Adapted from the manga “デンキ街の本屋さん” created by Mizu Asato, “Denkigai no Honya-san” is an otaku themed comedy showcasing the daily lives of the staff working at a doujin shop.
Akin to “Danna ga Nani wo Itteru ka Wakaranai Ken”, this show too is a hilarious comedy featuring plenty of references to popular otaku culture as well as lots of silly situations.
Expected “Denkigai no Honya-san” to be similar to otaku centric series like “Genshiken!”, but it feels much more like a mix of workplace themed shows such as “Working!!” with plenty of ecchi undertones and a plain animation style somewhat comparable to “Hen Zemi”.
The fictional doujin shop ‘Umanohone’ where the story takes place is said to be inspired on the real life store ‘Toranoana’. Although it is safe to assume that working life as depicted in the anime is likely far from reality, undoubtedly the long hours, repetitive tasks and customer rushes during popular releases do happen.
The characters in “Denkigai no Honya-san” are the usual selection of typical otaku types, ranging from the doujin artist, cosplay photographer to the run of the mill eroge otaku. It is regrettable that the show does not seem to be overly original, as it relies on generic characters, obvious romantic pairings and typical jokes.
Must admit that the character design style used is not one of my preferred styles, not too fond of the fact that the main female characters are all depicted as petite or loli girls, whereas most of the male characters are plain generic designs. This has not detracted me enjoying the show though.
While I do fault some aspects of “Denkigai no Honya-san”, this otaku comedy is definitely worth your time if you are looking a good laugh, although you should not expect too much from the show either.
You can watch “Denkigai no Honya-san” on Crunchyroll.
