(L+CR) It's Not My Fault I'm Not Popular (WATAMOTE)

[ninryu]

With the release of the anime adaption, will the manga be translated to English?

[Myssa Rei]

Originally Posted by ninryu

With the release of the anime adaption, will the manga be translated to English?

It's been licensed by Yen press for a while now, ya know...

[ninryu]

Geez, Tomoko is just too cute!

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

People are getting depressed over this? Why? Yes, I used to be able to relate to the whole 'unpopular loser with no friends' back in middle/high school...but those days are so far behind me so it's not like it hurts to see a character go through the same thing.
.........at least not to the point where it's painful to watch.

It's nothing about being able to relate or not to relate. In fact I think many people can relate to having a difficult adolescent and teenage life (although perhaps not to the extremes this girl is going through).

But still it is hard for me to laugh at her because while the situation might be presented in a humorous light the fact that she is really alone is just very sad to me. This isn't even about being pretty or getting a date but the fact that she is so absolutely alone. That she is even afraid to go to places to be seen by herself. She isn't just friendless but she is horrified that people will know that she is. And yet when she thinks mean things about the other girls and she sees them having fun with each other and the boys she just really wants to join in. That to me is heart breaking not funny.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I find Tomoko deeply painful. I was just socially inept enough in high school that I can totally relate. When I find myself starting to laugh at her, I'm not sure whether to feel ashamed of myself for doing it, or happy that I can. I'm hoping this show will help exorcise peoples' feelings of inadequacy, by the end.

[Lord of Fire]

I can relate to how she feels. Throughout my school life, I only had one friend and was a social outcast till after high school. I'm sociophobic, which I think Tomoko is as well, and even now, I have difficulty communicating with people I don't know. it's not as extreme, but I can relate nonetheless.

This show should therefor be right up my alley, and it definitely didn't disappoint, so this will probably one of the best shows this season.

[ID555]

Somehow the animation style reminds me of some American cartoons.

Anyway it's just too depressing to watch, like someone's self-deprecating humour taken too far and you just want to tell them stop... >.>

Well... "I'm coming" was funny

[Tsundere Louise]

I've watched the 1st episode and it was good. Her design looks better in the anime than in the original manga. The opening and the reference to Death Note were a pure genius. Also... I get a feeling that they made Tomoko a bit like an early, a bit creepy version of Konata from Lucky Star, don't you think?

[EroKing]

A couple of freebies.

[Pellissier]

I have to agree with those who found this first episode more sad than funny, in particular when considering her achievements and comparing them to reality (i.e. talked to boy 6 times in 3 years: platinum ; 31 rubbers collected out of 106. Gold.), I laughed a bit during the episode but never when Tomoko's misery was being described so bluntly.
Nevertheless it was very interesting and I look forward to see how it goes. Chances do look slim for Tomoko but you can't help but root for someone like her.

I was surprised to see that Oonuma Shin is the director because usually he always uses some special unique visual effect (like in Ef, C3, Bakatest, Tasogare), while here he didn't, or I didn't notice any.

Originally Posted by Tsundere Louise

Also... I get a feeling that they made Tomoko a bit like an early, a bit creepy version of Konata from Lucky Star, don't you think?

She reminded me a lot of Mitsudomoe's Hitoha. For that reason, I would have liked to hear Tomatsu Haruka in the role, but probably going with a relatively less known actress could be more effective.

[Libros]

Originally Posted by TheEroKing

A couple of freebies.

I'll take the this one, thank you.

[Shyni]

While I agree that this is pretty depressing so far, I find that a good thing, and it's a reason for me to watch this.

[Blonto]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

I don't think you have to restrict it to otaku. It's like Tomoki said, "If you were my brother, I'd hit you." A boy in her position (and I think this is equally true in Japan and the US) would be viewed as a wimp worthy only of our contempt. The only way for the character to be sympathetic is for her to be female.

Personally I don't consider Tomoko to be that sympathetic, at least not anymore than I would a guy. I guess she has the benefit of being allowed to cry, which makes her situation appear more serious, but based of some manga chapters, she keeps lying and constantly doing really stupid things, even if the series makes sure to let it all bite her in the ass more than it should.
There's plenty of comedy in the West about male friendless losers due to them being easier for guys to relate to and partly because female characters weren't allowed to have much variety in mainstream entertainment for a long time. And I think that, since the main character is by default male, people find it easier to handle a wider variety of personalities (even the loser one) without expecting him to conform to a certain narrow expectation regarding gender, which is why I think this series would have little success had it been done 15 years ago. The recent slew of anime with female casts distorted that a bit, since the creators realized they can cash in on merging the traits of a male main character (action, aggression, unusual or negative but relatable personality traits) and the traits of female characters (cuteness, emotionality, vulnerability, the fact that the viewers can be attracted to them), effectively both having the cake and eating it.

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Though that being said, I think the writer does a very good job of portraying a female otaku without excessive pandering to the guys in the audience. I like that she's playing otome games with hot, naked guys, unlike a certain unbelievably cute little sister. And there's that scene with the convenience store clerk -- when was the last time you saw a sympathetic female character in anime get hot and bothered by some random cute guy?

Yeah, that's something I liked. It was surprising to see a girl's sexual frustration handled so bluntly and without all that "waiting for the prince on a white horse" BS. And I'm glad they didn't shy away from the fact that some girls (especially otaku girls) have tastes that real guys will find repulsive and simply never be a part of. That was very refreshing to see.

[Traece]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

I was surprised to see that Oonuma Shin is the director because usually he always uses some special unique visual effect (like in Ef, C3, Bakatest, Tasogare), while here he didn't, or I didn't notice any.

It was surprisingly tame on a visual level. There was one scene that really struck me and it was when she moves to her brother's room and they show it from a top-down floor plan-esque perspective. That one was a new one for me, and it was an absolutely fantastic idea.

The nicest thing about this show is that on subjects like this, dating, trying to be popular, etc., we're usually treated to the male perspective. What especially sets this anime apart for me is that it's a serious female perspective on a more realistic highschool life. Plus, I like heroines and since she's not a whiny brat she's entertaining to watch.

[nojay]

Originally Posted by Traece

when she moves to her brother's room and they show it from a top-down floor plan-esque perspective.

Did you notice his TV set is slightly larger than hers?

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by nojay

Did you notice his TV set is slightly larger than hers?

And from the overhead view, his room seems close to twice the size of hers. Pretty ridiculous, considering that she is the elder. I wonder what happened.

[novalysis]

I think Tomoko really needs psychological intervention. She especially needs help on her inability to speak to strangers - yes, there are many other deeper reasons behind her social incompetence (including a schizophrenic yo-yoing between affecting contempt for the "crowd" and wanting to be in) , but the biggest barrier that I see is that she has a crippling inability to speak to anyone unfamiliar. Unfortunately, Japan's infamous taboo against psychological intervention is working against her.

At the very least, Hachiman, Keima and Kodaka or even Kotoura does not suffer from that crippling shyness, and phobia of speaking to others. Given the tone of this story- at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends with Tomoko committing suicide, or some other kind of horrific bad end.

[Randrak42]

Finally got the chance to watch the first episode...am I the only one that thinks Tomoko is way cuter in the anime than in the manga?

[kache]

Seen the first episode. Quite fun, definitely worth continuing.

[mystogan]

Originally Posted by Randrak42

Finally got the chance to watch the first episode...am I the only one that thinks Tomoko is way cuter in the anime than in the manga?

i hope they capture her creepy part just as good