WataMote
January 27, 2015 | 20:31 | Written by: snake911
I still like to watch anime, but I don’t seek it out like I used to. Nowadays I basically watch whatever is placed on Toonami. But while trotting around the web recently I unintentionally came across a show that caught my attention and had an impact on me that no show has done in a while.
WataMote is a slice of life/comedy anime that follows the daily life of Tomoko Kuroki, a freshman high school student. Thinking she’d turn into an extremely popular person when she became a high school girl, she realizes two months into the first semester that she hasn’t made a single friend. Not helping her situation is her crippling social anxiety that prevents her from having a conversation with anyone besides her family and her one and only friend from middle school (which they currently attend different high schools). There is a small item to note though: she’s a rotten individual. Seen an introvert, most of the dialog is in her head, so you’re hearing every mean opinion she has about everyone: people in her classroom, her younger brother, even her own friend! But on the outside she is seen as a very shy, quiet individual who keeps to herself (again, because of her social anxiety).
The show basically follows her hair-brained schemes on how she can become popular; though because of something of her own doing, her plans fail in the MOST EMBARRASSING WAYS POSSIBLE! Holey moley are some scenes hard to watch. On one hand you feel bad for her, but on the other its kind-of deserved.
People who have watched WataMote say they can relate to Tomoko, and I guess I’m in that camp too. Minus the whole gender thing, my time in high school mimicked hers in a few ways. But I think the experience of adolescence is very similar to most and that’s probably why so many people say she is a relatable character.
In terms of show production, it’s well done. The animation is superb and includes a hodgepodge of styles. I really like how shades of light -- like from her computer monitor -- glows and are in shapes like hexagons. The music is fantastic and includes some extreme music for the frantic scenes, but most tracks are mellow and fit the slice of life genre well. The voice acting is great too -- especially the voice actor for Tomoko, Monica Rial. I only watched the English dub, but I’ve heard great things about the Japanese voice actor as well.
I highly recommend WataMote. It may not be for everyone, but with it being only 12 episodes in length, it tells its story well without any filler episodes. In fact, I may check out the manga that the show is based on, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! Wow, that’s one heck of a title!
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