Komi Can’t Communicate part 2 – Komi’s Book of Friends

Production

Although I didn’t realize it at the time of watching the show, I’m not surprised to see that this is a part 2 of the first season rather than a new second season. As far as the production goes, it’s completely seamless. Although think it would be odd for someone to skip part 1 and go straight to part 2, let’s pretend this is the first time you’ve ever heard of Komi.

The production is more stylish than impressive. The character designs are very distinctive and striking which is one of the biggest strengths of the show. Otherwise, it utilizes tons of tricks that lighten the production load but in a way that fits so well within the anime that you would think it’s an artistic rather than practical choice.

For instance, characters have cute little chibi versions of themselves, which are much less detailed and easier to draw. These versions get used so much that I’m not sure which is more frequent.  Whenever a scene calls for action, there’s a big chance of splash screens with abstract backgrounds to take up a bit of time, and still shot montages, so that actual high-speed animation is really kept to a minimum. Like I said though. These just fit. I couldn’t imagine Komi any other way.

Story & Characters

Komi is a sweet story about a very pretty but very very shy girl learning to make friends with the help of the boy who sits next to her. There’s nothing much to the story but it can be surprisingly touching at times. And that’s pretty much what I said about the first season except for one big element. Aside from Tadano, who is the deuterogamist, most of the supporting characters in Komi Can’t Communicate part 1, were kind of creepy. Najimi was the best among them, but even they were oddly man at times. While the others had assorted perversions that were ridiculously exaggerated for humour. It often felt like you were watching two different shows and lessened my enjoyment.

Since Komi Can’t Communicate part 2 is probably a split cour and likely the episodes were being shot while the first part was airing, or even before, I don’t think there was an adjustment made due to fan reaction. More than likely, whatever change in tone or direction we can see in part 2 are due to similar changes in the manga it’s based on. Either way, I’m not complaining!

Part 2 essentially downplayed all the parts of Komi Can’t Communicate that I didn’t like and gave a lot more room to the parts I did like. Najimi is still a troll but they are more a general agent of chaos that thrives in the mayhem of it all, rather than directly malicious in any way. We hardly see Agari so she doesn’t really get a chance to do her extreme masochist schtick and only Yamai remains with her stalker, obsessive thing. And her part in the show has also been reduced. Everyone else is actually kind of sweet this time around. The three boys in the class have a bit more airtime and they manage to come off as nice average boys that nevertheless have some very funny moments.

To make for the reduced presence of some of the characters, a few new ones are introduced. Katai, a returning student who looks like a terrifying tug but is actually just as shy as Komi, creates a nice foil for her and gives Tadano another relationship in the show making him a more rounded character. Naruse, an inept narcissist is a comedic relief character that doesn’t rely on blue humour to add some contrast, and Ayami and Mikuni are Komi’s field trip roommates and they give Komi a chance to develop some friendships completely independently of Tadano which is also a great moment of character growth.

All and all the cast seems way more cohesive and balanced this time around which is great not only for the new characters but for the old ones as well.

I hinted at it in my summary. If hinting is basically spelling everything out. There is a budding romance happening between Tadano and Komi. I don’t like the fact that in fiction if two important characters can be romantically attracted to each other, they almost always are.  I think we have a tendency to underestimate the importance and pure awesomeness of platonic relationships, especially with members of the opposite sex. So, I really loved the fact that in part 1, Tadano and Komi became friends. And they really cared about each other as friends.

Normally, I would have thought that transposing this relationship into romance would annoy me. Yet another show that can’t seem to imagine an audience enjoying a story of friendship. But it doesn’t. I thought it was cute, I might have produced little squeals on occasion.

It’s not like Komi and Tadano are dating at the end of part 2. They haven’t even confessed yet. They simply realize their feelings might have become a bit romantic. And that makes sense considering the circumstances. The pacing and evolution of feelings just strike me as natural and they still interact in pretty much the same way. Neither of them went insane when figuring out their feelings. So I approve. Because that’s what these crazy kids were waiting for, my seal of approval!

I preferred part 2 to part 1 of Komi Can’t Communicate. However, at the end off the day, it’s still the same series. If you liked the first part, you should totally watch part 2, if you didn’t, it’s not a different show all of the sudden.

You might like this anime if:

You want to watch a nice Slice of Life and don’t need fanservice. You liked part 1 or if you want a slow-burn romance with a strong emphasis on friendship

I save all my screencaps on my Pinterest and you can find more there if you are interested. But I still like to show you a few in the post. If you’re like me, screencaps are something that really helps you decide to watch an anime or not.