Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Komi Can’t Communicate

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: On his first day of school at Itan High, Tadano (much like all the other new students) is struck by the beauty of his classmate, Komi. Her elegant way of carrying herself and her reticence to speak give her a mysterious air that only seems to make her more attractive to those around her. Tadano’s assigned seat is right next to Komi, and this puts him in the crossfire of the other boys. That said, there’s definitely something odd about Komi – she doesn’t seem to want to talk much.

When Tadano finds himself alone in the classroom with Komi after a bout of unconsciousness, he discovers (as she writes it all out on the blackboard in chalk) that she wants nothing more than to make friends, but she struggles with an inability to speak to anyone out loud. This social anxiety has haunted her since middle school, and though she wants to overcome it she believes that no one around her likes her. Knowing this to be completely untrue, Tadano volunteers to be Komi’s first friend, and to help introduce her to even more.

Impressions: Social anxiety is a strange beast. It’s an affliction that’s probably much more common than most people realize, because it manifests in so many different ways, some of which aren’t outwardly obvious. I’ve struggled with it for years – for me it seems closely related to ADHD and often prevents me from using the phone and making appointments for things (especially medical appointments or anything having to do with car maintenance… yeah, it’s inconvenient to say the least). It also tries to convince me that the people who I consider friends are somehow only pretending to enjoy spending time with me and secretly dislike me. Because of this I have a difficult time maintaining long-term friendships and opening up to others, because on some level I feel like sharing intimate knowledge of my own feelings is somehow just providing other people with ammunition to use against me.

My social anxiety has never reached the level of having to navigate selective mutism (at least not on a regular basis or a large scale) but in spite of that I have some sense of the inner turmoil Komi seems to be dealing with. Wanting to speak up, to participate in life, even just to say “good morning” to others is such a human desire. We base so much of our identities as sentient beings on this singular form of communication that those who aren’t able to utilize it can become isolated not by their own choice.

This episode spends lengthy stretches of time in relative quiet, letting its protagonists’ words come out through the sound of chalkboard scratches, Tadano’s inner (and outer) monolog, and Komi’s expressive body language. Anime is often known for its characters’ outward declarations of their own feelings and intentions, so this is an interesting break from that tendency and one which brings fullness to the themes of the story. If anyone out there who’s reading has been blessed to live their lives without struggling deeply with the sort of anxious turmoil that causes one to fold themselves inward and away, perhaps this episode might serve as an entry into the inner world of someone whose greatest desires are often hamstrung by the frustrating and counter-productive workings of their own brain. If I’d been able to point to something like this every time someone told me to just have a better attitude, maybe some things might be different now.

Pros: This has to be one of the prettiest premieres I’ve seen this season. The character animation is expressive and there’s some great visual comedy that helps break up some of the more emotional moments into manageable pieces. The character designs are round and unique, and lend themselves well to the goofy faces that the characters make during funnier moments. There are also lots of very little details that allow a fuller sense of realism – I think specifically I really liked the little bits of chalk dust falling from the chalk board as Komi and Tadano wrote to one-another.

Cons: I really liked the intimacy of the friendship that started to develop between the two central characters here, and I’m worried that there may not be much more of that as the series goes on. The end of the episode reveals that this prep school in particular tends to weight the makeup of its student body toward uniqueness, and in anime terms this generally means people who are extremely goofy. I worry that, as Komi embarks on her quest for 100 friends, many of them will end up being annoying to deal with.

Content Warnings: Depictions of social anxiety.

Would I Watch More? – I think I’ll probably watch a little more of this just to see if my concerns pan out. I really enjoyed the first episode and think it has potential. And Netflix is releasing it weekly, which is a miracle in and of itself, so I definitely want to encourage that further.