Watamote: Complete Collection [Blu-ray]

No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! (or just "WataMote" for short) follows 15-year-old Tomoko Kuroki (Izumi Kitta), a girl starting her first year of high school. She is excited to experience high school and all of the experiences that anime and video games have taught her about it. Unfortunately for her, she finds out that high school is nothing like the media that she consumes. Worse, she is also desperately lonely, shy, awkward, and unattractive to the boys around her. Not willing to just let her first year of high school go by, she tries to concoct various schemes to make herself more popular around school.Based on the manga series of the same name, WataMote originally aired in 2013. WataMote is a comedy series with a heavy focus on the awkward behavior of its main character and the often hilarious results of her decisions.The art style in this anime is a fairly standard anime style which does not really stand out too much. It certainly works well to tell the story that it needs to.I thought that the soundwork in this series was quite good. This includes both the opening and ending theme songs. I do want to give a special mention to the main voice actress Izumi Kitta, who voices Tomoko. I thought that the work she did for the main character was truly superb and excellently imbued the character with the large variety of emotions that she goes through especially with her awkward moments such as when she gets extremely nervous trying to talk to people. It really is a joy to listen to this work even if one does not speak Japanese. As for the English dub, I thought that Monica Rial did a good job as Tomoko especially with her sometimes angry outbursts.The main story of this series is enjoyable. While at its heart the series is a comedic look at someone with awkward behavior, it also sometimes feels like a serious look at someone who has difficulty fitting in. To be sure, there are many laughs to be had while watching this series, but it is nearly impossible not to feel empathy for Tomoko as well. I am sure that many people have, at one time or another, been in a situation where one is trying to figure out how to act and perhaps did or said something silly. In that respect, there is a certain amount of relatability to have with the main character and her struggles, even if they are usually quite exaggerated for comedic effect.This Blu-ray set is pretty light on the content aside from the series itself. You get the full twelve episode series with the option to watch in either the original Japanese soundtrack or the English dub done by Sentai Filmworks. Aside from some text-free opening and ending sequences, there are no real bonus features to speak of which is a bit of a disappointment.Overall, I found this series to be a funny and entertaining look at a social outcast starting high school. Those that like comedic anime will probably like this.

- Synopsis: Our unlikely protagonist of the story is an extremely introverted individual. While she has no problems winning guys over in dating games, she finds out the hard way that reality is much different. Even with basic greetings to others, she has extreme difficulty in maintaining a normal conversation. More than not, she's awkward to the point of being cringe-worthy due to her behavior. Tune in to see the struggles of this protagonist in this whacky anime.========================================================================================================- Comments: A very unique anime that emphasizes a not-so-perfect protagonist. There's plenty of sexual innuendo and other fan-service. Although no nudity is present, this should be kept in mind for viewers that dislike fan-service/crude humor. There's nothing plot-heavy about this, but the antics of the protagonist helps keep the viewer engaged due to her drama and exaggerations. The dialogue is also amusing. This is more extreme, but I can relate to the similar situations, being an introvert myself.- Analysis: Regarding introverts and extroverts; there's nothing wrong being one or the other. One tends to be a thinker, rather than a talker. The other tends to be a social butterfly. However, the main issue is being severely introverted or extroverted. In this case, our protagonist suffers from the first category. Since she has such a difficult time socializing with others, this is actually a huge disadvantage considering that life heavily-revolves around communicating and socializing with others. Granted she still is young, life is going to be even harsher if she cannot hold a normal conversation with people outside her family.Moreover, this reminds me of the struggles of people trying to enter the workforce when they have no experience: They need a job to get work experience, but nobody wants to hire them because they have no work experience. This is similar to the protagonist because she recognizes she has an issue and is trying to improve. However, being socially inept and awkward as she is can ostracize her. Thus, making it even more difficult to practice her communication skills. Communication is not as easy as most people think, especially when engaging in conversations with strangers such as conversing with a hiring manager for a job interview. It takes mental preparation and much experience to pull it off naturally. Consider public speaking as an example. Well, at least she's trying her best...I think.- Features: English and Japanese audio with English subtitles. Includes 12 episodes on 3 DVDs. An approximate run-time of 5 hours and is rated TV-MA for language and sexual content/sexual innuendo.- Conclusion: A highly relatable anime to introverts that's full of silliness, dialogue, exaggerated or dramatic scenes, parodies, and other anime/manga references. This is a unique anime that showcases the painful experiences for at least some introverts. Although it is not plot-heavy, the protagonist will keep the viewer engaged with her various antics. Moreover, if the viewer finds this relatable, or is into crude humor in general, this whacky anime may be for you.========================================================================================================- Recommendations: Shimoneta, The World God Only Knows, Prison School, Shomin Sample, D-Frag!, The Kawai Complex Guide, Cat Planet Cuties, HyperDimension Neptunia, Charger Girl Juden-Chan, Binbougami ga!, Samurai Flamenco, Heaven's Lost Property, Level E, Haganai, Mayo Chiki!, Those Who Hunt Elves, Chobits, So, I Can't Play H!, Kenzen Robo Daimidaler, and Daphne in the Brilliant Blue.