5 Encouraging Pieces Of Advice Fans Have For Nakamura-kun

At the beginning of Pride Month, we asked Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! fans to offer some words of advice to the titular character. You see, our boy Okuto Nakamura is in love with his classmate, Aiki Hirose, but he has no idea how to talk to his crush. Throughout the season, Nakamura's been trying to get closer to Hirose, but he's such an awkward octopus that his attempts are like over-the-top comedy routines that thoroughly embarrass him. At the same time, whenever he does make progress, he never seems to realize that the very person he's trying to get to notice him is responding positively to him! Needless to say, the fans had a lot they wanted to say to Nakamura, offering words of wisdom that ranged from heartwarming to all-caps statements pleading with him to do as the title says: GO FOR IT! After reading through everyone's responses (seriously, thank you for chiming in!), we've narrowed everything down to five common pieces of advice. Seriously, Nakamura, GO FOR IT! Without fail, the number one piece of advice that Nakamura received across the board was “go for it!” I mean, it is the title of the anime, after all. You really can’t help but root for Nakamura. Not only is he likable in his awkwardness, but Hirose has moments where he shares thoughts and feelings that he hasn’t told anyone else (we’ll get more into this later), leading to potential openings for Nakamura to take the series name to heart. Of course, going for it is easier said than done, so Nakamura doesn't always take that shot. Fans DEFINITELY felt a certain way about it, their comments ranging from gentle and comforting to OMG JUST CONFESS ALREADY! Here are some of our favorites: "Take a deep breath, feel that heartbeat and just go for it. Love favors the bold, and your story deserves to be written." "Just confess. It's worse to regret not taking the chance than to face potential rejection." "Start TALKING, man!" "DON’T GIVE UP! YOU CAN DO IT! " "Bro wake up!! Ain't no way you finna fumble that pick me bruu!!! Literally GO FOR IT!!!" "Just go for it, Nakamura! I'm sure Hirose feels the same way; he just hasn't realized it yet!" "My advice to Nakamura is to get your head straight and stop embarrassing yourself so much. Also, WHEN HIROSE SUGGESTS TRYING SOMETHING AFTER YOU'VE ALREADY GOT IT, TELL HIM HE CAN TRY IT. YOU UNDERSTAND THE HINTS, KID?" "I get it. You don't know how Hirose feels. It's not like he ran after you to give you his phone number... oh wait, he DID?! Your time is NOW!" Trust Yourself More While it’s true that Nakamura can be incredibly awkward, fans were, overall, encouraging him to just be himself. They also pointed out how he’s already made a lot of progress because Hirose seems to like him best when he’s just being himself. What Nakamura often thinks is a failure or embarrassing moment (and trust me, he’s got quite a few of those) doesn’t ever really push Hirose away — it’s quite the opposite, actually. This is probably why the “go for it” sentiment is so strong amongst fans. Nakamura gets in his own head so much, so fans left a lot of pieces of advice encouraging him to stop overthinking, to stop trying to hide his interests and to give himself more credit. “You're good enough. Allow Hirose to get to know YOU,” and “Just be authentic, don’t overthink things. Your natural, awkward and shy self already charmed Hirose,” seemed to be the consensus throughout. "Just be yourself and be comfortable with yourself as well, especially when you talk to your peers or crush. Don’t try to be someone that you’re not. That’s how I met my lover in college." "Your brain’s already imagining every way it goes wrong. So practice that. What if you stutter? What if you say nothing? It's ok, everything will be all right, just speak what your heart says. And remember, octopuses change color, but you don’t have to. Don’t fake a personality to impress him. The whole charm of you is that you are awkwardly, sincerely yourself. The right person will think that’s the best part. So all the best!" "Never stop being yourself!! Love yourself, and I promise you love will come your way! Being in love with someone and being scared of rejection is hard, but always stay kind and true to yourself." "Hirose's advice is best! Honesty is the best policy!! Do things your own way and be honest about the things you love. Make many “mistakes” when you're young, so you don't have regrets in the future!" "Just be yourself! Seriously, you make the most progress when you're open and honest with Hirose." "Don’t feel the need to hide your interests from others! Interests build character and yours is awesome!" "I've experienced something like this before, so the best I can say is: Don't let your shyness override you. I know being confident is easier said than done. I was also a shy 15-year-old student once and fell in love with someone I had just seen. Take the opportunity, just like I did. And watch as you slowly realize that the nervousness you feel suddenly disappears. That's the feeling of love, this stranger and I have been friends for years. And despite them saying that they only thought of me as a friend, our friendship has still lasted. At the end of the day, Nakamura, even if things don't go your way, you still have memories that matter to you and Hirose!" "Don’t try to be a carbon copy of what you’ve seen; people will like you for you." Talk to Other People One thing that may have made this a little easier for Nakamura is if he had someone to confide in about his feelings. As it stands, he’s usually left to his own devices and even sees some of Hirose’s friends as competition for his affections. As relatable and honest as these feelings are, fans encouraged Nakamura to not see Hirose’s friends as enemies (especially since Hirose considers Nakamura to be a friend, too) and to, well, not just rely on his trusty BL as a source of romance advice. There’s definitely something to be said about not facing such big feelings alone, whether they’re positive (being in love) or negative (we’ll get to that one very painful episode in a bit). "Please talk to other people and gain confidence with actual friends!" "I would advise Nakamura to make more friends before pursuing a romantic endeavor." "Try not to see every person Hirose comes into contact with as an enemy/opponent to your relationship with him!" "Don't jump to conclusions! Ask what's going on first, don't assume everyone's out to steal Hirose!" "Quit using Loveable Lunches as your guide to romance, Nakamura!" "Stop basing your daily interactions on manga and try to practice real-life situations in the mirror or with a friend." "You don't need to be jealous. Don't forget, Hirose is your friend, too!" "Don’t just rely on BL for advice." Your Feelings Are Valid Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! Episode 12 is, frankly, a heartbreaking episode to watch, with animation and voice acting adding to the sadness Nakamura is feeling. While the responses to our poll always had an encouraging vibe, that sentiment increased after this particular episode aired. Fans pointed out the relatability of Nakamura’s feelings, not just the ache of seeing your crush with someone else, but being a gay teen dealing with those feelings alone. Fans expressed sentiments like “Somehow emotionally recover from the latest episode and keep trying,” repeatedly mentioned how this particular moment was “Something that many gay teens deal with,” and let Nakamura know that his feelings were valid. "Don't beat yourself up for feeling all those complex emotions inside of you; it's okay to feel heartbroken, but remember, don't let it control you. Just keep going until you find the courage to shoot your shot!" "Trust me when I say that you are not alone in feeling so isolated. So many people understand what you're going through, and as painful as this moment is, it does get better. For now, scream, cry, whatever you have to do. Don't bottle those feelings up, release them so you can keep moving forward, when you're ready." "Do what best feels right to you, but don’t push away your feelings like they don’t matter." "Your feelings are valid. Nothing in the world but you can tell you how you feel." "Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn." "Regardless of what may come your way in the future, you should always be honest, for all relationships are built upon trust. So if anything happens between you and your crush, talking it out will always be worth it!" Hirose Is Only Human While many fans pointed out the fact that Hirose clearly likes spending time with Nakamura (and Nakamura is so flustered that he doesn’t seem to realize it), they also noted that Hirose is just a regular guy. That’s hard for Nakamura to see because of the massive pedestal he’s put him on (crushes just be like that sometimes). However, we, the audience, have definitely noticed how Hirose talks to Nakamura, spends time with Nakamura, shares personal feelings with him that he hasn’t shared with anyone else, and he even pays attention to the things he likes. It can be hard to think you’re making any progress with the person you’re into, which is why so many fans told Nakamura to take a breath and, more importantly, realize that Hirose isn’t some untouchable being. "My advice is to not be so anxious and jumpy around Hirose because Hirose is only human, so there’s no need to put him on a pedestal." "Try not to think of Hirose as anything but a random human being for more than a second. Maybe then talking to him would be less difficult!" "It's okay to be shy, as long as you have good intentions! You and Hirose-kun are already friends; you just have to slowly get used to being around him and then muster up the courage to approach him more often. May your love reach Hirose-kun's heart soon. GO FOR IT, NAKAMURA-KUN!! WE ARE ALL CHEERING YOU ON!!!" "Okay, Nakamura, I know it is VERY HARD to confess your love to Hirose, but don't worry! Since he says you are his friend, just hang out with him, send him gifts, and just try to make him smile. Just stay close, and when you think he is also getting closer to you, then it will be the time to confess your love to him. Good luck." "Get closer to Hirose by getting to know him more, maybe walk with him to school, hang out with him and talk with him." "Nakamura, my son, you gotta go for it, man! You see Hirose from your world lens, and that's why you feel this withdrawal and hesitation. Look at it from his lens! He is sooooooo into you. Roll the dice and accept the outcome!" "He's a person, not a big scary monster, so you can talk to him without dying." BONUS: The Comical (Yet Valid) Pieces of Advice Beneath all the words of encouragement and the screaming at Nakamura to GO FOR IT, there were a handful of responses that were hilarious and tied in with the humor of the series. Some of our favorites among those responses are below. "Nakamura, ask Reiko for a love spell!" "Visualise Hirose as Icchan (or an octopus) and interact with him as you would with your favourite octopus." "Stop smelling his stuff!" "Put a roach down Hirose’s shirt. You know what happens next..." "Practice your speed walking. You never know when Matsumura will appear next."