Manga: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 5

 

Content Warning: A chainsaw, some stupidity, and a boy in girl’s clothing. If that really bothers you…

Oh, boy, it’s weird to read something this far back in the series, as volume 17 (!!!) just dropped in English recently (at the time of typing). So, it’s weird to see some things here that may or may not become important later.

This volume opens with Komi kind of stalking Tadano and a new character, Onemine. Now, she’s talking them because she wants to join in on the conversation, but because she doesn’t know Onemine, Komi has trouble approaching them. Of course, it’s going to get a little more complicated in a minute. After this opening, we see that everyone in class is trying to get Tadano, as class president, to commit to their pet projects or ideas, as well as getting all the work dumped on him. When Najimi tries to run out on Tadano, Onemine stops them and starts to help out. While helping out, Onemine and Tadano are walking and talking. It’s here that we see that Onemine doesn’t really know Komi at all and Tadano educates her on what Komi is really like. This is where we come back to the opening. Onemine tries to say hi to Komi but Komi hides and even Tadano is confused. Later on, Tadano and Onemine are getting started on the piles of papers and they say Komi can go. However, Komi wants to help and Onenime puts two and two together (or should I say that one plus one plus one makes a crowd?) and takes off. The next day, Komi apologizes and then Onemine apologizes for hogging Tadano and that she’ll be rooting for them. I like this little introduction, as Onemine is going to be around for a while and it makes it feel natural.

The next chapter is a bit of filler, about Komi not going to school due to a typhoon, and she ends getting a call from Tadano after the power goes out. Mind you, her mom is home but it’s Tadano she ends up talking with to calm down. Her mom sees this but knows better than to get in the way. It’s cute, it’s short, but it is filler.

The next chapter is about Ren Yamai’s obsession with seeing Komi’s underwear. Which, have I mentioned how creepy this girl is? This is another short one that’s just filler but I don’t like it as much, because of how creepy this girl is.

Next up, we have a chapter about getting food with a half day of school. Agari takes them (Komi, Najimi, and Tadano) to a family run place to eat. She’s never been there before but ends up giving it a try because Najimi says they should go to a place she’s never been to before, and the place is always empty. Before they walk inside, the father and daughter that run the place are having an argument and the daughter mentions a really popular reviewer known as Ramen Core. When Komi sits down, they assume that she’s Ramen Core. Spoilers, it’s actually Agari. But, they bend over backwards to serve Komi before anyone else. While cooking, the father realizes that what he’s forgotten about why he went into the business in the first place. He then whips up something fantastic. This leads Agari to give them a high review and business picks up for them.

Now, it’s time for the major story of this (and a bit of the next) volume, the cultural festival. This is something that’s important in Japan, or so my reading of manga and watching of anime would leave me to believe. Anyway. This story starts with the class unable to decide what THEY want Komi to do. There’s a lot of ideas, and even another new character introduced, but again, it’s all about what they want Komi to do. When Komi reveals that she voted for the Maid Cafe idea, everyone changes their vote and the idea is settled on. Now, they have to actually get started on making the outfits and whatever else. Of course, they can’t have Komi do any work so she ends up sitting on a throne while everyone else toils away. This isn’t what Komi wants and it actually makes her very uncomfortable, so she leaps to help Otori when asked if she will go with her to buy supplies. Onemine, her mom sense tingling, also goes with them and they wander into the hardware store. Somehow, they manage to lose the slow-moving Otori not once but twice, with her acquiring a chainsaw the second time. This girl is a menace, don’t let the stoner vibe fool you! Jokes aside, we’re really starting to get more characters in this volume, that’s for sure. The final part of the preparations is getting flyers put up around the area. Komi strikes out at the first place she goes to, because she’s so nervous, but has better luck at the salon where she gets her hair cut. And at the ramen place they visited with Agari a few volumes back. And at the restaurant they went to earlier in the volume. There’s one more thing before the festival itself starts, and that’s the girls feeding the boys after all their hard work. I won’t comment on the gender issue there but just know that I let out a small sigh. Anyway, Onemine made the larger rice balls, Yamai made the smaller ones, and Komi made the perfect ones. Oh, and Najimi made the ones that aren’t actually spheres. Because everyone wants Komi’s rice balls (there’s a turn of phrase for you), they end up doing Jan-Ken for it and Tadano gets a “perfectly square” one. Which is, of course, one of Komi’s as she kind of liked the idea of doing weird ones. When Onemine makes a crack about it, Komi turns bright red.

Finally, the cultural festival begins! And they get Komi in a short skirt. For four panels. After that, she gets to wear a long skirt. And we get another character, an older guy who has a thing about maid cafes. Now, this is the first time we see this happen in the manga but I’m going to tell you right now that something similar happens during the next festival. Once again, Komi’s super power activates and he reads way too much into her lack of speaking. However, she does actually say something to him as he’s leaving. It’s not much but it’s a moment to let you know that Komi is slowly improving her social skills. Afterwards, Najimi gets Tadano into a maid outfit. It’s mostly played for laughs but I really have to wonder why he did it. Oh, and it will happen again. Honestly, his character model doesn’t look half bad when in women’s clothing and they give him a rather ridiculous wig to wear. As shenanigans must ensue, Komi’s mom shows up, and says “I understand” when she realizes that it’s Tadano in the outfit. Komi’s brother also shows up and gets put in Komi’s throne by the girls but feels uncomfortable and leaves. And then Tadado’s little sister (Hitomi, I believe) turns up. She takes a picture of Tadano and sends it to their mom. Komi does think that Tadano looks cute in the maid outfit, however.

One thing that becomes quite obvious during this story is that Najimi has a certain moral flexibility when it comes to methods to make money. What I mean to say is that they’re very greedy and will do anything for money. But only the fake money they use for the festival? They use a variety of different methods to get the fake money but are caught rather quickly. However, this does give them the chance to walk the festival and have some fun. Najimi tries to get Komi to shout out a thing about their maid cafe, using the roof where people have been shouting love confessions. Yeah, Yamai says one about Komi and it’s just as creepy as you might imagine. After that, Najimi is pulled away for punishment by the principal and then Tadano and Komi are joined by Onemine and Otori. There’s some more highlights of the events at the festival and Otori manages to not get anyone killed. I’m sorry, but after the chainsaw incident earlier, I will never trust her again! Ahem. Moving on. At the end of the festival, Komi’s class wins but the prize is revoked because of Najimi’s meddling. Then, there’s the dance. Komi wants to dance but is too shy to ask and Tadano finally realizes what she wants so they start to dance. It starts getting awkward for a moment, as they start holding hands, and Tadano doesn’t really know how to dance, but they’re saved by Najimi who jumps in and the three of them start dancing together.

So, how was this volume? It’s not bad. I like the festival stuff but it takes a while to get to it. And I like how some people are picking up on Komi’s crush on Tadano, and even he seems to be getting a feeling about it. I do think the “boy dresses as a girl” thing getting played for laughs is old and isn’t very funny beyond the bit that happens in the little four panel thing where Komi grabs Tadano’s “boobs” as it’s about her lack of hesitation and curiosity. This volume, towards the end, really shows how good this series can be and has a lot of good laughs in it. 

Rating: 4 out of 5
Suggestion: Pick it up, if for Komi in a maid outfit, if nothing else.

Manga: Komi-san Can't Communicate, Vol 4

Content Warning: Teenage girls in sports outfits.

Before we get into this one, I need to tell you a bit of a story. Like when I was trying to get a volume of Gigant (go check out my reviews of that series if you like what I do here), I ended up having to take a lot of time just to get this one volume. I had started buying the series when volume 7 or 8 was coming out and bought the first one. And then the next two. When I went to buy this one, it was out of stock at Amazon. And Powell’s. And some guy on eBay wanted like $50 for it. Doing some checking, I found it at Barnes and Nobel’s but had to pay $4 shipping for a $10 volume of manga. As of right now, I have the next two volumes on pre-order. I don’t fuck around anymore.

Let’s get to the good stuff, because this one has Nakanaka in it! Like, right away! YES! I’m sorry but she is my favorite character. In fact, I would love to see a spin-off series of her. After she gets over her “phase.” Besides, she’s got that whole alt-girl look going on and I like that look. So sue me. Anyway. Nakanaka’s room room is an Otaku’s dream, with posters, figurines, and manga. While Nakanaka is very much into video games, Komi isn’t. So, when she tries to show her a fantastic game, Komi isn’t exactly excited. She’s not against it, just not super into it. Najimi and Tadano to the rescue! Nakanaka invited Najimi and they brought Tadano, making this the first time Nakanaka has had a boy in her room. Soon, they play a “legally distinct but closely resemble” Smash Brothers and Komi doesn’t really know what to do. While Tadano tries to teach Komi the basics, Najimi is hell bent on beating her, with only Nakanaka standing in her way. While that battle rages, Komi accidentally beats the snot out of Tadano. It’s really cute and I like how, just, relaxed this whole thing is.

Next up, Komi is too hot and just lazing around the home. While watching TV, she comes across a recipe that she wants to try and she ends up making it. In this one, Komi actually says something to her brother, Shosuke, but he doesn’t seem to believe it really happened. Now, I will warn you that Shosuke is going to be around for a while in the later part of the series, as the cast continues to expand.

After this, Najimi tricks Komi into helping them with their summer homework, and has a study session with her at Tadano’s place, with Yamai turning up without being invited. This also gives us the formal introduction of Tadano’s little sister, Hitomi. This is the last day of vacation and they, Najimi and Tadano, have to finish up their homework. But the study session quickly becomes a “review episode” of the last few chapters. While this might make sense for weekly readers, which is how most folks in Japan would be reading, it does kind of bog down the volume.

Moving on, our next chapter introduces (yet another) new character, Inaka. Inaka is a country girl that’s some how going to school in the city. I honestly don’t know if this ever explained. Honestly, I find her accent really hard to read. I know that in Japanese it probably isn’t much better. This whole chapter is about Komi getting sent to Not!Subway for a sandwich by Najimi and Inaka just follows her. This happens to Komi a lot, by the way. There’s not a lot going on with this one but I’m only really mentioning it because Inaka turns up for the first time here and she does pop up again.

The important part of this volume (yes, I skipped some stuff, you can buy it and read it if you want) involves the school’s Field Day. Of course, we get another character for this story, Netsuno. Netsuno is very athletic and is obsessed with how “hot” people’s passion is for stuff. At first, she rates Komi as very cold and her class as warm, but starts to see the passion ignite as the games go on. Speaking of games, the first one is exercises, with Komi winning over Netsuno. Next is the tug-of-war, with the class losing the first round due to Komi pressing against Yamai. They do okay after this. Following the tug-of-war is group jump-rope, where the group, including Komi, is able to jump together 100 times, taking the win. Afterwards is the obstacle course, where Agari has to climb over something and then eat bread off of a string. The pervy old men judging give Agari the top scoce because she’s very well-endowed. Yeah, that’s just a little creepy. They move on to a baton race, with Nakanaka having to put her face into some potato starch to get it out and then pass it to Tadano. When Komi cheers for Tadado, he’s able to make up for lost time, but only brings them up to the middle of the pack. Because he’s so average, don’t you know? During a downpour, Komi’s mom shows up and embarrasses her but Shuko does thank everyone for being Komi’s friend. The next event, after the rain, is a borrowing competition, with everyone getting stuff from Tadano. I guess it’s good to be so reliable. After this, we have musical chairs, with everyone offering Komi one when the music stops. Next, we have four in a row, each getting one panel: Stealing headbands, ball toss, rolling gigantic balls (heh), and pole-topple melee. The final event is a relay race, with Komi, Yadano, Sonoda, and Chiarai representing class 1-1. they’re up against class 2-3, including Netsuno. Netsuno tries to be polite and shake but Komi takes too long. When Netsuno and Komi get their batons at the same time, the race is on, but Komi slips and falls. But, Komi gets back up and gives it her all. In the end, she, and the class, come in second place. But, Netsuno seems to have gained some respect for them.

Our next chapter is a competition between Nakanaka and Yamai trying to learn how Tadano can tell what Komi is thinking. The trio watches Komi and the two girls try to guess what Komi is thinking and then Tadano tells them what she’s actually thinking. And he’s usually right. The girls are wrong. Now, there’s actually some interesting stuff here for the girls, as you learn more about how they view the world, and Komi, by their answers. This little adventure ends when Komi notices that they’ve been watching her and talking.

The final chapter of this volume is about Komi wanting to visit a photo booth and ends up going with Tadano, Najimi, and Yamai. They have a bit of fun with it but Komi has a bit of trouble with the whole thing. However, she does have fun.

And that’s where this volume ends. It’s mostly fluff, sadly, but still fun.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Suggestion: Another volume of mostly filler but it is building our characters, and not just the core three.

Manga: Komi-san Can't Communicate, Vol 3

 

Content Warning: Teenage girls in bikinis. Don’t be creeps.

Ah, summer vacation. I remember those. Why don’t we get those as adults? Oh. Right. Capitalism.

Anyway. This volume begins with the stuff that comes before summer vacation, finals. Or tests. Whatever. Najimi can’t study to save their life so they try to get Komi, Tadano, and Agari is the librarian. Well, her and Gorimi, who is built like a brick shithouse. The rules are simple, make noise, Gorimi whaps you on the head. Three whaps and you’re out. Najimi doesn’t make it. Even Komi and Tadano get whaps, too. But it was fun.

At this point, summer vacation starts and Komi is bored after a week. Since she doesn’t go out, she just hangs around the house, building up courage to call someone. That someone is, of course, Tadano. Meanwhile, Tadano is also bored and trying to building up the courage to call Komi. There’s also the (very brief) introduction of Tadano’s younger sister and Komi’s younger brother. Leave it to Najimi to invite everyone to the pool. Komi agrees, of course. She turns up super early, wearing the dress Tadano picked out for her in the last volume. There’s some blushing between the two of them. Now, Komi doesn’t have a real swimsuit, so Yamai buys one for her. Say what you will about that Yandere psychopath, she does care about Komi. Inside the water park, there’s tons of fun to be had, including a swarm of people (mostly boys and Yamai) trying to get a look of Komi under the water. And then Komi trips and falls! It’s only a scrape, but it does mean that Komi’s time in the water is over. And Yamai filed down the thing that Komi tripped on. You go, creepy girl? After this, Komi is relegated to sitting on the sidelines, but she wants everyone to stay and have fun. Tadano takes a break and talks with Komi, letting her know that no one is unhappy with her because of her accident. Tadano and Komi have another Moment, until Najimi breaks it up with a squirt gun fight.

After this, there’s some little short stories, so to speak. The first one is Komi going the library and making a baby cry. Nothing important here. The next one is Komi and her father going to get shaved ice. Now, this one is important. Why? Because we find that Komi’s dad also has trouble speaking. After a while, he finally asks her about school and then ruffles her hair. I rather like this one, as it shows that Komi isn’t some anomaly in her family, she’s part of it and has someone who understands. To a degree, I guess. Following this, another important story is the Komi family going to spend time with the Komi grandparents, most importantly, Yuiko Komi, the grandmother. We also meet Ryoko, Komi’s aunt (who’s just like her mother) and Sadayoshi (who’s just like her father, Masayoshi), and then little cousin Akira. Well, more like just a few years younger, not like a kid. She also cries when she’s happy but we don’t find that out quite yet. We do have Komi and her grandmother talking, well, kind of. She does figure out that Komi has a crush and finds Tadano’s name (his first name is Hitohito, by the way) and grandma doesn’t like it.

Next, there’s some more summer stuff, with Komi, Tadano, and Najimi (as well as a few others) going to a festival. So, Tadano turns up in a Yukata, as commanded by Najimi, but feels uncomfortable, until Komi turns up in one. Komi has forgotten her notebook and has to rely on Tadano’s ability to translate instead. They do some typical festival activities, sharp shooting for prizes, followed by candy cutting. They have something to eat and then Najimi tries to win a “legally distinct but closely resembles” a PS4. Najimi fails, Tadano fails, but Komi gets it without even trying. I do like how the Carny has this whole thing about how they fool people so they don’t have to give away the big prize. This, by the way, is why I never play games at arcades and the like. It’s just not worth it. Anyway. There’s some goldfish catching, with special appearance by Nakanaka, but then Komi and Tadano get to sit together. Komi uses a stick to write answers to his questions but quickly erases that she had with just him.

And that’s where things end. Yeah, the whole the thing is filler. And the dragging out of the “will they, won’t they” with Komi and Tadano is a bit annoying but it isn’t everything going on in the story. I don’t like that sort of thing, nor do I like love triangles, but I will accept them if they’re done well. And so far? These ones are. So far...

Rating: 3 out of 5
Suggestion: This one is mostly filler but it’s not terrible.

Manga: Komi-san Can't Communicate, Vol 2

Content Warning: Here be Yanderes, Ye been warned!

Well, we’re back with Komi-san. I’m sure you’re wondering why. Or maybe you aren’t. Either way, we’re back here for a few reasons. The first is the new Komi-san anime that came out not long ago and I need that sweet, sweet algorithm boost. The second is that I’m not ready to start reviewing some other stuff and Komi-san is pretty easy to talk about. Plus, after the last thing I reviewed, I need a break. Oh, wait, we’ve got a fucking Yandere in this one! Fuck!

This volume starts with some sort of sports day and health check thing. I know some stuff about Japan but I’m not sure exactly what this is. Anyway. We’re also introduced to Yadano, who’s very competitive and wants to beat Komi. She doesn’t, being shorter, heavier, with worse sight and so on. In the end, Komi easily beats Yadano at everything, without even realizing that Yadano was competing with her. It’s a little creepy but kind of funny.

Next up, we have Najimi asking if they can hang out at Komi’s house. Komi is overwhelmed but agrees, and we meet Komi’s mom for the first time. Shuko looks just like Komi, but with short hair. My heart be still. She’s also the exact opposite of Komi, with a hyper friendly personality and stating that she’s eternally 17. This is also the first time that Komi has brought friends home. Soon, Najimi and Tadano enter Komi’s room, with Najimi touching, looking, and otherwise just ignoring cultural norms and exploring. Meanwhile, Tadano is trying not to have a panic attack. I like how Tadano is very in tune with Komi and respects her boundries. However, I do think that Komi needs a friend like Najimi, who is going to push her outside her safe zones and really start to be the person she wants to be. Between these two, Komi has a good set of training wheels, so to speak. Najimi slips out of the room and watches Tadano and Komi… Just being normal and polite, without saying much, having expected them to awkward. Of course, this is just a little side bit but Najimi does discover Komi’s collection of “How to make friends” type books and Tadano realizes that Komi is always alone in pictures.

And now for our Yandere… Ren Yamai is in love with Komi. In the creepiest way you can imagine. She’s jealous of anyone and everyone who gets close to Komi, as she thinks that Komi should belong to her. Even though they haven’t even spoken. Yamai needs help. And maybe a prison sentence. But today is Yamai’s big day! She’s finally going to talk with the love of her life, Komi! And she does! But, let’s be honest, Yamai is a bit… Extra? Is that the word the kids use? Anyway, we discover why Tadano isn’t at school. It’s because Yamai kidnapped him, tied him to a chair, and put him in her room. Yeah. The Yandere is strong with this one. Did I mention that Yamai’s room is covered in creepy pictures of Komi? Because it is. Najimi, suspecting that Yamai might be responsible for Tadano’s disappearance, invites herself (themselves?) and Komi’s to Yamai’s house. Yamai removes all of the pictures of Komi and puts Tadano in the closet, telling to keep quiet. He doesn’t, starting to bang around, and Yamai threatens him again. As soon as Yamai leaves, Najimi checks the closet and discovers Tadano. Yamai returns, with a knife, and gives this speech about how Tadano is scum and Yamai is a better friend than he’ll ever be. And Komi does not take this well. She takes Tadano and leaves. And drops “I decide who my friends are” on the way out. Leaving Najimi alone with Yamai…

The next part is about Komi worrying about Tadano and what happened with Yamai. She tells him that Yamai was wrong about him being a “bottom feeder” and that she thinks that it might be better if Tadano isn’t her friend, because it put him at risk. However, Tadano points out that he chooses who his friends are, too. And they still want to be friends. The crisis is averted when Najimi brings Yamai to apologize to Tadano and to Komi. Of course, Yamai does one of the those backhanded apologies, but Komi and Tadano do agree to let it go. After which Yamai threatens Tadano that she will bury him if he tries anything with Komi.

The next part of this volume is about Komi in her summer uniform and then food. This is where we discover Agari’s secret passion for food. She takes them to a very popular Ramen joint where the cook has a communication disorder as well. Najimi and Tadako have trouble with the process but Agari and Komi get it just fine. We also have a whole thing about Komi putting her hair in a ponytail and I now wonder if the whole country has some kind of hair fetish. This would not surprise me, to be honest. There’s a few more little bit here, mostly about how Tadano is crushing hard on Komi but won’t ever act on it.

Finally, we have the best part of the volume and the introduction of one of my favorite characters in this series: Nakanaka. Nakanaka is “going through a phase” as the manga puts it but really what this is, is Nakanaka is a nerd, an otaku, a dork, and she lives in a fantasy world, in order to cope with her inablilty to make friends. However, she does try to reach out to Komi, in her own way. And Komi is okay with it. When it comes ot gym class, everyone wants to partner with Komi and no one wants to partner with Nakanaka. Except Komi. There’s a page where you can see that Nakanaka is kind of falling apart, with no one wanting to be her partner, but Komi offers to be her partner. While everyone grumbles, Komi doesn’t care.

The volume continues with Komi and her friends going clothes shopping, for her. Najimi turns it into a “battle” with everyone having to find an outfit for Komi. Najimi chooses a Chinese dress, Yamai picks something that would look much more appropriate on an adult, Najimi picks something that looks like a librarian would wear (yes, they went twice), Agari picks something kind of childish, if a little cute, and Tadano picks out a dress that Komi loves, too. You know these two are going to end up together but it’s nice to see all the ground work laid out.

The volume ends with Komi getting a haircut and everyone failing to notice. Except Tadano. It’s just a trim but he knows his lady. Okay, I joke, they’re not together but you know it’s going to happen (I’ve heard it has in volumes currently in Japan and we have a lot more to go through before we get there).

This volume is mostly filler. And that’s fine. We still need to get to know Komi and her friends before moving the story along. It also helps build up the characters, getting us ready for the changes that we know will come. This is a little slice of life story but time is marching forward.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Suggestion: All hail the holder of the Dragon Force, Nakanaka!

Manga: Komi-san Can't Communicate, Vol 1

 

Content Warning: Mild LGBTQ+ phobic language/humor

You know, I’m a grown up. And that usually means that I like things for adults. Not like I need porn all the time, I just like to enjoy things with serious subject matter and foul language. But, sometimes, just sometimes, you need something funny to let you unwind. So, yes, I’ve very late to this party, but I’m going to start talking about Komi Can’t Communicate.

Our story begins with Hitohito Tadano, a typical high school boy. And a bit of an idiot. Looking to start off things at his new school, he says hello to Komi as they’re getting ready for class and she ignores him. When they get to class, they end up seated next to each other. Before long, Tadano ends up alone with Komi and is able to communicate with her, using the chalkboard. It turns out that Komi suffers from harsh social anxiety and literally can’t speak to people. She wants friends, she wants to have conversations, but her condition prevents it. She reveals that her goal is to make 100 friends and Tadano promises to help her.

The next person they bring into the fold is Najimi who is… Genderfluid, I guess? They were a boy but now dresses like a girl (and later says they can’t be someone’s girlfriend because they’re a boy). They refuse to be friends with Komi because she’s “rude” but Tadano manages to get them to try, and they agree to walk home with Komi. During this walk, Najimi is accosted by some hooligan friends, the one that wants to make them his girlfriend, and we see Komi’s “superpower.” Let me explain a little bit: You see, so far everyone thinks of Komi as a “princess” or “goddess” even though she doesn’t talk. Part of that is because she’s quite beautiful but her quiet nature seems to let people infer things, filling the silence with something that usually benefits Komi. When the hooligan tries to force Najimi into a relationship, he drops his house key. When Komi tries to return it, she’s only able to get out a few words. The hooligan sees this as her making threats and he runs away. You see why I call this a “superpower”?

Anyway, next Najimi gets Komi to go to a coffee shop and get a very complicated drink. She can’t say what she wants but the “superpower” is triggered again and the guy behind the counter makes some super fancy thing.

The next “friend” Komi gets is Himko, who also seems to suffer from some social anxiety, but more of a cute, clumsy thing. Komi ends up stalking her and making her freak out but this does let her conquer her fear of talking in front of groups, before she runs away. When she’s finally able to talk with Komi, Tadano says they should be friends, but Himiko says that she isn’t worthy to be Komi’s friend, but she can be her dog…

The next little plot involves Komi getting a cell phone. It’s an old flip phone (god, I suddenly feel old) but now that she has friends, she needs it, right? We also briefly see her family; Mom, dad, Komi, and a brother. She also doesn’t speak to them. She goes to school and is able, through trial and error, to get everyone’s phone numbers.

After that, there’s an election for class president, and Komi ends up elected as class God. Yeah…

There’s some smaller plots in the rest of the volume, one of which involves Komi accidentally calling Tadano, and it is a cute as you can imagine.

All in all, this is a fun, slice of life, cute little manga series that I was surprised to enjoy. I’ll be slowly picking up the rest of the series as time goes on, because I need a little something that isn’t all dark and brooding or dealing with large, complicated subjects every once in a while, just to keep things nice and fresh.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Suggestion: In these dark days, sometimes, you need something light and fun to keep you sane.