“WataMote” is the story of a high school student whose misfortune is mostly brought on by herself, but you still end up feeling bad for her anyway.
The full title of the manga/anime is “No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!” but is shortened to “WataMote” and was created by two people under the pseudonym Nico Tanigawa.
The title speaks for itself as the socially awkward Tomoko Kuroki desperately tries to become popular. I find the series to be funny, sad and even a little relatable in terms of mental health.
I would say the first episode is a perfect introduction. Tomoko has just begun high school and is shown to be a complete loner. She has severe social anxiety and can’t even muster saying goodbye to a fellow student. She goes to a convenience store and when she goes home she celebrates talking to an attractive man, who is the worker behind the counter.
I can completely relate to being a loner like Tomoko. I also have terrible social anxiety when meeting new people.
Tomoko wants to spend her time at high school making friends and getting a boyfriend. She thinks her time playing dating simulators will translate into success in the real world. Spoiler alert: it does not.
Tomoko’s fault is that she blames everyone else for her loneliness. She seems misanthropic at a world that rejected her, when in reality she just hasn’t applied herself.
I can empathize with her pain and loneliness and it is easy to blame others, but they haven’t done anything wrong.
Another sadly relatable thing that happens in the first episode is when Tomoko gives herself a makeover. She wants to make herself look pretty, but when she looks in the mirror she is so disgusted with herself that she vomits. As someone who struggles with their body image, I can understand her pain. I was extremely sad for Tomoko at that moment because I know exactly what it feels like to be disgusted with your own body. If anyone else relates, my heart goes out to you; things will get better.
That being said, there are also comical parts in the anime. It is a cringe comedy, so imagining yourself in Tomoko’s position makes you laugh because she is really bad at socializing. Her frustration at her awful attempts at socialization and wondering why they don’t work is relatable and funny to me.
In the second episode, it is revealed that Tomoko does have one friend named Yuu Naruse who used to be dorky when Tomoko knew her in middle school. Tomoko is disappointed to realize that Yuu doesn’t look dorky anymore. One of Tomoko’s faults is her extreme envy. I would say she is a lovable character for the most part, but her envy is her downfall. She is too focused on becoming popular but also hates the popular kids at school. She wants them to like her even when she doesn’t like them.
There are many dimensions to Tomoko and I would say she is mostly a good person who is just lost in life. I am someone who relates to her in several ways, but I don’t blame anyone else for my shortcomings. If you are also someone who is struggling with finding friends or love, all I have to say is that the time will come and you shouldn’t force it. There is no shame in being without friends or love for a bit of time. Just take your time to find the right people and be your genuine self; it will come eventually.
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
