Hitohito Tadano is an ordinary boy who heads into his first day of high school with a clear plan: to avoid trouble and do his best to blend in with others. Unfortunately, he fails right away when he takes the seat beside the school's madonna—Shouko Komi. His peers now recognize him as someone to eliminate for a chance to sit next to the most beautiful girl in class.
Gorgeous and graceful with long, dark hair, Komi is universally adored and immensely popular despite her mysterious persona. However, unbeknownst to everyone, she has crippling anxiety and a communication disorder which prevents her from wholeheartedly socializing with her classmates.
When left alone in the classroom, a chain of events forces Komi to interact with Tadano through writing on the blackboard, as if in a one-way conversation. Being the first person to realize she cannot communicate properly, Tadano picks up the chalk and begins to write as well. He eventually discovers that Komi's goal is to make one hundred friends during her time in high school. To this end, he decides to lend her a helping hand, thus also becoming her first-ever friend.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
SingleH
This show has two fundamental problems, and without them, it would be perfect. I read 119 chapters of the manga a few years ago, and I always thought it would be nearly impossible to adapt, because the artwork had a very particular charm to it which I felt would prove too difficult to capture in animation. However, my worries were rendered pointless, because not only is this show nicely animated, but the brilliant directorial decision was made to include the on-screen text gags from the manga, and the chibi faces were adapted with no compromise. In fact, these elements were included so faithfully, it mayactually fault the adaptation as an anime, because most subtitles will be insufficient to translate everything on screen, and the character designs, while very cute, often look weird in motion due to their eccentric dimensions. In my opinion, this anime is the perfect realization of the manga, so by extension, its only problems are problems it also had in manga form. After all, there’s a reason I stopped reading it, even after so many chapters. Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu is the show where the cute standoffish waifu is not only the gimmick, but also the entire storyline, and if this sounds like little more than skin and bones, it is. You know how long-running shounen anime will have tiny bits of romantic tension between the hero and the heroine, but never progresses their relationship for hundreds of episodes because the real focus of the story is action adventure, and the romantic tension is really just there to bait people into drawing doujins and shipping characters? This show is what would happen if you took that annoying background joke used to bait viewers into getting invested in a functionally non-existent relationship and made it the central crux of a narrative. Now look. I’m not made of stone over here. This show is famous for its heartwarming wholesomeness and pure, distilled cuteness, and while I’m not immune to this adorable nature, these are mere cherries on top of a much less appetizing pile of sweets.
Problem 1: Not funny.
Komi is stunningly beautiful and everyone idolizes her to the point of worship, but she has extreme social anxiety and can’t comfortably speak to anyone. Undeterred, her mission throughout the series is to make one hundred friends, and our protagonist, Tadano, seeks to help her do so. This is all fine and dandy until you realize that in order for the story to actually achieve this goal, it’s going to have to juggle literally one hundred different side characters, so the author seemingly decided the only way to do this in a digestible fashion was to make every new character one-dimensional archetypes. The vast majority of the show is dedicated to setting up these extensive comedy sketches which are never funny and always overstay their welcome, because the characters at their foundation are utterly uninteresting. “You want to be friends? Really?! With me? Why of course I’ll be your dog! Oh! I meant to say friend! Woof, woof! I’ll lick your shoes Komi, just like a friend should! Get it? I look like a shy klutz, but I’m actually a huge masochist! Isn’t that so silly? Well, I hope so, I hope you’re laughing, because this bit is going to last for FIFTY MORE SECONDS!” The show is at its best when it relies on blunt comedy and overplayed absurdity, like when it hard cuts to the yandere girl wearing a demon mask whenever someone interrupts her time with Komi, or like when Komi’s mom jokes about her having a nice chat with her ancestors and the gravestone emotes. That’s comedy. The background gags are oddly funnier than the actual jokes sometimes too. Like, pedestrians on the street will just say ridiculous shit that’s so well timed, and all the starstruck students being sociopathically obsessed with Komi never gets old. There is some down-to-earth jokes, like Agari having no reaction to Komi’s summer uniform because she’s too worried about her flabby triceps showing, but those are few and far between.
Problem 2: Repetition.
The story about the autistic girl who wants to break out of her shell and make friends has been done more times than I can count, and while this show still comes out feeling genuine with all its little emotions to make everything feel worthwhile, it never truly escapes its initial simplicity or unoriginality. However, neither the simplicity nor the unoriginality is the real issue. The real issue is that those inadequacies are compounded by repetition. This show is so repetitive it hurts. A story I’ve seen a million times? Whatever, that’s fine. A cast of characters I’ve seen a million times? Whatever, that’s fine. Jokes and gags I’ve seen a million times? Whatever, that’s fine. What isn’t fine is repeating the same comedic/dramatic blueprint over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over ad infinitum. I’ve always said what matters is execution, and even the most standard concept can write its way to a masterpiece, but at no point does Komi-san attempt to freshen its formula. Every character arc is the same, every conflict is resolved the same, and even the jokes all hinge on similar punch lines. With that said, though, I think I’ve figured out why this is.
Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu was originally a one-shot, not a long-running manga. The material from the one-shot isn’t repeated in the manga, nor is it adapted in the anime, but while the literal context is different, its thematic content is identical to that of the first six chapters (the first episode of the anime). The official manga version cuts it down to its most essential elements and is ultimately much better told, but in both iterations, the story that’s there feels complete. An average boy suddenly has a chance to talk to the most beautiful girl in school, and through her unexpected awkwardness and ineptitude, he learns that everyone has issues no matter their looks and status. It’s a short, touching, satisfying coming-of-age story that feels conclusive. The anime almost seems to acknowledge this finality as well, because while every episode looks fine, episode one is ridiculously over-produced and, at times, has downright movie quality animation with super unique and striking storyboards. It’s like they put the vast majority of their time and effort into episode one, because they knew it’s all that really mattered. And the problem I’m getting at shows its face immediately. In episode two, the character Najimi asks Komi, “Why did you want to be friends with me anyway?” And while the question is brushed off, anyone paying attention should come away with the sneaking suspicion there is no answer to that question. The desire for friends is just a theme. Tadano courted Najimi on her behalf, she has no chemistry with Najimi, her relationship with Najimi is completely one-sided, and this can be said for every friend she makes throughout the series. There is simply no real connection being made with anyone other than Tadano, and it makes the show feel dishonest and superficial when it truly does have the best of intentions. It obviously wasn’t meant to be a long-running story; it was meant to be a one-shot. Needless to say, this problem is exacerbated greatly in the manga which is now over three hundred exhausting chapters long, with no signs of stopping.
Thank you for reading.
Josephpaul
“Why use style over substance, when you can use style to fake substance” ~RealKurapikaTard (RIP) --SPOILER FREE REVIEW BECAUSE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS CRAP WORTH MENTIONING-- This was a frustrating watch to say the least. Expectations were non existent and this still left me in a sour mood.Comedy is a genre that is the most controversial to work with and critique, after all what someone finds funny differs from person to person. But never have I seen such a bland, repetitive, generic piece of media that has ridden the hype train so far, that a vast majority of viewers actually think it is good in any way. I wentinto Komi expecting a story similar to A Silent voice(Koe no Katachi) where the work atleast attempts to tackle social issues and disorders present in kids and young teens head-on seriously, but instead all I got was an overexaggerated, pathetic, kawaiified version for otakus to call their waifu and goddess. The characters are singlehandedly the worst part of the show. Every single character is a cardboard cut-out generic excuse for substance and has absolutely nothing unique or interesting about them. Characters and plot don't always need to have excellent writing with deep morals or philosophy behind them to be enjoyable but when a piece of art fails even to suffice the bare minimum you can rest assured that it is not worth a minute of your time.
Komi and her disorder is unnecessarily exaggerated and treated as a gag joke that got old in 3 eps. She has nothing going for her except that every person in the show drools over her and are obsessed with doing anything remotely close to her.
Tadano is a bland typical dense shy nice guy that we've seen a hundred times already. Himiko the stupid masochistic submissive dog female who's name I googled ten minutes back, is perhaps the unfunniest and cringiest character ever. Her existence makes me skip scenes as if I were watching a kissing scene in a movie with my parents.
Every episode plays out exactly the same way.
-Komi has a problem
-The whole world bows at her feet and worships her
-They make a few dumb jokes. Show a little bit of teasing and hints relating to romance. Some character either gets in the way of things or Tadano is too stupid and dense.
-Problem solved everyone happy
-REPEAT THE SAME SHIT.
There's absolutely no change in plot structure, jokes or any sort of development and it was tiresome to get through.
On a more positive side atleast the art and opening is good or else I wouldn't have even completed the show. The animation is fluid and crisp, although the Music and the character designs are nothing worth speaking of.
CONCLUSION:
It is nothing more than plain average predictable unfunny comedy that outstayed it's welcome. If you're looking for a show to play in the background and still follow without paying any attention to prevent losing braincells I highly recommend this. If you don't want to waste your time find something else from the plethora of titles available for your consumption.
Stark700
The inevitable happened. One of the most requested manga to get an anime adaptation finally gets what it deserves. After waiting for what felt like forever, Komi Can't Communicate by mangaka Tomohito Oda gets its treat when we are graced with 12 animated episodes. Yes, the manga is much longer and is still ongoing. But as an anime, Komi Can't Communicate represent the testament of a modern school life comedy done right. School life anime these days relies heavily on relationship building or coming of age stories that tells about the lives of characters. Komi Can't Communicate is a show that appeals to an audience seekingfor not just those elements but also be entertained by colorful character personalities. At its center is Shouko Komi, who makes a fabulous debut at school. She's practically worshipped by everyone but has a deep anxiety. It isn't until she meets a boy named Tadano where she begins to open up. Nonetheless, the first episode makes what I'd call an intense impression. This is capitalized by Komi's over-the-top reaction to meeting Tadano and how we come to realize just the depth of her social anxiety problems.
It's made clear that Komi suffers from emotional problems related to anxiety and trouble communicating with others. The English title literally sells itself in those three words: Komi can't communicate. Because at heart, Komi wants to make friends and made a goal to earn 100 friends at school. The journey is not an easy one because even with help, she ultimately has to come out of her shell and make those friends herself. With every episode, we see Komi learning how to communicate and overcome her struggles. With every step step she takes in communicating with others, she grows a little bit stronger with herself. Thanks to Tadano's guidance, the anime makes it clear that he cares about Komi as a friend. Thus, Tadano is Komi's first true friend. Every journey begins with the first step after all and let's just say that there's pretty much no better choice in this show than having Tadano as her life coach.
With that being said, we are introduced to a host of other characters from the manga. Characters such as Najimi, Akako, Ren, Omoharu, and among others make their appearance in various episodes. They connect with Komi all in different ways, but most of them seem to trigger Komi's anxiety whether they realize it or not. But perhaps unconsciously, Komi also attempts to break from her anxiety levels and sometimes even interact with them. Remember, one of her life long goal is to make 100 friends and every person counts. What this show does to draw audience's attention is her reaction and personality. It's almost impossibe to ignore her signature wide eyed expressions that has become stable to the show. I'd like to call this the Komi-san syndrome that's exclusive to her personality. Used as a character gag and plot element, Komi's character truly is symbolic. Anxiety is not easy to overcome and obviously, this anime takes it to a whole new level. With Komi being poster girl, you'd have to see to believe just how deep her anxiety truly is.
Then again, anxiety is an issue most, if not all of us had experienced sometimes in our lifetime. Komi just takes her anxiety levels to the extreme. It's actually quite natural for her to react with such anxiety levels, because let's face it, she's just a normal girl with a graceful look and attracts everyone with her beauty and talent. Anxiety is her weakness and Tadano is there to resolve it. The relationship building between the two is contagiously fun to watch due to how different the two characters are. Both learn from each other and faces everyday challenges like normal people would. Speaking of challenges, the show had to make ways for Komi to communicate to her peers even if she almost never speaks. Through the clever usage of writing and body language, Komi is able to get her point across.
You may also be asking how on Earth this show can adapt such a long ongoing manga and the easy answer is that it can't at the moment. The anime captures the essence and general themes of the manga but the ongoing story offers so much more. Luckily, this season has graced us with such a colorful character cast. Some anime franchises focuses on friendship themes in the most monotonous ways possible. This show goes beyond expectations and tipify how a school comedy should be.
Even at just 12 episodes, OLM knew what the audience wanted and that is bringing the anime adaptation to life from the manga. From the start, we see how characters are made with simple yet effective designs. Obviously, Komi represents the Yamato Nadeshiko of the the show but we can't forget the rest of the cast either. Characters such as Ren and Najimi make us turn our heads thanks to their personality gags. And speaking of gags, a recurring one is Komi's signature bug eyes that never ceases to entertain. That is to say, if you want to experience comedy, this is where the magic happens. And finally, I have to admit that the theme songs are very well decorated with not just a catchy tone but full of youth and gracefulness.
Komi Can't Communicate is an anime that I can safely say that lives up to its hype despite being just 12 episodes this season. It found success thanks to the unique nature of its comedy and using its characters to entertain us each episode. School comedy these days can be a hit or miss. Some are well remembered for years while others are an embarassment to the anime medium. Komi Can't Communicate is where we'll all have something to talk about for years to come.
komisucks
Alright listen here weebs. Outside of a select few shows, I'm someone who views anime as a guilty pleasure. I only ever watch anime if it's popular or to spend time with friends. Anime is not a defining trait of my life nor do I wish to participate in communities about it. That said, I will gladly make an exception just this once, for rarely has an anime, nay, piece of media ever sparked as much hatred within me as Komi Can't Communicate. I have made a MyAnimeList account just so I can post this review. Before I dig in, let me say first that the sounddesign is ok. The quivering noise is cute. Music is mediocre and the art is passable.
Man, saying good things about KCC leaves such a stench in my mouth. Lemme wash this foul taste out with some refreshing Hate-orade. First, this show fails to deliver its main message so badly that it ends up mocking the very demographic it's trying to relate to. I'll admit, the show's sneaky. There were moments that I could definitely see other anxiety-sufferers latching on to. However, all that is instantly invalidated once you remember that if Komi wasn't hot, no one, especially not mediocre-McAveragepants Tadano, would want anything to do with her. Basically, this show's saying "See anxiety-sufferers? Making friends is easy! Just wield the powers of Aphrodite herself!" This issue is further aggravated through the character Agari, another socially awkward character in this show. She doesn't have Komi's charm, so what does the show think she should do to address her social-anxiety? Should she focus on developing a more stoic mindset? Improve herself? Nah, let's make her Komi's lapdog! Let's completely forget that she's shy and have her act like a dog in public! Let's basically have her give up and dedicate herself to her queen, only gaining friends via association with said queen! Honestly, I would keep every socially-anxious people I know far away from this show. It cannot offer them anything but false perspectives and insecurity, especially dangerous for anxious people who may have more trouble differing satire from actual advice.
Moving beyond these blatant insults, it's clear that this show's for questionable people with questionable fantasies. Tadano's the blandest MC to date, which makes him the perfect self-insert character. Ever wonder why the show never introduces any other significant male characters, not even taking the positively succulent opportunity to see how Komi handles the school chad hitting on her? Because this show wants to attract viewers either with saviour complexes or a desire to manipulate women. We can't have any actually charming guys show up or else Eugene-san over there sitting at his desktop with his Komi body pillow's gonna have his girl stolen! As the show says, Komi can't communicate. She rarely objects to demands and will give in with enough pressure. What kind of guy do you think this would attract?
Finally, please tell me that some of these character designs were a bad joke. The fire girl made me want to kill myself.
I wish for this show to fade from history. I do not recommend this for anyone to unironicaly watch this.
Natsuki_SanJuan
Knock Knock... "Who's there?" Komi-san! "Komi-san, who?" *shudder... Nervous... shudder... Nervous... shudder... Nervous... shudder... Nervous..* "Komi-san is no doubt a masterpiece because of its fluid animation." -not me (but wut the heck?) This review is about the full season of the anime and whatever you do, don't get triggered...Ahhh... SoL. One of the genres that are being discriminated against because they are 'boring'. I like SoL shows, alongside romance and comedy, and one of my favorite genres. At first, I don't believe in others said that SoL shows are 'boring' because for me they are entertaining. Comedy. Comedy is like a dart game, whether it will hit the mark or miss. For me, comedy will be never missed but this? This is the first SoL comedy show that made me feel annoyed.
I will extend and revise my statements from my previous preliminary review.
Komi-san Can't Communicate is one of the anticipated animes by many manga readers that were hyping this show from the first episode. Seriously, this season is more annoying than a weak season from Summer 2021. We got a Symphogear parody Takt Op. Destiny, edgy-wannabe Platinum End, annoying Fruit of Evolution, etc., and this anime is one of them. I have two words to describe this anime; cringe and ridiculous. And it's pain in the ass to say this but this anime is OVERHYPED and OVERRATED.
Story:
To be straightforward, the story is NOTHING. You can describe it as a gag manga because the story is episodic but seriously, the sub-plots are just slightly moving forward. This is a SoL show, right? The story wasn't realistic at all. If Komi wants a hundred friends, did she know that some or many of them will backstab or might be toxic to her? Nothing is interesting happens because it always uses the same formula all over again. Boy meets girl, the boy helps the girl to find friends because she's lonely, she found friends, the plot will back to boy and girl, it became a romance, and the cycle repeats itself. It's like an endless semester. In short, it's just your typical SoL that you can find on other SoL shows. Oh right, the comedy... Tbh, still very missed the mark. The comedy for this anime is for elementary students. No quality of humor, and still the jokes weren't in the right timing. If you tell a joke to your friend or partner, or whatever, timing is always the best thing, even your joke you'll say is dumb. Still, the comedy was so unfunny and it made me cringe and felt annoyed, while watching this show. Even Gintama's poop, dirty, or dumb jokes were funny because it was in the right timing (considering the other dumb gag shows like Saiki K., A Destructive God Sits Next to Me, etc.). And the wholesomeness? I didn’t felt a single wholesomeness factor in this show because the show was trying to be funny but it wasn't.
Art:
The more I watch this show, the more I get used to the art and it was fine though. It may be not a masterpiece of art, but the art for this show is decent and suitable for the series. Sometimes, the art sequence or cinematography is like in the Monogatari series. You know, the angles and the frames looked like in Monogatari but no head tilting. I thought they copying that style but whatever. Still looks good though.
Characters:
I will say it, the characters are freaking annoying. This is one of the worst characters that I've in my history of watching anime. The craziest part of that is, Komi, which is a waifu bait for the fans, befriends with a cross-dressing trap, a masochist, a violent yandere, a ninja, and a normal guy. I mean, who will befriend that kind of person? Don't get me wrong, I like school animes that have eccentric characters like in School Rumble, but in this anime, they are so ridiculous. The perfect definition of overreacting and cringe. Do you know Teruhashi from Saiki K.? The girl who was always been followed by many guys in her class because of her beauty? Komi is just like that but more on the opposite and quiet. Komi was just a fanservice mascot for the men who want to add her to their waifu list.
Sound:
This was pretty fine. Definitely will buy the soundtrack. The OP was pretty catchy and the ED was pretty fine too. I'll say that sound saved the whole anime, even just a little bit of it.
Overall, this anime is so overwhelming to watch. The characters and the story are so forgettable as heck. This anime is sort of a guilty pleasure or for those people who want to kill time. After all those good production values, the story, which is the most important factor, is the weakest part of it and I didn't like it that badly. This anime is a shame for me as a SoL comedy stan and maybe I'll believe those others said. A nonsensical story doesn't deserve this kind of production value. For those who love little things, this anime can be for you. But for those who seek pure high-quality comedy and worth of your enjoyment, please don't watch this crap. You will just waste your time and your precious brain cells.
zooey2626
*SPOILERS* Komi is one of those adaptations that simply wont work because theres not enough story or character development to justify a full season. If you really wanted to you could cram up all the info in one episode, or they should had released 5 minute episodes. Sure, memes and OMG KOMI SO WHOLESOME doesnt harm anyone. But this is just a brainless watch. I would be better off to stare at the wall 20 minutes. This being a gag manga adaptation and especially with typically japanese romcom humor (duh) youre in for a bland experience. Firstly we have 'Normal Person' (yes this is our male protags name [HitohitoTadano], his name is literally blank) whos physical design is clearly there for the male audience to be able to self-insert and imagine they are Komis bf or something.
He is equivalent of a blank page, theres nothing going on with him. Hes just there so Komi has a romantic interest and he somehow deserves a girl like her just by existing? Or something. His life seems to shut down when Komi isnt in the scene, so you can imagine, he gets no development whatsoever.
Komi...wait Komi is actually her last name? Huh. Well anyway, shes our big heroine.
I find it insulting they start every episode with 'anxiety is serious. its so spooky. people who have it struggle! but they actually want friends' blah blah blah. Making it seem like this is some woke show, like they are giving exposure to a big issue, or that anxiety only equals speech related problems.
Lets look at it realistically - its a gag manga turned into anime. Of course its gonna be mainly fiction with things that dont exist in real life. But why then tie it to real life issues? Komi and Tadano could not exist in the real world.
Plot: Plot implies Komi is somewhat struggling. But she is not nor ever has. Lets go point by point.
Komi is misunderstood: Due to her lack of communication. This is false. Everyone in this universe LOVES Komi. Theres not a single person thar dislikes her, thus causing her struggle. Despite her not talking people worship her like a god, they did so before the timing of first episode, and they continue for eternity. Nobody really misunderstands her in traditional sense of the word, shes just seems like cool and reserved by not talking and nobody gets offended or insulted by her demeanor. Her demeanor is actually whats making them go crazy for her and be in love with her.
Komi cant talk because she is anxious: This is confusing. Imagine youre anxious and it affects your ability to express yourself verbally in front of others like show is trying to say Komi is. Youre in class, at work, etc. You stutter and stumble around your words and you fail to deliver coherent message. People would be confused and probably dislike you (not Komi tho-shes loved like already mentioned). You are finished with your day, feeling defeated, and alone in your room...you should feel safe? Relaxed?
Well, not Komi. She seems to have sort of magical anxiety that even tho she makes it appear is caused by people, she cant talk even when she is completely alone, in her room, comfy and in her pyjamas. I am personally anxious and more quiet. Why the heck would i not make a single sound when im alone tho? Or with my family that SHOWERS me with love and care, like Komi has it? It makes no sense whatsoever.
Komi has to change in order to gain things she wants/Her lack of communication is her PROBLEM: False. She never changes or shows willpower to do so. She is day in and day out straight up rewarded for the way she behaves. Show is trying to convince us that because she cant communicate, some problems ensue. This is completely opposite.
Komi has problems overall: False. Her life is perfect. She has loving and caring family, some of which also high-key enables her not talking and aprooves of it, and even encourages it. She was never bullied. She was always doing amazing in school. Everyone who sets eyes on her, straight/gay/trans/bi/male/female/other genders/etc LOVES her from first second they got to see her, even before she communicates/doesnt communicate which is premise of the show. Shes always in center of attention, never left out and very, very rarely put in a situation where she has to do something, like having to order coffee for someone (and failing miserably, but still being rewarded for it). She doesnt even seems bothered that she failed these things, like saying a single word or making an order. She doesnt have some phychological trauma. She wasnt abused or shunned. She lived a life of a goddess from moment she stepped foot in this world, to now. Only difference from then and now is that she now KNOWS that everyone is obsessed with her, while in later episodes we see people were obsessed with her for the whole time, just too shy to approach her, so she felt left out at times but never bullied or some sort of negative thing happening.
Komi cant talk but...can she communicate any other way? This is confusing. She cant talk so uses pen and paper sometimes. This makes sense. But...she never owned a mobile phone until the Normal Person told her to? Ok, so youre anxious in real life and quiet and reserved...but youre unable to also TEXT and hang out online? Write coherent texts? What? People in real life who struggle in real find escapism in using the internet. They can be themselves, relaxed, maybe even different personality, and more open. But Komi...she never talks or expresses her thoughts in any way, other than few scribble in notebook few times in class? Does she even think? How the heck did she even ace the school grades without talking? Oral exams were exempt for her for being a god? I can imagine your friends and family enabling semi-toxic behaviour, but your teachers? I dont know.
Komi wants friends: This is confusing. She says she wants to make 100 friends. OOOOoOO big shows premise! But this is kinda lost along the way. Did she really ever even make friends? Who IS actually her friend? Tadano? Show likes to make it look like she got friends now. And she herself, actually is really, really happy. But...they more seem like her worshippers.
Also, think about the other side. Youre friends with Komi. Shes attractive and her every friend kinda wants to bone her and literally OBSESSED. Thats already bad enough. But...she doesnt communicate...talk...or even put effort into it, yeah, thats what shows title is. But, even into writing, which she can do but doesnt anyway. Whats the point of your friendship? Surely Komi appreciates it alot, but whats it in for you? Imagine every day every time you talk to your 'friend' Komi you get nothing but blank stares back, no feedback, no back and forth, no texts, doesnt initiate anything literally ever. Its like you got to do 100% or the 'friendship' is over.
Who ever made friends like that? And if you did, how long would that live? Its truly confusing why would it work for Komi. Human relationships are so delicate and people can grind day in and out with their charisma, presentation, etc and still be friendless and depressed. But character like Komi pushes premise how anxiety is hard but never has anthing hard or bad to show for it. She is SHOWERED in good things, good life and all that comes with it. Its completely unrelatable.
Episodes pretty much follow textbook examples of 'I am a beach episode' or 'i am a school festival episode'. You know, the worst slice of life has to offer. Komi never gets a rival or someone to challenge her or put her out of her comfort zone. Which means episodes are the same, repetieive its just different event in school that day/you get what I mean. Tadano has crush on her for some reason, i guess solely because hes a boy, shes a girl? They never really dwell deeper into it. They have no chemistry or anything in common.
Side characters are mostly background noise. Extremely forgettable and there to fill in a certain 'fetish' or a trope. Oh, hers a yandere girl. Ah, heres a nerdy horny library girl. Oh, a sporty sporty-sport girl!
ONLY character from whole show I liked was Osana Najimi [Name translates to Childhood Friend...ugh]
Najimi is AMAZING. Najimi is funny, Najimi is energetic, you know its gonna be ok scene with her in it. Najimi is only one who tries to put Komi out of her comfort zone, Komi fails cuz didnt even try, and shes instantly forgiven and nobody rly dwells on it. Id honestly tho just watch a show about Najimi.
megahugestrike
Komi-san Can't Communicate tries to present itself as a wholesome story of a girl who with anxiety disorder slowly making friends. While this main plot is present in each episode and has potential to be strong, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The characters are one dimensional and make the same repetitive gags each episode, it demonstrates the exact opposite of "show, not tell" by constantly explaining what is happening, and it constantly objectifies Komi in almost every scene and subjects her to the “Male Gaze™”. The structure of this anime is basically every episode a new “character” who is obsessed with Komi getsintroduced and “hilarity” ensues. I say “character” because most of these are literally just some character archetype that was pulled out of a hat. There’s a Chunnibyou one, an energetic one, a sadistic one, etc. Since there are so many of these side characters (at least one or two added per episode) we never get the chance to see them properly developed, and by the end of the series they continue to just be the same characters as when they were introduced. Additionally, I say “hilarity” because each character has their own joke that just gets repeated over and over and over, and usually it's not even funny the first time.
Also, these characters are just pretty bad. In one of the first episodes it was claimed that each character at the school had some special ability for why they were at this high school, but they seem to have forgotten about that for every character but Najimi. Most of these characters are insanely obsessed with Komi to the point of kidnapping the MC or pretending to be Komi’s dog. But good thing these characters are female so fans will think they’re cute and not super weird!
Additionally, this anime has a really bad habit of telling and not showing. This is lazy writing and shows the writer doesn’t trust the audience to understand what’s going without being constantly told. We can look at Tadano’s introduction in the first episode to see an example of this. Also, see if you can count how many separate times they repeat that Tadano just wants to have a normal high school life and fit in.
1:10-1:50: Tadano and the narrator talk about how dull he is and how he just wants to fit in. Then “joke” is displayed on screen as a barrage of text for us, that he just wants to fit in because he used to be edgy in middle school. What is the problem with doing it this way? It is that this joke was communicated to us with the actual animation being irrelevant. We could have just been given a black screen with the audio/subtitles and some text bubbles for the same effect.
2:05: Tadano sees Komi and is excited because she’s so hot. In this scene Tadano both is yelling she is gorgeous, but for some reason there is another text bubble that has to point at Tadano and reaffirm to us that he is excited. Could we not have figured it out without that text bubble? These text bubbles are there in almost every scene in this anime, and don’t really allow the audience to think for themselves to engage with it in any way.
3:02: Tadano tells the audience he is an average guy
3:48: The narrator tells us Tadano is sticking out instead of blending in
5:06: Tadano tells the class that he is good at reading the room. Then his classmate tells the audience that he actually isn’t good at reading the room. Then the narrator tells us how Tadano’s high school life is over. This scene was pretty irritating. Could we not have figured out Tadano any of these three things in some other way than the anime explicitly telling us? What if instead of his classmate TELLING us that Tadano isn’t good at reading the room, there was a five second awkward silence to show us this. Basically, this scene ends up being an example of many scenes in this anime where the audience is just told what to feel rather than having to engage with the show.
6:41: Tadano says his goal is to have an uneventful school life
For those keeping count with me, it was five separate times in the first seven minutes they repeated how Tadano simply wants to have a normal high school life and fit in. Thanks Komi-san, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten it after the fourth time! It makes the show feel juvenile that we are told exactly what to think and shows a lack of creativity in storytelling by the writer.
Finally, we have this weird obsession by every single character in the show of Komi, only because she is just that beautiful. In almost every scene with her, there is a reference to how beautiful she is. What does her beauty add to this show? Honestly I have no idea. It makes a lot of the relationships she creates throughout the show seem superficial, as a lot of her friends (ex: girl who wants to be her dog) like her due to her looks alone.
Luckily, Tadano is not a crazy person who only wants Komi to step on him, and seems to be one of Komi’s real relationships created in the show. This brings us to the Male Gaze™/main character stand in aspect of the show. Tadano seems to be living out a male fantasy where a beautiful, popular, quiet, subservient girl who has no opinions of her own needs his help. Luckily for him every other character in the show is completely insane and doesn’t realize she has problems speaking, making him the only person who can possibly understand her. This is quite a nice fantasy for male viewers watching the anime. It just weirds me out that the ideal girl this show is pushing for is mostly revered for her beauty, while also being helpless and dollike.
Overall, Komi-san Can’t Communicate has a lot of glaring problems that keep it in bad high school romcom tier and nothing more. The animation and music are quite good, and the timing of a lot of scenes shows a lot of effort by the studio. However, it's held back by the writing.
Shabo-kun
„Why did I watched this? Am I some kind of masochist?" These were my first thoughts after completing this show. Needless to say that sense of humor and comedy differs to each person. Still when I somehow managed to finish this creation and looked on meta score, I was surprised the most in a while. First of all it’s comeady, so I started to watch this and take it somehow easy expecting to deal with most things by humor and then watch some serious moments in addition. Instead of this I got almost zero serious moments and humor was same thing over and over. There wasso many things I hate like worshiping of a person, bullying, SIMPs, terrible romance and mainly repetitiveness. YES there are literally 2-3 major jokes which are repeated all the time. It’s really not funny to see how is some guy mistreated and despised for no apparent reason at least not for me, it wasn’t funny for the first time, second time and it’s not funny even the 4512th time. I hoped it would be something like Yamada-kun to lvl 999 for example, perfectly mixing and uniting humor with some personal issues and social/mental health dissorders. Instead of this I got generic comedy which is not even funny.
STORY: 2/10
Generic and repetetive simple as that. Another slice of life/romance anime where main characters are "dealing" with their everyday life "problems". You’re asking why that irony? Simply because problems are petty and are often dealt by the most stupidest way just to make that medicore not funny gag humor. Whole story revolves around the fact that girl MC is beautiful and if she wasn’t nobody would pay her any attention, THE END.
It feels like authors are trying to say to you „Doesn’t matter if you are suffer from social dissorder as long as you are pretty", yeah... Each episode has that same narrative of Komi entering the scene and being worship, making friends or spending time with them, some MC misstreating, wannabe romance and going back to main duo, repeat. There were actually few sparkles of hope and moments which I enjoyed a bit, but they were overshadowed by some stupid joke right after.
CHARACTERS: 2/10
There isn’t a single character which I would enjoy from all my heart. All of them are somehow annoying and some almost not bearable. Type of people who would buy Komi onlyfans right after she would make one - her pathetic simps which are praising her like you would praise the sun in Dark Souls. Who knows they would maybe bought her excrements to fill their pillow with it. Komi which character stands on her beauty and overshadowes her dissorders and other traits, because authors need to throw it to your face in every episode. MC which is perfect example of generic romcom MC and has every trait of character like that. Side characters have better development then main characters. I appreciate they want to indicate that some of the side characters are just as important to the story (that means Kaede and Najimi). Don’t get me wrong they weren’t anything special and felt medicore, but at least i didn’t have that intuition to punch something like in case of an MC.
ART: 6/10
There’s not a reason to praise it or neither hate it. If you consider it’s made in 2021 you somehow expect solid animations and art style. Still in it’s own genre and vintage it looks on point. On the other hand there are few which looked better in my eyes like Horimiya, Koikimo, Higehiro, Taisho Otome Fairy Tale etc.
SOUND: 8/10
Best part of the anime in my opinion. OP perfectly fits to this art style and anime overall. Music and sounds throughout the show was nice addition to atmosphere.
ENJOYMENT: 2/10
Although I praised last to aspect little bit, there was still a lot of things which were destroying this show in my eyes. It bothered me to the point where I had serious issues to not drop it. For sure it’s not my type of thing and I’m pretty sure it would be enjoyable for me if authors would choose different approach to the story and main characters. It’s hard to pick a serious theme like social dissorders and mental health which is such a big topic nowdays and turn in into a good comedy. I’m a type of guy which can make fun from almost anything, but I didn’t find this style of humor funny at all. This is my main issue which authors didn’t handle.
OVERALL: 2/10
Despite the fact that I scored two aspect quite high my conscience doesn’t allow me to go higher. Komi is type of anime which you either hate or like and nothing between. If it’s style of humor fits you well, you will have a good time and if not you will probably drop,
because humor is the thing it stands on. Don’t expect real dealing with dissorders and social anxieties or you will be dissapointed.
McKendrick
Probably the most way overrated anime from this season. The cast is made up of characters ranging from annoying to creepy. Everything is so over the top and ridiculous while failing to be anything more than mildly entertaining. The whole deal with everyone obsessing over Komi just got tiring, and wasn't particularly funny. The plot was basically non-existent, consisting pretty much just of Komi's goal to make 100 friends... yet everyone already wants to be her friend... It's not that it's just boring as many SOL shows are, it's that it's annoying, and its attempts at being funny are simply not.
ZapdosOddish
Very rarely have I been compelled to write a review on My Anime List, but this show has finally done it for me, because I feel absolutely baffled by how this is considered a good show. To be clear, if you enjoyed this show/manga, that's great, more power to you, and I'm definitely not trying to take away any of your enjoyment. With that said, this show frustrated me more than any I've ever seen. The TL;DR of it is that is a massive pile of wasted potential. I'm sure you're already familiar with the premise of the show, and the premise is actually quitegood. The problem is that they do absolutely nothing with it at all, at least from this first season. The entirety of it just feels like a massive piece of filler. I understand that the show is a bit of slower-paced, slice of life show, which is fine. But the show does absolutely nothing to keep me engaged for it's duration. Instead, the show is almost entirely made up of one single joke, which they repeat over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It's basically as if Komi's classmates are Spongebob and Patrick, and Komi is the magic conch shell, only there's about 12 times as many Spongebobs and Patricks, no Squidward (i.e. a straight man [yes I know there's Tadano, but he has almost no personality so he hardly counts]), it goes on for 24 times as long, and most importantly, ISN'T FUNNY! This show has the comedic value of a piece of toast on top of a cardboard box. They also try and literally explain the joke, Peter Griffin meme style, for when Komi and crew are acting in a certain way, like I'm not a child, I can tell what they're doing.
Furthermore, most of the characters are absolutely hollow with nothing interesting about them. I know almost nothing about Komi's interests and hobbies, nor Tadano's. All of the side characters make me want to run a railroad spike through my skull. The only decent one is Najimi, who actually has a distinct and entertaining personality throughout.
I guess a big part of my problems with this show may have also been my expectations going into it. I was going into this show expecting a bit more serious and less bizarre take on social anxiety issues and things like how we perceive people based on appearances, and it really annoyed me when I watched it and it felt like a collage of various overused anime tropes, unfunny jokes, and overreliance of dialogue. I'm someone who personally struggles a lot with social anxiety and connecting with others, and while I don't want to just throw around allegations of ableism, I feel like this show wasn't at all an accurate representation of what it's like being the average person with these kinds of issues, at least to me.
So in the end, idk. I just don't see why people enjoy this so much. To me, it feels like an amalgamation of the worst aspects of anime. My advice for those looking into it would be to try the first few episodes, and if it isn't doing anything for you by then, just bail, because it certainly won't do anything for you later on.
Thank you for reading.
Dramaddict
Komi Can’t Communicate, for whatever reason, is an anime that constantly surprises me. From the outset, having such one-note characters is normally a recipe for disaster, but KCC somehow makes it work. It’s also one of the rare occasions where I’ve read the manga before watching the anime, and I’m normally an anime-only who doesn’t even bother to read the manga after watching the anime. It’s clear to say that my experience with KCC is quite different from the others. I often criticize comedies for their one-note character writing because it isn’t sustainable. Eventually, the jokes grow stale, and when most anime are over 4 hoursin length, this is almost a guarantee. Having a comedy focus on the chemistry between the characters is a much better way to execute a show, because just seeing a group of friends interact is often enough to be entertaining. But KCC kind of defies this expectation. It certainly has one-note characters—I mean, one of them is literally described in a 3-word title, and at the culture fest maid cafe, one random otaku described several characters in just one word—so how did this show manage to consistently entertain me where so many other comedies of this ilk fail? Well, to be fair, one-note character writing isn’t inherently a bad thing, it just takes a great deal of creativity to keep the jokes fresh and interesting, and KCC somehow succeeds at it. It astounds how it finds new angles to tell the same joke. I laugh every time someone misinterprets Komi’s stare. Seriously, you’d think the writer would run out of ideas, but they just keep coming. Part of it is because of the show’s incredibly large cast. Komi’s “goal” is to make 100 friends, so that sort of implies that we’ll eventually meet 100 one-note characters. Having this premise set in a school filled to the brim with eccentric freaks is honestly a brilliant idea, because that means we’ll have a constant stream of new, whacky characters to keep the comedy fresh for a long while. But all of that won’t amount to much if it doesn’t have a strong core, and it has a pretty decent one.
First off, we got the MC Tadano. His whole schtick is that he’s completely ordinary—so ordinary that it perplexes me how he got into a school of nutjobs, but I’ll set that aside. While he may be a bland character, it isn’t to the detriment of the show. On the contrary, he’s the perfect conduit for us to observe these goofy characters. Boring self-insert MCs are only an issue when the story revolves around that boring character, and KCC isn’t about Tadano; it’s about, well, Komi. Komi’s character is an attractive premise. There’s something comforting knowing that even the most perfect of people have flaws and deal with their own problems, so Komi’s sincere efforts to overcome her weakness are genuinely heartwarming, and her inability to communicate makes her interactions with all these over-the-top characters all the more hilarious. But Komi alone isn’t enough to carry the show. She only really has 2 expressions: straight-faced and bug-eyed. She’s essentially a mute, which sometimes makes it difficult to connect with her. So I think the key ingredient that brings all of this together is Najimi. This genderqueer enigma is the most endearing character in the show and easily my favorite (I love how they wear a tie instead of a ribbon). We’ve all had someone like this in our friend group: the one that’s so likable and bubbly that they spread their infectious energy to anyone they encounter. Najimi, being so sociable and outgoing, is the perfect ice breaker to keep the group dynamic stable, allowing everyone else to just be themselves. But enough gushing about the comedy, it’s time to address the elephant in the room.
All of these traits are what made the manga good, not the anime. I’m not saying the adaptation is bad; it’s just standard and by-the-books. Nothing about the presentation wowed me. There might be some standout bits of animation, but for the most part, the direction is lifeless, and I’m not just talking about the plastic ren’py looking 3D backgrounds. Komi Can’t Communicate feels like another moving manga, and I think this style is boring. We constantly see text boxes show up on screen, which is silly to me. Why do we need to see onomatopoeias when we can already hear the SFX? The editing style makes it feel like I’m watching a string of panels rather than actual animation, and the amount of jump cuts in this show is jarring and obnoxious. One example that stuck out to me was the beginning of episode 6. Instead of Komi walking to the door, she magically teleports there. I thought it would’ve but cuter if she speed-walked to the door; it would’ve been a memorable bit of animation. But no, she has to teleport there because that’s how the manga panels look. The biggest detriment to the moving manga style is the pacing. With manga, the reader is in control of the pacing; they can skim if they want to, but this isn’t the case for anime. This makes some scenes drag out more than they should, and I’m left bored because of it. It’s especially grating in the more cathartic scenes. When reading the manga, Komi stuttering her words was kinda cute, but when I actually had to wait an eternity for her to say something, my patience ran thin. And the music really doesn’t help. It tends to overdramatize the situation. The goofy music sounds too goofy, and the sentimental piano sounds too sentimental.
But even if I think the manga is a better experience, I'd probably still prefer the anime; I love the voice acting and SFX too much. Speaking of voice acting, Najimi’s seiyuu is perfect. I mean, Rie Murakawa is proving herself to be an incredibly versatile actress. Just compare her Megumi role in Gochiusa, and you’ll see what I mean. I doubt I'll ever rewatch this show. I might've praised it for its funny one-note cast, but it doesn't offer much more than dumb entertainment. Depending on the person, the formula might get cumbersome, and the superficial friendships might be paper-thin. But I overall had a good time.
Thanks for reading!
KANLen09
"Comyushou a.k.a (sic) Communication Disorder, is a condition where one's social skills are lacking. It also refers to someone who suffers from this condition. It must be noted that just because someone lacks those skills, doesn't mean that there is no desire to connect to others." After gruelling through the romcom formula of "boy teases girl" with Takagi, Uzaki and Nagatoro, we've finally reached the epic pinnacle of the genre as a whole: the coming-of-age, SoL, Iyashikei non-teaser romcom that is Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu. a.k.a Komi Can't Communicate, written and illustrated by the one and only Tomohito Oda. Honestly though, even as haters will hatethe fact that Komi-san is insanely popular internationally and take it to the grave for blatantly lengthening the story just like a certain Reiji Miyajima (Kanojo, Okarishimasu. a.k.a Rent-A-Girlfriend), you certainly can't beat the fact that Tomohito Oda's series is so beloved. And as a manga fan keeping up with the manga, the anime, other than just the usual replication of an adaptation, truly goes Cloud Nine that unfortunately is stuck in Netflix Jail (not to worry if you're a seasoned anime watcher, fansubs will do just that that's better than relying on sub-standard Netflix shoddy subtitling quality).
Komi-san is just pure, undulated enjoyment with the only plot that's of concern: Komi Shouko wishes to make 100 friends. But being someone with severe communication disorder, she makes up for the fact that her unprecedented appearance, stoic beauty and refined elegance already places her in the elite Itan Private High School as her Class 1-1's Madonna. And be honest, when the anime adaptation got announced, we were all thinking of which Seiyuu would best fit the girl whom has extreme social anxiety, and lo and behold, it turned out to be the prestigous and renounced Shuchiin Academy's vice president Kaguya Shinomiya, voiced by Aoi Koga (Princess Principal's Ange, Bokutachi no Remake's Aki Shino). And I really have to say that Aoi Koga really fits Komi's sheltered behaviour that always has the backing of all whom worship at her feet from her exquisite aura, because one word or mouse's squeak from her mouth is at the very forefront of it all, character development enough.
Komi-san relies on the vast amount of characters, and that will forever be the strongest point of why we the audience, read the manga and now watch the anime, all for the same exact reason. The characters' personalities, antics and quirks, the whole package, even right down to how Tomohito Oda names each and every supporting character to the Madonna maiden to pun-intended hilarity. Beginning with the one that like everyone else was captivated with her aura, Tadano Hitohito (his name meaning an ordinary/average and compassionate human) is the OG famed target of all, being Komi's very first friend who inadvertently discovers her communication disorder and befriends her to help her reach her eventual goal of 100 friends, being kind to her and promptly guides her along as long as this objective goes. The other friend of significance is the genderbender Najimi Osana (his/her name literally meaning a childhood friend), whom was already friends with Tadano from young, and carrying forward to their time in Itan High. If all you have is 2 friends of a compassionate kind soul and a genderqueer batshit joker, then you're in good hands.
The other characters whom come up in the anime (which are part of eventually forming and filling Komi's 100-friendship quota) are as follows in chronological order:
- Himiko Agari, her name being a pun for stage fright or cowardice, she is always nervous all the time, and for someone whom develops a masochist side, viewing herself as Komi's dog most of the time. Such a strange girl.
- Makeru Yadano, her name being a reference to her nature of refusing to lose, she's the comical character when it comes to performance and letting results speak for themselves, an eternal rival who just wants to beat her at even superficial matters.
- Ren Yamai, her name being a reference to her yandere nature, she's the one character that deserve to be put on a pedestal because of her extreme obsession to Komi and expunges death threats upon those whom try to approach her, Tadano included as he's always the one closest to Komi. She's a real whack though, the one character worth hating.
- Omoharu Nakanaka, her name being a reference to her Chuunibyou nature, she acts immature and thinks that she is a faraway paradise of fantasizing fantasies. The way that others can connect to her is through her gaming hobby, though once opposed to the idea of bringing friends to her house to play that's become regular overtime.
- Nokoko Inaka, her name literally meaning a country bumpkin, Inaka like Komi, has commnication disorder, but that's because she is from the countryside and doesn't know how to talk the city way. Ganbatte Inaka, you're adorable so loosen yourself up!
- Nene Onemine, her name being a reference to her Onee-chan (or big/older sister) nature, she is yet another character worth loving because she is sensible with everyone, especially Tadano because he's picked as the class president that was treated unkindly with excessive duties.
There're more than just these characters (including yet another significant girl that sets the course of the manga), but if the anime production stuff is willing and Japan's reception is pretty good, we might see future seasons going forward, because more Komi is blessed life.
Apparently the anime staff team would've already known how big Komi-san was in Japan and globally, so they did the best they could, and look what came out of it: the pristine visuals, god-like animation, even splicing in the manga's special effects for that additional extra intended pun effect, it just all comes off as nothing short of an outstanding production that's leaps beyond Tomohito Oda's already nice-looking drawing and illustrations, even for Netflix standards (I'm looking at you, Blue Period). This is all in no small part from chief director Ayumu Watanabe whom directed the lot of Doraemon movies, Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers) and even Major 2nd at OLM, which is helmed by Team Kojima. You can immediately tell how seasoned this director is, and he clearly knows what works to make his work stand out amongst the pack. For that reason alone, really though, double, triple, quadruple, massive thumbs up for the amount of effort that Ayumu Watanabe and his staff team has put into Komi-san's movie-like production that just really oozes quality everywhere.
And this same quality trickles down to the OST, of which Cider Girl's OP and Kitri's ED got the equal treatment of their colourful and wonderful visuals and animation, with the great songs to boot. Seriously though, Cider Girl's OP "Cinderella" is such a bop and a banger song, that's not hard enough to just do for a sing-along session. Kitri to my knowledge, Komi-san's ED is the sister duo Mona and Hina's debut song, and it too is a nice ending song that in all, both songs just do so, so much to complement the overall wonderful package of Komi-san.
In all senses, the hype train for Komi-san's anime adaptation has been building for years, and this hype train is well worth the wait to experience one of the most wholesome romcoms of the current generation. And because Netflix is the only way that you can watch Komi-san, to that I say: DON'T. Be like our predecessors to seek out fansubs for shows not licensed by FuniRoll, and be in their shoes to see how it feels like to watch anime at a time where fansubs provide the best overall content professionalism experience (before all that licensing bullcrap), and Komi-san most certainly fits that adage well.
Meanwhile, for reals. Komi-san Can't Communicate is a work that's generally very easy and accessible to all, once to read and now to watch. And depending on your tastes, have a go or just derail from it, no one's stopping you.
TO BE CONTINUED...Season 2 in Spring 2022!
MrSlamboni
This is like a power fantasy but in a romance anime. Komi is beautiful, athletic, smart, perfect, etc. but she is shy and doesn't talk to others. Conveniently she has a crush on our very average main character. Isn't this a bit too self serving? They shoved the "perfection" trait on a girl and made her dependent on the MC and conveniently also in love with him. Why do people enjoy this? Do they try to insert themselves instead of the MC, fantasizing about having a perfect girl crush on them? There isn't really a good story to be found here. Hell, there aren't good interactionsto be found here because Komi being "shy" is her top-defining trait. I hate shy characters with a passion. They are always predictably boring. If you ask them if they wanna play videogames, they will act shy. If you ask them if they wanna eat lunch together, they will be shy. If their name gets called, you guessed it, they will act shy. A shy character does only one thing without fail, try to end any interaction because they are shy.
There isn't really an attempt to do anything here except "le Komi makes cute face" or "le Komi has cat ears and its cute". Before fantasizing about perfect girls being dependent on you and in love with you, fantasize about touching some grass please. This is boring.
Prof-Harambe
Really do not get the hype. I was hoping for a more serious story considering the show is tackling ideas about social anxiety, however the serious moments are few and far between and the comedy is painfully bad. This show is really similar to Saiki K in the sense that seeming the author runs out of ideas so they are forced to introduce a random new character to try and shake things up and to create an arc around them. While I dislike this in Saiki, it works in respect to the universe because the premise is highly unrealistic i.e. psychic antisocial protagonist, as well asthe juxtaposition between Saiki's desire to live a quiet life, which is being invaded by others. Komi wants to make friends, yet there is little to no progression in terms of her improving with her condition. This is the problem, Komi has been shown to not have been able to make friends in the past, yet soon as she enters the school she is immediately the centre of attention. The message of the show is generally awful, basically saying that she doesn't need to try and overcome her faults because she is attractive. Each character, like Saiki, has a crazy wacky personality trait that defines them and is the entirety of their character. Unlike Saiki, not one of these characters have succeeded at being anything that wasn't just straight up annoying or irritating.
The characters are some of the worst I've ever seen in a show. The green hair and the yandere character I would describe as hilariously bad but they never made me laugh even once so I don't think they even deserve that. It makes it hard to sympathise with Komi's anxiety when these characters are in the frame. It would have been fun to see Komi overcome her fear and stand her ground against Yamai, who basically tried to kill Tadano, by voicing her opinion. Rather, they are immediately friends again in the next episode. A terrible outcome. There could have also been a way that Komi, due to her lack of communication skills, exhibited bad communication by upsetting her or angering her because she can't phrase what she wants to say properly.
Another flaw is that the title is redundant. Komi can in fact communicate, she does not have any problem communicating. She is not socially anxious, she is just randomly mute. She can't speak but this becomes redundant because Tadano can read her mind randomly and she writes everything like a budget Elizabeth from Gintama. There are many ways of communicating with someone, she can't verbalise, however she exhibits no other symptoms of social anxiety. This basically ruins the premise of the show, the only gimmick is that she can't speak. If it was actually hard to understand what she wants to say or we were mislead due to her social anxiety I would be way more impressed, however she just writes whatever she would have said - the conversation randomly halts to allow her to write. It would have been nice to see her being unable to keep up with the flow of conversation, as socially anxious people usually struggle as well as writing being significantly slower than talking. Alas this is not the case.
When people are saying that the show would be better with just Tadano and Komi in the picture instead of the side characters, that just goes to show how bad the writing is. Komi literally doesn't even speak and Tadano is a self insert, which is interesting because people complain about self inserts in other media when Tadano, literally having no personality traits or interesting features, is exactly that.
Few pros include good art, but significantly better in ep1-2 than the rest of the show, realistic scenes with Komi such as the scene with her quiet father and her trying and failing to get Najimi's drink (because of her social anxiety, stuff like this should be more common where she not only fails in verbal communication, but is also unsuccessful with her writing/body language/pointing etc.).
Light_Yagami1400
Finished The first season and I am guess it was an okay anime to start with the comedy wasn't that funny and everyone reaction to komi-san was pretty much just at another limit this show wasn't bad and wasn't good so i am going to keep it average.. To start with the story below down contains some spoilers beware Story-5 The story of this show was kinda unique but wasn't that good in my opinion.. it's just dailylife happenings showed in different episodes nothing that special happening between the two main leads it's just them hanging around and still it's not that bad. Characters-6 The main characters are pretty average..they are drawn pretty likeable tbh but still some characters are just cringe in my opinion so no hate.
Sound-9
Sound and openings are good and sound quality is also pretty unique so that was quite good.
animation-8
the animation style of this is unique for the animators to keep the manga style conversations in anime is kinda unique to happen in 2021 so that was pretty good too.
Overall-6
The main problem of the show was there was no such devlopment in the main leads and nothing really happened between the main characters it's just them hanging around. Still going to check out Season 2.
BlueSharko
I think that this anime lacks any sense of direction. Story-wise or genre-wise, it fails on all fronts except for the overall sound design and art direction. I liked the comedy of it and for the first couple of episodes this was a nice comfort show to watch. The sounds are cute and it is aesthetically pleasing. But soon I found out that this anime is not really story-driven or character-driven. There is no story progression so after a while the comedy based on being shy gets stale. Or the comedy based on harassment. In fact, there are so many scenes based on borderline sexual harassment thatthis takes away from the wholesomeness of the show. The characters are so one-dimensional that they do not make up for it.
It's neither a good comfort show nor a comedy. It's not a romance either, because the relationship between the protagonists does not develop. There is nothing wrong with slow-paced stories, but this one... in the end, it does not reward you in any way.
AnimeExplorer21
As someone who's struggled with social anxiety, I found Komi's story to be incredibly relatable and endearing. The way the show balances humor and heart is masterful - I found myself laughing out loud one moment and tearing up the next. The characters are so well-developed and lovable, especially Komi and Tadano. Their interactions are genuinely sweet and had me rooting for them from the start. I also appreciated how the show doesn't shy away from portraying the challenges of social anxiety, but also offers a message of hope and understanding. The animation is beautiful, with a watercolor-inspired aesthetic that adds to the show's charm. The voiceacting is also top-notch, bringing the characters to life in a way that feels authentic and emotional.
What I think resonated with me most, though, was the show's gentle approach to storytelling. It's a slow burn, but one that's worth investing in. By the end of the season, I felt like I'd grown alongside Komi, and that's a truly special feeling.
If you're looking for a show that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even feel a little less alone.
ceedot
Komi Can't Communicate is a fairly enjoyable slice-of-life series with a few problems that really hold it back. Komi Shouko is a beautiful girl who immediately becomes the most popular person in her high school but is held back by her communication disorder and anxiety that makes it almost impossible for her to talk with anyone. Her goal is to make 100 friends while in high school and is helped by the first friend she ever makes, Tadano Hitohito. The premise is interesting enough for a slice-of-life show, and it almost sounds like some kind of romance/shojo series, though the main focus is comedy. The biggest questionis obviously whether or not the show is actually funny, and for the most part, I would say it is, but I think that really depends on the viewer. It tends to use a lot of situational humor and gags, going for a kind of zany/wacky feel, almost as if it's telling the viewer, "Look at how weird these characters and situations are! Isn't it so ridiculous and funny?" It's not a show with incredibly well-structured punch lines, setups, etc., moreso being a thing where you just sit back and watch whatever unfolds. It's definitely entertaining, but the most it ever got out of me was an occasional chuckle and some smiles.
Many people have said that the show gets very repetitive, and I honestly have to agree. It does rely on the same sorts of jokes and situations over and over again. You learn to expect it and grow comfortable with it, but more diversity would have been appreciated.
The characters are alright, not great, but not bad. They're basically all defined by a single character trait, with Komi being cute and awkward, Tadano being "average," Najimi being quirky, Yamai being obsessive, etc. It is a comedy show, though, so I guess that's forgivable. There are also a lot of underused and kind of pointless side characters that pop up now and then without really doing anything. A lot of the focus and humor are centered around Komi, so if you don't like her or find her interesting or relatable, you probably won't get too much enjoyment out of the entire thing.
If you're thinking about checking it out, I'd say watch the first two or three episodes. If you don't like those, you definitely won't like the rest of it because, as mentioned before, it is just the same kinds of jokes and situations repeated again and again.
Komi-san is pretty average in the scope of the slice-of-life and comedy genre, but it's pretty enjoyable nonetheless.
RebelPanda
Komi Can’t Communicate is a comedy about a 15-year-old girl with extreme social anxiety who attempts to make friends. It fluctuates between “Mildly entertaining” and “One of the most unfunny comedy anime I’ve seen in my entire life.” Komi begins the show with the goal to “Make 100 friends.” That premise becomes irrelevant when you realize everyone is magically drawn to her. For some reason, everyone in this high school finds her irresistibly attractive. She quickly becomes a passive protagonist shortly after meeting her second friend. Her goal no longer motivates the plot. Instead of making 100 friends, she should’ve filed 100 restraining orders because thesestudents are absolutely insane. In the first episode, the recurring, completely unnecessary narrator warns us that the school is full of weirdos, creeps, miscreants, but they’re far worse than she made them sound. Everything the narrator says reiterates what we’ve already seen, adding no comedic value. There’s a wide variety of appalling cliched archetypal characters who hover around her like a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitos: stalkers, psychotic lesbians, and more creeps.
Komi’s first friend is Tadano, who sits next to her in class. He makes it his job to help her form a friend group by communicating with her via writing because her anxiety prevents her from talking. The romantic feelings between them progress at a snail’s pace, but hey, it’s better than nothing. Their relationship is wholesome and unique, aside from a few weird comments from Tadano. The first red flag was when he described her to the audience, “Her skin is pure white…her hair is smooth, she smells good….” Dude, can you turn down the creep factor a bit? Honestly, Komi-san would be a decent slice-of-life if you removed everyone but Komi and Tadano. You’d get a show like Teasing Master Takagi-san without teasing and replace Takagi with a knock-off Rei Ayanami. But then they threw in all of these god-awful stereotypical characters that do nothing but drool over Komi like blossoming sex offenders.
Creeps and weirdos from Komi’s high school fawn over her so much that it crosses a line into sexual harassment territory. One of the lesbians tried to make Komi eat her “sausage,” and I want to ask the author, what the fuck were you thinking? Why would you add raunchy sex gags in a wholesome slice of life? Another girl lasciviously pleads for Komi to ‘abuse’ her—which is just her misunderstanding Komi’s anxiety as disgust. We’re not even at the bottom of the barrel. Some of Komi’s stalkers kidnap Tadano because he’s getting too close to her for their liking. It’s like I was suddenly watching an episode of Mirai Nikki, except everyone was the yandere. Then as if nothing happened, everyone went back to being besties. It wasn’t funny when Kazuya stalked Chizuru in Rent-a-Girlfriend, and it’s not funny now. The way to make stalking humorous, if it’s even possible, is to humiliate the stalker. They attempted to do this with an ironic sight gag in episode 2: While Tadano followed Komi, right behind him was a sign that read “Watch out for stalkers,” and passersby proceeded to mock him. The side characters who aren’t bizarre homophobic tropes or mentally ill are simply annoying. Your enjoyment will depend on whether or not you think yelling is funny. Audiovisually, the presentation accomplishes very little to elevate the underwhelming sense of humor.
I don’t get why people say this anime has great animation. The studios blew the budget on the OP art and the first two episodes. The character designs are barely animated besides a few motion-tweens, slight movements, and lip flaps. Aside from the opening, it is very drab to look at. There are only a handful of ways this adaptation takes advantage of the animation medium, such as adjusting the aspect ratio during flashbacks. There are a handful of clever transitions in the second episode. Using an analog rewind effect to portray multiple awkward conversation attempts is a genius idea but underutilized. A real problem was how they simply put manga text boxes on screen a lot of the time. In moderation, this is fine, but it’s all the time. Since Komi can barely talk, she writes her thoughts in a notebook for Tadano. It makes sense, but then they use text boxes for everything else. Perhaps this would work for an animated comic, or if they were translated at all. They did not translate much of the text in every version I watched.
Another gag comedy that lacked impressive animation was Saiki K. Except where Komi-san’s jokes failed to land, Saiki K’s rapid pacing and excellent comedic timing kept it fresh and hilarious. Often the jokes left me thinking, “That’s it?” Good anime gag comedies employ a loud bang or crash in sync with a joke’s punchline—Komi-san has those, but frequently they’re too soft, mismatched, or flat out missing. More elegant directing and sound design aside, Saiki K had way better material to work with thanks to the over-the-top personalities of the vast supporting cast. On the other hand, Komi-san has perhaps the WORST side characters of any comedy anime I’ve ever seen. And I’ve watched the depths of the genre.
Najimi is the side character I’m most conflicted on. They identify as male or female whenever they want because they're gender fluid. Part of their running joke is that “they’re actually a boy even though they look like a girl!” All I ask is to let trans characters be funny on their own merits rather than relying on unfunny 2012 “trans panic” jokes. In the second episode, a brutish man grabs Najimi and threatens to sexually assault them—all of it is played off as a joke! Najimi is portrayed as manipulative in how they trick people with their gender, exploitative of Komi’s kindness, and sexualized with fanservice. It sets a horrible example because they’re the only gender fluid character in the show. It is no surprise the fandom debates what their “true gender” is because the author treats being trans as a joke. One of the only funny jokes Najimi is associated with is when they found communication and speech textbooks under Komi’s bed. The gag works because it relies on the funny parts of their personality, not mocking trans people.
I don’t know anyone who has anxiety so bad that it prevents them from speaking personally. However, I know it is not uncommon for people with extreme social anxiety to learn ASL. But part of the appeal here is watching Komi struggle to communicate for laughs—at times, it’s painfully relatable seeing her dread awkward social interaction, like worrying how to tell someone they have food on their face. Sadly, this author is not concerned with alleviating Komi’s anxiety, educating the audience, or portraying her disability in any way resembling reality. Throughout the show, she becomes slightly better at communicating. But it’s hardly a driving force of the plot. They could fix this glaring issue by making Komi the narrator or perhaps the main character rather than Tadano. She may be non-verbal, but she’s full of thoughts—why not let us hear what she’s thinking? Movies about deaf and non-verbal people have used this storytelling tactic. It would help the audience empathize with her. To see her as a real person instead of an artificial waifu figurine manufactured to be laughed at and pitied.
There are a ton of better comedy/slice-of-life anime you should watch instead of Komi-san. Here are a few to start with: Cromartie High, Kaguya-sama, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, and Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun. The premise is tone-deaf, the comedy is painfully unfunny, the romance is stagnant, and it lacks a distinctive style or visual spectacle to be worth watching for surface-level entertainment. Just as I don’t get why the vast array of awful characters adore Komi so much, I don’t get why people love Komi Can’t Communicate.
