Interest Stacks

Narumi Momose is a petite and cute young woman who loves idols, games, and everything anime or manga-related, especially in the boys' love genre. In other words, she is a closet otaku and more specifically, a fujoshi. After a breakup due to these kind of interests, she quits her job and joins a new company. At her new workplace, the only colleagues who know about her secret are her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji, a blunt gaming otaku; Hanako Koyanagi, a cool and mature-looking beauty; and Tarou Kabakura, an attractive guy with a scary face who always gets into fights with Hanako. While having drinks to catch up, Hirotaka advises Narumi to date someone who would understand her hobbies. But she is hesitant—otakus are typically perceived as gross, and the only ones who can understand them are otakus themselves. Or could a relationship between two otakus work? Following the relationship of Narumi and Hirotaka as they begin dating, Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii is a light-hearted story about those who try to balance work, relationships, and hobbies. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

After her boyfriend cheats on her with another girl he met in-game, Akane Kinoshita learns the hard way that gamer boyfriends can be just as bad as the offline variety. As she vents her anger by beating mob monsters to a pulp, she has a chance encounter with Akito Yamada, a guildmate with an afro and Noh mask. Yamada is unsociable and curt, hardly the type of person to make Akane swoon. However, while his gaming stats might be maxed out, Yamada is inexperienced in matters of the heart, and against all odds, she finds herself moved by him. Making new friends along the way, can Akane shake the heart of Yamada, a final boss-level high school boy? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

When Feng Lan's brother encouraged her to play the virtual reality game Second Life, he told her that as a girl, she'd be doted upon. To prove that she could be a better player than him even without a handicap, she was granted her special request for a male avatar. Her adventures in this online RPG begin, as she discovers both the game and what it's like to be thought of as a boy.

Tsutsui Hikari is an otaku, and he mostly avoids social life. Hikari has only one friend at school, who is also a social misfit, and he is mocked brutally by most of his classmates for being creepy and weird. One day, he ends up having to clean the school pool with Igarashi Iroha, who appears to be pretty much everything he hates in real-life girls. She skips school, has a blunt manner, doesn't have female friends, and seems the sort to be promiscuous. However, she is friendly to Hikari, and even stands up to the people who make fun of him. Hikari's bitterness and trust issues lead him to say pretty harsh things to Iroha, but she never dismisses him as creepy. After a while, it starts to look like Iroha may become his first real-life, 3D girlfriend! Will he be able to handle it? (Source: MangaHelpers)

Tamiya Nika is a beautiful, outgoing, popular high school girl. She has just the right look, just the right fashions, and is everyone's friend. What everyone at school does not know is how hard Nika works to keep up this perfect image, and what she is REALLY like at home. When not at school, Nika is a scary, sloppy, tight-fisted girl who wears glasses, an ugly sweatsuit, and has her hair pulled back into unattractive buns. She lays around playing video games and reading manga. Her attitude is bossy and cranky, and she travels far out of her way to shop where she won't be recognized. Every day, Nika "Switches On" with a strict regimen of beautification that involves primping and plucking and careful dressing. The only person who knows about Nika's Switched On/Off modes is her best friend, who is also aware of the reasons behind the changes. However, soon a second person finds about about Nika's personalities - someone who has his own On/Off switch, but in reverse! His name is Kamiyama Arata, and he is a recent transfer student. He meets Nika when she is in OFF Mode, and then again at school when she is ON. However Nika can see that he has his little secret. At school, Arata wears thick swirly-eyed glasses and messy hair that make some bullies think he is an otaku. However, at home, he ditches the glasses and is downright gorgeous! He is just the opposite of Nika, but why? (Source: MANGAtoshokan) Included one-shot: Volume 3: Switch Girl!! (pilot)

Haruo "Beastly Fingers" Yaguchi rules the arcade gaming scene, but beneath his famous identity as a pro gamer is a plain sixth grader with an uneventful life. Neither popular, smart, nor athletic, he excels in only one thing: video games. Haruo would rather spend hours at the local arcade honing his gaming skills than take his life and academics seriously. One day, Haruo meets his match in fellow classmate Akira Oono. Akira is not the type of person to frequent an arcade: she has perfect grades, is well-loved, and comes from a wealthy background. Even so, not only is she able to score a 29-game win streak, but she also manages to beat Haruo seven times in a row. Eager to end her domination, Haruo duels Akira in Street Fighter 2 and resorts to underhanded tactics—which earns him a slap in the face from the shy girl. This encounter starts a strange and rocky relationship between the two rival gamers. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hideki Nishimura has sworn never to trust or pursue any girl he meets online after realizing that his in-game crush Nekohime, whom he had proposed to, was in fact a middle-aged man. Two years later, a girl named Ako Tamaki, also a member of the guild Alley Cats, proposes to him through the very same game but he refuses to accept that Ako is a girl in real life, despite her repeated assurance. Their guild master, Apricot, reveals that he is also a girl and proposes an offline get-together, inviting the two of them and the other male member, Schwein, to meet in real life. Unaware of what to expect, he agrees to go. To Hideki's astonishment, he learns that his fellow guild members are genuine girls, and that they are all enrolled in the same high school. Ako, however, never attends school, playing video games all day instead. In an effort to get her to go to school and raise her grades, they establish a gaming club. Thus, the Alley Cats begin their adventure in the offline world! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

With the username "nanashi," Fumiya Tomozaki is the number one player in Japan in the online game "Attack Family," also known as "Tackfam." Despite having such a prestigious title, he struggles in high school due to a lack of social skills. He blames the perplexing mechanics and unjust rules of life for his lack of friends, forcing him to give up and consider himself the lowest-tier character in the "game." Fumiya was surprised to learn the identity of the number two Tackfam player after a fateful encounter—a popular, clever, and outgoing female classmate of his, Aoi Hinami. Aoi was taken aback to learn that the inept Fumiya was behind the username "nanashi," and she became determined to assist him in winning the "greatest game of all." With Aoi's help, Fumiya begins to progress in the wonderful "game of life" by overcoming the harsh challenges of social interaction and human relationships. (Source: Comikey Media)

When high school shut-in Raito Sasaki hires a pro gamer coach to help him hone his FPS skills, he never expected that the one knocking on his door would be Rion Suzuki—a cute and fashionable high-school knockout! With such a charming and supportive gal cheering him on, can Raito take his game to the next level, or will the pressure of being up close and personal with a bombshell like Rion lead him to throw? (Source: Yen Press)

A 4-koma about a typical geek of a guy and his tsundere girlfriend. As the two talk about and play games, they slowly grow closer.

The declining birth rate in Japan has led to a significant decrease in the sparkly innocence of human children, a vital energy source for the magical world. With businesses closing due to the shortage, a resolution is passed: a lasting romance will be created for humans who prioritize their hobbies or careers over falling in love. Before this policy is enforced nationwide, the magical fairy Riri selects high school student Anzu Hoshino as a preliminary test subject. Primarily preoccupied with her video games, beloved pet cat, and her obsession with chocolate, Anzu is the perfect candidate. Unfortunately for Riri, Anzu is vehemently against this idea and actively works to thwart the magical world's vain attempts at forcing her into a romance. Even with her distractions confiscated, Anzu stubbornly tries to evade her new predetermined fate, only for it to backfire when she collides with Tsukasa Kazuki, a hot guy from her school. Now unable to avoid the boy she had not even noticed before, Anzu wonders if her sabotage tactics will prove to be futile. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The story centers on a fairly ordinary high school boy, Keita Amano. His hobby is video games, but apart from that, he has no conspicuous traits, and even never been in love. As Keita continues his gaming life, he suddenly becomes involved with the most beautiful girl at school, Tendou Karen, the president of the school's video game club. She shocks Keita when she suddenly asks him to join the video game club. Their relationship evolves and complicates as other gamers come into the picture and create misunderstandings. (Source: ANN, edited)

Coworkers Tarou Momokawa and Misaki Amami could not be any less alike. With his dark eye bags and slouched posture, Momokawa is the very stereotype of a gamer; conversely, Amami is a proper woman who would never even touch a gamepad. However, beneath that prim veneer, Amami is well known in the gaming world under the alias "Mermaid," but she takes great measures to ensure no one in real life ever discovers this dual identity. One day, the two seeming opposites cross paths at a live tournament event. This sends Amami in a scramble to maintain her secret at any cost, but the truth is... Momokawa is actually one of her biggest fans?! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Oota, an otaku, joined the game club to live his ideal high school life. That was when he met by chance the freshman gal, Ageha Onisaki!! They dive straight into playing video games, but Ageha's choices are the NES, the SNES, and the Mega Drive! Who the heck is this person!? Playing a wide range from famous to retro games, the gal and the otaku start their heart throbbing life! (Source: Kodansha, translated)

Not particularly good at sports, not very popular, and not very good at school, Naoki's middle school years are filled with video games and erotic books. But one day, a cute girl called Iroha appears, claiming to be his daughter from 20 years in the future. Apparently, in the future magic has been discovered, and she has come back in time by magic to protect her beloved papa from a dark future.

Eiko Kagehara truly loves one thing in this world: the MMO she's played with her friends for the last 15 years, in which she leads a fantasy life as a sought-after blacksmith. But when her friends start leaving to, of all things, get married, have kids, find new jobs...she's thrown for a loop. So much so, in fact, that she drunkenly shares her gamer ID with her super-hot new colleague...who just happens to have been helped by her in-game in the past, and who wants to repay her by teaching her how to love?! (Source: Kodansha USA)

Up until now, the most exciting part of Minori's schoolgirl life has been playing video games... but one day, her skills win more than she ever could have imagined. When Minori beats some guy at the local arcade, suddenly he declares he's going to marry her! When the same guy turns out to be none other than Kanata Okazaki – Japan's newest, youngest-ever prime minister – Minori finds herself swept up in a world of politics and paparazzi. Is Kanata really in love with her? Exactly why does his 18-year-old senior aide glare at Minori all the time? How is it Japan can be run by such a young prime minister, anyway?! (Source: Doki Doki)

Yuzumi Otome is a master gamer and game creator, and has finally landed her dream job in an otome game company. Now, she will do whatever it takes to conquer the industry. But is success worth it? Will it truly bring Yuzumi happiness? Or will she spend her days wallowing in anger and anxiety? What must Yuzumi do to release a successful game?! (Source: Seven Seas)