To better understand her favourite character, shut-in Sakurako hires a callboy. What could have been an awkward situation instead develops into a friendship between like minded otaku.
You can check out chapter one of this series for yourself below!
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Official Synopsis (Kodansha)
“Because… I wanted to understand how my fav felt…”
Sakurako lives alone—a shut-in, an otaku, and a virgin. So it’s out of character to say the least when she calls an escort service and asks a call boy to come to her house! The call boy, Fuji, can tell something’s off. The entire room is covered in sheeting, and his client seems anxious. Just as the whole thing is about to blow up in her face, an accident reveals Sakurako’s true motive–her obsession with an erotic game and anime, and her desire to understand her favorite character’s experiences! Turns out, Fuji’s a fan of the same game, and the same character?!
Just like that, they play games all night, and the sex is cancelled (for now). But can a smooth-talking call boy and a fangirl who never leaves home really build a relationship?
My thoughts on this volume (Slight Spoilers!)
I enjoyed this volume so much! It was a lot of fun watching Sakurako make her first friend ever, and also watching Fuji make his first otaku friend. They are exactly what I imagine when I picture the gloomy x sunshine trope, and they’re just perfect together. While sure, their first encounter was a bit out of the ordinary, that doesn’t really matter now that they’ve decided to become friends.
I get the feeling this will be the type of series that gets more emotional as the story goes on. While volume one was more on the lighthearted and uplifting side, both characters seem to have some trauma. On Fuji’s side, we quickly learn that he lost both parents in a car accidents a few years prior, and is now forced to work as a callboy at the young age of 20 to help support his two brothers. Sakurako on the other hand, is still a bit of a mystery. She had been a hikikomori until Fuji was able to bring her outside again, but it seems like she lives with a family that is never around.
Although the two initially developed their bond over a shared love for a certain game, they seem to share quite a bit beyond that. It was so nice watching them get to know each other more, and I was rooting for Sakurako the entire time! Luckily Fuji is a very sweet boy, as because he’s her very first friend, she has difficulties picking up on social cues. But because of this, she’s a very easy-to-read person! Fuji on the other hand, is a little more nuanced.
Once Sakurako finally accepts the fact that Fuji does want to be her friend and stops trying to pay him for his time, the two of them begin doing things that Sakurako could never do by herself…like eat fast food! It’s here that we get to see a different side of Fuji, as he completely stops the ever-kind callboy act and shows Sakurako that the two are indeed friends. While I think he actually stopped the act halfway through their first meeting when they gave up on trying and stayed up playing Smash Brothers all night instead, him showing her his secret complain-ey side really showed his trust in her as a friend.
The two really do have such a precious relationship, I’m excited to watch it turn into romance (it had better turn into romance!!). Fuji already understands Sakurako is a precious little angel that needs to be protected from the cruelties of the world, he’s the perfect person to help her get readjusted.
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