Komi Can't Communicate

What I ordered from Wish: Comedic yet heartwarming anime series about a speechless high school girl and her integration into society. What I got: An atrociously boring show about a bizarre high school full of strange characters that never made me smile or feel any warmth. The problem with the show is that it doesn't know what it wants to be, so it tries to be everything at once. One minute it's a dumb absurdist comedy that doesn't require many brain cells, and the next it suddenly becomes serious, with a warbling piano melody blaring out as the characters spout wise and heartfelt quotes. Neither approach works, especially when they're mixed together like this. The characters go from clever to stupid as it suits them, just like Komi speaks or doesn't speak depending on the whims of the anime's screenwriters. Random absurdity alternates with an attempt to make the characters believable, resulting in a jumbled mess that I couldn't bear to watch past the fifth episode. But at least in one thing this anime was unique. It was the first anime series where I regretted understanding Japanese and the awkward puns they were trying to pull off. The linguistic jokes were incredibly dumb and childish, including the characters' names and supposed humorous misunderstandings and slip-ups. After taking a peek at the English translation on Netflix, I was relieved that the translators mostly ignored them. I'll give this show one star, if only for its interesting visual style (although I wasn't entirely sold on this "screen-adaptation of a novel" style, similar to Bakemonogatari) and the quality of the animation. I never thought I'd say this, but compared to this show, Watamote was a masterpiece. (05.04.2022)

Talking is silver, silence is golden? Komi Can't Communicate would convince me otherwise, unfortunately. A series of short sketches from the life of a spunky, yet shy and verbally uncommunicative high school student, the series delivers a mix of banter and "wholesome" situations that wouldn't pose a difficult obstacle for the average teenager... but for the shy Komi, each one is literally the trial of a lifetime. In this respect the anime is original and Komi's communication with the outside world amusingly reminded me of the likeable Celty from Durarara!!. The pilot also has a downright stellar opening with a beautifully poetic scene of the main couple at the blackboard, and I really liked the idea (even if it is a bit "Facebook-ish") of finding 100 friends. Unfortunately, this glimmer didn't last very long and Komi quickly slips into the very clichéd templates of high school anime, kept afloat by a single variable – the character of Najimi (played superbly by the seiyuu Rie Murakawa). I’m not exactly critical of the duo of Komi and the insufferably ordinary Tadano, but surprisingly they're not the ones driving the plot forward, because if it were up to them we'd get nowhere for the entire running time. They're likable characters, but terribly passive. Good-hearted, but maddeningly uncreative; without the souped-up jet turbocharger of Najimi the development of their relationship would waver between sleepy and flatlined. I'd welcome it as a sign of progress and advancement if I wasn't constantly being given descriptions of what happens to Komi when he's nervous – even a marginally interested viewer can tell when he’s introduced! Similarly, I wasn't particularly keen on Komi's very early endearing attempts at spoken conversation, only for the plot to subsequently give up on such attempts altogether. Even though after 2 episodes we sadly never hear any mention of finding a hundred friends and look back longingly to the unattainable romance of their chalkboard meeting, Najimi's craziness, self-interest, eccentricity, wit, and comedic potential iron out a ton of ills. This is where the sketch form is one of its biggest triumphs; it gives Najimi's character room to constantly invent new and innovative scenarios of petty hardships and travails for poor Komi to overcome. But isn’t that a bit lacking, Anton Pavlovich? It is to me. There are plenty of jokes, but the hints of romance are indicated visually rather than atmospherically. The absurdity of Komi accepting her surroundings quickly gets old and the rest of the characters are rather unoriginal, overblown, and easily forgettable. While Komi is no gem, I'm glad that studio OLM has finally found the source material for a decent anime. Slightly above average and an unspoken "thank you". (29.12.2021)