Review of WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!
Watamote is one of the most brutal animes out there. It's not of being scary, violent, or having horror elements, or being stresful - it is, in purest way, death of an innocent. My review comes from a mind and experience that is apparently unlike most others'. Watamote was recommended to me heavily due to how 'funny' and 'comedic' it is. Anybody who thinks Watamote is funny or perhaps finds Tomoko a funny heroine is exactly what makes Tomoko a shut-in, isolated from society and scared to her bones from any social interactions - she is, most absolutely, not to be mocked. I lost all comedy around episode4, without spoilers, her incapacity and inability to handle a conversation becomes so brutal to her she gets on the verge of crying her eyes out. This is tragedy, it is more saddening than most 'sad' or 'dramatic' animes I've watched. It's drama is not out of sheer pain or emotional luggage it gives to the viewer, but because how well it makes us hold empathy towards a pathetic, miserable human.
Watamote is unlike most other animes, it's definitely old but does not show it's age. I recommended it fully to any viewer, it should be watched, it's not only an unique experience but it proves to, and shows to viewer that people like Tomoko does indeed exist. They aren't that much faraway from us even. For this exact reason I cannot find Watamote any funny, to find Tomoko's suffering funny (and don't get it twisted, it is indeed suffering) is cruel and unloving as the world is to Tomoko.
So, I've disected and told very clearly that this anime which is made to be funny is extremely unfunny - what's left to watch? Why would someone watch it? Well, being good and being in high quality does not come from sheer entertainment factor, Watamote is extremely well made. It treads extremely solid and troubling social issues very well for an anime, nowhere in anime Tomoko is mocked for her existence, but shown suffering from anxiety attacks and how painful it is.
Bocchi at its release has been praised extensively for being a great show for handling 'how anxiety is', I too think like so and I too like BtR, but in a comparison, if you want to watch someone that is suffering from anxiety proper, it's Watamote.
Anxiety and social isolation is a self-eating snake. Escape from the circle is extremely hard because the circle continously feeds itself, it's suffering dawns on the individual at every passing moment, it's FOMO doubles and triples as days pass, but the more they're bound to the anxiety the less chance they get to escape, the more weekends they lose, the more of their life gets taken away from them. In this, they're most likely to be aware of this cruel fact, but they're incapable of doing anything to solve it, there are moments in anime that are clear examples of how these practically are.
Anxiety surely isn't death, but it definitely makes life a prison.
The only way of saving an individual from this vicious circle is for them to work inhumanely to solve this problem, which we cannot expect from likes of Tomoko; or that they will be lended a helping hand despite their flaws. You're welcome to see how Tomoko goes through this problem by watching the anime.
En bref, Watamote is -surely not a masterpiece- but a great show nevertheless. It should be watched by all anime viewers from all walks of life. It's an extremely well done elaboration of a human being and their daily problems, and many more that I cannot put in a simple review. I can't stress enough how much I recommend this show.
One can only hope Tomoko as well may find peace in future, even though manga isn't even close to that direction (apparently).
-At last, I'm not a native English speaker, pardon my errors-