Review of WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! OVA

This is one of three anime so far which I have given a 10/10 rating. I only give this rating when a show is not only perfect, but expands my horizons with regard to what I think is possible with the medium. I'd never thought it was possible to relate to an anime so much as I did with WataMote. The few characters that are featured are written with a brutally realistic depth, and the show is the only example of what I might call "Slice of True Life". The realistic juxtaposition of narcissism and depression incarnated in Tomoko Kuroki belies a character depth and understandingof humanity usually only displayed by therapists and other psychology professionals. There was never a choice made with regard to the writing that I didn't find believable and, on a fundamental level, correct for the character. Lying to people relentlessly, cheating, mentally insulting strangers, every bit of it was exactly who I was in middle school. The way she is utterly alone in her pain is almost never expressed in anime, but this show treats loneliness like an old friend, joking with it, laughing as it dies inside. This is so much closer to the reality of being a lonely but narcissistic kid. The meta-commentary never ceases to be hilarious, which at first I thought might just be unintentional, but in the beginning of the OVA they pretty much spell out that they understand the metacritical implications of their storywriting. Some people say this show is too cringey, but I usually hate schadenfreude comedy and I love this show. It feels less to me like they're trying to get the audience to laugh at her than it feels like the audience is laughing at her despite the author's wish to engender sympathy, which of course is icing on the metacritical cake.

I could write an essay on WataMote, so I'll stop here. Suffice to say I think this is the best Slice of Life anime ever, and that I'd recommend this anime to absolutely anyone.