Anime review: WataMote (2013)

(Also known by its complete title Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!)

A cult classic that quickly became a household name in any anime forum/imageboard discussion, thus a large cultural hole for me that I filled only now; even though I had read some chapters of the manga eons ago, I didn't consider myself familiar enough with it.

The idea of a lonely and desperate social failure as a comedy's main character isn't new, but this time, I was both pleasantly (and unpleasantly) surprised to see it being done without any half-assing. By that, I mean that Tomoko felt realistic in her desperation and bitterness, even in the way this life warped her into someone cold, selfish and generally unlikable.

In addition, there isn't a single hint of redemption, no happy ending here. She remains both unpopular and pathetic, both incapable of embracing the loner way and still terribly delusional (because the comedy would stop, then).

But rating the humour itself, hmmm… I'd say that the gag and reference hit rate was pretty good, even if there were weaker parts and some inevitable repetition. Thank God it was only a single cour, could have gotten really old otherwise!