Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1 (Komi Can't Communicate,… (2025)

The premise of this manga is exactly the title - Komi, the appointed "princess" of her class, has always been mistaken as an aloof icy girl...but in reality she just can't communicate.

When someone talks to her or when she tries to talk to someone, she just freezes up.

And while it might look cool or snobbish or like she's ignoring her classmates - the reality is that she just doesn't know what to say or do.

Along comes Tadano - who on the first day of high school is determined to jump outside of his timid shell...and a chance encounter with Komi sparks their friendship.

Komi wants to make 100 friends and Tadano is going to help her!!

Overall, I felt like this one worked quite well.

The art was great, the storyline was compelling and I enjoyed watching Komi come out of her shell. I'm really excited to see where this series goes!!

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The plot is in the title. Komi can't communicate. The plot follows Tadano as he starts high school. His goal is to pretty much go unnoticed (middle school was a nightmare of bullying and being a social outcast from what little we get from his background). He meets Komi who is one of the most popular girls in class, but also one of the most unapproachable. After a few interactions, he starts realizing that it's not cold aloofness like others think, but rather extreme social anxiety. Through a (wonderful) scene where they communicate on the class blackboard, he realizes that she's wanted to make friends for some time but can't talk to people. Thus Tadano has a new goal, helping Komi at least try to communicate.

So, this one was a bit rough at the start. The chapters were all extremely short and rather awkward. During the initial set-up chapters, I was pretty sure that I was going to consider this one a disappointment. I mean, it had a few funny scenes, but it initially just wasn't working for me... then we got the blackboard scene mentioned above and I became impressed with how the book started handling both her social awkwardness and her attempts at overcoming it. While it lead to more humorous scenes, where the book excelled was giving the mostly dialogue free character of Komi a real personality. She's almost always drawn in one of two ways; first as a more detailed depiction trying to show her as others see her (cold, beautiful, almost always with a frown) the other way is with larger eyes, less detailed features and far more expressive. The scenes featuring the second style often create great comedy, but also make the reader (or at least this reader) feel more sympathy for her. Take for example when she actually succeeds in making a friend other than Tadano:

The final panel alone, her excitement, the humor, the... general good nature of it, all of these appeal to me.

Like many slice of life comedic manga, there's quite a few sexual jokes that many won't like, and some of which may cut a bit of the sweeter nature of the story for American or some European readers, but overall, I find this one well worth a look. If you're wanting a good natured slice of life comedy, this one is definitely worth your time. 4/5 stars

28/7/20
Komi must be protected at ALL COST. She is literally best girl 🥺As someone who is terribly nervous talking to people, I really felt this plight. Long story short, I need this entire series.

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2.5 stars rounded up

Komi is in high school. Classmates admire her enigmatic personality. They consider her extremely attractive and arrogant. However, as we know, people often have wrong assumptions about each other. Komi has a secret. She cannot communicate. The title does not exaggerate. She feels awkward and anxious around people. Komi is literally speechless when with others. Even when she is in the company of only one of her classmates she cannot bring herself to talk to him.
That classmate is named Tadano, and he is endowed with hypersensitivity. He penetrates Komi’s mind and deciphers her enigma. Tadano wants to aid Komi in developing relationships with the external world. He imagines how difficult such life must be when one cannot express your feelings and verbalize your thoughts. He tries to find a solution. Can Komi try to put her thoughts on paper?

Komi feels nervous and frustrated in situations where most people feel at ease and probably do not even notice them. Such situations include asking a simple question, ordering coffee, and making a phone call. Komi needs to learn how to cope with them.
At the same time, Komi longs to make friends and acquire communication skills. Her ambitious goal is to make 100 friends! Why 100 friends? Why did the author make Komi choose quantity over quality? Is having many friends better than having a few whom you can trust and with whom you feel genuinely comfortable?
Even by nature gregarious people would think twice about whether they needed so many friends. Why Komi, having a timid character, sets herself such a goal?
I would have liked to know if Komi can communicate with her parents. I assume she can. Does her social anxiety manifest itself when the young girl is at home with her family?

I was not expecting much from this story. It turned out I was right. As an introvert, I empathize with people experiencing social anxiety and who may have a hard time making new contacts. I understand that people may easily get tired of being with people, especially when they do not know them well. That being said, I did not root for Komi nor become interested in the story as a whole.
I did not love it, I did not hate it. Perhaps most of my gripes with it are caused by this volume being the beginning of the series. It is followed by several others. Some of the questions I asked myself about the characters likely find answers in the next volumes. However, this story gave me the impression of being too shallow to want to continue with the series.

On the plus side, Komi's story teaches us to accept people even if we cannot understand their mindset and their behavior. Developing communication skills may sometimes be a long journey. We should avoid comparing our life to others.
Komi has a unique personality, and I hope she will find her way of dealing with this world.

I want to make a comment here (and so I will!) about books that announce the topic or problem or identity node in the title, such as Transgender, or Genderfluid or Komi Can’t Communicate: Don’t do that. A novel, if it’s any good, should be about people, not just a single “issue.” So this one is about social anxiety disorder or communication disorder, though Komi turns out, via various scenarios, to be pretty likeable as a character, though not that complex or well-developed.

Everyone thinks Komi is beautiful but aloof, though she is really awkward, shy, paralyzed in social situations. And thus friendless, so she makes a goal with the help of another wallflower, also timid Tadano, to make 100 friends. Or is this really about introverts? Or just what we used to just call shy? Or is it really about 75% of all middle school kids? Or is it really the story of a pretty gender stereotypical girl? But if you are or know someone—oh, come on, half the world has or has had at least a mild “case” of this disorder, including more than half of us reading at home perfectly comfortably during this pandemic (it’s what we do!). But okay, this is still pretty good, over all.

Komi can’t communicate? I’d say he did pretty well at communicating Hillary Clinton’s cavalier (and illegal) actions towards keeping classified state emails on her private server during the 2016 election! Oh wait - that was James Comey, the former FBI director. This Komi is a shy high school student…

The first book of Tomohito Oda’s series Komi Can’t Communicate wasn’t bad. I’m sure most naturally shy and socially awkward people will easily relate to Komi’s struggle to have the confidence to speak and reach out to others, but, more than that, it’s a sweet story of two outsiders - Komi and Tadano, a loner boy - finding friendship together.

Komi wants to make 100 friends because she doesn’t have any - everyone just assumes that she’s too cool and above-it-all, so no-one ever approaches her and she’s completely isolated. Worse, her shyness is so crippling that she can’t speak to make any friends. Enter Tadano, her first friend (and obvious love interest), who makes it his mission to help her achieve her goal.

It’s not the most riveting read as it has minimal plot - Komi goes to get coffee for Najimi (unusually, a teenage trans character) to get used to speaking to strangers in public, they play games in between classes - and is mostly about lonely kids slowly learning to socialise, which has limited possibilities.

But there were some heartwarming scenes like Komi and Tadano “speaking” for the first time, writing on the blackboard after class, and then speaking for real over the phone when Komi accidentally calls him. In a sense, the title is wrong - Komi can communicate really well in the right medium: writing or over the phone; she just can’t speak to anyone face-to-face.

Maybe Oda’s commenting on the prevalence of phones in today’s society where more people feel comfortable to text each other than call or meet in person - we live online now and have forgotten how to communicate normally - or maybe not. Either way I look forward to seeing whether Komi’s trouble speaking is explored further in future volumes.

And I will be back for more because I did like Komi Can’t Communicate, Volume 1 more than not - it’s an original and charming high school manga.

Komi Can’t Communicate is a very simplistic and trope heavy manga. Despite this, I can’t deny that it was a pretty quick and fun read.

~★~ What is this manga about? ~★~

Komi has a hard time communicating with her classmates, and finds herself nervous at the thought of starting conversations. Soon enough, Komi meets Tadano, a socially awkward boy similar to her. Tadano swears to help Komi make as many friends as possible in high school, helping her overcome her fear of communication.

~★~

My main problem with this manga is that there’s not much to the plot. While I enjoyed the first volume to some extent, it’s hard to envision how this story can be extended by another ten volumes. Besides the central theme of Komi trying to make friends with her classmates, nothing much happens. Komi is sent to order coffee and gets a phone to improve her communication; That’s essentially it. This story definitely didn’t have as much substance as I would have preferred, which is disappointing. Still, I found some elements enjoyable.

Tomohito Odo has a really pleasant art style; I especially loved some of the expressions drawn for additional comedic effect.
It’s a shame that the content didn’t hold up for me. If I’m being honest, I really can’t see myself continuing with this manga series.

a very easy to read manga book with wonderful illustrations 🥺 i appreciated that Komi was liked by her peers and they didn't think she was weird because she didn't communicate with them

Probably 2/5 for me. I liked Komi herself but the other characters?? I couldn't stand them...idk I just didn't like them or how they acted, especially the main guy. Overall it was kind of just average, I enjoyed some parts, was bored in others. I'm kinda sad this didn't hit me how I wanted it to but win some lose some I guess. I probably won't be reading anymore of this one but the art was really nice and Komi was sweet!

Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/vB3HUVVPvX8

This cover is so misleading. It looks like a school girl erotic romance. No sir. It's a really sweet story about a couple bumbling bafoons.

Our two main characters struggling with crippling social anxiety disorders. Komi can't talk to people. She freezes like a statue. Tadano has no self confidence and has always been labeled a loser.

Tadano is the only one to recognize Komi's issue for what it is and vows to help her gain friends and confidence.

It's really sweet. I enjoyed this a lot.

I did have an issue with some of the characters reactions to Komi. Like Agari who didn't want to be Komi's friend but rather her dog. That went way too far in my opinion. I mean, it's manga and it's supposed to be a bit over the top but sometimes my brain can't let it go. And this was one of those times.

I would absolutely recommend reading this but I don't know if I would recommend spending your money on collecting the series. This might be good to borrow from the library. Especially because it isn't dialogue heavy.

buddy read with my server ♡

I’ve been hearing so much about Komi Can’t Communicate and I was definitely excited to read it. This was a solid read that focuses on Komi who has social anxiety that prevents her from being able to communicate with the rest of class. Tadano and Komi connect one day during lunch and he vows to help her make 100 friends. What’s so interesting is that Komi’s classmates are literally obsessed with her. They believe that she is a “goddess” among normal people. It’s actually quite funny the way they treat her. I thought the journey that Komi makes in attempting to make friends was good. It’s written in a way that the reader is really rooting for her. What bothered me was the characterization of the 3rd friend Agari who volunteers to be Komi’s dog. For me I was aggravated that no one challenged that idea. No one said that being her dog was unnecessary. I’m hoping that it’s handled in future volumes. Overall, this wasn’t necessarily my favorite manga but it is one that I’ll keep reading for now. The art was great and I’m enjoying the development of the friendships that Komi is making.

Komi is super popular despite her aloof reputation. Only timid Tadano seems to notice that she doesn't talk... ever! When she reaches out to him on the first day of class he quickly realizes it's awkwardness holding her back. Now he'll become her first friend in her quest to make 100 friends.

The Premise

I can't help myself when I learn a character is awkward I just relate too much to pass them by... so I HAD to read Komi Can't Communicate vol 1. I totally fell for Komi just like every other fool in their school. She had the best look, a wonderful combination of stern superiority and cool elegance. Who can resist that?! Stronger readers than me! And I really relate to her communication disorder. I don't have it near as bad as she does but it can be very isolating. She is quite brave to speak up at Tadano's easy friendliness.

The Buzz

I love the range of things that Komi experiences through Komi Can't Communicate vol 1. This has a feel of a slice of life because time at school simply passes and its only the different situations she gets into that shows passage of time. But its not all about making friends. It's also about social situations that will bring pressure onto Komi due to her social anxiety! I love the way Tomohito Oda at times shows these situations from one POV in one chapter and another in another chapter. It gives this unexpected edge to what could feel like your typical situations.

The Feels

I totally relate to every instance of communication overload that Komi experiences in Komi Can't Communicate vol 1. And I adored that Tadano would follow her on her missions to see how she did. It made my heart melt. Social anxiety is really hard because people look at you like you're a freak when you can't respond the way they expect. Because she is so popular this isn't a wide spread problem she deals with... but it does infringe on her ability to befriend others. As we see with Osana!

Actually Osana is one of my favorite characters after Komi. Her exact opposite this trans character is so refreshingly social that is makes for super funny situations. It also allows Osana to push Komi where Tadano would have dithered.

The Visuals

The intriguing thing is the way Komi Can't Communicate vol 1 is set up. The chapters are the shortest I've ever seen. They aren't the one page deals like found in Satoko and Nada lacking in any sort of plot (thank goodness). But they aren't like your typical manga with long chapters (there are 4 times more chapters in Komi than in most other mangas). At first I was worried but I found I really loved these short chapters. They were fun and held one idea that propelled the plot forward. This is the type of manga you have around to flip through when you need a break from heavy reading.

And I did quite enjoy the visuals! I loved the detailed backgrounds and the exaggerated expressions. And the character designs quite captured me, especially Komi. I loved the contrast of her situation to her appearance. Komi Can't Communicate vol 1 really was quite enchanting from the art to the story!

Komi Can't Communicate vol 1 is about a girl with social anxiety. It's hard for her to even talk to others, as a result, even though she's quite popular at her school she is isolated and friendless... Until she meets Tadano! The perfect boy to help her make friends and take the steps needed to full communication mode. I can't wait to see what they get up to in volume 2...!

⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

When they elected Komi as God instead of class representative because she deserves more, I was on the floor dying with laughter.

i actually finished reading this at 5 am but i decided to wait to log it as to be less incriminating

This was a cute graphic novel. I was very interested in Komi because of how brutally shy she is!! It’s pretty cute actually. She wants to make 100 friends even though she can barely utter a single syllable in front of other people. The first person who doesn’t think she’s like some god is Tadano, who is the only person that seems to realize she’s deathly scared of communicating with people. So he vows to help her make her 100 friends.

The plot was fun and the characters are likable. I especially love the art and the characters expressions. Komi is a very pretty girl and it’s fun to see her interact with those around her because she’s basically petrified. This is funny, but not hilarious, and I felt like the plot pulls you in fairly quickly. I’m eager to see how the story is going to go, seeing as how Komi is horrible at being social.

I recommend this to those who like funny graphic novels with good artwork. And I plan on continuing the series as soon as I get back to the library. 😊

The premise is in the title, Komi can't communicate because she has a massive social anxiety disorder that ordinary people mistake for aloofness. Thankfully, she has Tadano to help her navigate her new school populated by other unique personalities with their own social disorders in her quest to get 100 new friends.

It's a fun gag manga that's entertaining to read and Komi is a likable enough character that the reader would want to protect her as well. It's only weakness is that there's a lot lost in the translation. The names of the characters that populate Komi's school are actually puns that reveal their own social awkwardness. Still, it's translated decently enough and paired with the author's graphic storytelling, the main gags are still reachable. These volumes also have fantastic covers of the lovely Komi adorning it as well.

I watched the first episode of the anime based on this manga and was pleased with its depiction of its title character, Komi, but not so much so that I decided to continue with it. Turns out that this was a one-shot that was greenlit for an ongoing series, so the impression I had while going through this volume, that the first chapter was its strongest, was perhaps not too far off the mark. Not a huge problem, since unless a comic puts me off very early (hi, Cursed Princess Club!), I'll stick with it for three volumes or so to see how it develops past its first impression.

I didn't think that the story was told from Komi's point of view. I'd have preferred that rather than its being from Tadano's perspective, your prototypical average guy. At least he isn't so horny that he's invasive as well as boring, and he seems to really be on Komi's side vs. trying to get in her good graces because he wants to impress her or date her. He and Najimi are trying their best to stand back so Komi can negotiate various social situations on her own, with them cheering her on from the sidelines, and I appreciate that, too.

Najimi is a fun character, and Agari's kind of strange. I like how Agari also has communication problems that express themselves very differently than Komi's, but the whole "I wanna be your dog" thing is a little unsettling.

Being paralytically shy is a lot easier when everyone already adores you because you're gorgeous. Not everybody gets a break like that!

I've been thinking about reading Komi Can't Communicate for months now, so I was delighted to receive a free copy through Netgalley. This manga is about Komi, a beautiful high school girl who is so shy and socially awkward, she's unable to even speak to her fellow schoolmates. Tadano also suffers from social anxiety, albeit a milder version, and while at first bowled over by Komi's beauty, realizes that they have many things in common. Through notes written on the blackboard, Tadano finds out that Komi secretly hopes for 100 friends.

I thought that this manga was just okay. I'm just not the right demographic, although I appreciated the irony of all the other classmates thinking that Komi, based on her looks and "regal" manners, is infinitely cooler than any of them. Some of them also assume that she's extremely popular. None of them have any idea how isolated and lonely Komi feels.

Social anxiety and severe shyness could be quite serious topics, but this manga is comedic and light. Komi is elected "God" of the class, starts a friendship with a girl who instead wants to be Komi's dog (which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable), and saves another friend from unsavory bullies through a comedy of errors.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I'm going to continue on with this series. There are a lot of other manga series out there that click with me, and this one just wasn't a good fit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

To her classmates, quiet Shoko Komi is serene, elegant, charismatic and pretty, the class goddess. But average schmo Tadano stumbles upon the secret that she suffers so greatly from social anxieties and shyness that she is electively mute and has no friends. It's one of those oddly paced humor manga where each eight page chapter consists of a string of single page gags, so it took me a while to warm up to it. But the shy girl is very cute and I found myself pulling for her every time she made a little progress toward finding friends.

There is what I thought was going to be a typical comic relief cross-dressing side character, but so far the author and/or translator actually seem to be treating them as genderfluid. We'll have to see where that goes.

2.5

As with most manga with a running gag I figured this might get old, and while Komi's constant trembling and inability to communicate at times does get a bit frustrating, it's not overly so. I also enjoy the friendship she's building with Tadano and I think this series might get better as it goes instead of the opposite.

5/5stars

This is so unique, adorable, hilarious, endearing and wonderful! Loved this first volume

Poor Shoko Komi! In this excellent Japanese manga series, we meet a high school girl who desperately wants to build friendships with her fellow students, but is hampered with extreme social anxiety. Fortunately, the teens around her are mesmerized with Komi and her supposed air of cool reserve; when one young man, Tadano Hitohito, learns the truth, he begins a campaign to help the girl reach a goal of making one hundred friends. – Louisa A.

This manga was literally so cute!!! I absolutely loved all of the characters (except the chick who wanted to be Komi's dog... that was interesting to say the least) and I just overall liked this. Literally cannot form a coherent review right now but live laugh love my babygirls Tadano, Najimi, and Komi 😭😭😭❤

3.5 stars

The plot was very thin and the chapters were simply scenarios Komi found herself in where she couldn’t communicate; however, I did find myself smiling and going ‘awwww’ throughout so I am intrigued to find out what other situations Komi finds herself in.

This was super cute I will definitely check out the second volume!

The worst gender stereotypes mar this portrayal of a girl struggling to break out of her anxiety.

Affronter la peur

L'histoire de Shouko Komi, une lycéenne paralysée par son anxiété en présence de ses camarades de classe, et qui, pas découragée, se donne pour objectif de se faire 100 amis.

Lu dans l'édition française après avoir vu la série en japonais sous-titré anglais. Les personnages sont créés à partir de solides clichés mais leurs interactions font que la plupart dépassent plus ou moins cette nature de cliché, petit à petit. J'aime bien le fait que l'héroïne écrive ce qu'elle cherche à dire, un procédé qui rend la recherche de kanjis que l'on ne connaît pas encore très pratique dans l'adaptation ! Points bonus pour le personnage de Najimi Osana :)

Voir aussi :
No One Writes Back
La Fille de la supérette
Chroniques d'une station-service

Bande-son :
Komi Can't Communicate Season 1 OST

Hmm … well, this is certainly a promising beginning. Shoko Komi is seemingly the queen of high school. Gorgeous, poised, aloof, the entire student body worships her from afar. But she has no real friends. What seems to be cool reserve is actually a crippling social anxiety. Hitohito Tadano is seemingly her opposite, shy, uncertain, new to the school. But a chance encounter with Komi gives him enough insight to recognize her awkwardness. He learns of her desire to make one hundred friends, and makes it his mission to help her to make her dream come true.

It's an interesting premise, and we get introduced to a promising bunch of characters. The pacing of the story seemed strange to me at first. The chapters are shorter than usual for manga. It's like the book can't make up its mind if it wants to be standard manga or four panel gag format. Once I got used to it, though, it was smooth sailing.

I'm not sure how I feel about the hundred friends thing. One the one hand, it's poetic and interesting. But on the other … sheesh! That's a ridiculously huge cast we're talking about, especially if everyone gets a proper and memorable character arc. And we do want that, because if they're just boxes to tick off on a checklist, then this devolves into Pokémon. I just hope Tomohito Oda hasn't bitten off more than they can chew.

Anyway, as I said, a promising first volume! We'll see how it develops.

it's really cute, but some characters were just too annoying for me to enjoy.

I don't think I will continue with the manga but I do think I will watch the anime!