★★★★
I’m so used to watching Chinese cartoons with cute girls doing cute things. They’re shows that tell me, “We know you love this garbage. Remember to buy the blu-rays and any shit with their faces printed on it.” So when something comes along that doesn’t pander I’m caught off guard; something with a meaningful character I’m reminded that I’m still a person that just wants a connection to another human being. Tomoko, the main character, isn’t cute and she doesn’t do cute things. To put it gently… she’s a fucking loser.
And I love it.
There’s a genre of humor called cringe comedy. A good example is The Office. It’s a type of humor where we watch characters get put into awkward situations. You’ll be embarrassed for them, but you’ll be glad they’re not you. Except, sometimes the circumstances will hit too close to home. You’ll get a little PTSD about high school (or the war). What happens to Tomoko will feel very familiar to a lot of you.
That’s part of what I loved about the show. There are moments that will feel like it was lifted right out of somebody’s life—and it was! Apparently, the author took a lot of stories from her own school days. But what I loved more was how real Tomoko felt.
She’s a disgusting, awkward, pretentious, lonely, procrastinating, daydreaming, petty, delusional nerd.
I’ve got no complaints. It ends abruptly because it’s only an adaptation so enjoy the show for what it is. Blu-ray sales were low in Japan (which proves those moonspeakers have no taste). But good news is this did better overseas.
