Translated by John Werry
2 stars
Tadano just wants to blend in at school. But when he meets Komi and discovers her difficulty talking to people, he resolves to help her, even when it puts unwanted attention on him.
For me, this one was just okay. Based on the title, I assumed the story followed Komi. In reality, it’s more about Tadano and his goal to help Komi make friends by speaking verbally to others. We actually don’t learn much about Komi or really see her personality in this volume.
Throughout the book, I just feel bad for Komi. Everyone is so enamored with her that they don’t even notice she’s uncomfortable and anxious. A lot of time is spent on Komi’s attractiveness and perceived perfection.
There are definitely some fun aspects like the students voting for class council. The artwork is wonderful. I also liked the scenes shown from different characters’ perspectives, often how people perceive the interaction with Komi and what she was actually feeling.
For me, the concept of the book was kind of weird. I loved the idea of focusing on anxiety and difficulties communicating. But I don’t like that the sole focus of “communication” is on speaking verbally. The problem isn’t that Komi can’t find a way to get others to understand things, it’s that others are often too caught up in her appearance and their own preconceived notions of her that they don’t pay attention to the ways she does communicate. I would have loved to see that explored more. Instead, it’s mostly used as humor.
Some fun events, but not my favorite. I have started watching the anime and am more interested in some of Komi’s later friendships and connections so may give a few of the other books a try at some point.