The much talked about romantic comedy "Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku," or "Wotakoi" for short, was ranked number one in "This Manga is Amazing! 2016 Women's Edition" and is an anime that humorously depicts the love lives of otaku and their dedication to their hobbies. This time, we'll be focusing on Sakurajo Hikaru, a gaming otaku on par with Hirotaka! He's a bit shy, but is that really true? We'll introduce you to all the charms of Sakurajo Hikaru!
Who is Sakurajo Hikaru?
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/Wotakoi Production Committee
First of all, what kind of girl is "Hikari Sakurajo"? He barely appears in the anime, so for those unfamiliar with him, here's a quick introduction!
Hikari Sakurajo is a college friend of Naoya, the younger brother of the main character, Hirotaka Nifuji. The reason Hikaru and Naoya became friends was because Naoya happened to be talking to Hikaru, who was playing a game that Hirotaka and his friends were playing at the cafe where Naoya worked part-time. From there, Hikaru and Naoya became close enough to play the social games that Hirotaka and his friends were playing together!
Is Sakurashiro Hikaru a boy or a girl?
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha / "Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikaru is often mistaken for a boy because of her boyish outfit, such as a checked shirt and sweater, and her height of 170 cm, but she is actually a girl. In fact, Naoya also thought Hikaru was a boy when he spoke to her, and continued to mistake her for a boy until he saw her coming out of the women's restroom...
Hikari and Naoya.
Hikari realized that Naoya thought she was a boy, but she was afraid he would cut her off if he found out she was a girl, so she couldn't bring herself to tell him. So when Naoya realized she was a girl, Hikari ran away crying, terrified of the possibility of losing all ties.
Hikari's Charm 1: A Genuinely Good Person!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikari has a very kind personality! ...Or rather, because he's the type who blames himself, he never blames or places the blame on others. Naoya has always mistaken Hikari for a boy, but he thinks it's just his appearance that makes it difficult for him to say anything, and he feels bad for not being able to bring himself to say it.
Also, Naoya, who always gets scolded by Hirotaka when they play games, thinks that Hirotaka is a really nice guy because he doesn't get angry even though he's holding him back! It's possible that Hirotaka is just twisted in this regard, though. lol
Hikari's Charm ② He's So Negative It's Funny!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikari's "One-Person Review" skill, which causes his thoughts to develop in an endlessly negative way, activates when he goes to an arcade with Naoya and his college friends. Hikaru, who is able to clear games one after another on his first try, can't help but feel negative, thinking that Naoya, who is an experienced player but can't clear any of them, must not have had fun, and that they shouldn't have come to the arcade together! LOL
The "Solo Reflection Meeting" Continues
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
The "Solo Reflection Meeting" continues, and she begins to think more and more negatively, worrying that if Naoya finds out she's a girl, he'll ask, "Have you been having fun deceiving me this whole time?" It's also amusing to see him trying his best to think positively, with his head down in front of the vending machine and saying, "No, that's really overthinking it!...I'd like to think so! No...I'll try harder from tomorrow..."
The Charm of Light 3: It's as hard to catch as rare Pokemon.
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Speaking of Hikaru, when Naoya first called out to him, he bowed and said, "Excuse me!" and walked away. When Naoya called out to him again later, he tried to run away, but somehow managed to stop him. Even then, Hikaru looked frightened, and was clearly shy... By the way, the first line of predictive text on Hikari's smartphone is apparently "sumimasen" (excuse me) or "gomennasai" (I'm sorry). LOL. I wonder how humble he is...
Hikari's charm point #4: He's really good at games!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
As mentioned at the beginning, Hikari is a massive game nerd, and his social game skills are just as high as Hirotaka's. That alone is impressive, but he's also a solo player in the backline class, which requires even more skill, just like Hirotaka. This guy is definitely a serious game nerd...
Even though it was his first time at an arcade, he managed to clear the game repeatedly!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikari went to an arcade for the first time at the invitation of his college friends, Naoya. First, he achieved a full combo on Taiko no Tatsujin... Then, he played a rhythm game with Naoya and cleared it despite it being his first time! Fascinated by the differences between social games and games played at home, he clears them one after another. Judging from this, it seems he's played quite a few games by now... lol
After that, Hikaru became addicted to arcades and started sneaking off to arcades alone. lol But in the end, he ended up running into Naoya.
A gamer recognized by Hirotaka.
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
After a chance encounter in town, Hikari, Naoya, Hirotaka, and Narumi decide to go to an arcade together, where Hikari and Hirotaka immediately end up playing a shooting game. Despite it being his first time there, he achieved an SS rank, and Hirotaka, who has no interest in other people, became interested in Hikaru and asked, "Would you like to try something else?" According to Narumi, this was the first time Hirotaka had become interested in someone else through a game. As expected of Hikaru!
I hope that Hikaru and Hirotaka will face off in a game that they both love to play, and decide who is the ultimate gaming nerd!
Hikaru's Charm ⑤: A purity that rivals even Naoya's!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikaru isn't completely uninterested in others, but his extreme shyness means he has little life experience... So he was thrilled when Naoya proactively invited him to play social games and go to the arcade. When Naoya worries about being bad at games, she says, "I won't get mad, so let's play together," and when he invites her to play, she gets excited and asks, "Are you sure?!" She's so pure and cute!
Do you like Naoya?
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha/"Wotakoi" Production Committee
Hikari happens to bump into Naoya in town, and finds Narumi chatting intimately next to him... Hikari is surprised when a girl suddenly appears next to Naoya. However, Hirotaka then shows up, and Hikaru learns that the two are Naoya's brother and his girlfriend, and that Narumi is a childhood friend. At that moment, Hikaru breathes a sigh of relief, but then begins to question his own relief. Could this be because he has feelings for Naoya?
A summary of Hikaru's charms!
Source: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku ©Fujita, Ichijinsha / "Wotakoi" Production Committee
This time, we've introduced the charm of Sakurajo Hikari, a very pure character despite being an extreme game nerd. What did you think? Hikari will soon be interacting with Narumi and the others in social games, and his relationship with Naoya is also an exciting character to watch, so keep an eye on him! Hikari's negative comments are more interesting when viewed with facial expressions, so be sure to check out the anime!
