Review of WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!
I was all over this series when it first aired. Coming from someone who was in similar positions with Tomoko; its depiction of social reclusion and anxiety was perfect. Even with a blatantly cheap budget, the series is able to vividly and impeccably flesh out Tomoko’s character. Props to director Shin Oonuma as she makes the best out of her limited budget to use creative, well-directed visual tricks, that aren’t simply used for show, but to further our understanding on Tomoko. Another great factor about this series is that when it comes to depicting Tomoko, it takes us into her life without trying to conformthe viewer to a certain mindset. All the humor that stemmed from Tomoko’s situations were funny, but in a cringe-worthily pragmatic manner rather than in a form of mean-spiritedness. And all those serious scenes of Tomoko were just to reflect on the quiet and heartbreaking moments of her instead of simply trying to force the viewers to sympathize with Tomoko.
Contrary to what many people claim, you don’t have to have to relate with the female lead to enjoy Watamote. Yeah, it has its clever references to certain anime that casual viewers of anime won’t get, but overall Watamote presents itself in a manner that anyone can enjoy.
Because of this, I was thoroughly impressed with Watamote at the start. The problem, as the series progresses, is that Tomoko’s charm began to fade. I understand that the message the series conveys isn’t about overcoming social anxiety, but how for many, it’s a serious issue that may never be overcome. And though I like that message, it doesn’t translate well into something I want to see for 12 episodes. Watching Tomoko monologue about her everyday life, even with all the novel and different situations she gets herself into, became stale. Even if I could still relate to Tomoko, it just wasn’t of interest to keep watching and it didn’t help that there was no firm direction or hint of what the series wanted to achieve in the end,
Luckily, Tomoko isn’t the lone character in the whole series, there are side characters like her only friend Yuu, her brother and a couple of other characters that make an occasional appearance. Yes, whether it’s Tomoko trying to mirror what’s popular or bickering with her older brother, Watamote is at its best with those moments and not when Tomoko’s alone in her room. Because quite frankly, the show started feeling oddly empty and that didn’t rub me the right way.
Final Verdict:
Story – Non-existent, it’s episodic story-telling didn’t work for me and there’s no set direction of where it exactly wants to go
Characters – Tomoko is a fantastically depicted recluse, but her development is quite static. Side characters are great and bring out the best of the series, but lack more show time
Setting – Its themes of recluse and social anxiety are well presented, but don’t translate well into a vastly entertaining series
Production Values – Cheap, but is well made use of with incredibly creative and well-directed visual tricks
Do I Recommend?: Overall, I enjoyed Watamote for how it depicted a social recluse and I certainly enjoyed Tomoko’s interactions with the real world, but in the end - with static development, scenes of monologue that felt empty and no real sense of direction - it was just another episodic comedy that didn’t leave much of an impact on me. I commend the series for being open to viewers whether or not they relate to Tomoko’s problems, but it’s a very black and white series for the ones that do. You’re either captivated by it or completely turned off by it.