#honestly is implied that she has a bad relationship with her sister... she's a loner but honestly I don't think she really *wants* that

[cnl0400]

Thirteen's Birthday call (Year 1)

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #112

In the latest chapter of Watamote, love is in the air! Okay, not really. But what we do get is still more than enough to make my heart flutter. And it’s not just because we got that Yuri Tamura characterization I’ve been waiting for. It’s because it’s the first part of the Valentine’s Day “arc”. Which means it’s time to see all the confessions, love letters, and romcom cliches that will most definitely NOT be happening in Tomoko’s life. 

Chapter 112: Because I'm Not Popular, I'll Enjoy Valentine's Day (Part 1)

Only in the fanfics, Tomoko.

Okay, this is actually pretty prominent. Until now, I wouldn’t have blamed anyone for thinking that Tomoko was serious about calling Mako a lesbian. But right here, it’s confirmed that she really was just joking. But that raises the question: When Tomoko makes claims like this, how much of it is just a joke, and how much of it isactually serious? Given Tomoko’s eccentricities, it’s hard to tell sometimes. Does she actually think Yuu is a “slut”? Does she actually think Yoshida is a “delinquent”? Just how self-aware is Tomoko, anyway? 

I know that this is a mistranslation and that Tomoko is actually commenting about how Yuri’s chocolate from Mako looks better than hers. I mean, that makes sense, given than Yuri and Mako are lesbos besties and all.

All the girls except you, Yuri? Does that imply she’s not as outwardly affectionate as the other girls? Nice use of subtle characterization. 

Sometimes I feel that the word “platonic” is not in Tomoko’s dictionary.

And there it is! It’s been long suggested that Yuri doesn’t really have any other friends other than Mako, but this is first time it’s been explicitly stated in the series. The more I think about it, Tomoko and Yuri are actually pretty similar. They each have that one friend they hang out with (Yuu and Mako, respectively), but are otherwise pretty reserved. Hmm, maybe it really was fate after all, Yuri. 

I know I’m not the only one who noticed that focus on this shot. And as others have guessed, it may have been Yoshida putting chocolates in Tomoko’s desk. The girl in the previous panel did look like her from the back, but I’m going to hold off from that judgment until it’s confirmed or not in the next chapter. 

Enter the pervert sisters. You know, I think that if Yuri wasn’t there, Tomoko would have acknowledged them more openly. So why did she lie? Well, I think it’s because Tomoko tends to incite conflict when both Komiyama and Akari are around, so she probably doesn’t want to look bad in front of Yuri. Gotta maintain that air of “maturity”, amirite Tomoko?

Even though she wasn’t planning to make any until now, I guess even Tomoko has some standards about the exchange of Valentine’s Day chocolate. Or perhaps it’s not so much as having standards than Tomoko putting too much stock in the “proper” way of making chocolates. Yuri seems more lenient in comparison, though I think that’s just her being more practical than Tomoko in this case.

When in doubt, Google it. 

As usual, Nico Tanigawa are excellent in delivering scenes with little to no dialogue. At first glance, these three panels are just Tomoko and Yuri going through the recipe. But there’s quite a lot of implicit characterization to be found in this sequence. This is unfamiliar territory for both of them, yet neither shows any signs of anxiousness. There’s this quiet diligence between the two that you often find when introverts work together. And despite being in close proximity with each other, it’s very clear that there’s this “comfort zone” that they share. 

That’s what she said.

I think that Tomoko is actually thinking the same thing Yuri is to an extent. As forcing small talk is the bane of introverts, the relationship between Tomoko and Yuri is probably the healthiest relationship we’ve seen thus far (except for perhaps Tomoko and Yuu). Neither feels obligated to try any harder than necessary, and they are quite receptive to each other’s quiet demeanors. And as for what “all this” is referring to, I believe it’s the act of being explicitly friendly with each other for the first time. It clearly has a big impact on them both, and given how easygoing it seems so far, I’d call it a success,

One thing I appreciate in this chapter that while they’re giving Yuri more characterization, it doesn’t really change anything that was already established about her. While her more “loner” attributes are more apparent here, it’s still connected to her personality as the “plain jane” who often has her earbuds on. And what makes it work even better is that her relationship with Mako actually supports this side of Yuri’s personality. Impressive. 

I didn’t realize it until way later that Tomoko and Yuri’s chocolates reflect their respective personalities. I wonder if the idea of making Yuri more flashy is something Nico Tanigawa considered when they first developed her character?

I find it both disturbing and amusing that Yuri knows Tomoko’s personality enough to correctly guess that she would do something like making chocolate crap. And as we know, Yuri, to her credit, has grown accustomed to this.

Tomoko’s casual harrassment of Yuu-chan still baffles me sometimes. 

Name-dropping everyone’s favorite delinquent.

Tomoko’s comment on the lack of excitement in giving chocolates to supposed lesbians suggests that perhaps she is not actually a lesbian herself, though one could easily argue against that. Rather, I’d like to look at it from a different angle. I think this comment actually speaks to Tomoko’s self-awareness on her own undesirability. It’s a logic akin to “even lesbians wouldn’t be interested in me”. Speaking of which, I find it interesting that Tomoko never considers the possibility of others viewing her as a lesbian. Being as well-informed as Tomoko is, you’d think she would.

Not gonna lie, I actually went “AWWWW!” out loud when this happened. I think the fact that a gag manga can make me feel like a dad proud of their introverted daughter making friends is a testament to how good it is.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that Yuri stammered a bit when she said “friends”. I don’t believe it means Yuri isn’t genuine with their friendship, but speaking from experience, I understand the difficulty of calling somebody your “friend’ for the first time. It’s a bold declaration, especially for people who don’t have many friends to begin with. However, that also means that since Yuri managed to say it, her friendship with Tomoko is actually meaningful to her.

AWWWW!

Small victories...small victories.

Emojis from Emoji-girl? Mangaka plz. 

coughtsundereucchicough.

Unless I’m wrong about how shoe lockers work in Japan, let’s look at what just happened here. Ucchi had leftover chocolate, looked in Tomoko’s locker, actually went to the trouble of looking for her, then put chocolate in the girl’s locker with a letter explaining herself. Actually, this whole letter reads like one big rationalization.  

For someone who claims to not want Tomoko pining after her, Ucchi isn’t exactly making herself distant, is she?

Tomoko’s reasoning actually says a lot about how she views herself in regards to how she influences those around her. That being, not much. She mostly got into the whole “making chocolates” thing because she felt so distant from everyone that she could pass it off as a joke. As we see in this chapter, that’s no longer the case. She has people that take her relatively seriously, and Tomoko still hasn’t caught up in the reality that her life is kind of okay, so to speak. Hopefully she’ll reach that epiphany someday.

I feel you, Tomoki. Don’t give your sister any leverage. Though admit it, we all know at least two people gave you chocolates, right?

Never change. Tomoko. Never change. 

So yeah, this wasn’t exactly the most romantic Valentine’s Day ever, but honestly, this is far beyond what I would’ve expected from the start of the series. Most manga use Valentine’s day as a vehicle for romantic milestones. You know, confessions and all that. And while now of that happens here, it’s still a milestone in Tomoko’s growth. She hung out with someone with zero repercussions, officially became Yuri’s friend, and got chocolates out of it all.

And to think, this is only the first part.