#watadad

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #121

You know, I really should stop assuming that the next chapter is going to be the start of Tomoko’s third year, otherwise I’m gonna start looking like one of those pretentious fans who thinks they know the manga better than the creators. 

So after last chapter’s emotional rollercoaster, we follow Tomoko into her spring break where she goes...fishing. Now, I wasn’t expecting a “filler” chapter before Tomoko’s third year, but I can’t complain. We needed a funny, breather chapter of sorts after what went down at the party. I could see other series making a chapter like this and being painfully obvious that they’re dragging the story out, but in Watamote, no chapter is completely devoid of substance. Whether it’s dick pics or fishing, Tomoko will make it entertaining.

Chapter 121: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Spent Time with my Dad

Maybe I’m reading a little too much into it, but I do notice a minor difference in Tomoko’s behavior for how she spends her school breaks. Back in her first year, Tomoko would despair about wasting time doing her otaku hobbies, but she was never really bored. Now unless there really is none of that to occupy her time, then the implication here is that interests like manga and anime no longer give her that sense of engagement. Could it be that Tomoko’s interests have begun to wane, or is it simply that she’s learned some degree of moderation where she nows needs other things to give her a change of pace?

I do appreciate Nico Tanigawa giving us subtle hints as to where Tomoko lives in “our” world. I wonder if the precise location of her home, if there is one, is the the same as where the mangaka lives. I imagine it’d be pretty close, if only for storytelling convenience, but obviously they’re not gonna give us anything direct, lest someone takes that as an invitation to go on a Watamote pilgrimage.

I wonder whether Tomoko’s discomfort is from the bait itself, or if it justs looks too difficult for her to do? We do know that Tomoko isn’t all that squeamish, given that she finds things like dead stingrays to be cool, so I think it’s more likely that isn’t confident she can hook the bait since it’s been so long since she last went fishing.

I’m with you, Tomoko. But even if I don’t like fishing myself, I can respect people who do. I’d like to think that activities/sports like fishing and golf, where a lot of the time is spent in anticipation, is something that only appeals to certain kinds of people. Those who enjoy it may appreciate the atmospheric tension, but for those who are eager only for the results, it probably looks monotonous. 

That doesn’t surprise me. Tomoko was probably at that age where going fishing was considered a summer highlight. It’s one of the various activities parents often have their kids do to broaden their horizons, and while such things are fun to an extent, they usually become a thing of the past once you’ve settled on your own hobbies. Perhaps I’m projecting my own experiences onto Tomoko, but I’d like to think there’s a bit of truth there.

Twins.

So apparently hooking half-dead fish is something that actually happens? Nasty.

Tomoko as a kid, like many others, probably was blinded by some childlike wonder that blocked the harsher realities in favor of that feeling of accomplishment that comes with catching fish. Now that she’s older, fishing is just another facet of reality she’s become apathetic about. Looking back, the things that Tomoko used to associate with adulthood like coffee shops and cabaret girls probably wouldn’t register on her radar now as they did back then.

That timing seems about right. We know that Tomoki became less excitable at the start of middle school, so that’s probably when he became “too old” for fishing.

At this point, I guess I ought to talk about Tomoko’s dad. Previously, what little we knew about him was restricted to the fact that he has the busy life of a salaryman, and the implication that’s he’s a pretty chill and open-minded guy (the massager incident being the prime example). I do appreciate that while he’s aware about things like gendering, he doesn’t discriminate and has no issues on bringing Tomoko along for a “boy’s hobby” despite her now being a “young woman”. I live in a culture where fishing with your dad is often seen as “father-son quality time”, which is why the activity is usually associated as being something masculine. This could be an instance of the mangaka’s own open-minded views being expressed through Tomoko’s dad, one could say. All in all, I’m glad that for all of Tomoko’s problems, having a dysfunctional family has never been one of them.

You know that feeling you get when you build up a goal so fantastically in your mind, but once you have it, the high wears off almost instantly. We as readers can enjoy the dramatic irony of Tomoko’s response since we’ve seen firsthand how relatively exciting her school life as been as of late. But the big point is that Tomoko’s change in-universe was very gradual. She’s never had to make some grand epiphany about her social life because it happened so seamlessly to the point where it became nothing special, or “normal” for her. And honestly, that’s probably for the best.

That’s something we’ve all noticed, I believe. All those chapters of Tomoko wanting to ditch school come to mind. But looking back, Tomoko distaste for school was mostly due to having an unfulling school life than any dislike for the schoolwork. Though I imagine that the old Tomoko would reason the exact opposite so she wouldn’t have to face the hard truth.

C’mon, Tomoko. Don’t you know parents always talk about their kid’s problems in secret?

Exactly my thoughts. If she were being conscientious about it, Tomoko would skip school if she really could. But after making her new circle of friends, the drudgery of school was no longer a large part of her mindset, and was pushed to the back of her mind when dealing with her new buddies took priority. This was most evident back in chapter 109, where Tomoko admitted she was glad to go to school even when she didn’t really have to. I’m not sure if she’s fully realized it herself, but Tomoko’s mind has come to connect the school environment with her new social life, hence why most of her displeasure towards the former is all but gone.

Tomoko, an Instagram girl? Get real, dad.

She said the “f” word...*wipes away fanboy tear.*

You know what’s great, though? It’s that she said it so casually. Even Yuri had to stammer a bit before she could say the word “friend”. Though, having Yuri say it first probably broke the ice and gave Tomoko the assurance to say it too. Still, it’s nice to hear her speak so confidently about them. 

These moments where Tomoko is shown to be acutely aware about her own twisted personality really sheds some light about how she perceives herself. She knows she’s about 50% unlikeable, but where she used to try and “better” herself in the past, she’s now much more unforgiving about this side. Frankly, I find Tomoko much more likeable for accepting herself than those times when she could pass as an oblivious jerk. She’s much more intentional in pulling back her nastiness (though it still slips out at times), and that effort on her part is commendable. 

Relatability Rating: 12/10.

So the eyes are genetic after all. You know, if we were shown this panel with no context whatsoever, I’m sure many people would mistake that eye for Tomoki. Tomoko we’d pick out no problem since that hair horn is all we need to identify her.

Remember what I said about Tomoko knowing when to let out her creepier side?

Well there ya go. 

But in all seriousness, there’s a lot to take from this sequence. The biggest and most obvious takeaway is that Tomoko feels the need to put on an air of innocence with the photo she sent to Yuu, but with Yuri and Mako, her freakier side is a lot more transparent. Even more so, she just seems a lot happier in the photo she sent to her schoolmates.

Does this mean that Tomoko is actually more comfortable with Yuri and Mako now than she is with Yuu? That’s both sweet and kind of depressing, but I think it needs to be stated that while Tomoko does seem to be more cheerful in the second pic, that doesn’t necessarily translate to her liking her schoolmates more than Yuu. I do admit that Tomoko does appear to drifting away from Yuu, but that alone doesn’t mean she likes Yuu any less than she did before. Keep in mind that Yuu is still her only friend whom she can share in her otaku interests. Perhaps Tomoko is just being more mindful of her, i.e. no longer casually harassing her. As for Yuri and Mako, she’s already built herself up as a weirdo, so there’s no harm in expressing that side of her. Tomoko just plays up different parts of her personality depending on the friend she’s with.

Too bad she didn’t send anything to Komiyama or Yoshida. If she had, I imagine it’d probably be a third pic of her trolling them hard. 

Thanks for being patient with my review. I couldn’t wait to get this out, but as expected, boot camp eats up my time. But on the positive side, I feel a lot more engaged when I write these out on my breaks, and that can only make these reactions better in the long run.

Now I know I just said I shouldn’t predict too much about future chapters at the start of this review, but I’m curious to see people’s predictions on who’ll be in Tomoko’s third year class.

My guess: Yuri, Ucchi, Okada, Katou...and Komiyama.

[klaudia2646]

Pass the Happy Along

Just saw this 😳from @watadad Pass the happy along! 5 things that makes me happy. Big cities, city life. The beach. Dancing. Sunny days Money 💰

[bestillmybeefyheart]

DAMN @watadad is smokin some meat and teasin me with it and I swear I can smell it from here and I have no idea where he at. Yo @watadad and @watamom - I'm road trippin to your place, will you adopt me? :D

[bestillmybeefyheart]

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With those brussel sprouts and the meat @watadad is smokin, I am pretty much set for food tonight and probably need to avoid the internet as despite my fullness from the BS, I could stuff smoked meat into my mouth until I passed out from gastric distress. And I have come close to this while pulling a smoked pork butt on more then one occasion. One of the pleasures and dangers of smoking a good cut of meat, you get to both sample and stuff yourself while prepping it for eating later.