At the tender age of 15, Tomoko Kuroki has already dated hundreds of boys — or at least in dating
games she has. The sad truth is that she gets tongue-tied just talking to people, which makes her
entrance into the social pressure cooker of high school especially odious and riddled with anxiety.
Can Tomoko overcome her crippling social anxiety and finally have the popular high school life she’s
always dreamed of? Or will she merely get caught in the downward spiral that is her awkward life?
(Source: HIDIVE)
Before watching this anime, answer yourself the following questions: 1. Do you consider yourself weird? 2. Do you feel like you don’t have any true friends? 3. Do you think of sex constantly all day? 4. Do you feel like people don’t understand you? __If you answered yes and no appropriately for a normal human being,__ skip this anime and watch something else...you're in for torture. __If you answered no to all of these questions,__ you're fine. Watch with contentment. __If you answered yes to all of these questions, though,__ slap on some naked butler porn and start whacking with toothpaste at the prologue of Episode 1—this anime was made specifically for you. (Psst. I answered yes to all of them.) __Like a bitch in heat.__ (88/100) “Watashi ga mottenai no wa dou kangaetemo omaera ga warui,”—or from hereforth Watamote—would be equally titled as “The Autobiography of the Narcissistic, Melancholic Otaku.” It outlines the boring, waste-of-food lifestyle of an introverted, 21st century teenager, Kuroki Tomoko, and her misadventures in becoming a sociable person. With the lewd objective of capturing the hearts and souls of her peers, with each episode she draws forth a depressing, yet outlandishly hilarious conclusion. The plot in this anime is episodic, outlining the seasons of the school year more definitely as the series progresses. Tomoko struggles with communication, and all but too often winds up doing something socially awkward or unacceptable at little expense of notice to her colleagues. The series gradually draws towards more embarrassing or heartbreaking consequences, all-in-all while Tomoko remains spirited through to the narrow conclusion. I strongly feel that the story itself is the weakest part and precisely why the series faces much scrutiny; the balance of the plotline heavily relies on a character that is distrusted by the audience, and rapidly grows repetitive with the endless frustration. I think the series would have benefitted more with another arc, possibly more focused on the character changes that slowly developed as Tomoko’s continued failures amassed. __Which in regards to the characters, this series shines.__ (92/100) Tomoko is undoubtedly a relatable character to a part of all of us—wherein we seek to blame others for our weaknesses, try to change too quickly, and excuse our dark thoughts with solidarity in loneliness. In my lifetime I cannot stress enough how often I’ve thought along similar lines as Tomoko about my peers, only to realize in the end just how catastrophic that was to my personality. The consistent negativity and judgmental thoughts that she exudes are enough to make anyone feel sorry for her, if not additionally hate her. Yet, brilliantly, she emblazons the series as the protagonist (or dare I say “anti-hero”.) We watch her struggle to an end to become a happier person, sometimes even feeling proud that she has sought out meaningful changes. Also, considering her level of social anxiety it is fascinating watching her persist and continue to look brightly toward the future. After all we might choose to hate her, but are forced to love her. Laughing the entire time. Tomoki, her brother, is another catch. Though he remains secondary and purely comical, he provides the audience a chance to see Tomoko act as herself. His shrewd responses and sarcasm add just the right amount of flavor. Though many disagree with me, I feel that this was enough to keep the focus on Tomoko alone, preventing her from being trapped in the inner monologue. __A symphony composed for the socially inept.__ (99/100) Izumi Kitta, did an astronomical job voicing for Tomoko. Being a good seiyuu is something expected out of Japan, but her mastery of inner monologue and conflict gave the series a bigger kick than had it been a higher-pitched tsundere. Voicing in a darker, messier timbre than a typical shoujo, Kitta employed the role with the right snappiness and vulgarity expected from a person like Tomoko. Also, her emphasis on certain words and sounds in Japanese (for those of you who don’t speak Japanese just call me a name and skip this part), especially puns and sexual innuendos are outstanding. The general grit of her tone alone kept the series best in the balance. The opening ranks high on my top 10 favorites. I absolutely hate screamo, yet I am enamoured with this opening. The 1 minute and 30 seconds of clashing drum sets, vein-popping growls, and echoing female vocals are accompanied by a vignette of Tomoko’s personal struggle. There is a great deal of innuendo of sexual repression and symbolism that is profound to this series. I strongly recommend to everyone to not skip the introduction when watching this series, as it will constantly refresh you about the deepest meaning of the series itself. The background music is perfect, too. It actually is quite unnoticeable, maybe perhaps for a few weird, sexualized beats, elevator music or accordions. For a series of this nature I think stronger BGMs would make the subject too lighthearted, which defeats the purpose of Tomoko’s character study. __Awww it so...NOT cute.__ (82/100) Artwork in Watamote is bewildering. The splash of light effect and heavy detail on the eyes deceives us to believe that the series is meant to be cute. It, of course, does have many cute moments, but the choice of ambiguously dark colors or animation methods (such as crayon during imaginary scenes) retains the moody quite well. There is a great amount of detail on the passage of time, as we see emphasis on Tomoko’s moods reflect the time of the day. __For the truly open-minded, possibly highly-disturbed anime viewer.__ (99/100) Again, if you’re afraid of seeing disgusting or repulsive behavior from your protagonist, then go watch cheap, direct-to-video Christmas films. Watamote thrives on less perfect minds and hearts, engaging them as It does Tomoko about her issues and choices. And again, make sure your naked butlers are well…nevermind.
Copied from my MAL account: [link ](https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=282886) An unfortunate truth that many fans of this medium can agree on this; anime is generally not especially keen on addressing topics like social anxiety or giving them the respect and nuance they deserve. This is not to say this sort of thing doesn’t exist, just that it’s particularly hard to find. WataMote is an outlier, where it confronts a legitimate issue and portrays it with utmost honesty, while utilizing comedy as a source of amusement and coping, not to make light of the situation. Through a collection of gags conjured in a fundamentally bleak scenario, WataMote finds amusement and humor in a portrayal of anxiety which rivals that of Evangelion. Perhaps one of the worst, cruelest things to be imposed on someone is the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Shyness can look cute on the outside, but the same can be said about an animal trapped in a zoo. Both sheer hilarity and blistering tragedy ensue in Kuroki Tomoko’s cavalcade of mishaps, exploring the multiple facets of her character which speaks to the hearts of those who have had the displeasure of feeling invisible to society. Various monologues, delusions, and fantasies are at play here as we follow Kuroki Tomoko in her quest to become popular. Having almost no social skills whatsoever, much of the action takes place within Tomoko’s own thoughts, from scheming on how to approach a situation to conjuring an ideal fantasy where all her desires are met, sometimes referencing an anime or manga she knows of. Tomoko is genuinely a fun and endearing character to follow, partly thanks to how vividly and creatively her thoughts are presented. Her point of view is depicted in a litany of wacky and comical ways, with each affair being executed in a way that wouldn’t look out of place in a battle shounen; exaggerated and dramatic. To say that WataMote plays out like a battle shounen undersells it however. Unlike many manga adaptations which tend to have uninspired camerawork and lazy implementation of dialogue, WataMote is always exercising creativity in how to present her thoughts. New visual elements are constantly brought to the table so that the experience never grows stale. Inventive visual work, snappy pacing, and Tomoko’s constant narrations work in unison to bring this character to life. Despite depicting these situations in a goofy, comedic light, WataMote presents one of the most accurate depictions of social anxiety I’ve seen in an anime. This portrayal is not limited to simply being nervous or shy in public interactions. Tomoko’s thoughts, perspectives, and attitude all personify that of a socially awkward and anxious high schooler, serving as a basis for her actions. The way her anxiety dictates what she thinks and how she behaves is exploited both comedically and narratively, leading to events which highlight the tragedy of the situation while providing some degree of amusement. All of Tomoko’s delusions and insecurities are welded into a series of gags and humorous moments to exploit the absurdity in her ways of thinking, while eloquently demonstrating what exactly is crippling her in these situations. Feeling nothing but fear and distrust in social situations, Tomoko almost always assumes the worst in people. Internally, she’ll often scoff at or antagonize anyone who isn’t some hot guy she met at a store, and impulsively puts the blame on others for any misfortune that comes up in her day. She’ll desperately gravitate towards any method that is said to make one more popular, attractive, or whichever else, even if it involves purposely getting molested on a train. And yes, she does actually attempt this. The various incidents she pulls herself into are presented in a wacky, hyperbolic manner, sometimes to the point where Tomoko comes off as downright maniacal or demented in certain cases. This particular style does a lot to make Tomoko a very endearing character, but she’s made all the more captivating by how she fully encapsulates what social anxiety is really about. It’s a harrowing dilemma to face especially in your high school years, and it’s one that many of us can admit to have had around the same period as Tomoko has. Almost all of us who have had social anxiety can relate to many of Tomoko’s ordeals, which can possibly bring back painful memories of our own. WataMote subjects us to the bleak and dreary realm of social anxiety and the consequences of having it, amplifying the absurdity of the situations that stem from it to soften the blow. In spite of this glossy exterior, WataMote is made fully aware of the situation and gives it the integrity and nuance it deserves, just as a black comedy should. The primary method of which WataMote delivers its humor is by stressing the dichotomy between how Tomoko perceives the world compared to how it actually is. This is the format which pervades the entire show; the reality, often lukewarm and indifferent to Tomoko, is twisted in such a way to abide with her own insecurities. Tomoko constantly deludes herself into believing that she is above everyone else, and it’s portrayed to be rather pitiful, yet still funny and amusing. Consider this scene as an example: on a rainy day, when Tomoko finds that her umbrella is missing, she instinctively assumes it to have been stolen. She then has an internal rage about how she is an innocent victim whose day was ruined by this abominable crime. Then, she stops to realize that her umbrella was just a few feet in another direction. This is a funny moment on its own, but it’s also a perfect example of how Tomoko operates outside the comfort of her own home. When something seemed to be wrong at first, she instinctively assumes it to be another’s wrongdoing, without taking even a second to consider any alternative. Things that seem relatively mundane and trivial to us are made into a much bigger deal than they need to be. This exact way of thinking is what leads Tomoko into numerous awkward situations involving other people, which is exactly what blocks her off from others. Her rationale is purely based on knee-jerk suspicions rather than logic, some of which are understandable to at least some degree, such as worrying about what classmates will think about the sight of you eating alone. Others can be quite outrageous or downright unfathomable, such as the notion that wearing certain underwear makes you friends more easily. Both of these can be attributed to how someone with social anxiety really operates. Tomoko’s antics come in a seemingly endless variety, as new situations arise after another and more inspiration is attained. Because we are given a thorough introspective on what possesses her to take these actions, it’s made easy to gravitate towards Tomoko and understand what she does, as irrational and ludicrous as they are most of the time. The sad truth of the matter is, as over-the-top and balls-to-the-wall as it’s all portrayed to be, it’s conceptually accurate to how some of us behaved in our adolescent years. Both these factors are what effectively put us in her own shoes, making it all the more uncomfortable to watch when these actions actually follow through, there to be witnessed by outsiders. This discomfort is a large part of what makes it funny, yet oddly impactful on a personal level. I for one can admit to have operated along the same lines as Tomoko in my own school years, and I imagine plenty of others are the same way. Whether you have fully grown out of this phase or are still in the process of doing so, laughing at yourself is a good first step towards moving on with your life. This is even the case with her own family as well as her best friend Yuu-chan. Even though they, particularly Yuu-chan, are relatively close to her, they are not exempt from witnessing the crazed antics Tomoko stirs up on a daily basis. Her brother Tomoki serves as a test subject of sorts, as Tomoko uses new bizarre methods of communicating to see how they play out. Tomoki, like everyone else, has no idea what the hell goes on in Tomoko’s mind, and thus wants nothing to do with whatever nonsense she subjects to him. Tomoko’s interactions with her mother go about as smoothly as those with anxious teens who feel as though nobody understands them would expectedly play out with their parents. Yuu-chan, being the only character besides Tomoko’s parents to give her unconditional support and attention, ends up being one of the most likeable characters on offer. Tomoko even still projects herself into Yuu-chan and holds her on the same standards. Yuu-chan’s presence, compared to how she once was, as an attractive, well-endowed specimen with many healthy relationships is an abhorrent sight to Tomoko. What Tomoko feels could be described as a feeling of betrayal, or rather severe envy. Tomoko’s twisted and misguided view on people erects yet another barrier around even her best friend. Luckily for her, most of anything Tomoko would usually do comes with almost no repercussions when around Yuu-chan. Tomoko’s company with Yuu-chan is relatively painless and refreshing compared to that of other people, as Tomoko is rarely wound into such humiliating incidents. In a way, seeing these characters together is somewhat euphoric. Nonetheless, there is still much awkwardness to be be found among their interactions, as Tomoko’s insane ideas run amok even still. Tomoko’s interactions with these characters are very distinct from one other, which makes Tomoko feel more like an actual person and makes each encounter with them very unique. As a result, WataMote is given plenty more sources of comedy at its disposal and makes Tomoko’s moments involving them varied and original. Even with all these shenanigans at play, WataMote doesn’t shy away from providing full, unfiltered attention to Tomoko’s dilemma when it needs to. Whenever Tomoko is legitimately hurt or grief-stricken by what happens, the show seizes to pull any punches at that point. The limelight is positioned squarely on her humiliation and anguish, often laying a somber melody upon the scene; she even sheds tears at some points. These moments might as well be climaxes, as she is in a position where no ounce of delusion can divert her from the crude reality of what she’s led herself into. WataMote understands this disorder which Tomoko is bound by, and knows full well when it is no longer a laughing matter. The absence of comedy during these moments is enough to draw attention to how affected Tomoko really is; yet another factor of what makes her so easy to feel for. Of course, once these moments pass, the proper course of action is not to dwell on those past situations, but to shrug it off, move on, and hope tomorrow will be better. And this is exactly what WataMote does. The moment follows through, the whole arc fades into a somber close, and the cycle begins anew. Although the show’s structure is based around repetition, WataMote is not exempt from providing actual character development. The actions Tomoko takes do in fact affect what she does in future events. Additionally, as the show draws into its later half, Tomoko’s denial lessens while she gradually becomes more accepting of her dilemma. Her life concurrently becomes more bleak and hopeless as a result. This is the point where her actions, while still less than ideal, become significantly more reasonable, as she makes a conscious effort towards amending her newly found flaws. This development comes across very naturally; there’s nothing drastic or sudden about this change. It comes in minimal pieces as Tomoko retains what she has experienced through her mishaps. Of course, she never truly unbounds herself from the self-destructive tendencies we see throughout. As we all know, it’s incredibly easy to fall back to old habits. It’s easy to see that if Tomoko was a person in real life, she would not be a fun person to interact with or be around, but that doesn’t make her struggles any less real. Despite how abrasive and hostile she is portrayed to be overall, Tomoko is a character who is easy to sympathize with, because the full context of her troubles is made very clear. While not exactly universal, experiencing this kind of distress is something very many people can identify with. Because of this, we immediately understand her actions, even if we don’t find them to rational in any sense. Her life is very empty and miserable, affirmed all the more through her constant denial and acts of desperation. We want her to succeed, and thus seeing her get into humiliating situations through her own doing is genuinely an unpleasant experience. It just goes to show how coming out of your shell is never an easy task for anyone. Whatever Tomoko suffers through, we are forced to suffer through with her. This leads into what is perhaps the most common criticism towards WataMote. For many people, WataMote is a very uncomfortable, cringe-inducing experience. I would be one of the first to agree that the show is certainly uncomfortable at many points, but I would also say that it is so for the right reasons. Some say it’s uncomfortable for the reason that Tomoko is unlikeable, which is obviously something I disagree on quite strongly. Others say it’s for the reason that they don’t want to see Tomoko go through these miserable affairs. As mentioned previously, despite how frequently and badly she fucks up, there is change in her character to be found along the way. While not always necessarily positive, it’s still change nonetheless. These small changes show that there is legitimate hope for her. For this reason, it’s made all the more cathartic and heartwarming when Tomoko really does manage to find a fair bit of comfort towards the end of the show. Not only does she reflect nearly every facet of the usual social awkwardness that resides in many high schoolers, she’s also a funny and charming character independent of that. Her antics are unpredictable and she’s endearingly quirky through each passing episode. She is voiced extremely well in the Japanese audio as well as the English dub. Of course, a considerable factor in what makes Tomoko so appealing to many is her visual design itself. Her small stature and baggy, half-open eyes make her look rather cute with an element of mischief, which is perfect for the character. The way she constantly and drastically changes into different expressions is a huge factor in what makes this character so funny and loveable through each of her schemes and shenanigans. Despite how commendable the design of Tomoko really is, it’s a shame that her design is the only memorable one in the entire show. Almost every other character is rendered to a bland default anime design with very little distinguishing qualities. This is excusable for background characters, but the more important characters don’t fare much better. Yuu-chan’s design has only her yellow hair and well-endowed physique to make her stand out from the rest. Even Tomoko’s own family suffers from a lack of inspiration in their design. It’s unfortunate that this is how it turned out to be, but it could also just further affirm how remarkable the design of Tomoko really is. Apart from that, the visual department on the whole is something to be admired. The backgrounds are bold and daring, which makes the scenery very eye-catching and vibrant. The animation is very fluid, especially when it really needs to be. Never did I feel as though the animation quality was ever lacking through any of my viewing experiences. Perhaps the most unique and notable aspect of the visuals is how the lens flares are designed. Light sources like the sun always produce flares that take the form of angular shapes. There isn’t a particular rhyme or reason for this design choice, but rather it serves to further enforce the cartoony nature, which is perfectly welcome in my book. So when you think of “self-insertion” in anime, there’s a good chance that conjures up images of an ideal fantasy world in which the protagonist is blessed with numerous desires and conflict is trivialized; basically your typical harem or isekai. WataMote is self-insert in a different way, where you connect Tomoko’s various mishaps to that of your own. Once this happens, WataMote provides an experience few other anime could hope to emulate. It’s hellbent on reaching that one specific audience it’s directed towards, and does so marvelously. The “thorned rose” analogy is perhaps more applicable here than it is with any other show in recent memory. It is shame however that WataMote covers only a portion of its source material, meaning that an ideal conclusion for Tomoko isn’t present here. This leaves the only hope of getting one to the manga itself, or perhaps a possible anime sequel. Regardless of this shortcoming, I for one am glad to have laughed, cried, cringed, and cheered through Tomoko’s endeavors.
# [~~~**This review will contain Spoilers for the show!**~~~]()
One of the more relatable shows I've watched. This also was my second Anime ever. Nice.
[**_(SPOILER AHEAD)_ STORY:**]()
There really is not much to this show, though I still loved it. Lets summarise what there is though!
The show is about Tomoko Kuroki, a shy young lass. She has barely any friends, mostly cause she can't
communicate well with her peers. Despite that she is locked on the idea of becoming popular, but not
popular like the **WORMS** who have a lot of friends but are nasty that she keeps seeing in school. In
her mind she wants a calm and nice friendship with several individuals that are not her pillows and
tissues.
The show follows Tomoko and her several attempts at talking to people, all of which fail.
Each and every attempt at communication she makes ends up turning into an embarassing situation for
her. From her trying to order a meal and messing up to bringing her freshly bought underwear to school
and using it as a handkerchief.
At the end of Season 1 we don't really get any nice conclusion, she is still with no friends and she
is "okay" with that. It was obvious that this was a set up for a Season 2 but.... that never came and
probably never will.
~~~img420(https://media.giphy.com/media/XLwNp75QUXHCU/giphy.gif)~~~
[**CHARACTERS:**]()
There are only 3 main characters present in the show. There are several supporting ones though.
Tomoko being the main character we get to see a lot of her personality. She really looks down on happy
people with friends despite her wanting the same, she believes that if she where in that situation she
would be "better" than these **DISGUSTING** people. Yeah she's that type of a person.
Next up we have Tomoko's Brother, Tomoki. He is much more "normal" than her, having a nice group of
friends and being able to actually communicate, he shows clears signs that he does not care much about
Tomoko. Though we see a video of them being young and caring about each other dearly.
Last Main character is Yuu. A childhood friend of Tomoko. She used to be very much like our Tomoko but
when they both entered different High Schools that changed, she felt left out compared to the others
and decided to become this flashy and fashionable girl. Making her the opposite of Tomoko.
~~~img420(https://media.giphy.com/media/PdDsWKWnMrJqU/giphy.gif)~~~
[**ART/ANIMATION:**]()
WATAMOTE is quite an average looking show. Of course that doesn't mean the animation and art style is
bad. I quite enjoyed it to be perfectly honest, even when I'm looking back on it.
The colour pallete is once again quite usual, though it does lean towards more of a dark side when due
to Tomoko and her outlook on life in general.
~~~img420(https://media.giphy.com/media/akcdzh1LDFCGQ/giphy.gif)~~~
[**MUSIC:**]()
The music is nothing to write home about.
BUT the OP, my god was it good. To this very day I still think that this was one of the most amazing
OPs. The animation that accompanied it was also something amazing.
~~~img420(https://media.giphy.com/media/sfBmBQCBu4wEM/giphy.gif)~~~
[**OVERALL OPINION:**]()
WATAMOTE was an interesting show with interesting premise and characters.
I had to pause the episode every now and then because of the sheer amount of secondhand cringe
building up, but that was mostly cause I, too, experienced a lot (not all) scenarios present in the
show xd
All in all this was decent show.
#### _(note - how are y'all enjoying this format of reviews? if you have any suggestion be sure to
tell me them :D)_
__I have never written a review before this, so please be kind.__ I went into watching this series thinking it would be something different. I thought the mc would flourish, but that is not the case. I consider myself weird, a loner, think about sex often, and make mistakes just like her but this anime can only be seen in a good light by few in my opinion. One has to push plot, character development, and resolving challenges out of their mind to be satisfied with this series. It was not a bad anime, but I wish there was more character development. The last episode made me smile though, because the person Tomoko looks up to noticed her and sees her as "cute." Overall, it was not bad, but not my cup of tea. It would have been cool to see her step out of the shadows which she slowly did in the last couple of episodes. There were moments where I wanted to just chuck the computer away from myself, because of the embarrassment I felt for her. It has satire and comedy in it. I am a fan of comedy and I know some might say I am not seeing the show for what it should be, but this is what I think, I loved the intro though and the art style was nice as well the voice actors. I am just not the best at saying an anime is "awesome" when it feels like the plot never moves. I guess it is just because as most of us know to actually change and be a better you, you have to ask for help. It cannot be done on your own and it was just a bit upsetting seeing all of those moments she could have asked for help going to waste. My favorite part of the entire show was when she was handed that balloon and finding out what the other student depicted her as in his drawing. Also, the references to other anime's used in this anime was iconic. This show however does touch on subjects having to do with social anxiety and what it really does to oneself. Contrary to what I said above now thinking she does become better at talking to people but it's just not at the pace it usually is in anime. That is what makes this anime even more relatable, because getting over huge fears and illnesses does not happen overnight, in a couple of weeks, or even a year. It is an ongoing process which has a lot of ups and downs also seen throughout the episodes. I did however like the colors used in the anime. The “cutesy colors” and then the grey and black. The one moment where I truly connected with the anime was when Tomoko met up with Yuu her friend and instantly became like the background of the show. Showing how Yuu was beautiful and cute and Tomoko should not even be there. I could relate to that instance so hard and possibly others can as well. Coming to close it is a good anime in many aspects but you just have to look at it differently than other anime.
__If you see any grammatical errors sorry, I did all this with google, English is not my mother tongue__ __I DONT READ THE MANGA!__ I loved this anime, I felt myself in the role of the protagonist many times. I want to explain why this anime is not for everyone, many did not like the ending and I will tell my opinions about it. ____ __Story__ A girl who wants to be popular in her school but ends up failing and tries to change her ways or to get attention. I felt a lot like Tomoko, a long time ago I was like her and I wanted a boyfriend at all costs and I saw all girls as little sluts with short skirts who wear make-up because yes. I also liked it a lot for the fact ... it's a completely normal story! With social anxieties and difficulties in approaching people ____ __Characters__ It is all concentrated on Tomoko and the others placed mostly in the second place, in my opinion it is better this way Tomoko Kuroki: I LOVE IT! As I said I feel a lot like her so I loved her reactions and attitudes Tomoki Kuroki: The older brother who hates his sister and has to put up with her for all her stupid things, for me he was cute as a thing because despite this he sometimes worries about her even if rarely. Yuu Naruse: Tomoko's best friend, the one who over time has changed in her ways of dressing and has become more feminine. I loved her too, despite making her feel different Tomoko has always remained the same, she taught me that despite the changed appearance, people with tastes and passions are always the same Kiko Satozaki: The cousin who sees very favorably Tomoko, I felt a little bad about the fact that Tomoko lied to her about many things but still accepted her and loves her ____ __Graphics__ I laughed at how the opening of the anime is exaggerated but so damn meaningful for the protagonist, the graphics are decent, it doesn't surpass many other anime but it's always nice to watch ____ __Music__ How can you not love the fact that they put on a vocaloid song with a bit of rock too, I loved the music too ❤❤ ____ __In conclusion__ WATAMOTE IS NOT MADE FOR EVERYONE! It is not possible to appreciate the work if you are not once put in the role of the protagonist (in my opinion). Many judged the anime for the fact that practically ~!nothing happened in the finale and just left it that way.!~ But in my opinion this is how it had to go, it is a normal life of a person who can also exist and as Tomoko says: We are not in a Night Novel where the protagonist has reached her goal. It is an anime that I recommend for those who have had similar experiences and we must not judge it, of course, it will be boring in some aspects but so it must be, a normal life of an equally normal girl This review is not done with a lot of care, at least I tried, I just wanted to share my thoughts and what I think.
It surprised me how underrated Watamote is when I looked at the scores and reviews, as Watamote is actually a masterpiece that delivers strong message- acceptance. __[Tomoko's self acceptance]__ Tomoko is a high school girl who struggled socially. In the anime, she attempted various ways to make herself more popular at her school. However, she failed all the time. Tomoko struggled to accept who she is. __[Audience's self acceptance]__ It's common to hear that anime fans experienced second hand embarrassment while watching Watamote. Some of them found it based; some found it cringe. People who found Watamote cringe struggled to accept their present/past-self. __[Acceptance]__ Tomoko doesn't need to become popular. It is ok to be misfit, it is ok to be unpopular. What Tomoko truly needs is friends who accept her for who she is. One of the reasons why Tomoko kept failing in the anime was she tried too hard to become someone else. It's always best to just accept herself and be herself. __[Reach out]__ After acceptance, the next step is to step out of comfort zone and reach out . Although Tomoko seems to be hopeless in the anime, various episodes imply that there is always people who care for her: she has a friend that she could hangout with; stranger who bought her an umbrella; senpai who looked out for her etc. I see all these as signs of hope for Tomoko. An unnoticeable detail in the anime would be Tomoko's improvement in the anime. In the beginning of the anime, she struggled to greet her teacher due to her anxiety. In the end of the anime,she tried and said goodbye to her teacher. This was her first step to reach out to other people as her true self, Tomoko Kuroki. I believed she would keep on improving after this. (And indeed,Tomoko did improved a lot later in the manga and made some really good friends. No spoiler here but I recommend the manga if you would like to see Tomoko's character development.) img220(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/695826144532103239/882460605188038746/unknown.png) Other than the strong message Watamote delivers, the show itself is very entertaining to watch. The comedy in the anime is great and I can't remember a single episode I didn't laugh at. There are many anime references used in the anime. As a K-ON fan, I was so excited when I saw the K-ON references. This anime is full of surprises. In terms of music, this show have great op, ed and inserts throughout the anime. It's amazing how they have 5 endings for a 12 episode anime. One of my favourite is Natsu Matsuri covered by Hatsune Miku. Character in Watamote is 10/10 since I just adore Tomoko that much! There are also fun support characters such as Yuu, Kiko and Tomoki. Unfortunately, we don't get to see the 2nd best girl (Yuri-chan) in the anime. To me, Tomoko is very relatable character. She reminds me of my past-self in secondary school. I was socially awkward and didn't have many friends. Unlike Tomoko, I didn't want to be popular. I never want to change who I am in order to fit in. I continued to be an introvert and immersed myself in the world of anime. This lasted until I went to uni and joined the anime society there. I found a group of friends who shared the same interests. We are comfortable within our own little community as we don't need to care about what the others think. Inevitably, I became an active and sociable person within the community. Even though I still struggle a bit socially outside the society, having group of great friends certainly helped me to develop. Weebs can be seen as weird and we certainly don't fit in well in a society full of normies, but we are all happy to be weird together. If you consider yourself as Tomoko right now, try to be yourself and reach out. It is always helpful to find friends with same interests. My suggestion would be joining a local anime club/society. AND please give Watamote a go if you haven't watched it! ~~P.S. I happily accept that i am cringe for being able to enjoy watamote. And if you are also a Watamote enjoyer, you are also cringe (and based).~~
~~~__Story__ img(https://preview.redd.it/d325wqdymov01.jpg?auto=webp&s=c2476305c1d836e5a14de1125acc347876053776) Watamote is my first anime series. I was depressed and sad for weeks and I was surfing YouTube then the first episode of this anime got suggested to me. I watched it and I can say this anime made me get rid of my depression. I watched the whole thing in one day and I didn’t even know this thing I’m watching is called “Anime”. Anyways The whole story is about Tomoko Kuroki, an introvert girl who is a huge Otaku and wants to make friends and have an amazing high school life. I’m not introvert and I have tons of friends but I still related to her and that’s weird af. I guess this anime isn’t for everyone. I enjoyed this anime so much and my boyfriend didn’t like it at all. So you can say not everyone will like this show. Another thing I can mention about this anime is that each episode kinda has its own plot so you barely see any development or story progress. I haven’t read the manga so I don’t know how the story goes in there. All I know is that this anime and the preferences it uses are hilarious. You can find Death note, parasite and... preferences in this anime and they all make this show all better. After watching this anime I felt like a sadist cause I actually enjoyed how painful and dark the main characters life is. The amount of dark humor this show has was good but some jokes used in the show made me cringe or be like “mmmmm....” so basically the story was a mix of awesome and stupidness. Some parts did bore me and some parts made me love the show. I can’t say how I exactly feel about it. I both love and hate Watamote. Slice of life anime aren’t bad but I usually drop them after a few episodes, but thanks to how relatable Tomoko was I kept on watching. __Characters__ img(https://i0.wp.com/daywith.thecartdriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Watamote-06-Large-07.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1) This anime is a slice of life and is only focused on Tomoko so she is the only character that matters in this show. I usually like to write about characters but in this case not really because I seriously have nothing to say. Tomoko an introvert girl who wants to have a perfect high school life. She wants to be popular among boys and have a boyfriend like the rest. The problem is she can’t even talk to girls so.... boys are out of the question. She is an otaku that means she is mostly busy playing games and watching anime. After a while she noticed she can’t even talk to her teacher and because of that she started practicing talking with her little brother. I can’t say this anime doesn’t have any character development. It has but way too little. I wish they would show more of her development. Another thing that I noticed was the fact Tomoko doesn’t know she actually has Anxiety and kept blaming other people for not being normal. I wish they showed us other sides of anxiety. Some parts of Tomoko’s personality was relatable af. Like the part when a got boy talked to her and she was like “OMG A HOT GUY TALKED TO ME”. __Art and animation__ img(https://eminareviews.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/watamote-08-large-02.jpg) Most of the characters were way too simple and by that I mean there were no eyes. The animation were pretty smooth and Tomoko and her brother looked actually good and detailed. Specially their facial expressions were done flawlessly and that made the comedy aspect much better! The backgrounds looked simple some parts were plain and simple colors and some part were detailed. I found myself in awe of how great some scenes were. __Soundtracks__ The opening is amazing. I seriously liked the opening and every episode I listened to it and watched the music video. The music video itself was really meaningful. All the chains showed in the video showed how hard life is for people who have anxiety and are introvert. Voice actors did an amazing job specially Tomokos. Rest of the ost were average but I still enjoyed them. The ending was pretty good as well. I really liked the music and music video to it. To be honest I liked the ending more than opening. __Overall__ This anime isn’t for everyone. As I said some hate it and some like it and As a person who actually enjoyed this anime i say this anime deserves as many rewatches as you can think. I recommend it to people. The ost, original soundtrack, were flawless specially the ending. The art wasn’t anything good but it wasn’t that bad neither. And the story was actually interesting (at least for me!)~~~
We’ve all gone through a certain point where we want to feel less lonely even though our abilities for social interactions are limited for some inexplicable reason. Shows that remind us of those dark times can be polarizing for the majority to comprehend, and because of this, we don’t see many shows try to tackle the subject. The reason is that most people don’t like to revisit what made them so miserable for so long. Luckily for some of us, we always look back at those moments and laugh at how silly it was, and thanks to the show Watamote we can now have a show that does that for us. Based on the gag manga, Watamote is set as your typical slice of life show, only this time they added some new twists that make it a little more fresh than others; dark, demented twists. It is twisted in its subject matter, but at the same time, it has a comedic overtone that compliments each other very well. You have Tomoko’s wild intentions of wanting to be popular yet unable to due to her supreme lack of social skill and the fact that she has been somewhat of a hikikomori for most of her life. The camera angles that constantly pan to her face often look distorted from the style of animation it tries to exacerbate, really giving you a sense of dread and anguish for her, yet at the same time, you can’t help but laugh at her expense. The show also goes into parody territory by showcasing your typical awkward moment of conversation, such as picking up a dropped pencil from a classmate sitting next to you. This is done with clever flashback sequences showing Kuroko’s comprehensive mindset. Sporadic and chaotic are the two words that sum up the humor of Watamote. These two aspects are a blessing and a curse to the show. The comedy in this show is very unpredictable and goes to new levels of hilarity as time goes on, but at the same time, it can get quite repetitive quickly. Repetitive in that Kuroko’s constant ramblings and random noises she makes when she goes insane are made too frequently and mostly come across as tedious than charming after a while. What saves the humor is the actual build-up of the funniest bits that feel very fresh and unexpected to see, thanks to the well-thought-out dialogue that is written in those scenes. Ones that involve Tomoko and her mother in her room as her audio recording of a male seiyuu is played in the background and joining a couple of boys peek into a love motel. One other small aspect that I truly admire about the comedy is the chemistry between Tomoko and her brother Kuroki and their hilarious dialogue exchanges with one another. Whenever they are on-screen together, you feel that this is how most siblings treat each other daily. They don’t necessarily like each other when they are in their personal space, but they’re bound by blood and can’t help but feel for each other's troubles. It’s a shame they don’t have enough screen time together. We could see some growth between them but what we have here is enough for me. To start with the characters, Tomoko is the type of person you either grew up knowing someone like her or you grew up as her, but for the most part, we’ve all been the latter. We’ve all just wanted to try to put up an act of ourselves to make us seem edgy or cool but fail miserably. Tomoko herself is the main driving point in the show who performs her antics with pure charm and sympathy, thanks in part to her voice actress Izumi Kitta who is extraordinary playing her. Her ability to create Kuroko’s personality is almost inhuman in a good way, though sometimes she performs her job too well to the point where it sounds like she’s going to pass out near the end of the take. That doesn’t mean that the other characters share the same memorability or charisma as Kuroko, except for her brother. Her best friend Yuu Naruse, played by Kana Hanazawa, is a pretty bland childhood friend type of character who isn’t given much to her performance other than to show more of Kuroko’s despair. One way to defend this is by looking at it as the fact that Kuroko is the only character that is the central focus of the entire show. The rest of the characters don’t even have to be fully developed because all we are focusing on is the main character Kuroko alone. It gives off the same loneliness feeling that she is going through to make the audience feel the same thing and make us feel contempt for her sorrow. Then again, that makes the comedy all the more meaningful and hilarious. That isn’t to say the comedy is always perfect by any means. Sometimes, we’re taken into situations that go too far, and the comedic timing doesn’t even provide any humorous feedback because of how poorly handled they are. Not that they were anything life-altering disturbing, but it’s one of those moments where you raise your one eyebrow and feel uncomfortable at the same time. While there are some hiccups here and there, the writing does jump back into the swing of things and provides endless over-the-top humor that is both dark and clever. The numerous parodies of other anime are a definite plus as well. What better way to start your typical slice of life show than when you could provide a loud, bombastic metal song to make it edgy? No doubt the opening might alienate people because it feels out of place with the show. I would argue that it’s heavily symbolic as if we’re in Kuroko’s subconscious thought in how her thought-process is the majority of the time, and for that, it’s a pretty decent opening. The rest of the music here is fun to listen to, even though the music will eventually forget it in about two years. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the show is very demented to watch and might leave people with a sick feeling in their stomach, but it’s something that anyone shouldn’t pass off if they are a big fan of dark comedy and a parodied look into the otaku lifestyle. It can be a tedious ride if you can’t handle the repetitive nature of Kuroko’s random ramblings, but there’s always that moment that makes the ride worth going through. A moment that makes you have tears roll down your eyes from sheer laughter and going nuts by how bold the humor can be observed by the audience as uncomfortable. After all, we need more admirable shows like Watamote that aren’t afraid to go too far with their jokes. Grade: B
Vou começar essa review frisando que ela é extremamente pessoal e pouca intenção tem de julgar o anime em seus aspectos técnicos, isso aqui é mais uma análise do que qualquer outra coisa, mas __algo da parte técnica ainda será falado, só que de maneira breve! __ ~~~Início:~~~ Watamote é um daqueles animes que você provavelmente ou vai amar, ou vai odiar, não existe meio termo para ele, o motivo disso, acredito que tenha relação com o que ele aborda e também, com o como ele aborda, uma versão exagerada do que é ser um adolescente, e das experiências vividas nessa fase da vida, denotando vários problemas e situações reais que foram vivenciadas em maior ou menor escala, pela maioria de nós, ~~principalmente se você estiver na escala 2 de 10 de ser um degenerado (lol)~~ Acredito que o grande motivo que afasta as pessoas é justamente a vergonha alheia trazida por sentir que você já pensou coisas parecidas e já foi como a Tomoko Kuroki em menor escala algum dia, se você conseguir se afastar das memórias negativas e embraçar as vivências, você vai enxergar Watamote com algum carinho e nostalgia. ~~~__Relato Pessoal__:~~~ Meu relato pessoal começa aqui, eu assisti Watamote pela primeira vez em torno de 2014, que já representava uma transição para mim, um tempo que iria chegar, mas que também eu mal sabia, que seria perdido, nessa época da vida, eu ainda iria entrar naquilo que seria a minha adolescência, com a busca por experiências, minha primeira relação com esse anime foi de anseio, anseio de experimentar coisas parecidas, um anseio bem deturpado, já que o que acontece em Watamote na maioria das vezes não é algo que você gostaria que acontecesse contigo, longe disso. Como dito anteriormente, minha possibilidade de experiências foi reduzida por conta de problemas de saúde, de ordem de cunho pessoal, e Watamote representa junto ao anseio, a _"Calma antes da tempestade em minha vida"_ , por isso, ele é lembrado com muito carinho, e me passa uma sensação de nostalgia extremamente curiosa, ainda mais intensa por conta de suas músicas(como a ending principal, e a ending 5, que toca no episódio 11), o tema do anime, sobre querer se tornar popular, e a ending que fala justamente sobre isso, ressonou com a minha mente jovem de um jeito peculiar, e tendo reassistido o anime recentemente, não pude deixar de me sentir atraído pela ideia de escrever algo a respeito ~~~__Breve resumo de aspectos técnicos e pequena comparação com BTR__~~~ Todos os aspectos técnicos de Watamote são bem decentes, a animação é muito boa para o padrão da época, e o carinho na produção é notável, alguns padrões de Watamote me lembram Bocchi the Rock, daria até pra dizer que Watamote é Bocchi The Rock só que com um conteúdo um pouco mais apelativo e tendo 0 de relação com música, os dois animes possuem delírios de suas personagens principais, onde elas esquecem completamente do mundo lá fora e ficam completamente voltadas para as suas ilusões mentais, algo bem comum em animes que procuram demonstrar alguma questão que envolva aspectos de saúde mental. __~~~Você deveria assistir Watamote?~~~__ Se você gostou de Bocchi The Rock e aprecia animes que tratam de inseguranças e problemas da adolescência, sim!!! mas aqui fica um pequeno disclaimer, essa review pouco deu exemplo do que você vai encontrar no anime, pode acabar sendo bem desconfortável e talvez você possa não aguentar a vergonha alheia causada por ele, como valor de análise, e também para dar algumas risadas, Watamote vale 100% do seu tempo __~~~Notas finais:~~~__ Essa foi a minha primeira review, nem sei se vou postar ela ou deixar privada, eu não tenho muito o costume de escrever em português, mas metas que eu tenho relacionadas a criação de conteúdo apareceram, e escrever é o primeiro passo para consolidá-las, essa review ficou bem bagunçada aparentemente, eu aceito críticas construtivas se alguém as tiver, vou procurar escrever outras reviews de animes e também outras coisas para melhorar minhas habilidades e conseguir passar aquilo que está em minha mente com mais qualidade, então, me desculpe a desorganização! (formatação também é algo que pretendo melhorar, também trazendo mais referências com gifs, vídeos, imagens, músicas, chances dessa review acabar sendo reescrita são bem altas)