RCUJay: First Impression: Watamote

Synopsis

Watamote is an anime that follows Tomoko Kuroki, a young otaku who is about to enter high school. Tomoko is extremely excited about her new high school life as she believes that upon entering high school she'll become popular. However, she soon finds out that she is awkward and unsociable as ever and the story follows Tomoko in her attempt to improve her social status and image.

Thoughts

Even before watching this show, I knew that I would most likely love it. While there has been many anime to feature the lives of otaku in the past, this is the first I have seen in which the otaku in question is female. I was curious to see how this character would be depicted and how well I, as girl who was super anime obsessed and awkward growing up, would be able to relate to her. After watching the first couple episodes of Watamote I can honestly say Tomoko has become one of my favorite anime character to date. Tomoko is weird, a bit perverted, silly, self-conscious, sincere and the ridiculously awkward situations she encounters on quest for popularity are so painfully familiar that I don't know whether to laugh or curl into a ball. From her attempt to avoid classmates she see outside of school, to her "realization" that she might not be as pretty as other girls, this anime could very well be an animated remake of my middle school and early high school life. I think what I like most about Tomoko and this series is the fact that, it's not like Tomoko is ashamed of her otaku lifestyle. While trying to become popular, she still watches anime, plays video games, makes geeky references and jokes, and finds comfort in her obsession. However, she also has a desire to be accepted by and interacted with her classmates, who don't seem to share any similar interest. It's funny, but at the same time heart-breaking watching Tomoko try to step out of her shell to make new friends, only to comeback bitter and defeated when things go wrong. It's like one minute, you see that vulnerable side of her that longs to make friends and grab the attention of boys, but then, a wave of self doubt will splash over her, and she'll act like these things aren't worth her time to try to save face. However, despite my "deep" analysis of this series, I have to mention that it's really funny and even if you can't relate to Tomoko (which...like...how?) you'll at least get a good laugh. All in all it's definitely going to be a show I'll stick with.