WataMote (or No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular!) is a show that would appeal to you entirely based on your taste in anime. Even though I really enjoyed it I could easily see someone saying it just isn't their cup of tea. The majority of the show focuses on Tomoko and the anxiety she feels with social interaction...And that's essentially it. There are a few other characters but they're in it so little they're barely developed. For the most part all we really see is Tomoko's struggles to interact with other people. I could easily see this getting old with people and even though I enjoyed it I did think it was wise to keep the length to a mere twelve episodes.But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about Tomoko and why she is possibly one of my favorite anime characters of all time. And that's not a title I bandy about lightly. Before I begin though I should mention that I, like Tomoko, struggle with a great deal of social anxiety so it's entirely possible that I'm biased here.
What makes the show work for me is the way her social anxiety is portrayed which is to say, very realistically. There were dozens of scenes that, having experienced something similar myself, I could easily relate to. I think the show does a fantastic job of displaying the thoughts and feelings that people with this form of anxiety tend to go through. So without further ado here is a short list of some of the brilliant scenes that made this portrayal seem so realistic to me.
1. Tomoko almost always has some inner commentary on the things people around her are saying. It's a classic response of someone who wants desperately to contribute to the conversation but is unable to out of anxiety. Even the way her inner commentary sometimes bitterly lashes out at these people seems like a realistic example of frustration she feels at her impotence in the situation. A lot of the time Tomoko has a bit of a sour grapes response to being unable to socialize, again most probably, out of sheer frustration.
2. There's a scene in one episode where Tomoko takes shelter from the rain under a pavilion only to have to two other people take refuge there as well moments later. Her instant response is a strong desire to leave, but she cant bring herself to because she's worried it will come off as rude or weird. First of as someone who suffers from social anxiety it is also my instinct to want to leave a room as soon as someone else enters. Secondly why would they think anything of her leaving and even if they did what would it matter? The answer of course that they wouldn't really notice or care, but Tomoko's anxiety, which operates as a sort of hyper awareness of the people around her, is certain that all eyes are on her, weighing her up so to speak. This so perfectly illustrates the perspective of people with social anxiety that I can't help suspecting that the author either has it himself or knows someone who does.
3. In one episode Tomoko's class is preparing for the culture festival. Everyone is finding some task that needs doing except Tomoko who is too shy to ask for something to do. Eventually she does manage to get something to do (cutting some paper) and she immediately starts thinking of a way to drag it out so she'll have something to do the entire time these preparations are happening. As long as she is at least seeming to do something she feels comfortable, but standing around with nothing to do has her anxiety start to build up. Truth be told I found myself in this sort of situation more than once during high school.
Honestly I could go on and on, but I think I've made my point. It's an enjoyable show that I could relate to all to well. It's the first depiction of social anxiety I've ever seen anime that seems to really understand what it's talking about. And while I don't think the show is perfect by any means I appreciate it for going the extra mile and doing something a bit out of the norm.
