Komi Can’t Communicate: A Thousand Words

If there was ever a finer more pure example of “Netflix Jail” then it would be the anime we are talking about today. Something that should have taken the fandom by storm, but somehow has been left to do its own thing. Does that mean the show is bad? Well after the cut let’s take a dive into the series Komi Can’t Communicate and find out.

I am not being silly when I say that this show proves “Netflix Jail” exists. I was positive, absolutely positive that when I heard this show was going to be made, that it would be the new hit thing. Shows with cute and quirky girls are all the rage these days, doubly so if they have a lot of reactions that can be easily memeable. Komi had all of that in spades, so I was certain this was going to be at the top of many people’s list.

I mean, how could this face NOT get as much love as it should have?

Instead, it hasn’t, and has sort of just been twiddling its thumbs.

Does that mean the show is bad? Far from it. But landing on Netflix has absolutely crippled what could have been a home run. It tore eyeballs off the show, and people just didn’t seem to care. Which is a shame because the show is really good.

Tadano and the show itself treat Komi’s inability to speak with respect that doesn’t bordering on fetishization.

Like with other shows that star a quirky lead, Komi will be a story that you either like or dislike. While I didn’t care for Nagatoro, and was ‘eh’ about Uzaki-chan. I was all about Komi and her struggles to try and make friends. While I can’t relate to it myself, the way the anime depicts Komi’s inability to speak, her nervousness and her honest attempts is deeply endearing and deeply adorable. So many times I found myself cheering for every little step she took, and her true honest effort in trying to break out of her shell. And for a storyline that too often can come off as preachy and pandering, Komi is able to thread the line between being uplifting without coming off as fake. Her relationship with the main male lead Tadono is also very cute, with him being supportive and friendly instead of either being too nervous to talk to her, or too horny to focus.

The supporting characters run the gambit of what you expect from this show, and they are damn funny.

As for the rest of the anime, it was just great. The colorful cast of fellow students help fill in the gaps, whether it is someone with a thousand childhood friends, a girl who is a little too obsessed with Komi, and a bunch of others that range through almost every typical archetype you see in these stories. The humor can sometimes be hit or miss, but when it hits I found myself laughing out loud at just how serious the show took itself. Seeing Komi’s fanclub going to extreme lengths to rationalize her muteness as another reason she’s perfect never really got old. It’s just damn fucking funny and makes me wonder why people didn’t jump on this series as much I thought they might of.

Komi Can’t Communicate is a good show, and one that sadly feels shoved aside from the streaming platform it ran out. A show about a disability that is treated with respect, tact and some good humor. The characters are enjoyable, the humor lands most of the time, and the art and animation is well above average. I really enjoyed my time with this anime, and if you like cute girls doing cute things, or a fun slice of life school story, give this show a look. Just don’t expect epic monologues.

Komi’s mom remains best girl and best milf.