Komi Can’t Communicate

Welcome to my manga corner! My love of manga started around college and has continued on, becoming something I love and connect with more and more every year. Part of this also stems from the fact that for the first time in years, I’ve met other people who love to read manga too. The bookstagram manga community is massive and amazing. I have enough recommendations to last me a lifetime, but that being said, I never want to run out because there is just something about manga that is so wholesome and perfect.

I thought a lot about what series I would like to review here first. And that brought me back to Komi Can’t Communicate. I have read the first 21 volumes of this series, and I am so lucky that my library has made these all available to borrow digitally. Volume 22 of Komi Can’t Communicate releases in the U.S on 12/13/2022. I’m counting down the days!

Komi Can’t Communicate follows student Shoko Komi in her quest to make 100 friends. Idolized by her peers, Komi is seen as this beautiful, mysterious person because she doesn’t speak. The manga portrays this in a humorous way that I’ve come to love. However, Komi wants to communicate with others and make friends. When a new student, Hitohito Tadano, begins at their school, he quickly befriends Komi. The first scene in which they talk is beautifully done. Tadano realizes Komi wants to communicate but struggles to speak. He reaches out to her by writing on their classroom chalkboard.

What unfolds across the manga series so far is an incredibly beautiful and sweet slice of life story. It also shows the power of friendship and how important it is to believe in yourself. Komi slowly opens up to her classmates, and they all grow closer both in classroom events as well as outside trips they take together. The series is full of warm and fuzzy moments and even some small budding romances.

“An important thing to remember is, just because a person has problems communicating, doesn’t mean that person doesn’t want to communicate with others.”

One of my favorite parts of the series comes in during some of the later volumes. While Komi’s family is present throughout the series, there are bonus chapters dedicated to how her parents met and fell in love. Komi’s father is like her in that he doesn’t speak often, but you can tell just by the artwork that he feels deeply. Watching those little side chapters unravel are a warm addition to the series and something I love so much.

Another aspect I really love about this series is the lack of bullying. Bullying exists, especially during this time of their lives, but it isn’t really a prevalent theme, and I often noticed that a lot of manga series around high school students feature bullying to some extent. As someone who has experienced bullying throughout junior high and high school to varying degrees, I found myself joyful to see a group of students who acknowledge their differences but don’t focus on them negatively. There are a lot of feel-good manga series out there, but this one definitely is my favorite to date. I don’t know if there will ever be enough Komi for me, and I hope the series continues for many more volumes.

There is an anime series currently on Netflix. I’ve only watched the first episode, but it was incredibly cute and sweet. It’s definitely worth checking out. If you want a story filled with happy moments, this is the story for you!

If you’ve read this series or watched the anime, I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations for other series that I might like as well. If I ever have more space for books, this series is definitely one I’m going to buy and reread often. For now, I’m so thankful it’s available through my library Libby app!