incompetent father level grinding to unlock his final form of ‘responsible and intuitive parent’ and the precocious daughter growing to understand and trust her new dad. I came into Otaku no Musume-san expecting this same progression I’d witnessed so many times before to unfold and if truth be told it didn’t really disappoint me on that front. In terms of plot Otaku no Musume-san has a lot in common with its contemporaries, whilst it develops in a more roundabout sort of way, overall it basically unfolds the way you would expect it too. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not worth the read, especially if, like me, you’re a sap for this kind of thing and are looking for something more after reading the other better known series. However what Otaku no Musume-san lacks in concept originality it more than makes up for in execution. While ticking all the ‘sudden daughter appearance’ boxes of protagonist cathartic clichés, the series has a completely different tone from its predecessors. Otaku no Musume-san is markedly more absurd and light hearted, in both art and story, with a greater focus on ridiculous character driven comedy than slice of life. Therefore unlike a more serious series like My Girl you’re more likely to laugh then be left with warm fuzzy feelings of endearment. Kanau (the daughter) is also a fair bit older than the standard which changes the dynamic between the protagonists quite a bit. There are a number of areas where Otaku no Musume-san stands out from the crowd and for the sake of brevity (for those who can’t be bother to finish reading my review) they can be summed up as the ‘Kramer Effect’ of memorable supporting characters and the plethora of otaku insider jokes which perhaps for some will strike a little too close to home (making you both laugh and feel awkward at the same time).The story of Otaku no Musume-san follows the character of Kanau who after meeting her father for the first time at nine years of age discovers that he is not the responsible well-adjusted suit toting corporate salary-man she’d hoped for, but rather a doujinshi artist with an otaku power level well over 9000. Due to complicated circumstances Kanau must live with Musume forcing both of them to be initiated into the otaku and real worlds.The art style for the series isn’t really spectacular but it definitely comes together well to suit the script. Given the greater emphasis on comedy expect constant departures from the base art style to a more simplistic but exaggerated range of character expressions and designs. Background art is however spartan with the characters largely dominating the panels.However where this series really shines is in its creation and generous use of supporting characters. Many ‘sudden daughter appearance’ series only focus on the relationship between the father and daughter, however by setting the series in a small apartment block (which actually has a greater resemblance to a share-house) occupied by a range of supporting characters with big personalities a far wider breadth of character interactions occur. From hyperbole representations of fandom devotees to a “villain” with all the hallmarks of a nineteenth century-esque melodrama, these supporting characters receive ample development and interact well with both Kanau and Musume.As suggested before the comedy of the series relies quite heavily on an insider knowledge of otaku sub-culture. Many of the series long running jokes are references to other well-known manga or anime series and for those who haven’t seen much from the 90’s and 00’s they may go over your head. Additionally the occupations and interests of the protagonist and many of the supporting character require at least a cursory knowledge of manga tropes and clichés for many of the situations and jokes to be fully appreciated. Basically this series, like Genshiken, is best read by those with a well-stocked database of otaku references, or at least those who won’t freak out in regards to things like bishoujo figurines, crossplay, hug pillows featuring your waifu or the very existence of lo**cons. That said if you’re new to anime and manga you may very well relate to the non-otaku Kanau giving you a different angle on the story.Therefore although not breaking any new ground in terms of story concept, the execution Otaku no Musume-san takes to the, by now well done, sudden daughter appearance genre definitely makes it worth the read.