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ravenclawlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Love the art style , and is a very wholesome beginning introduction to the story. I would highly reccomend if you want a an easy read.
cinnamonroll216's review against another edition
4.0
I final read this manga after putting it off for months. A girl who can't communicate her emotions but it takes one person to notice that you can't express your emotion and make friends and that in itself is human and even adults can't do that sometime and I recommend this too teens who are coming out or even people who don't know how to make friends. My one problem with the book is the main guy but I think that is to help out Komi but it still a good book.
sampauwels's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Autism~
rereader33's review against another edition
4.0
I have to say, I wasn't feeling this volume for the first two chapters, but after Tadano and Komi solidified their friendship, I was sold. Granted, I do have some hang ups, but the happy stuff first.
What I was worried about, first and foremost, was that Komi was going to be a stereotype of people with a communicative disorder, i.e. she has trouble talking to people but that's it. I am pleasantly surprised that Oda went the extra mile and added other symptoms to her disorder to make it seem more accurate and fleshed out (increased heartbeat when approaching any social situation, wants to avoid/run from certain situations, believes that others hate her because she never talks/perceived as gloomy, etc.). While these symptoms are only a handful of what most people with a communication disorder would go through, but it's better than simply making her scared to talk.
Tadano is probably the most perfect person to be friends with Komi and help her make other friends because while he's genuinely a good guy, he's also mildly socially awkward and has trouble communicating with others. He's a step above Komi, but not by a lot, and I think it makes him a). more relatable and b). a good pair with Komi in the sense that he isn't so socially savvy that you'd question why he's having trouble helping her. Also, it makes the interactions between them that much funnier.
Najimi and Agari are good additions to the friendship roster for volume one, because Najimi is super social and can be there to give Komi the push Tadano won't, and Agari because she's so damn weird it hopefully makes Komi feel better being the "normal" one. Quick note on the artwork/art style: kind of plain and not always engaging, but the more sentimental moments and the expressions more than make up for it.
Now, unfortunately, onto the gripes I had.
One thing I had a slight issue with was Najimi's introduction. Tadano is clearly flustered that she's wearing the girl's uniform and reminds her that she used to wear the boy's uniform because, and this is the tricky part, he had ASSUMED she was a guy, but it turns out she's a girl, ACCORDING TO HER. Later on, when a buff guy confesses to her, she tells him, completely straight faced, that she's a boy. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? Is she actually transgender, or did she make that up to shoot down that guy's confession? Did she have a valid reason for wearing a boy's uniform in middle school, or is she really a guy who transitioned? I'm asking because I GENUINELY DON'T KNOW AND IT BOTHERS ME. Maybe this will be explained later in the series or maybe this was a one-off gag, but if it's the latter that's kid of weird and slightly unsettling. If it does get explained later, than you may excuse my rant. Despite the introduction, do enjoy Najimi's character and definitely think she's a good addition to Komi's friend group. Just think her intro could have been handled better.
The last thing I want to discuss is how hostile and over-the-top the background students are towards anyone who insults/gets near Komi. Okay, I get it, this is a comedy about extreme character traits/social conditions, and extreme characters are bound to exist as would be expected. My problem is that THEY JUST MET KOMI AND THEY'RE ALREADY TREATING HER LIKE A GODDESS. Seriously, that's ridiculous, even for a comedy series. Not to mention the hostility is completely uncalled for and isn't even justified. Komi has literally done NOTHING in this series so far other than tremble in fear of her classmates, and yet she is on a golden pedestal because she's "beautiful" and "aloof". Seriously? And I get, it's meant to be funny, but it honestly is the least funny aspect of the entire series.
Despite my rants, I did thoroughly enjoy this volume and am continuing on with the series. I look forward to what volume two has to offer!
What I was worried about, first and foremost, was that Komi was going to be a stereotype of people with a communicative disorder, i.e. she has trouble talking to people but that's it. I am pleasantly surprised that Oda went the extra mile and added other symptoms to her disorder to make it seem more accurate and fleshed out (increased heartbeat when approaching any social situation, wants to avoid/run from certain situations, believes that others hate her because she never talks/perceived as gloomy, etc.). While these symptoms are only a handful of what most people with a communication disorder would go through, but it's better than simply making her scared to talk.
Tadano is probably the most perfect person to be friends with Komi and help her make other friends because while he's genuinely a good guy, he's also mildly socially awkward and has trouble communicating with others. He's a step above Komi, but not by a lot, and I think it makes him a). more relatable and b). a good pair with Komi in the sense that he isn't so socially savvy that you'd question why he's having trouble helping her. Also, it makes the interactions between them that much funnier.
Najimi and Agari are good additions to the friendship roster for volume one, because Najimi is super social and can be there to give Komi the push Tadano won't, and Agari because she's so damn weird it hopefully makes Komi feel better being the "normal" one. Quick note on the artwork/art style: kind of plain and not always engaging, but the more sentimental moments and the expressions more than make up for it.
Now, unfortunately, onto the gripes I had.
One thing I had a slight issue with was Najimi's introduction. Tadano is clearly flustered that she's wearing the girl's uniform and reminds her that she used to wear the boy's uniform because, and this is the tricky part, he had ASSUMED she was a guy, but it turns out she's a girl, ACCORDING TO HER. Later on, when a buff guy confesses to her, she tells him, completely straight faced, that she's a boy. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? Is she actually transgender, or did she make that up to shoot down that guy's confession? Did she have a valid reason for wearing a boy's uniform in middle school, or is she really a guy who transitioned? I'm asking because I GENUINELY DON'T KNOW AND IT BOTHERS ME. Maybe this will be explained later in the series or maybe this was a one-off gag, but if it's the latter that's kid of weird and slightly unsettling. If it does get explained later, than you may excuse my rant. Despite the introduction, do enjoy Najimi's character and definitely think she's a good addition to Komi's friend group. Just think her intro could have been handled better.
The last thing I want to discuss is how hostile and over-the-top the background students are towards anyone who insults/gets near Komi. Okay, I get it, this is a comedy about extreme character traits/social conditions, and extreme characters are bound to exist as would be expected. My problem is that THEY JUST MET KOMI AND THEY'RE ALREADY TREATING HER LIKE A GODDESS. Seriously, that's ridiculous, even for a comedy series. Not to mention the hostility is completely uncalled for and isn't even justified. Komi has literally done NOTHING in this series so far other than tremble in fear of her classmates, and yet she is on a golden pedestal because she's "beautiful" and "aloof". Seriously? And I get, it's meant to be funny, but it honestly is the least funny aspect of the entire series.
Despite my rants, I did thoroughly enjoy this volume and am continuing on with the series. I look forward to what volume two has to offer!
crlyhairedbibliophile's review
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
softcats's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
pigsandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book was sooo good! I picked this book up because of the title and the synopsis hoping that I could relate to Komi in the way that 'she can't communicate' and this book delivered all that I wanted! This book had a good protagonist, a relatable character who doesn't have any friends because she can't communicate to anyone besides I assume her family, but she wants friends and wants to be able to be more sociable and talkative and that's the kind of character I wanted to read about! a character that wasn't sociable but wanted to be (all the books that I read where there was a character that wasn't sociable either didn't care that they weren't sociable and liked hanging by themselves or them not being sociable was barely focused on.) This book also had humour and a plot that made me want to keep reading the series (The plot is that Komi wants to get 100 friends and the main character Tadano wants to help her achieve that goal. so i'm looking forward to seeing all of the hopefully interesting characters that will be her friends) I really loved Komi and ofc the many scenes that I related to and I can't wait to read Vol. 2!!
This was my first longish review of a book (well manga actually but still a book) and I really hope it wasn't too bad and was easy to read..
This was my first longish review of a book (well manga actually but still a book) and I really hope it wasn't too bad and was easy to read..
sunny_day's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
3.0
While I didn't really have any issues with volume 1 of Komi Can't Communicate, there was nothing about it that made me want to continue reading it (especially since I've seen how many volumes have been produced so far). I think I'd rather just watch the anime adaptation.
asia599's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5