#* i would say yamai is as well but he like... doesn't really go out of his way to hide anything about himself

[carnivorarium]

A really fun kind-of plot with Aoki would be a “they’re neighbors/in the same apartment complex and see each other fairly often, except it’s becoming more and more obvious that something is exceptionally wrong here.” Because, well, try as he might to blend in, the necessary habits he has for work make him stick out like a sore thumb. And there’s the fact that he’s a monster, not a human (which could play far less of a role if the given setting they’re in is more centered on the unnatural, but even then he tries to keep as much of his identity under wraps as I can, particularly the specifics of what he is). 

I just adore the idea of him getting into a bit of a routine with a neighbor, without really realizing it-- little things like seeing each other about the same time every other night while they smoke or just step out for fresh air, they come home/leave at similar times, frequent the same nearby shops, etc. And that’s what makes the cracks in the facade start appearing. The mundanity should help his cover, but it’s what would eventually start to peel it off little at a time. As much as he’d like it to be, the little nothings in every day life are not normal for him; try as he might to make it be so, he’s not very practiced at it. A number of things that could go wrong will go wrong. And it really all depends how the relationship develops as to how that will go. 

And also-- bonus points if the other party in question has a few skeletons in the closet or something more going on that they’re also hiding. Or bonus points if they’re just a fella! Just a person living their life!  

[robbyrobinson]

Episode 4 of Komi Can't Communicate (Review)

This just goes to show how toxic simping can get. So, I love Komi Can't Communicate and would even go so far as to call it a "masterpiece" from its beautiful animation; likable characters with some depths; its wholesomeness, etc. But episode 4 is something else. Somehow we went from wholesome humor to DDLC in terms of disturb factor.

The first segment of the episode was good just being about Yadano's daily attempts to beat her "archrival" Komi with the latter having no idea that she was even in a challenge. Yadano's probably my favorite side character due to her over-the-top competitive drive.

The second half...oh boy. So, we have Tadano basically talking about how he was friends with the most beautiful girl in the school...and then, oh shit, he gets jumped. I legitimately thought that he probably died at that moment.

Yamai Ren...sigh...this character. While I still love the show and admire it for its take on social anxiety and offers some ways on how to deal with it, Yamai is the one thing that almost keeps the show from being a "masterpiece" in my eyes. How my thought process was when watching the episode.

During episode: Oh, she has a crush on Komi? Oh, puppy love, that's cute.

Few minutes into the episode: She...she's really obsessive. Alright, well...Wait, is she licking Komi's strand of hair? I feel like I'm going to be sick...The show has such good animation! Why'd they have to visualize that...?

Middle of the episode: She kidnapped Tadano. Are those pictures of herself and Komi all over the room? Oh...oh no.

I am serious; I was legitimately concerned for Komi in this episode. That if it was within her power, Yamai would pull some Silence of the Lambs shit on Komi and have her in a hole for a few days before making a skin suit from her and dancing in it. Someone get Keanu Reeves and Dominic Toretto to keep her under watch.

So, yes, Yamai freakin' kidnapped Tadano if there was ever any more reason to believe that Yamai is insane.

Just...Yamai. I am legitimately terrified of her. Never since Shion Sonozaki from Higurashi had I had these feelings of unease. If you were to tell me that she was an escaped mental patient who jabbed a plastic fork into one of her handlers' arms, I would believe you.

So, she gets to spend a lot of time with her beloved Komi, having "conversations" with her...completely ignorant that Komi never spoke once, and asked her if she wanted to come over for hamburgers. After a cute moment of Komi imagining Tadano was there to give her support, she appears to agree...which leads to Yamai overreacting. Najimi suggests that they go to Yamai's house, and the yandere has a "perverted image of Komi lying in her bed." But before she can make that happen, she had to get rid of Tadano.

And then the episode becomes even darker with Yamai asking Tadano whether he liked the sea or the mountains. Okay, so she doesn't gut him and wears his skin to get closer to Komi, but this girl is so beyond messed up, that if you rewrote the scenes, you can make a genuine creepypasta based on it. She not only kidnapped the Chadano, but she was going to dispose of him too.

Najimi and Komi arrive and Yamai goes to make some tea telling them to not open the closet door. To which Najimi, being the MVP they are, opening it anyway, but misunderstood it as being some kind of foreplay. Yamai arrives with two sharpened chopsticks (a knife in the manga) and brutally vivisects him by calling him an average piece of shit among other sharp criticisms.

She intimidates Komi with the chopsticks, but the Queen simply shakes her head and unties Tadano. Yamai tries to keep her from leaving by claiming that she did all of this for Komi's sake, but she could fuck off with that claim because she does not know Komi as much as she thought she did. Without even having to verbally chew her out, Komi writes on some paper and says she would decide her own friends for herself.

The worst part about this abominable character is the fact that she is not punished for her actions because she did commit two legitimate crimes: kidnapping and attempted murder. So she gets depressed over Komi rejecting her. Is that it? Not being friends with Komi is a greater punishment than being tossed into jail or whatsoever the law found appropriate? Not being friends is enough to make Yamai realize she had been a terrible character? Okay.

But it does lead to some more great scenes with Komi and Tadano: Komi, having remembered everything from yesterday down to the letter, asks Tadano if he truly wanted to remain friends with her due to the events fearing that more could happen to Tadano that she may be unable to stop. Tadano rejects the notion and reaffirms their friendship by quoting what she said yesterday.

Komi, while I understand you want friends, please maybe consider putting a restraining order on this girl because what makes you think she doesn't do anything that drastic again? But, of course, she does forgive Yamai and makes her a part of her entourage.

Looking into the manga, Yamai only gets worse the more she appeared with one instance happening sometime after the school became aware of Tadano and Komi dating. She overreacts to the fact that she was not holding hands with her Goddess and skips a week of school. She vents her frustrations to her clique of friends, only to throw them the hell out when she got a message from Komi that she was coming over to talk. Worse, she spots some Sleepy Sleepy Time pills and contemplates putting them into Komi's cup of tea. God only knows what she intended to do with Komi once she was unconscious.

I understand that she is supposed to be an intentionally hateable character with few redeeming traits, but there is a certain craft when it comes to making unlikeable characters that I feel Yamai fails at. Like the drug thing was the tipping point with how far they were willing to make her as hated as she is now. It was not funny in the least and only cements that Yamai exists to be that annoying perv of a character even when she does have some decent moments where she can be charitable when it has nothing to do with the center of her obsession.

Really, it is because of her presence in the episode that I didn't see virtually anything in it that was funny aside from Najimi freaking out about being alone with Komi since they could not translate whatever Komi was trying to say. Yamai's face turning into a kabuki mask for a moment was also slightly humorous.

While the episode is not my favorite, at the least, there are some good moments. It progresses Komi's development as a character by her putting her foot down to basically give a "fuck you" to Yamai for her attempts at trying to control who she was friends with. And really, if anything, this furthers her bond with Tadano because Tadano insists on remaining her friends regardless of what that would entail. So...in a way, Yamai helped strengthen their relationship. Which is something that she would not want to accept.

On a lesser note, I do recommend reading the dark fic "The Sea or the Mountains" by andreabandrea: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15217121. It takes a more serious look where Tadano is diagnosed with PTSD from his encounter with Yamai to the point of practically becoming sick whenever he was around her, and Yamai receives a more prompt punishment than in the episode along with additionally expanding on her character.

Rating