There are a lot of anime that take place in high school that are labeled “slice of life.” But there’s nothing about anime like Toradora, K-On!, or The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya that resemble any of the feelings or experiences I remember having in high school. There’s dating, drama, and above all, too much effortless beauty for me to believe these characters are really high schoolers. I wasn’t moe in high school, who was? Even if you WERE, you were too full of teen angst and self doubt to notice.
Which is why I’ve been unexpectedly enjoying Watamote, perhaps the most relatable anime about high school that’s come out in years.
Watamote is plain. It teeters on dullness simply because the world it covers—inside Tomoko’s stubborn, neurotic brain—is just so small. It’s hard to have multiple recurring characters when your protagonist is a hikikomori in training. But while Tomoko’s shyness is extreme, her high school experience is not.
When I think back on high school, I don’t remember love triangles, near-death experiences, and perfect, manageable hair. I remember being my worst self. In high school I was at my most self-conscious, anxious, and shallow that I’ve ever been, and if you’re honest with yourself, you might share a similar reflection. I cared about so many silly little details—about my appearance, about what other people might think of me—that I realize as an adult don’t matter at all.
Tomoko is no different. She listens in on her classmates’ conversations while making judgements about their perceived sluttiness. She spends a lot of time daydreaming that she’s somebody else. She magnifies the smallest problem (like forgetting a textbook) into The Worst Thing Ever. She often feels superior to her peers, which is a joke given that she’s wildly unpopular and not as smart as she thinks. Even the full title of the show, “No Matter How I look at It, It’s You Guys Fault I’m Not Popular,” reveals a glaring lack of self awareness, as Tomoko blames everyone but herself.
It’s not a surprise that I wasn’t cool in high school, mainly because I’ve shared that fact on my blog before. I was co-captain of the debate team, a yearbook editor, and generally an introverted nerd. I had a small group of friends, whom I still hang out with today, but like Tomoko—and like EVERY TEEN—I spent a lot of time in my own head. I suspect this is the same even if you were popular in high school. As a teen, I felt like I was alone and nobody else could possibly understand my feelings. I felt like there was something special about my experience, though of course I went through the same feelings and emotions that everyone does through those angsty teen years.
Tomoko is not as special as she seems to think. She’s capable of acting like a regular teen girl, especially with her middle school friend, Yuu. She’s even capable of looking adorable, though she usually tries way too hard. Even though she tells us she wants to change, she revels in her own awkwardness and solitude. Tomoko is flawed, hypocritical, and above all, a human character who is incredibly endearing to anyone who has ever been a teen.
This is why Watamote is the most believable high school slice-of-life we’ve had in recent memory. You never doubt for a second that Tomoko, with all her insecurities and smug superiority, is a high school girl with a high school mindset.
10 Comments.
Agreed. I especially love how WataMote makes it a point to separate Tomoko and her personality from Tomoko being an otaku. It’s not her hobbies that are holding her back, it’s her attitude.
In a way, it’s an even more self-centered version of Literary Girl from The Daily Lives of High School Boys. ^ ^
Nice post!
@Ajthefourth, thanks! I didn’t even consider the Literary Girl parallel but it’s totally there. And as for the otaku thing- it’s important to note that in the three episodes we’ve seen so far, Tomoko has been at her MOST social while talking to Yuu about otaku things.
I wrote about this in my CR seasonal roundup:
http://anime.about.com/b/2013/07/22/crunchyroll-summer-2013-streaming-simulcast-highlights.htm
Easily my favorite thing so far this season.
And yet another Lauren recommendation added to my Crunchyroll que! :)
I loathed my high school days. I spent my days hoping I’d not be noticed at all. I hid both inside myself and literally. I even skipped going to classes in my Sophmore year (and last year of HS) in order to hide in the study hall overlooking the library below because I could hide in a study cube and read, read, read and be safe.
(BTW, I refused after that year to go to school and spent a year on a late night schedule hiding in my room, reading constantly and listening to music. Then before what would have been my senior year I got my GED and then started at the local community college.)
That’s kinda like what I said about WataMote: Relatable! I feel guilty for enjoying this show. It’s like I’m laughing at my old high school self.
Great Post, always!
Roger, if we can’t laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? =)
I just watched watamote yesterday. All ten eps at one I guess it is still on going right?? I can’t wait to watch the next episode. and I really want a happy ending for her.
When I watch the first episode, I am not really interested, actually I mostly skiped it because that episode I got have no subtitle. and I am not really good at Japanese. But then I watched the second episode. and continued to the next and next episode. watching that anime make me feel cold electric shock attack my body. and I mostly crying and laughing at the same time. because shamely the main character just like me.
Actually I don’t want to say this. It is laughable and embarassing. I just kind of wonder how the mangaka come to the idea of writing that.
When I told to one of my online friend about my life here and on.. She just said that She can’t believe there are life like on the anime/or manga like that. Actually I can’t believe either. I wonder if anyone have the same experience. I feel like I want to know them maybe we can share or such (before really loosing our mind and our self ^^ *kidding). Maybe we can help each other I think.
I hope this watamote will have happy ending or progress maybe even bit by bit. and myself too.
And I really want to know the author… ^^
ah, long comment.. sorry~~
@Yuki, no worries! Thanks for sharing. If you speak English, Spanish, or Portuguese, you can get good subtitles on Crunchyroll!
As far as shy yet cynical (Tomoko calling her classmates bitches in her head, yet not able to express these thoughts out loud) I totally could relate in HS. Now that I think about it, it was a sad paradox- making fun of other people when I really had no friends (and who’s fault was that? lol) Lauren, do you know of any other animes that “hit home” like this one? With an awkward lead character?
@Deirdre, I know, right? “Love, Chuunibyou & Other Delusions” is a great one that tackles “middle school syndrome,” also known as, “that time in 7th grade when I wore a cape to school for a week.” “Genshiken” is another anime with awkward otaku characters I love.