Komi Can’t Communicateis an adorable tale of an awkward high schooler named Shouto Komi. This beautiful creature possesses a celebrity status at Itan Private High School, however, her popularity has not helped her make friends. Rendered speechless by her extreme social anxiety, Komi must rely on the help of Tadano Hitohito and Osana Najimi, if she is to achieve her dream of making 100 friends.
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TheKomi Can’t Communicateanimeadaptation follows the manga quite closely, as many scenes are instantly recognizable; as if plucked straight out of the pages. Komi’s adventures have followed a relatively similar storyline so far, with theanimetaking liberty in rearranging some sequences of events. However, regardless of how well the Anime resembles the Manga, fans of the television series have missed out on some crucial points discussed in the original illustrated story.
9Funny Puns
TheKomi Can’t Communicatecreators were very specific about their character names, with practically everyone receiving a funny pun along with their moniker. This significant factor has been lost on many Anime fans, as the hidden meanings are not adequately explained in thesubbed or dubbed versions, creating an almost secret, inside joke between Manga readers and those who speak Japanese.
Here is a breakdown of some puns supplied by the Manga:
“To be acquainted”
“Childhood friend”
Typical Anime Trope whereby the character is secretly evil
“Just a” (average guy)
Nakanaka
Chuunibyou
“Naka” and “Chuu” are considered by some to be interchangeable; Anime Trope whereby one believes they have secret powers
Short for communicate
Agari shou
“Stage fright”
“Straightlaced”
8Foul Language
To expand its possible viewership, theKomi Can’t Communicateanime has eliminated all curse words from its content. Not to say that the manga is particularly explicit, however, with high schoolers, an F-bomb is bound to pop out.
Whenany swearing does occur, it is not usually malicious or cruel but is more often a result of cussing out of exasperation. The foul language reminds viewers of the characters' age, which is between 15 and 18 for the average Japanese high school student. It also makes the characters slightly more relatable; who wouldn’t throw out profanities after realizing the type of person Ren Yamai really is?
7Komi And Najimi
Najimi had met Komi years before they became classmates at Itan Private High School, however, they were initially quite put off by the gorgeous girl. Unaware of her social anxiety, Najimi mistook Komi’s silence for an insult, taking significant emotional damage in the process. However, once Komi saved the socialite from an overbearing admirer, Najimi quickly warmed up to their new friend.
In the manga, however, getting over that Komi intimidation factor was a morecomplex task for Najimi, as they battle to speak to the Class Goddess for quite some time. The communication barrier between these two is only broken down after Najimi learns how to avoid making eye contact with Komi during a conversation.
6Tadano’s Backstory
As the lead male protagonistinKomi Can’t Communicate,one would expect substantial uniformity between his representation in the anime and manga, however, this is not the case. Manga fans are gifted much greater insight into Tadano’s character, whereas the anime presents more of a manic pixie dream boy aura.
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Tadano used to be a Chuunibyou (like Nakanaka) and his love interest at the time was the class Madonna named Kawai. Believing himself to be charming with impeccable skills with the ladies (hense the Chuunibyou status), Tadano makes a grand gesture of his love… And is subsequently rejected. A mortified Tadano declares that he will be just an ordinary boy from then onwards, explaining the crucial character development that anime fans missed out on.
5The Significance Of The Notebook
While Najimi is on board with helping Komi make 100 friends in both the anime and the manga, they only really start insisting that Komi writes down a list of all her friend inSeason 2 ofKomi Can’t Communicate. This list of friends, however, is an important aspect that runs throughout the manga from as early as Chapter 19, not long after Komi and Najimi first become friends.
The anime makes up for this in a while by providing a visual “list” of new friends as Tadano and Najimi discuss Komi’s progress (while Komi observes). It is, however, quite satisfying to physically watch the list grow as each new friend’s name is physically written down in the manga.
4Insight Into Komi’s Thoughts
In theKomi Can’t CommunicateAnime, viewers are given a very basic overview of what goes on in Komi’s head, whereby the information is usually provided by the narrator or Tadano’s (quite accurate) predictions. However, Chapter 35 of the manga provides much greaterinsights into her socially anxious mind, allowing readers to empathize with Komi on another level.
Komi sits alone in her room, and does what so many fans have done before; plays the dangerous game of ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.’ Komi ruminates over past interactions with her friends, berating herself for her awkward responses, and now that she has had time to think about what she should have done. Poor Komi!
3The Komi Family
While glimpses of the rest of the Komi family are provided here and there in the anime, not much time has been dedicated to showing how Komi interacts with her family. Short scenes give a brief overview of Komi with her mother, father, and brother respectably, but otherwise, the topic of family is not much of a priority for the anime.
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In Chapter 49 of the manga, Komi is stuck athome during Summer Vacationand on that particular day, it is unbearably hot. Readers get to know another side of Komi, one that is completely relaxed and relatively at ease (besides the heat), as she lounges around the house and irritates her family as a typical teenager would, with barely an anxious moment in sight.
2Komi’s Grandmother
Fans are introduced to Komi’s grandmother in both the anime and the manga when the Komi family partakes in the Obon Festival. After paying their respects to their ancestors, they share a meal with Komi’s grandmother, Yuiko. It is a tradition in Japanese households to update the head of the family on personal issues, and when Yuiko finds out about Tadano, she is less than pleased.
The anime version of this interaction is relatively watered down, as Yuiko issimply disapproving of the assumed relationship, however, her reaction in the manga is significantly more dramatic. Bombarded with a thousand questions, Komi likely dissolved into a puddle of shame as her mother also joins in on the conversation. Back at home, Tadano suddenly sneezes due to his name being mentioned so often.
1Komi Can Cook
Although it is evident that Komi must possess some culinary skills in Season 1, episode 11 of the anime, viewers are only left with a slight impression that Komi is a good cook. However, the girl’s chef personae is explored in greater depth in the Manga.
After watching a cooking show with her brother in Chapter 49, Komi is inspired to replicate the meal. Her mother is worried and hovers nearby, but is quickly shooed away from the scene. Komi proceeds to make an elegant and complex-looking meatloaf platter all by herself and is met with a torrent of compliments. Who knows, maybe Komi willfind her confidence through cookingsome day.
Komi Can’t Communicateseason 2 episodes are available on Netflix.
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