Story:
It's basically the same formula repeated: Tomoko tries to become popular/find a friend - she fails horribly - hilarity/cringe ensues. As a comedy, WataMote mostly fails. While it could get a good laugh out of me every now and then, most of the time I just felt either pity or embarrassment. Most viewers will find relatable qualities in Tomoko, although I seriously hope not too many of them. I don't think I've ever seen something as weird as this. Or maybe it wasn't intended to be like this and we were supposed to laugh at the loser girl? Anyway, this is a very awkward watch and not funny most of the time (though very funny when it is).
4/10
Art:
WataMote looks quite good. During many of Tomokos fantasies/delusions, the art style shifts to something else, either a sparkly shoujo world or a cubic portrait of her or the pencil drawings that we also see in the opening. That is very creative and keeps the show from becoming too dull to look at. The character design for the main character is certainly something else, while the rest of the cast (except maybe her brother) look rather generic, though that's the point.
8/10
Sound:
I love the opening. Not only does it hit my taste in music, it also fits nicely with Tomokos inner anger at the world (one episode transitioned into the opening, which was pretty awesome). The ending song is another case of terrible in a cute way. Izumi Kitta does an outstanding job as Tomoko, rarely have I heard somebody living their character that much, no doubt one of the best seiyuu works I've ever heard. Everybody else does their job well too.
9/10
Characters:
This is a one (wo)man show anime and stands and falls with the main character. Most people will agree, that it's next to impossible to not feel sorry for her. Every teenager has gone through phases like this, and if you weren't a popular kid, it was even worse. Tomoko however is the ultimate queen of teenage angst and unpopularity. While you may laugh at one part, another will make you go "uh, I know how that feels". I have to state though, that much of this is her own damn fault. She rejects the world and the people around her and keeps herself from making any progress, so you shouldn't just see a victim in her. It's okay to want to see her succeed, but she also deserves some of the things happening to her. Long story short, Tomoko is a very interesting character with lots of shades. (Shout ot to Imae, who's a really nice girl)
9/10
Enjoyment:
Did I enjoy WataMote? Yes and no. It was entertaining all the way through, but it felt uncomfortable too often to make me say I "enjoyed" it. Once you realize that Tomoko will never break the circle, it robs you of anything to hope or look forward to. If you have a sadistic kind of humor though, you will probably like this anime a lot. For me, it was nice to see once, but I wouldn't come back to watch it again.
6/10
Overall:
7.2/10
