Anime: Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!

Probably one of the darkest slice-of-life "I've got social problems" anime I have ever seen.
Its makes Welcome to the NHK look like a fun-for-the-whole-family, happy-feel-good series.

Unlike Otaku no Video and other such "social outcast" anime where the down-on-their-luck protagonists ultimately grow and overcome and become better-off, Tomoko keeps shit real.
Like tragically real.
Like, having cancer... as-your-zodiac-sign real
LOL!
Oh, but you also have stage 2 cancer...sorry.

The thing is, unlike those other nice-guy social outcasts, Tomoko really is an asshole.
But the thing is it's simultaneously both her fault and it isn't.
Every episode will remind you this -brutally.
Whether it's her brother rejecting her cries for help to normalize, or just missing success on account of bad luck, tunnel vision, or bad timing, Tomoko's let-downs can start to feel pretty heavy.

Prepare to laugh, then prepare to be kicked in the balls (or in my case I now feel like a man who can empathize with being kicked in the ovaries thanks to "Watamote-nai").
Anime parodies and sub-pop-culture references litter the episodes to help nerds like you (and me) relate to the anti-heroine as she tries to fit-in using her own distorted logic (as well as to remind yourself how much of a geeky chucklefuck you are for joining in on obscure, fan-service-based laughter).
So when you finally do, you find yourself cheering for her despite knowing she deserves to learn a good life lesson the hard way -because she is trying to change.
And it's not entirely her fault that she's fucked up.

"But will her efforts succeed?"
"Will she finally escape her predicament?"

Finally, here is a message for all of the viewers who thought they got the message of this series.
The real message is actually very important to know so that's why I bring it up.



And now I want to read the manga.

Just to provide some context, I don't believe I've written a review here in about a decade. In all that time I haven't felt compelled to do so, but in this case the disconnect between the existing scores for WataMote and my own opinion concerning it is impossible to reconcile.

I believe the reason for that is that WataMote offers up an, at times shockingly realistic, portrayal of social anxiety and the mental state of those afflicted by it. In that, it is both a tragedy and the best kind of black humour comedy - but it may well be too dark for many viewers. Another issue might be that the main character's actions would often seem arbitrary, and her motivations probably remain impenetrable, to those who have no personal experience which allows them to relate to her.

Anyway, I'll quickly summarize the individual points:

• Animation generally follows a typical, competent modern style. In a number of scenes, background actors will be displayed in a more schematic or abstract way, somewhat reminescent of many series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo - though never quite to that extent.


• Sound is great. While the background music is not particularly remarkable, the opening theme is supremely fitting, and Izumi Kitta's portrayal of Kuroki is perfect.


• The story does not feature a traditional dramatic arc or anything like that. It opts for a more realistic pace, where, despite the protagonist's best efforts, nothing much fundamentally changes over a few months.


• WataMote lives and dies with Kuroko's character. While there are some moderately important side characters, such as her brother and Yuu, most of the episodes are carried entirely by Kuroko and her struggle with everyday live. Whether or not you are able to understand her as a character determines whether you will like the show.


• I find this show highly valuable, for one primary reason: it picks a central theme which is highly underused not just in anime, but many forms of media (social anxiety).


• Enjoyment is hard to quantify for this show. Many of the situations Kuroko gets herself into are absolutely excruciating to watch (particularly if you can vaguely recall a similar incident), resulting in the relatively lower score, despite the fact that I found myself glued to the screen for the entire series.

Art and animation: i really like the style of the animation. It was pretty different from what I have been watching recently. It seemed fluid and I really liked the color/styles they used. This is the one selling point of the anime that I liked.

Sound: Sound was about average to me. It didnt really have anything that stood out to me. Not saying that there is not anything there. But unless it has a pretty epic sound track, it is usually the last thing that crosses my mind.

Story: Here is where it gets interesting. The first few episodes I was pretty hooked. It seemed like it had alot of potential. I liked the direction that it was going. But it seems like the creator totally dropped the ball after that. The story made no real progression at all. The character never developed and the story never progressed. It seems like they just tossed it in the washer and hit the repeat sequence for the entire series. I would have loved to see some actual development in the characters. It just never happened, and that is the main reason this review is so bad. I think that in the right hands, this show could have done much better.

Character: The only selling point of this anime was the interaction with the brother. To me, that is what made the story. That comedy behind it and the interaction between the brother and sister was the only thing that I looked forward to each episode. Outside of that the main character was rather lack luster. I understand shes supposed to be a loner and thats fine, but she never really did anything, be it to improve or just get by. No real character development with any of the characters at all, which was a real disappointment.

Value: Overall the value of this show is really low to me. I had trouble finishing it and had to take multiple breaks and switch to something more entertaining. As I said the only real selling point to me was the animation style. I think that is the only thing that was done right. I am actually surprised that this show was even produced, with the kinds of thoughts that went into making it.

Enjoyment: If I could have rated it at 0 I would have. However, I had to at least give it a 1. Only explanation for this, is that I kept watching hoping it would get better at some point. To bad it was such a let down. When starting the show, it seemed like it was going to be very entertaining.

Watamote is about a girl who is not popular and, judging by the ratings here, the show itself isn't too popular either. We're not talking about "unpopular social outcasts" such as those shown in Yahari, we're talking about a full-blown introvert who can barely muster a whimper with people outside her family. The show is based around her daily life of not taking care of herself, blaming others for her own shortcomings, and masturbating to guys' voices at home. Tomoko is repeatedly placed in situations where she'd rather not take part of, often making a fool of herself in the process of trying to "escape". While the show has one or two humorous moments, the majority of the show comes across in bad taste for me as I don't find it entertaining to watch people suffer to such an extent. Unless you're a very strong sadist or a uber anime watcher looking to catch every anime reference, I'd stay away from this series.

Animation:
The animation used in this show is fairly unique. There are totally normal scenes up to par with current standards and there are scenes where the animators decided to stylize the background (2 color backgrounds anyone?). I'm not a terrible fan of this although given the character-based emphasis I get what they were going for. The main character, Tomoko, and her brother apparently have hereditary bags underneath their eyes that never go away. This reminds me of the annoying drawing style featured in Onii-chan no Koto. There are a few exceptions to this as Tomoko often goes into dreamworld where she actually looks presentable by modern societal standards. All of the unimportant characters are drawn without faces, both emphasizing Tomoko's isolationism and saving the animators a few strokes. Facial animations range from pleasantly normal, such as seen by Yuu, to frankly uncomfortable; one of Tomoko's favorite faces is a long, semi-circle smile typically worn by serial killers. At many other times, she apparently goes crazy with gigantic, unfocused eyes.

There isn't terribly much action if you discount the bleedingly painful OP as Tomoko is obviously not the fit type. Surprisingly, there is a ton of fan service in this show. Although Tomoko, other than being thin, is pretty much the opposite of what you call attractive, her childhood friend Yuu has developed into a bishoujo with ample proportions. There is a lot of unnecessary bounciness and pretty random upskirts.

Overall, a relatively unimpressive animation that just gets the job done.

Sound:
The song opens with a shrieking, heavy rock piece that midway morphs into a jpop song? Seriously those two styles go together as well as a bowl of ramen with a lump of chocolate ice cream. Though potentially fitting as Tomoko's rant against society, my ears are still bleeding. The primary ED is sung by Tomoko's VA with fitting lyrics, although the melody isn't really all that great. On the plus side, we get a special ED with Miku Hatsune. The BGM is varied, as it must be given how quickly the mood changes with such an unpredictable lead. It has a few tracks that repeat quite a bit, most of which emphasize awkward moments.

Izumi Kitta purposely sounds awkward, very similar to Kona Furugoori in Robotic; Notes. Though it's in character, it really sounds odd to me given that this is supposed to be the lead protagonist. You do get a strong support from Kana Hanazawa as Yuu, however. Unfortunately, the characters lack depth and there wasn't much for the VAs to exploit.

Story:
This story is based around Tomoko's suffering as she attempts to get through life in her own masochistic style; she seeks popularity yet rejects and ridicules everything the popular crowd does. She often convinces herself that certain things or behaviors will make her popular, this is often accompanied by a very narcissistic fantasy. To her bewilderment, none of them work when she tries them.

That's about it really. There isn't any plot to develop and there isn't any relationships to speak of. There is no rising action, climax, or conclusion, just a lot of Tomoko failing at fitting in. There are occasionally references to other anime, such as Haganai, but sitting through such a painful viewing to find them isn't worth it in my opinion.

Character:
Tomoko has issues, much more so than your ordinary protagonist. However, she is stuck in a catch 22 mindset where all her meager attempts to change leads right back to square one. She has virtually no motivation, no social skills, and surprisingly little common sense at times. Despite all this, she still manages to belittle other people in her head, denying herself her only chance at fitting in. Occasionally, her brother and childhood friend play supporting roles but nothing terribly significant. Don't expect much in terms of character development or relationships as Tomoko is incapable of conversations and isn't mentally there enough to face her own issues rather than hoping for some external force to solve them for her.

Value:
Disgust is an understatement for what I feel about this series. I found it incredibly distasteful and the humor very sadistic. I'm all for series about introverts, Yahari was a pretty good show. However, this crosses the line in so many wrong ways. While it may serve as a tool to see which of my friends are "S", really this show has virtually no value for me. Likewise, there was very little to keep me watching as the characters weren't likeable, there was no development, and there was no plot. Unless you like inflicting pain on others, save your sanity and stay away from this. There are plenty of better shows out there.