It was 2020, when in an article dedicated to a completely different theme, namely the closure of pirate sites KissAnime And KissManga, I wrote that of course, their work was illegal, but thanks to sites like that absolutely unknown series they could have some small chance of gaining a modicum of popularity outside of Japan. Among the series mentioned there was just Komi-san wa Komyushou desu, translated as Komi Can’t Communicate. I couldn’t know that soon, J-POP he would have announced its publication in Italy, which has been going on for a couple of years now, having reached volume 18 (out of 25 published so far in Japan, where the series is still continuing with more than 300 chapters).
Last year, an anime adaptation was announced exclusively on Netflix in October, a few weeks behind the Japanese publication. The first 12 episodes had been included, in their own right, on our list of the best anime of 2021. The series, divided into two seasons, aired until June 2022, and these are our impressions of the 24 episodes released so far, considering that an Italian dubbing has also been made of the first season.
- Original title: Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu.
- English title: Komi Can’t Communicate
- Japanese release: October 2021
- Italian release: October 2021 – June 2022
- Platform: Crunchyroll
- Genre: Comedy, romantic, zany
- Number of episodes: 24
- Duration: 24 minutes
- Animation studio: OLM, inc.
- Adapted from: manga by Tomohito Oda
- Tongue: Japanese (dubbing), Italian (dubbing and subtitles)
We reviewed Komi can’t communicate via Netflix streaming platform.
Words don’t come out of my mouth
The story of Komi can’t communicateas the title suggests, focuses on the figure of Shouko Komia beautiful girl who attends the Itan private high schoola school full of characters out of the ordinary, bizarre and characterized by names that are almost all puns that explain the whole archetype of their personality. Cold and detached, without friends, everyone thinks that Komi has this attitude because she feels superior to anyone, but the truth is quite different … Komi suffers from social anxiety and a communication disorder so strong that it prevents her from speaking to anyone if not in the most desperate cases (or on the phone). The story is told to us more or less from the point of view of Hitohito Tadano (his name can be literally translated as “any guy”), Komi’s classmate, perfectly average in everything, as well as her first friend, the only one who can understand her real problem, and who decides to help her to realize his dream, which is to have 100 different friends.
The episodes, narrated according to a classic slice-of-life scheme and therefore divided into about three micro-narratives at a time that go to adapt a chapter of the manga, show us some clips of the daily life of Tadano and Komi at school or wandering around the city, a couple who are soon joined by increasingly demented characters such as Osana Najimi (literally “childhood friend”), Makeru Yadano (literally “I hate losing”), and many others. Each one embodies a certain stereotype, which he respects quite faithfully without particular developments. To change are only the situations in which the characters find themselves, and a little bit slowly Komi begins to come out of her shell, with great approval of Tadano.
The right mix of comedy and romance
Those expecting a romantic comedy will be seriously disappointed with Komi can’t Communicate. The feelings between Komi and Tadano develop naturally, very slowly, and romance is by no means an important point for the author.who instead prefers to bombard us with comic gags that arise from the constant misunderstandings between Komi (in some way, no one apart from Tadano seems to notice his problems) and his classmates, in an attempt to make friends with them. This is a very light slice of life series, to watch for a few laughs along with a cast of truly insane characters.
Of course, there is also the back of the coin. The characters behave more or less always according to an archetype assigned to them, without there being a real one character development, and this works for all the episodes released so far (spoiler: they won’t change even after 300 chapters of the manga) therefore, the characters will always behave more or less the same way. Fortunately, the variety of situations and gags net of these episodes is absolutely not tiring, while still remaining fun, even if they do not shine with originality: the strong point is the execution, and the comic timing of Tomohito Oda definitely hit the spot. Furthermore, the absurd amount of characters introduced as the story progresses allows us to always introduce a new archetype to play with. The moments of greatest pathos, present but sipped, usually placed at the end of the various episodes, manage to strike the audience to the heart when they least expect it.
Komi is divine. Furthermore.
I study OLM, inc. and specifically the sub-division Kojima teamis the company that took care of creating the animated transposition of this manga and, as far as the technical sector is concerned, we are faced with a well-made product, which does not excel in animation quality or unnecessary graphic tinsel, but still manages to do a more than decent job without too many smudges. Distinctive feature of the manga has always been the extreme stylization of the characters in the most comic moments, as well as the use of text boxes and even some breaking of the fourth wall to make the gags more impactful, and this transposition was faithful to the original too. in this. The real stars of the production, however, are the opening and closing themes, in particular the opening theme of the first opening, Cinderella sung by Cidergirl and made with a very particular style of animation, and also the closing theme of the second season, Koshaberi Biyori sung by FantasticYouth And made entirely with rotoscoping and pixel art, really impacting from a visual point of view.
Now let’s talk about dubbing, a more fundamental element than you think for the creation of a product that, above all else, must mainly be comic and make the viewer laugh. Paradoxically, the less appropriate choice for dubbing is the one linked to the protagonist Komi, who was given the voice of Aoi Kogaknown to most for having dubbed Kaguya Shinomiya in Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The voice actress, of undeniable talent, however, failed to give a unique vocal imprint to Komi, who in those few times where she actually speaks causes an alienation effect to anyone who is following or has also followed the adventures of the vice-president of the Shuchiin academy, in another dimension: it really seems that the same person is speakinga bit like it happens with Takehito Koyasu (the voice actor of Dio Brando); try as he might, his timbre is so distinctive that it always seems like that vampire has the ability to navigate the multiverse. For the rest of the cast, the voices were chosen by putting in the right mix of “veterans” and new generation. The Italian dubbing, as often happens, is well made by Netflix standards, also going to launch a whole new series of young promises, but the jokes and comic gags lack a bit of bite without the screams of the original seiyuu.
Who do we recommend Komi Can’t Communicate to?
Komi Can’t Communicate is currently one of the best comic anime series available on Netflix. Even serious issues such as social anxiety and communication difficulties are dealt with in a light way and played down here, even if there are certainly some moments of pathos and slightly more serious subplots. The romantic component, which then takes on a certain weight within the manga, has not yet been explored in the 24 episodes released so far, of which we expect a continuation. If you are looking for particularly poignant plots or refined humor, perhaps you should look elsewhere, because Komi relies heavily on simple comedy, made up of misunderstandings and stereotypes, and really “inconclusive” plots if not to analyze more deeply the relationship between Tadano and Komi.
- Gags based on the stereotypes embodied by the characters, but well made and fun
- Good mix of comedy and romance, while preferring the former
- Good quality animation
- Italian dubbing that does not do justice to the original series
- As always, Netflix’s distribution lags far behind Japan
Komi can’t communicate
One of the best anime available on Netflix
A comic and demented anime, with unique and wacky characters who go to get into increasingly strange situations just to be friends with Komi and Tadano. A slow slice of life pace with a hint of teenage romance here and there, and the perfect dish is served. Komi Can’t Communicate it is as refreshing as a slush in the summer, and warms the heart like a hot chocolate in the winter. A great series to watch for a laugh and relax after a busy day, accompanied by a cast of highly respected voice actors and the magnetic beauty of Shouko Komi. We were also conquered by it: this is currently one of the best titles available on Netflix, in the already vast catalog of anime on the platform.
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