Komi Can’t Communicate by Tomohito Oda
Reviewed by: Atlas Agunod, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Graphic novel, comedy
Suggested age: Teens and Adults
What is This Book About? Komi’s dream is to make 100 friends! However, she’s got a big problem: she has terrible social anxiety. None of her peers seem to notice though. Rather, everybody mistakes her quietness and lack of expression as cool aloofness until she meets Tadano. He finds out about her lack of communication skills and her dream to make 100 friends, so he does what any good friend would do, help Komi achieve her dream! There’s just one more problem though…Tadano doesn’t have any friends either!
My Review: I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did! The situations Komi is put in mixed with her shyness make great comedy, especially because of how relatable some of them are. I was scared it might turn into a poorly written, almost forced romance between her and Tadano, but there are only well-written hints of that in the story that feel well earned. The different characters Komi attempts to befriend are also a driving force for this series, and each one is like a walking comedy bit. However, the comedy never gets in the way of actually progressing the story. When reading, I could tell the side characters really do care for Komi and want to be her friends. I can’t wait to see where this series goes! I’m rooting for Komi to make those 100 friends!
Rating: 5/5
Three Words That Describe This Book: Funny, Relatable, Cute
Give This a Try if You Like: Slice of life manga, Shoujo manga
