モテキ

MOTEKI

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
5
RELEASE
July 27, 2010
CHAPTERS
33

DESCRIPTION

Yukiyo Fujimoto’s life has been in a rut. He is about to turn thirty and has never held a steady job or had a girlfriend. And at a time when the prospects for hope seem at their lowest, suddenly his phone blows up! Out of the blue he is contacted by several women from his past! His moteki has finally come!! Love has struck and cupid’s arrow has hit him repeatedly and, coincidentally, all at the same time! A former co-worker and music enthusiast Aki Doi invites him to a rock festival and sparks fly under the stars! An amateur photographer Itsuka Nakashiba calls looking for advice and companionship. A previous coworker and love interest Natsuki Komiyama reappears in his life mysteriously inserting herself amongst his friends and family! And former high school classmate and juvenile delinquent Naoko Hayashida returns to his hometown! She no longer looks like a delinquent but has she changed much inside?!

Yukiyo may seem to have many options now, but is he ready for love? And are any of these women? The stage for love might be set, but the time might only be right for him to finally grow up!

(Source: Kodansha USA)

Note: Nominated for the 3rd Manga Taisho Award (2010) and Volume count is 2 for Kodansha USA as they published 2 omnibus volumes.

CAST

Yukiyo Fujimoto
Naoko Hayashida
Itsuka Nakashiba
Aki Doi
Natsuki Komiyama

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

PixiePudding
70/100
Thirty year old weeb trying to get his first girlfriend, fumbling along the process
Moteki /モテキ], noun - is a Japanese slang term for a period of time, usually a one-and-only period of time, where one becomes popular with the opposite sex.

Yukiyo Fujimoto is what society typically calls a loser in life. He is already of 30 years of age with no steady job, no ambitions and never had a girlfriend. Imagine his ecstasy when four women from his past suddenly contacted him at the same time, and now he’s believing that it is finally time for his “moteki”. From the creator of Yuri On Ice, Moteki tackles on the pain and beauty of growing up.

Characters
Yukiyo Fujimoto is a main character that is both unlikeable and likeable. He is very aggressively passive and his insecurity towards his average looks is overflowing. He does not believe that any woman could possibly have any attraction to someone like him. His lack of experience is also not helping, since it makes him have insane expectations when it comes to his interactions with women, colored by his unrealistic hopes through his consumption of anime and manga. He is also pretty much horny all the time and always hopes for a sexual encounter with the women he meets, which makes him both overbearing and annoying.

Despite all his shortcomings, his character is very endearing that I cannot even bring myself to hate him. Fujimoto’s character fortunately does not fall into those bad stereotypes of light novel protagonists, ~~cough Oregairu cough~~. I can sense his desperation on getting a girlfriend and I can’t help but pity and cheer him on. His ill views towards women certainly do not come from malice; just from insecurities, wrong expectations and lack of experience.

The women that he crossed paths with are also very interesting and compelling characters (from left to right):
• Natsuki Komiyama – a very beautiful woman that was a previous love interest. Fujimoto believes that she is “out of his league”
• Itsuka Nakashiba – “one of the boys” friend that Fujimoto cannot see as a woman. She shares the same interests as him, never had a sexual experience and boyfriend
• Aki Doi – once was a coworker of Fujimoto who invited him to a rock concert. He saw Aki Doi talking to a guy in the concert, who turns out to be her ex, and was so hurt he fled before even finding out the situation
• Naoko Hayashida – a delinquent back in Fujimoto’s high school days. She surprisingly mellowed out throughout the years

Writing
Fujimoto’s sarcastic monologue and dark humor make for a very hilarious and entertaining read. Moreover, the harem settings of the manga fooled me into believing this is your typical romance story of a loser choosing from the many women options he have around him. But as the story goes on, the manga unveils itself as a coming of age story on how Fujimoto learns and grows against his ill-conceived perceptions of himself and the people around him to see the person that they truly are. The manga also fleshes the women in his life as the complex people that they are, and more than just a “harem choice”. The reader is shown that they too have doubts in their life, and Fujimoto’s image of them in his head, may be not who they exactly are. This manga also tackles on depression, and feelings of failure albeit in a slightly comical tone.

Conclusion
My main critique is that this work is heavily targeted to male audience. It does not mean that female readers would not enjoy this, but there are plot points that may be more relatable to men. Overall, it is pretty entertaining read. Added bonus: the chapter titles are also soundtracks that you can listen to while reading to help you get in the mood of the story.
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