Within anime/manga fandom, there is a subset devoted to yaoi or boys’ love type stories. Fans of this sort tend to be very passionate about their favorite genre, and My Girlfriend’s a Geek (based off a popular Japanese blog) relates the adventures of a non-otaku dating one such fan.
Yen Press has recently released the final volume of this series, and you can read on for the review. (You can also click here if you’re interested in my reviews of earlier volumes).
Back Cover Blurb
Dating a “rotten” girl geek is no easy feat, as Taiga knows well. But after overcoming some of the strangest hurdles and learning to accept Yuiko’s fangirl tendencies, he’s over the moon now that their comical but loving relationship is stronger than ever! But when the fanfic he’s been diligently writing for Yuiko brings Taiga some sudden and unwelcome Internet notoriety, will he be able to withstand the onslaught of a zillion Yuikos, or will he run away screaming from his happy ending?!
The Review
Shinba-sensei strikes me as having lost steam with the Taiga/Yuiko relationship. Of four chapters, only one really focuses on the couple so it doesn’t surprise me that this is the final volume. Still, this installment was much more entertaining than previous volumes I’ve read, mainly because of new characters Koharu and Youhei.
Shinba-sensei puts a new twist on the normal-person-sucked-into-yaoi-fandom theme with a college-age doujinshi writer and his roommate. Unlike the Taiga/Yuiko relationship where Yuiko capitalizes on her boyfriend’s affection to drag him into her “rotten” world, Youhei has no such leverage with Koharu, meaning that Youhei has to resort to other kinds of trickery to force him in. Koharu, though, is hardly the pushover type so the roommates’ interactions are much more interesting than Yuiko and Taiga’s weird romance.
As for the series conclusion, My Girlfriend’s a Geek generally felt like a collection of one-shots, and its lack of a strong driving story arc meant its final chapter seemed like simply another chapter. In fact, I wouldn’t have guessed the series had concluded if not for the “FINAL” on the cover.
By the way, this final volume’s extras include an afterword essay (where Pentabu gets the best of Y-ko for once), a mini comic about Akari, and bonus illustrations.
In Summary
The series concludes! The Taiga/Yuiko relationship has grown somewhat stale, but Shinba-sensei makes up for it with the comic interactions of a male closet doujinshi author and his straight-laced roommate.
First published at the Fandom Post.
Keeping It In Canon ...mostly 