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

WataMote is perhaps one of the most depressing experiences I've had watching media, not because it is a narrative masterpiece rich in character and charm with a satisfying conclusion. But because it actively goes out of its way to never be that. Story 4/10: WataMote is a character study that follows Tomoko Kuroki, a caricature of otaku culture, that suffers from her crushing social anxiety, awkward demeanor, poor hygiene, and unfulfilled desires for affection. The series follows Tomoko in her various efforts to attract the attention of men while repeatedly progressing and regressing in both confidence and delusion. An issue: Cringe comedy is hard to get right, and whenit's over you're supposed to be able to laugh.
Chuunibyou is a series that does this very thing really well and delivers its comedy while making it easy to understand the inherent social ineptitude of its protagonists.
WataMote, on the other hand, is funny at first but continues to regress its humor until the joke is no longer funny and you can only cringe and feel pity for the protagonist.

Art 5/10:

The animation is fairly fine and the art style works. The protagonist isn't supposed to be seen as a cute shut in. Tomoko's character isn't an idealized Konata or meant to be likable, so her character design really tells you most of what you need to know about her before you've even seen an episode.
There are several on the nose anime references you'll see along the way.

Sound 6/10:

The OP for WataMote is heavy and aggressive, like the inner thoughts of the protagonist. The visuals combined with the track provide a depiction of Tomoko trying to break out of these chains of social retardation and it's interesting. The VAs all do their parts fine, and the ED is clever but not notable.

Character 7/10:

WataMote does realism for every character but Tomoko well. The supporting cast are all surprisingly realistic depictions of high school students and the conversations they would have. These closer to life depictions of students and their lives further emphasizes Tomoko's character.

Tomoko is terrifying in how relatable she can be.
Her awkward nature and social anxiety are easy to relate to and are a huge part of her flaw as a character. Her lack of hygiene and inability to communicate even to the most minimal degree drive people further away from her. Tomoko has delusional fits as a result of her introversion, but she isn't introspective enough to realize these delusions. She often looks down on others to maintain her superiority complex, even so far as to look down on the only friend she had in middle school reaching out to her, and in moments when even that fails her all of the the mental barriers collapse and you're allowed to see the reality of her character. A lonely, socially inept girl lacking in nearly every aspect of her basic human needs. Her family is either oblivious or neglectful of this fact as shown by her parents inaction and her brother's calous treatment of her.

Enjoyment: 3/10
Overall: 5/10

I didn't enjoy WataMote, but it felt as if I was intended to.
We've all been in situations where we've felt an uncomfortable sense of unbelonging. High school can be a rough time for just about anyone, but the support of those close to us mitigates and often outweighs any negative effects traumatic events would otherwise cause on our hormonal psyches at that time. Without that support and those basic human needs being met social regression is inevitable.
Everyone knows someone that shares traits with Tomoko, and that's unsettling.