Tag: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Continuing Our Conversation with Fujita!

The wait is over! Part 2 of Kodansha’s exclusive Fujita on Wotakoi Finale interview is now available to read below or if you would like to experience this entire interview in one video check out the Kodansha YouTube page to see a special video covering all the topics of this interview in a singular multi-media experience fans of Wotakoi are sure to love!

To read Part 1 of Kodansha’s exclusive interview with Fujita hit the link below:
Exclusive Interview: Fujita on Wotakoi Finale – Part 1

Once again we must give a big thanks to our interview translator, Sawa Matsueda Savage. And English-language series editor, Vanessa Tenazas for their help on this interview.

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(Please note that since we transcribed an audio recording of an interview with Fujita-sensei, some comments come from Wotakoi’s Editor, Suzuki are mixed into the answers.)

On Hobbies – What is Fujita’s personal otaku genre?

Fujita: I like video games, and I play fun, low-key ones like Animal Crossing and Pokémon. The types of games I like are ones I can enjoy in my own time, that I’m free to play as I like by myself. 

Recently, I’ve also been into TRPGs (tabletop role-playing games). The Cthulhu TRPGs have surged in popularity in the past decade or so with more people playing them, and it became a trend to stream playthrough videos on YouTube. I happened to watch a really fun one that got me intrigued and I played it with my family, and that’s how I got into it.

I generally like creating characters and letting them act out stories, and while creating a manga out of that takes a lot of time and energy, a table talk game is less taxing and great for some casual fun. I think TRPGs are unique in that they let me create characters and play with them in ways that aren’t possible in manga.

Asides from games, I like horror-related content. Recently when I work, I’ve been playing videos in the background where YouTubers go to some haunted location or professional horror storytellers tell spooky stories. I’m very intrigued by the emotion of fear, and I find it curious and impressive that being scared can also be entertaining.

I think that the emotion of being scared and being entertained might involve a similar evoking process, just in different colors. A well-crafted story is of course scary, but also makes you go, “Huh. That’s really neat.” Everyone is capable of fear, and the same goes for enjoying something. Because I draw manga, I have a habit of dissecting the fear I feel to figure out what gave rise to that emotion. I break down the elements to arrive at a reason that makes sense to me, like “maybe it’s scary because this part of the story is told in this kind of tone.” When I listen to these stories, half of me does it in the spirit of research, hoping to translate that method somehow into my own manga, and the other half just wants to enjoy being scared as a regular member of the audience.

On Wotakoi’s Ending – What were the challenges of wrapping up a series?

Fujita: I wasn’t conflicted about finishing the series. It went as far as it would go, and I thought it was time to wrap it up. I felt the story couldn’t go on without having Narumi face her inner conflict about hiding her otaku ways, and if I kept waiting to pursue that storyline, I was worried that it wouldn’t be clear what the story was about anymore… Over the six or seven years working on the series, a gradual rift began to grow between the readership and the character I had originally intended Narumi to be. So time was running out to give closure to the story of Narumi wanting to hide being an otaku, which is what I had set out to do in the first place. Closet otaku are already becoming a minority, and once it becomes normal for most to think they have no reason to hide their otakuness, I figured it would be really difficult to present a story that would be convincing to my readers. Looking back, I just barely made it in time for the story to be relatable, so I think the timing was good.

Personal Thoughts – Did Fujita get to draw the ending they wanted? 

Fujita: In finishing the series, I put a crazy amount of thought into the last two episodes or so. I had to wrap up all the stuff about Narumi’s relationship with Hirotaka, but also figure out how to fit that into her own inner conflict, as well as how Hirotaka should get involved in Narumi’s personal struggle. I may be the one who came up with Wotakoi, but throughout the series my editor Suzuki-san helped make the adjustments it needed, so the two of us discussed what would make the most sense for Narumi and Hirotaka’s characters. We had ideas that would have been fine if it wasn’t the finale, but we definitely wanted to aim higher because it was going to be a special episode. I knew we couldn’t compromise. We ended up going with an idea that was completely different from my initial plan.

Suzuki: Compared to when the series began, society’s ideas on otaku have changed so much, haven’t they?

A positive interpretation is that Wotakoi may have had some influence, with the suggestion that it’s okay to be more open about otaku inclinations. And now people are becoming a lot more open about it than we ever expected. 

Fujita: I first thought about retuning to the usual energy and banter at the end, but as I was working, it started getting emotionally touching. I didn’t want the kind of heartfelt ending that screams, “This is the finale!” which was why I meant to end on a busy, comical note… [laughs] 

Suzuki: Well, I thought it had the feel of their usual style while still having Narumi overcome her inner problem, and I felt like it ended in keeping with the series. I also thought the individual characters really got a chance to shine in the final volume’s book-only episodes in a way that makes you want to see more. I really liked the one about Ko changing the way she calls Naoya.

Fujita: Those were meant as bonus treat for the fans!

Suzuki: The book-only episodes weren’t the only treat. You didn’t hold back with the cover of the artbook, either. 

Fujita: I drew all the lovey-dovey situations I had refrained from drawing before. 

On What’s Next – What does Fujita want to do next? Are they working on anything new? 

Suzuki: We can’t really talk much about this, but we have been discussing things.

Fujita: I’m at the stage of preparing my next move.

Suzuki: I think it’s going to be something that surprises everyone in a good way, so I hope it leaves people in awe.

Words to the fans of Wotakoi

Fujita: I can’t thank you enough for supporting me from so far away, and I hope to see you again in some way or the other!

On Characters – Fujita Tells us why they love each character

Narumi Momose

Narumi was the easiest to work with because I didn’t have to worry about how to portray her. She also functioned to ease the tension in any situation. She would make everyone smile just by being there. Narumi is the heroine, but I wanted her to be a kind of hero who saved Hirotaka. At the very end though, I got to make Hirotaka the one who saves his hero Narumi, so I’m glad I managed to guide the story there.

Hirotaka Nifuji

Hirotaka is actually meant to be the heroine. So I was really careful about how I portrayed him, and many of the times my editor turned down a storyboard, it had to do with how I presented Hirotaka. We had discussions that went like, “If you make him smile here, it might make the rarity of him smiling less special.”

Taro Kabakura

I worked with Kabakura thinking it was okay if he was something of a jerk. When I came up with material for Kabakura, it would be him making a verbal attack with something rude or selfish in an argument with Hanako. I didn’t mind if he came across as awful or a jerk depending on how you looked at it, but I wanted to make sure that he wasn’t clearly in the wrong. I wanted the fights between Kabakura and Hanako to be quarrels stemming from a difference in values. I sought advice from a lot of people about how to keep that balanced in terms of whether Kabakura’s way of thinking made sense in certain scenes. Kabakura was the second easiest to work with after Narumi, so I enjoyed drawing him. His character was great for throwing curveballs.

Hanako Koyanagi 

She was a good senpai around Narumi—older, reliable, cool, and composed. But she acts like a kid around Kabakura, and I wanted to show that contrast. Some characters can be insensitive around the people they’re comfortable with, and I wanted that for the Kaba-Hana couple, where they end up looking like a husband-and-wife comedy act from the outside. I had never created a female character like Hanako, so I wasn’t sure if I would grow to like her in the beginning. One thing that can be said for both Kabakura and Hanako is that they both like to act cool.

I suppose this is my opportunity to say that I come up with the characters for Hanako’s cosplay based on what I think she might choose, so although sometimes people say that those must be my favorite characters, that’s not always the case!

Naoya Nifuji

I really didn’t know what to do with Naoya until later on in the series. He was so innocent that I felt like I was drawing a mythical creature I’d never seen before. Kind of like a unicorn that people say exists, but no one’s ever seen. I personally identify the least with Naoya’s personality traits. At the beginning, I had a really hard time using Naoya because his character ran solely on being innocent, blissfully oblivious, and pure, and that wasn’t much to work with. But by introducing Ko, I decided that I wanted him to provide Ko with emotional support, or in other words, be Ko’s source of light*. That’s how Naoya’s role as a character materialized. Without Ko, he really would have just been there for Hirotaka to tell him he sucks at video games.

*The kanji character for “Ko” means “light” in Japanese.

Ko Sakuragi

When I proposed Ko’s character design, I almost had to redo it at first because she “looked too much like a boy.” But I pushed it through with the promise that she would get cuter as the series progressed. I thought she was cute, and I didn’t want to change her to fit in better with society’s idea of cuteness. Juxtaposed with Naoya, I was particular about not making them look like they would work together, so I couldn’t agree to make pre-transformation Ko look cuter. I wanted Ko to be an otaku with no love for herself who gets pulled up by Naoya. Naoya is a radiant “Light type” to a ridiculous degree, so although I felt bad for Ko, I figured she needed to start from a ridiculously low place. But people with low self-esteem like her tend to be really kind. They get hurt easily, so they’re careful about not hurting people, and they’re very observant of others. So I think of all these characters, Ko is the kindest of all.

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This concludes Kodansha’s exclusive interview with Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku series creator Fujita, detailing their thoughts and feelings around the manga, adaptation, it’s finale and more.

Fans who still need to get their copy of the final volume can find where to buy their copy on kodansha.us. And remember that there are still exclusive variant editions of the final volume at Barnes and Noble!

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Wotakoi fans can also experience Parts 1 and 2 of this special interview in a uniquely crafted video full of art from the series, as well as a process sketch segment of the exclusive AX 2022 art by Fujita

Hear from Series Creator Fujita on all things Wotakoi!

We’re continuing the celebration of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, kicked off at Anime Expo 2022, by giving fans a glimpse into the creative mind of series creator, Fujita, as they recount the ideas and experienced that inspired them to create the geeky fan-favorite rom-com, Wotakoi. Read below for part one of a two-part interview and also be sure to check out a very special sketch video at the end!

Big thanks to our interview translator, Sawa Matsueda Savage. And English-language series editor, Vanessa Tenazas for their help on this interview.

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(Please note that since we transcribed an audio recording of an interview with Fujita-sensei, some comments come from Wotakoi’s Editor, Suzuki are mixed into the answers.)

On the Beginning: Tell us how Wotakoi started.

Fujita: I started by posting one page at a time on Pixiv for fun, and people said they liked it in the comments. That made me so happy that I kept at it until Ichijinsha contacted me one day and it became a series. Back then, looking for undiscovered amateur content on Pixiv that you personally enjoyed was just starting to become a trend. The free platform provided easy access to that kind of content, and it was kind of like uncovering a lucky find or buried treasure. Nowadays, there are professional artists on Pixiv and people know they can find good content there, so I think the expectations are much higher than before. I think it really helped that I was posting back when people were just starting to realize that there was some surprisingly fun manga to be found there.

On the Concept: What gave you the idea of Wotakoi?

Fujita: It came from a conversation I was having with a friend while working on art stuff. We started discussing “what if” scenarios about a guy and a girl we thought would be cute together, and what kind of things they might talk about. That idea grew and I thought it was neat, but I couldn’t explain it that well in words. So I put pen to paper because I wanted to give shape to the idea, and the resulting rough sketches was how it started. Even in today’s day and age where it’s much easier being an otaku in life, I still think there are a lot of people who are like Narumi and hide that part of themselves. Even though times have changed and it may not seem necessary to hide it, that’s a separate issue, and one of the things I wanted to do was to acknowledge that feeling of reluctance. So I think the final volume provided a sense of closure in that regard by focusing on that issue.

On Characters: Are they based on real life people?

Fujita: There are no real-life people I can point to and say, “This is who that character is based on.” But I imagined there were people out there similar to these characters. Rather, I think I was totally convinced there must be as I drew them. Take Kabakura, for instance. I drew him thinking that was exactly what a guy would be like if he had a big ego and an image to uphold but actually loved anime and couldn’t resist his cravings. I did find it hard to believe when a reader told me they knew a person who was just like Naoya. Even with Hirotaka, whose personality is meant to be a boiled down, extreme version of a bunch of otaku traits, I occasionally hear about reported sightings of guys just like him, so I think it’s definitely possible that he exists. When people tell me they’ve seen people like the characters, I’m relieved to know they aren’t completely a figment of my imagination. I get the sense that readers enjoyed seeing familiar bits of themselves and people they knew in the characters. 

On Comedy: Who’s your comedic influence? 

Fujita: I’ve liked comedic stuff from when I was little and liked making people laugh, so I did kind of incorporate some classic comedy tropes and formulas. Also, this was not a direct inspiration for Wotakoi, but the type of comedy I enjoy is work like Gag Manga Biyori (A Good Day for Comedy Manga). I like that absurd style, but I couldn’t create that kind of humor with my drawings, so I aimed for the kind of vibe you find in Gintama. Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku are also examples of my idea of the ideal energy I wanted to create. I took care when developing the feel of the characters so that readers would find them endearing and want to see more of their everyday lives. I also tried to keep things light and not too serious.

On Manga: How did you get into drawing manga?

Fujita: In terms of just casual drawing, I started when I was in elementary school. I would draw four-panel manga with no dialogue in my notebook and show them to my friends. When I grew up, I still had this vague notion that I wanted to be a manga artist and went to a vocational school. Stuff happened, and I had a period of difficulty where I lost sight of what made manga enjoyable, so I decided to take a break and just draw manga for my own enjoyment. That’s when I turned to Pixiv and the result is Wotakoi. So I guess it started as a hobby I played around with that turned into a career. I feel like by the time I realized, it was the only path for me.

On Manga: What kind of tools do you use?

Fujita: I work with analog tools up to the inking stage. Before the inking stage, drawing with the analog tools I’m used to makes the page look more convincing, plus it’s faster. But for the background art, I definitely prefer working digitally given how challenging it is to have to put a ruler to paper and draw each individual line, making sure none of them go out of the panels.  I hope to hit a sweet spot of balancing digital and analog processes, and I’m still figuring that out.

Working in analog, the lines I draw will be printed just as they are, so I have an idea of what the finished product will look like. But working digitally means being able to zoom in indefinitely and draw infinitely thin lines. I hate that when I work on fine details until I’m satisfied, there’s too much detail in the final print and the page looks cluttered. I personally don’t enjoy reading pages with too much detail, and I want to produce the look of the manga I grew up with. I like lines that are relatively thick and easy to see, and a drawing style that depicts depth of field with just the use of lines. When I draw digitally, I don’t get a sense of the finished product, and trying to get it closer to where I want ends up being a time-consuming process.

On Anime: What was it like to see your manga become an anime?

Fujita: Everyone involved worked so hard to create it, and it made me so happy to see how passionate everyone was.

Suzuki (Editor): I feel like a lot of people discovered Wotakoi through the anime, including overseas fans. I think the anime played a big part in how it reached such a global audience. 

Fujita: I love watching overseas reaction video series, and in a scene where Hirotaka sees Narumi crying over anime and says, “What’s the point of crying over anime at this age?” there are these two overseas otaku guys who tell him off and say something like, “Hey! You just turned everyone against you!” But then Hirotaka cries as well right afterwards and the guys are like “Yeah, that’s right!” It was good to see that they approved of how that played out. People from overseas have much more candid reactions and it’s cute. 

Suzuki: Even after the TV series was over, we released several OVAs, and they sold in a way that’s unimaginable with most usual OVAs. I really felt that it’s indicative of just how many people loved the anime.

Fujita: Those involved put so much work into it, as well. The anime was a good learning opportunity for me. 

On Anime: Would there be a new season of anime?

Suzuki: I do want to see them do the events surrounding Kabakura and Hanako’s wedding and the book-only episodes from [Japanese] volumes nine to eleven. 

Fujita: I want that as much as anybody, so there’s no point asking me about it. [laughs]

Suzuki: It would certainly make a lot of people happy if they animated the full series.

On Theatre: Is it true that Wotakoi is becoming a theatrical play?

Fujita: Yes. The stage adaptation has a distinctive theatrical vibe of being a live show, and I think people will be glad they watched it. I think the choice of doing Wotakoi in live action is kind of a gamble. It can make some people die from embarrassment by feeling “seen.” I’m one of those people, actually.

It’s bad enough in manga form, but producing it with actual people honestly makes me worry that some viewers might explode from embarrassment. 

Suzuki: To tell you the truth, the person who came with the play proposal had an abnormal amount of passion. Be it the anime or the live action film or the play, I felt that the people involved had completely different personalities depending on the genre. I have no idea what the stage adaptation will be like until we see it, so it’s something to look forward to.

Fujita: It is! It’s completely unknown territory, so I can’t wait to see how it’s developing!

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This concludes part one of Kodanansh’s exclusive interview with Wotakoi series creator Fujita detailing their thoughts and feelings around the manga, adaptation, it’s finale and more. Stay tuned for the upcoming conclusion to be released soon!

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Can’t get enough of Wotakoi? Check out our exclusive Fujita sketch video as they draw the exclusive Anime Expo 2022 Wotakoi Art