r/watamote

No new chapter today. It's been postponed to August 27.

Many people watching Watamote always say that Tomoko in her first year is very bitter and judgemental. But that is only in her head, she doesn’t take it out on others

>The latest chapter was good.

Source.

It's soo good. I binged it the first time and became a total fan. There are lots of anime about introverted guys but it hits differently from a girl's perspective. Tomoko is the perfect representation of a misfit and a loner. That one scene broke me when she was lighting firecrackers by herself in her backyard. This anime will always stay close to my heart.

I want to know you guys experience too.

>To be honest, I kind of understand.

In my defense, it's been long since the last time I did a repost... and this one is from five years ago.

Source.

Shock

I've been wondering about this ever since I finished the anime.

Watamote seems to be one of those series that's really split in terms of reception. On MyAnimeList, it's even listed in the "They hate it, I love it" section. I ended up giving it a 10/10, and that made me think about why it clicks so much with some people while others can't stand it.

I wonder if part of the reason is that most people watch Tomoko with sympathy or second-hand embarrassment, rather than trying to experience the world the way she does.

I know Tomoko isn't a true hikikomori, but she's close enough that a lot of her struggles come from the same place: isolation, social anxiety, overthinking every interaction, wanting to connect with people but not knowing how. For many viewers, that's just "cringe." For me, it felt painfully honest.

I haven't read the manga yet, so I'm only talking about the anime, but watching it was strangely comforting. I could relate to Tomoko in more ways than I'd like to admit. I don't have many friends either, and I'd say I'm somewhere on that borderline of social isolation myself. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, I felt understood. It was one of the few times I've watched a character and thought, "Yeah... someone actually gets it."

Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. If you've never experienced that kind of loneliness, Watamote probably comes across as an awkward comedy. But if you have, it can feel less like a comedy and more like someone putting your thoughts on screen.

Did anyone else have that experience