Hahaha! My local library has the whole series.

This is too relatable. I remember never interacting with anyone in highschool or middle school and I looked just like her. Don't ask me how it happened, I can only say it's because of a lot of things, a whole life story's worth.

A dark comedy that caters towards a particular, shut-in audience, I'd say that I enjoyed it :)

Nekojiru is better though, sorry ;)

P.S. If you're in this situation yourself, remember that social life is like learning how to swim: you either have a boogie board to practice or get thrown in the deep end and struggle not to drown > ( )

Main character is cringy, but reminds me of middle school me. I can sympathize though because social anxiety is horrible, and I've never been good with socializing. ( )

This was not my cup of tea. I picked this up as part of an effort to get to know my library's manga collection, and I didn't know anything about it at the start. I know some people would find the story hilarious, but the main character is such a perv that I really wouldn't feel comfortable handselling it to a library patron. This is one that people will just have to find on their own. ( )

Imagine a Shoujo with a female lead who is painfully shy and awkward. You would naturally expect that she would have a tragic (or utter nonsensical) back story that made her that way. There would be the hottest guy in school who is most likely also an arrogant jerk. If he is a brat, there would be a backstory that tries to convince us that he may look cold, but he is actually a nice guy. He would be Mr.Popular and all the girls would have a crush on him, but he would obviously falls head over heals in love with our female lead. They would start dating and then his friends become her friends too. Slowly, she would learn to trust people. Some obstacles to their relationship may be present, which they would overcome and be together happily ever after. That is what most shoujos are about, right? Except, this one is not!

In this manga, the female lead is extremely shy, painfully awkward and perverted, but there is none of the above cliche. Our heroine, Tomoko, is the classroom outcast because of her personality. Even when people try to talk to her, she finds it hard to reply. This manga is all about her misadventures on trying to fit in, hoping to find love and becoming popular. Let me tell you that this was one hilarious manga. I wonder how the author managed to make me laugh, feel sorry for Tomoko and root for her, all at the same time. ( )

Review originally found on Looking Glass Reads.

You know how sometimes you stumble on something that hits so close to home it makes you a little uneasy? This manga does that. Over and over again. No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular, Vol 1 by Nico Tanigawa is a story about an awkward teenage girl who loves video games and manga, has trouble making new friends and talking to boys, and isn’t as close to her brother as she used to be.

No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular (an extraordinarily long title abbreviated to Watamote for the manga and anime series) is written by Nico Tanigawa, a pen name for the two creators of the manga. Both the chapters and manga itself are significantly shorter than some other manga I’ve read. The art is rather wonderful. Facial expressions especially are often highly stylized and convey the characters thoughts and emotions perfectly.

Tomoko Kuroki is fifteen and just starting high school. Her goal? Make new friends and get a boyfriend. Shouldn’t be too hard, she’s talked to boys a whole six times last year. The manga follows her misadventures in navigating high school, family, and friends. All of a sudden Tomoko cares about things like her appearance, only she has no idea what to do to fix her perceived flaws or how to really handle high school and social situations in general. The only thing she has as a reference point are dating sims, and she quickly finds out that they are not a good reference point for actual high school life.

A shut in to the point where she doesn’t seem to understand how the real world works, Tomoko seems to judge Yuu, her best friend, for changing, but simply expects all of her classmates (some of whom she’s known throughout middle school) to treat her differently in high school without making any sort of concerted effort herself.

This manga is funny, but also endearing. It’s very easy to see yourself in Tomoko, despite the extreme reactions she sometimes has. Tomoko’s actions are cringe worthy, and I can’t help but compare my own high school days. We’ve all made the mistakes she makes. Every incredibly embarrassing encounter, every over the top social faux pas, is something we’ve all personally done, though perhaps not to that extent.

Of course, Tomoko takes every embarrassing encounter or awkward exchange to the extreme. Not only does she never manage to say the correct thing, but she always assumes the absolute worst of people and picks the exact wrong thing to do or say in almost any situation. Yet, the manga shows the goodness in the people around her as well, something Tomoko always seems to miss. Yuu sticks beside her even when others might not. Even after the incredibly botched attempt to talk to the two boys stuck in the rain with her, they still go out of their way to leave her an umbrella.

Something else I liked about the manga was the Translation Notes section in the back of the book. Its short, only two pages, but has notes on words and terms found throughout the book which people might not be familiar with. Some are references to things in manga, anime, and video games. Others are more tied to Japan and Japanese culture. As for the translations itself, it’s really very good, with none of the awkward phrasing or too-literal translations that can sometimes slip in.

No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular is a manga series I love. It’s relatable while not entirely true to life. The art is style is, at times, a bit over the top but wonderful nonetheless. If you like slice of life or high school manga pick up a copy and give this one a read. ( )