Manga Review: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 4, by Tomohito Oda

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. With the whole student body keeping its distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

School is out for the summer, and Komi is still getting used to this strange new world of having friends. She’s discovering that friendship doesn’t automatically save you from awkward situations with people, but the more time she spends with her friends, the easier it all seems. And to her astonishment, for the first time in her life Komi isn’t anxious for summer to end.

 

Review:

 

It's summer, which means this odd friend group has to find excuses to see each other. There's some video game competition, and some last-minute homework groups. We also get a chapter of Komi just at home, where it's hot and she hangs out with her brother and decides to cook. It's very slice-of-life and quiet, and honestly I rather like it.

Then school is back, and there's sports competitions. We also meet a new character, a new student with an accent who admires Komi. There's one chapter where Tadano shows the other two what Komi is really thinking; they're way off, and somehow Tadano can read her perfectly. They also visit an arcade and take purikura pictures, which is very cute.

I relate a lot to Komi—not as extreme, but a quiet introvert nonetheless—and so I enjoy this series quite a bit. Even just the relaxed chapters, but also just seeing her figure out how to communicate, is all very real to me. I'm enjoying this series a lot.

 

 

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 3, by Tomohito Oda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2019

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. With the whole student body keeping its distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

Summer is about to begin, and Komi would love to be able to spend the long, hot days of vacation hanging out with her new friends. But even though she’s made great strides in her personal quest, her communication issues are still strong enough to ruin her fun. Thankfully just thinking of her dear friend Tadano is enough to help her calm down!

Review:

If nothing else, Komi will always be a perfect example of how a truly introverted person feels at all times. We see this as a big example as the volume starts, and Komi can't help but re-agonize over previous conversations and seem unable to even send a text to her new friends, let alone say words when they call her.

We follow Komi more closely in this volume. There's summer meet-ups, a beach arc, and school tests. But we also follow Komi as she gets ready for these things, as she debates on going on a swing set, and when she visits family for Obon. There's even a really cute chapter between her and her father as they silently communicate to go get shaved ice and we see that he's very much where she gets it from.

There are still some crazy classmates, and we weren't introduced to any new characters in this volume, but her list of friends is still slowly growing, and her struggles are continuing as she slowly overcomes them one step at a time.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 2, by Tomohito Oda

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! With the whole student body keeping their distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

It’s time for the national health exam at Itan High, and the excitement of eye exams and height measurements have fanned the flames of competition for the unremarkable Makeru Yadano. She’s determined to beat the class idol Komi in the health test, and Komi’s total obliviousness to their impassioned duel just feeds Makeru’s determination. As the epic battle heats up, how will Komi handle her first rival when she’s barely made her first friends?!

Review:

Komi clearly attracts a certain kind of character to herself, as we see more obviously in this volume. She's seen as perfect, and thus draws admiration and awe and jealousy, only that makes people obsessed with her instead of angry.

We meet Yadano in this volume. She's competing with Komi (in her head) during the sport competition in this volume, and this leads to her attempting to be friends with Komi. Only she's so obsessed she's literally crazy and will threaten anyone in her way.

There was a point in this volume were Yadano goes too far, and I really liked how Komi stood up for herself and her friends, despite her own shyness and anxiety and want for friends. But then it kind of dwindles into a friendship anyway. I'm conflicted about this, because Yadano is actually scary and should be put away.

There are some fun plot lines after this, including Komi and friends going to eat ramen, and going shopping. She also meets a new friend in Nakanaka in this volume. She's a bit of an odd one, as is usual at this point, and while she freaks Komi out at first, they soon form an understanding, which is sweet.

This series is crazy. But it's a lot of fun, still, and I like Komi a lot.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 1, by Tomohito Oda

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Timid Tadano is a total wallflower, and that’s just the way he likes it. But all that changes when he finds himself alone in a classroom on the first day of high school with the legendary Komi. He quickly realizes she isn’t aloof—she’s just super awkward. Now he’s made it his mission to help her on her quest to make 100 friends!

Review:

I was understandably intrigued by the concept of this series, but I was still surprised by just how far it goes. By saying Komi can't communicate is a bit of an understatement—when put in front of anyone, even one-on-one conversations, she doesn't know how to say a single word.

This series is split up with very short comedic chapters, as Tadano is going to a new high school, with no friends, and meets Komi, who everyone thinks of as practically royalty. Slowly, Tadano discovers Komi's issue, and as he forms a friendship with her, he decides to help her with her dream of making 100 friends. It's a hard process, too, as it takes Komi a while to even be able to say “Good morning” to him after this.

The odd characters and the comedic situations are already at a great start with this volume. Tadano helps Komi take little steps, and he tries to get other people to be real friends with her, not just admire her from afar. This isn't helped by the fact that no one really likes Tadano, either. The two other friends they make in this volume, if they count, are very odd people. I appreciate the diversity a lot, too, with the girl-is-secretly-a-guy (maybe?), and the odd pervy stalker girl.

This series is honestly off to a great start, even more than I was expecting, and I can't wait to read more.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!