naoya, who goes “eh” and “huh.” Naoya tries to get her to wait, but she tearfully runs away down the hallway while thinking, “I was crying for the first time.”

Nao is greatly confused when Kou starts crying after he realizes his gamer friend is actually a girl

Kou was upset because she believes Nao will be upset at her for “lying” to him for so long. So it’s up to Narumi and Hirotako to use a little online gaming to try and help clear up the misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Narumi and Hirotako will continue to develop their relationship as boyfriend and girl. It’s certain to get at least a little steamy since Volume 6 features a story about an onsen (hot springs) trip. (Which would also make a good Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii OVA Episode 12.)

The good news is that English manga readers will be able to catch up by the end of 2018. Hopefully, anime-only fans won’t have to wait forever for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Season 2 to be confirmed. Stay tuned!

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