My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku surprised me as it's actually josei. The story moves on two time lines, the current time is when Megumi is in her forties and a mother for a teenage daughter. The other line is Megumi being a teenager and an otaku in the 1990s. I enjoyed this so much, since I got most of the references. I got into manga and anime over twenty years ago, so this series is nostalgia for me in many ways. Megumi's past is interesting as she had to change schools for bullying. Now she just wants to be normal, but it's hard to hide the fact she's an otaku. This feels cliched in a sense, but Megumi's inner world is funny and desperate, which is great. Also, the adult Megumi is amazing with her pondering and such. It's awesome to dive into the 1990s, but it can be hard for those that haven't experienced it (hence the info at the back).

The art looks lively and fun, which works for the series well. The characters have tons of facial expressions and the movement is well depicted. There's lot of potential for this and it will be interesting to see where this is going and whether the current adult Megumi will find love too.

*MILD SPOILERS*

This book hit home a bit for me. Having to hide a part of you to avoid bullying is something I have dealt with for a long time. This type of storyline gave a relatable main character that the reader can grow to understand. All around, it was a super sweet book with a funny twist. I’m excited to read more!

A coming-of-age manga series that dives into a teen's path to self-acceptance!

"One anime can change a person forever. One manga can stir a person's soul...or even save their life. When something has such power...why is it bad to love it so fiercely?"

Back in 1995, when Megumi was still in school, being an otaku was viewed as strange. She was once called a "creepy otaku" in her old school. When she transferred to a new school, she hid her otaku side and tried to appear normal to get along with others, denying the things she truly loves. On the first day, she meets Masamune, the school president and a basketball ace who got a kind heart, similar to a character she likes. However, she is crushed when she learns that Masamune has a hatred for otaku.

There is a little sneak peek at the end of the manga which shows why Masamune detests otaku. I am looking forwards to more of his side of the story, because I had a feeling that was the case. It seems more deeper than it seems, so that would be interesting to dive into.

Pretty cute read and also unique art style as well! I like the dual timeline moment in this manga where the mc thinks about her past when she was in love with all the manga and anime stuff and how she is comparing it to the current generation where the anime and manga culture is more open compared to her time.

4 stars!

We start out with present day Megumi, a single mother, who looks back on how being an otaku was when she was younger compared to now with her daughter. She transferred schools and tried to hide the fact that she was an otaku from her classmates. Although her self introduction did not go well, the class president helped break the ice for her and the other classmates. Megumi ends up having a crush on him but discovers how he feels about otakus. Thus she tries even harder for people not to discover; however, a fellow otaku is not helping as she creates situations for Megumi that can potentially out her.

The artwork is different from most manga I have read, but not in a bad way. Megumi is a relatable character, especially when she slips up at times with anime/manga references. I know I do this all the time and sometimes forget the other person might not get the reference. As not everyone has the best opinion of otaku’s, you can relate to Megumi as at times it can be better to hide it although now it has become more popular (even from when i started getting into it).We also get a small glimpse as to why the president does not view otakus in a positive light- a bit more would be nice though. There was one character that was a bit annoying for me which was the basketball team manager. This series was a good one to switch up the genres I was reading and I will have to see how volume 2 progresses before deciding where this manga would fall on my list of series (how I determine which manga I prioritize getting).

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to read.

This is a cute premise and I do want to continue the story but the pacing feels a bit weird. Are we getting the story of here reconnecting with her childhood crush? or a new love?

Review to come in a few days on my blog/goodreads/etc.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

OK, this was quite fun! In this one we follow a girl named Megumi. Well, she is a woman in the now. Yep, we are switching back from the now, in which Megumi is divorced and has a 16-year old daughter + in which she cannot get used to how anime/otaku culture has become main stream, to the then in which she was 16 and we see how she started at a new school and is trying to hide her otaku tendencies because while it was getting more and more popular, people still shunned otakus. I really loved that we went back and forth. But my favourite was the then and see all the fun references to anime and manga back then. Though it was also hard to read because Megumi just wants to be accepted, she just wants to fawn over anime, just wants to be herself, but all those things together aren't working. Yes, she could technically do like one of her classmates and just /care about it, but she isn't that type.

I loved how she looked through very heavy anime/manga coloured glasses. That hot guy in her class reminds her of one of her favourite characters. There are some sweet moments that had her envision shoujo/other manga moments. It was so adorable and funny.

Plus, the then parts have a love interest. I am still not entirely sold on the guy, haha, but I do see some good parts in him. Plus, given the ending, well I can understand it a bit better on why he is so hesitant about otakus. I do hope that he is honest about it with Megumi one day. And that maybe she can show him that not all otaku are like that.

We also see that she has a penpal and that she exchanges letters and items with this person. I had a laugh that Megumi thought the person was a girl, oh this is going to be fun when she finds out. XD

I quite liked the art style in this one! Plus, I just cannot resist a fang-tan, those are my favourite characters~

I do hope that as the story continues that Megumi can show the world that being an otaku isn't all bad. I hope that she is able to be more free about it. And I hope people accept her.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an ARC of this book.

Here I am again! Kodancha Comics publishes very nice manga and comics, I have yet to be disappointed.

Nicholson has very nicely mirrored the reality of otaku or people who liked manga and anime back in the 90’s. This reality has extended into the 00’s in some countries (mine included); so, while reading the manga, I felt very represented. It was easy to see my younger self in the main character.

The story follows Megumi as an adult and how she reminisces on her experience as a teen okatu in comparison to her teenage daughter. The main driving plot line is Megumi’s love-life, both as a teen and in the present time as 42 year-old single mother.

The mix of romantic angst and comedy was what made the manga fast to read, as I wanted to know more about the new characters.

Honestly, I would love to have access to the rest of the volumes in the future!

I loved this.
It's a super funny manga.
I can relate so much to the main character, both in her life as a teenager, trying to hide her Otaku side, and now in her adult life, shocked to know that so many people know about these things.
Knowing that someone suffered like me, feels good.
I love the story of the book, I think is very well aimed for those Otaku moments.
And the characters are really fantastic, they have a strong personalities and things going on their personal lives that I think will deepen throughout the volumes.
I loved the first volume and can't wait to read the next one.

I really enjoyed this! I obviously never grew up in Japan but I was an Otaku and I felt this manga in every fiber of my being! Being so anxious and shy about your favs and wanting more Otaku friends but not knowing how to find this. Just all of this felt so real to me and I can't wait for more volumes!

”My Lovesick Life as a '90s Otaku, Vol 1” by Nico Nicholson had its charm … I just don't think I'm the correct reader to appreciate it.

To be honest there were times when I wanted to abandon this story. Humor-wise it's like ”Kiss Him, Not Me” by Junko, and that sort of gag humor is not really me.

The story itself is hard to say which genre it is, but I would call it a coming-of-age story where we see how Megumi's complicated feelings from her childhood regarding being an otaku have effected her till the day today, where she is a mom, divorced and living in a different world where being a fan of something isn't the social death it apparently was when she was a kid.

Following the story of Megumi, who was a raging otaku in the mid-90s, now a single mother, who reminisces on her life while also trying to cope with anxieties, leads you through an emotional/slightly funny tale of her childhood. Her anxieties are so real as I myself had these same anxieties when I was in high school just trying to fit in in a town full of people who just didn't understand and couldn't find a way to appreciate something of this art form. Megumi wants to find love but doesn't believe she can do that while also loving anime and video games and I hope as more of the manga comes out, she can see that that isn't the case, that she's worthy of love despite her love for anime and video games.

I'm looking forward to what this manga has to offer and will be keeping up to date on the next volume!

Thank you netgalley for an advanced ARC of this manga.

Why are so many manga's so cute 😍.

This manga reminded me a little of a anime called - kiss him not me a girl who is a an anime fan girl and trying to hide while the popular boys fight over who has her, but with this manga the popular boy wants to be her friend and maybe more in future volumes..... this was sweet l, adorable and allot of fun to read with a character you are Cheering for throughout. Cannot wait to see what more this series has to offer

This feels like a love letter to anyone who grew up having to hide their nerdy interests for fear of being thought of a weird or creepy, and now get to see those same interests be mainstream and accepted.

While a lot of the plot is exactly what you'd expect from the blurb, there's a number of nice shoutouts (penpals! doujin stationary!) and a lot of callbacks to the theme of "we love and have passion for this thing that brings connection with others, why is that so bad". I'm also really curious how the framing of Megumi as a single mother in 2021 will come into play, as well as more about Masamune's family

Oh this was TOO REAL (positive)!! Listen, as someone near Megumi's age in the current day chapters, even living the US as an anime-enjoyer in the same 90s time period, while there wasn't the huge stigma that anime fans = gross and dangerous (that was D&D fans! lol) it was still so niche that it was just shoved into general "nerd stuff = gross and lame). It has been ABSOLUTLEY WILD to see Marvel and various anime ventures become so incredibly mainstream these days.

I'm not sure I've ever felt Seen in manga to this level even as an overseas fan because I already knew most of the references before getting to the footnotes and definitely had some of the same experiences Megumi goes through in the teenage-her chapters (from anime character inspired haircuts, though normal enough to fit in, to worldwide penpals bonding over anime/manga/games!). Even though this is a work of fiction, Nico Nicholson based several main points off of her own life, which makes it incredibly relatable to those of us "oldtaku" (cannot believe they used this word in the notes that I've only seen friends use and that used to be in my Twitter profile) who lived through anime-in-the-90s and are living through anime-in-today.

Highly recommend, even if you're a newer anime fan or a younger person to know like yeah, this is what it was like and this is how good you've got it (also positive). So fun. Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC!!

This is a very nostalgic and wholesome manga - it's lovely to see that having animanga be in mainstream for decades now allows for such a generational reflection on what it means to be in the fandom. I enjoyed this!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for allowing me to read and review My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku is an adorable, and expressive manga about single mother Megumi who compares her time as an Otaku in the 90s to her daughter in 2021. Being an Otaku is hard for Megumi in the 90s, they can be ostracized for liking manga and immediately think the person is weird or creepy. Whereas with her daughter in present times it is more accepted and popular to like manga and anime. There is a back and forth time line where we see Megumi try to deal with being an Otaku in high school and how it affects meeting new people. In the present her daughter is trying to push Megumi to find love. I did like the story and thought the art style was cute. I don't think I'll continue the series but it's a promising start. I think many readers will enjoy how relatable Megumi is as an awkward high school student with anxieties about being herself.

3 stars

I went into this expecting a cringe-fest due to the premise. However, I was surprised when I laughed at how wholesome this was. Our main character is an otaku who keeps a low profile due to bullying at her previous school. She is surprised when the class president strikes up a friendship and isn't scared of her. I think if you go into this with no expectations you will find this to be a fun read. I am definitely going to continue with the series to see how things progress for the protagonist and the class president.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

This is a good first volume. The art style is fun and pretty with a main character that had s unique but cute face.
The humor of seeing anime be cool now but it was something to make fun of when we were kids is quite relatable. I smiled at times.
The story follows a girl who it's an over thinking, social society mess who creates lots of unneeded cringu moments all on her. All steaming from over thinking and blurting out crazy things. Being something I can't teenage to I find that trope in manga annoying. Do I probably won't be continuing. But for the many manga readers who can relate to being a cringy social mess in highscool I think this roulette be a great comedy romance to read.

I had good hopes for this one, but was disappointed by a couple of things. First, the art wasn't my favorite because the artist seemed to be deliberately making several of the characters unattractive. Not just plain, but deliberately ugly. The MC, in particular, got a rough treatment (as a manifestation of how she viewed others' perceptions of her as an Otaku?)

Secondly, MC embarrassment as a plot device has never been my favorite, and her overly bombastic internsl monologue doesn't help.

That said the MC doesn't seem a total loss, and I think with the right character development she could be more sympathetic/likable as a character.

The last question I guess I had had to do with the Framework/Flashback/Single mother setting. It doesn't seem to bring any value to the story currently, but I guess it may become apparent. (I presume she is going to reconnect with one of the love interests, but I am curious as to who the baby daddy is.)