Series Title: My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku
Volume #: 1
Author: Nico Nicholson
Translator: Matt Treyvaud
Publisher: Kodansha USA
I can't help but notice there is an increasing amount of stuff that takes place in the 1990s. As someone born during that decade, I don't know how to feel about, and just thinking about it makes me feel old (I can't believe SpongeBob SquarePants is turning 25 this year). And seeing materials I had as a kid with the “historical” label attached to them feels surreal. I guess this feeling is what my parents felt when the music and other items they had as children and teenagers were slapped with the “vintage” and “historical” labels.
I also tend to be wary of reading historical stuff taking place in the 1990s and 2000s because I noticed there is a tendency for works taking place during that time to being nothing but nostalgia bait. Ready Player One is really guilty of that. While it focused more 1980s pop culture and took place in the future, it was guilty of focusing more on pop culture references rather than telling a good story. Which was why I was cautiously optimistic about My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku.
Fortunately, the manga avoids the problems Ready Player One has. My Lovesick Life has the references to popular anime and manga during the 1990s Japan, such as Slam Dunk and Neon Genesis Evangelion. But the references do not overshadow the story. Megumi's interest in anime and manga plays a significant role in the story. Megumi's hobbies are a driving force of the story, serving as the catalyst of slowly opening up to others (intentionally and unintentionally), including the love interest, Masamune. However, Masamune dislikes otaku and anything related to otaku. So, Megumi hides her otaku interests to get close to Masamune.
While I was an anime fan during the 2000s, I relate to Megumi hiding geeky interests to avoid bullying. To the people born in the late 2000s and later, during the 1990s and 2000s, nerdy stuff wasn't cool. And anime and manga (and, to a lesser extent, video games from Japan) were considered the uncoolest of the uncool. Seeing my peers making derogatory remarks about anime and Japanese pop culture in general was disheartening. It was because of that, I had to go online for finding others with similar interests. Similarly, Megumi had to reach out to her otaku friend, but through the old-fashioned way, through snail mail as social media websites didn't exist in 1995. Fortunately, in 2021 Japan, it looks like Megumi became more confident with her otaku side. I am also the same way with me being less ashamed about my anime love.
The plot is a basic high school romance and slice of life story. So, if you're looking for a light read during the weekend, this manga is perfect. Megumi is a likeable character and relatable to older anime fans who experienced similar events in the manga. You can't help but root for her to overcome the obstacles in her life. Masamune is also a great character too, who has positive and negative qualities. At the end of the manga, it shows why Masamune has a dislike for otaku culture. Without giving too much away, it is understandable why he has a negative view. Even though fandom can be a positive experience for many people, there are times when the experience is not great. Hopefully, in the future volumes, Masamune learns that not all fandom behavior is bad.
While the story doesn't bring anything novel or makes you think hard about life, it is a fun high school story that can be enjoyed by anime fans of all ages. This story does an outstanding job using the '90s anime references and showing fandom practices during the '90s without falling into the nostalgia bait trap. I'm eagerly awaiting to read more of My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku.
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