When I first started to watch Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu., or Komi Can’t Communicate, I had a feeling it’d be in direct competition with Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san. And, yep. Spot on. It was also a funny and cute slice of life anime.
That’s kind of where the similarities end, however. While Nagatoro-san was very clearly about a girl teasing a guy she liked, Komi-san was really a more feel-good story about friendship. The cute moments weren’t always romantic in nature (though there were definitely some moments). And it always played second fiddle to the humor.
As far as funny scenes go, Komi-san has them in spades. Each episode is basically a series of shorter, self-contained stories, each with their own punchlines. I will say, most of the humor comes from Najimi and Kamiko. Their antics and high velocity shenanigans are the catalyst for many laughs throughout, but the other characters also have their moments.
On a more serious note, something that really stood out to me was how they opened each episode. You know, where they would say how it’s not that people with social anxiety don’t WANT personal relationships, but rather that they struggle to FORM these connections. It really hammers home the intent of the series, and it’s focus on friendship. Kind of makes it feel like a documentary, actually. But, it’s really relatable for me, so I appreciated it.
It’s honestly cute as fuck watching Komi-san awkwardly make friends. Most of the interactions are largely one-sided, but everyone’s literally jumping at the chance to be considered a friend. There’s something that’ll just make you smile every time she gets a new friend, or enters nekomimi mode.
Conclusion
So I’m not going to drag out this post, as it’s pretty cut and dry. Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu. is an adorable exploration into a excessively shy individual, and her efforts to make friends despite her anxiety issues. If that’s not really what you’re into, that’s fine. It’s got some great humor (I was literally laughing out loud) and a cute budding romance.
After watching it, I’d probably put this as my feel-good anime of 2021. I was tearing up at how precious their chalkboard talk moment was in the first episode (twice in fact, as I re-watched the scene while writing this…). Still not sure if it wins out in terms of the cutest series, as Nagatoro-san is a tough one to beat, but neko-mode Komi-san may beat it out in moe goodness. Either way, fucking great series, and I look forward to checking out the manga and future seasons.
There we go, short and sweet. Let me know what you think down in the comments section (and if you prefer a more to-the-point commentary) and I’ll see you in the next one.