Is Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
If you want a genuinely adult romance about two flawed, grown-up professionals rebuilding themselves and each other rather than teenagers figuring out their first crush, this is one of the better josei office romances around, even without an official English release.
Quick Verdict
“Grown-up, messy, and emotionally honest in a way most office romance manga doesn't bother to be.”
Best for: Readers who want a romance between two actual adults with jobs, baggage, and real flaws, rather than a teen-coded school romance in adult packaging.
Not for: Readers who need an official English release before they'll pick something up, since this one currently only has French and German editions.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Romance, Drama
- Status
- Completed
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- Aya Nakahara
- Publisher
- Shueisha
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (josei), 44 chapters, 10 volumes |
| Run | 2013–2016 · completed |
| Community score | AniList 7.5 · MangaUpdates 8.0 |
Overview
Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai follows Michiko, a 30-year-old who's just lost her job and broken up with the much younger boyfriend she'd been financially supporting for years. Adrift and humiliated, she unexpectedly reconnects with Kurosawa, a former boss from an earlier job — someone she actively disliked back then. What follows isn't a meet-cute between strangers but two adults with real history, real flaws, and real reasons to be wary of each other, slowly figuring out whether they actually want to try this.
What it does well
What sets Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai apart from a lot of office romance manga is how committed it is to Michiko and Kurosawa actually being adults. Michiko's arc isn't just 'find a new boyfriend' — it's about rebuilding a sense of self-worth after years of propping up someone who took her for granted, and Aya Nakahara (of Lovely Complex fame) gives that process real psychological weight instead of rushing past it for the sake of the romance plot. Because Michiko and Kurosawa already have history as former boss and employee, their relationship carries genuine friction from the start rather than the blank-slate chemistry of two strangers meeting for the first time. Nakahara's sense of comic timing is still present, but it's in service of a story that takes its characters' messiness seriously.
Where it falls short
The biggest practical obstacle is availability: there's no official English edition, only French and German releases, which means English-language readers are stuck relying on fan scanlations for now. The title itself — roughly 'please fall in love with useless me' — leans on a dated-sounding 'broken woman needs rescuing' framing that doesn't fully match how thoughtfully the story actually treats Michiko's journey, so don't let the premise undersell the execution. And while both leads are adults throughout, some readers may still want to sit with the former-boss/former-employee power dynamic a little before settling into the romance, even though the story itself is self-aware about it.
Verdict
Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai is a genuinely grown-up romance from the creator of Lovely Complex, one that treats its flawed, financially and emotionally messy adult leads with more care than the title alone suggests. The lack of an official English release is a real barrier, but for readers willing to seek it out, it's one of the stronger josei office romances in its genre.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Both leads are genuine adults with real careers, financial baggage, and years of accumulated bad habits, which gives the romance a weight and specificity that teen-coded romance manga rarely reaches for.
- Michiko's arc — rebuilding her sense of self-worth after years of propping up an undeserving boyfriend — is handled with real psychological texture rather than played purely for comedy.
- The former boss/ex-employee dynamic between Michiko and Kurosawa gives their history real friction, since they start the story actively disliking each other rather than as strangers.
- Aya Nakahara, best known for Lovely Complex, brings the same sharp sense of comic timing to a notably more grown-up, psychologically grounded story.
- A direct sequel (DameKoi R) continues the story for readers who want more once the main 10-volume run wraps up.
Weaknesses
- There's no official English release — only French (Delcourt) and German (Carlsen) editions exist, so English readers currently depend on fan scanlations.
- The 'useless woman gets her life together through romance' framing in the title and premise may read as a dated trope to some readers even though the execution is more nuanced than the premise suggests.
- Workplace power dynamics between a former boss and employee may give some readers pause, even though both characters are adults and the story treats the dynamic with self-awareness.
Similar Titles
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
Another adult workplace romance about flawed professionals figuring out love alongside their careers.
On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance
A different hook, but the same interest in who coworkers really are once the office persona comes off.
Tramps Like Us
An earlier josei romance with a similarly grown-up, emotionally complicated office-adjacent relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai finished?
Yes. The main series is complete at 10 volumes (40 chapters), and a direct sequel, DameKoi R, is also complete at 6 more volumes if you want to keep reading.
Is Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai available in English?
Not officially — there's no English publisher yet, only French and German official editions. English readers currently rely on fan scanlations.
Is this the same author as Lovely Complex?
Yes, it's by Aya Nakahara, the creator of Lovely Complex, here writing a notably more adult, psychologically grounded romance.
Is there an anime of Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai?
No, there's no anime or live-action adaptation of this series.
How long is Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai?
The main story is a manageable 10 volumes, and the sequel adds another 6, so the combined read is substantial but not open-ended.
