Ahead of the licensed English release of this series, I thought I should put some kind of warning label out there for anyone pulled in by the flashy cover and meme-infused title. If all you’re after is pretty girls and scatterings of smut, this series could be for you! But for any yuri readers with an interest in plot and characters, abandon hope - WataNare is a deranged, onanistic, occasionally problematic series that I’ve read so you don’t have to. (I talk about particular character dynamics here as I nitpick, but not to a point I would consider a spoiler.)
A synopsis of the series should
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raise a few flags already. Socially anxious Renako, having reinvented herself as a cool kid upon starting high school, suddenly finds herself being pursued by her new best friend and the queen of the school, if not the world, flawless fashion model Mai. Mai wants to date (marry, really) Renako; Renako, who’s Definitely Not Gay and terrified of commitment, wants to remain friends. Naturally, they put things to a competition, where they alternate being friends and girlfriends and compare which relationship works better. These kinds of goofy developments (plus a bunch of ridiculous gags, such as the pair surviving a fall off a several-storey building because Mai is “naturally lucky”) require a suspension of disbelief that I can happily accommodate for a comedy series; and the series is at its best in volume 1 while it’s wringing the comedy out of the odd-couple dynamic and Mai’s raging libido. But its subsequent attempts at sincere human drama, let alone sincere romance, are completely undercut by the absurd foundations of its universe.
The writing, at least in the original Japanese, is fairly cringey, the flow of conversation often derailed just to insert a witticism or show off some obscure turn of phrase. Nobody here talks like a teenage girl, and most of the characters’ backstories are flimsily built on passing allusions to tropes. Peak moe blob Renako is somewhere between an otaku self-insert (self-identified socially awkward “average girl” who’s actually beautiful & incredible at everything) and an otaku fantasy partner (big tiddy gamer girl). Her social anxiety and people-pleasing inclinations, which should be sympathetic if not relatable, stem from years-long ostracism by her entire peer group... for politely declining a party invitation, once. No, really.
Mai is a psychopath. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, and it’s actually played well enough for comedy in the first volume, but then the sobering reality kicks in that she’s really just like this and we’re supposed to side with her for the whole series. She’ll occasionally launch into a monologue about the pressure she feels to be perfect and no-one knowing “the real her,” but there’s no discernible difference between her private and public personas (Renako even roasts her for sounding like an emo kid, but this plotline still gets played straight). The chemistry between these two leads is largely chalked up to “destiny”, shorthand for the writer’s shallow intention. Mai falls in love with Renako in the span of one chapter and that’s just that; Renako spends every second chapter complaining about how horrible Mai is, but still finds herself inexplicably attracted to her.
As a result, Renako’s emotions are completely incoherent. A surface reading of events may hold up: it’s a classic slow-burn 'what is love' affair, where she slowly realises her feelings for Mai were actually love all along! The thing is, she realises this 10 chapters in, and yet somehow the story keeps going, with Renako continually double-thinking herself through a myriad of compromising situations. It’s not just difficult to follow; her ambiguous feelings lead to a classic “saying no but meaning yes” scenario in volume 2 that comes off incredibly assault-y. (She later confesses that she really did want to have sex - and then, when Mai comes on to her again, she defaults to her hollow catchphrase, “I just can’t!!”)
This 'no homo' shizz is exasperating and wildly anachronistic. By point of contrast, earlier Yuri Hime works had their fair share of internalised homophobia, but it mostly came out as its protagonists rammed directly up against their desires and were forced to confront it. Renako, on the other hand, will just do undeniably gay things - kissing Mai, admitting she wants to sleep with her - and in the very next breath claim that she’s not into girls. (She screams that she’s never once in her life fantasised about girls the very same page she fantasises about a girl.) This is a recurring pattern in modern yuri, increasingly explicit physicality paired with increasingly homophobic denial, and a source of no end of grief for me. It only works as comedy when queer relationships are treated as a joke. (Ugh. I miss the old yuri.)
Homophobia and harems go hand in hand, so though Mai and Renako are clearly the main route, volume 2 tip-toes through a flirtation with the demure Ajisai, and volumes 3-4 veer wildly into a dance with fellow psychopath and 'strong silent type' Satsuki. God knows what terror awaits us in the inevitable Kaho arc. At least I found I could relax when Ajisai was around; she’s the only sane cast member, and her route is a cute little side-story about developing a crush on your friend that could’ve been its own decent stand-alone. If I give this series any points, it’s for her, and for Musshu’s art. These girls are certainly cute, and certainly sexy - but even this polished, industry-standard moe is missing the charm of the artist’s illustrations / earlier manga.
Overall, this series is a slog, upholding all the problematic dynamics of straight harem manga while masking itself as a queer romp. The occasional well-executed joke and Musshu’s attractive artwork might numb the pain, but I can’t say this is worth more than the effort of skimming. If you’re after something similarly comedic and smutty but unabashedly gay, I’d recommend Dore ga Koi ka ga Wakaranai by Oku Tamamushi for more honest, respectable yuri harem hijinks.
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Jan 3, 2023
Ahead of the licensed English release of this series, I thought I should put some kind of warning label out there for anyone pulled in by the flashy cover and meme-infused title. If all you’re after is pretty girls and scatterings of smut, this series could be for you! But for any yuri readers with an interest in plot and characters, abandon hope - WataNare is a deranged, onanistic, occasionally problematic series that I’ve read so you don’t have to. (I talk about particular character dynamics here as I nitpick, but not to a point I would consider a spoiler.)
A synopsis of the series should ... 
Dec 15, 2018
Himote House
(Anime)
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As a recent but devoted follower of this creative team, it’s been quite an experience watching the Crunchyroll community reacting to Himote House in real time. CR’s simulcast (and its delightful key visual) attracted a wave of unprecedented attention towards this strange little show - one that left a violent wake of criticism, endless comments about ‘lazy writing’ and ‘godawful CGI.’ Even the other positive reviews on MAL so far are couched in the self-effacing language of ‘so bad it’s good.’ While this is expected, it’s honestly kind of heartbreaking. I think Himote House is thoroughly misunderstood, and I want to do my best here
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