I don’t remember how this book came to my attention. Gave it a try last night, read most of it and skimmed the last fourth. I liked the premise but it was a bit hard to focus on (maybe I’m just not fully recovered yet) and I was baffled by some of the characters’ reactions to things. Not sure if this is due to something lost in translation, a Japanese sense of humor I don’t quite get, or that I’m simply not a high school student anymore. There are two main characters: Tadano and Komi. Tadano is a very ordinary guy who just wants to avoid attention and blend in, after a bad experience in his previous school where he was bullied. He soon notices Komi, whom everyone admires. Komi is beautiful and aloof- but Tadano realizes she’s actually not snobby, she just has extreme social anxiety, so she never talks. She literally freezes up in social situations, and can’t get any words out. There’s a nice scene where Tadano and Kmoi start a conversation by writing all over a classroom chalkboard. Tadano makes it his goal to help Komi make friends.
I thought this was all pretty intriguing, but the presentation just didn’t work for me. The chapters are very short, the jokes didn’t make me laugh, the different character’s attributes were exaggerated in a way that made it seem that was the only thing about them. Another girl who’s very nervous, that’s all you ever see of her- having the jitters. Another character is gender fluid, but the way this was presented made think the author thought it was a joke? I really didn’t get it. Oh well. This is one I don’t think I’ll be continuing. It’s a series with twenty-five volumes! I wonder if it gets better further on. Or if I’d get used to the tiny panels and comic facial expressions.
Borrowed from the public library.
