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No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! #3
No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!, Vol. 3
As her second term of high school begins, a sudden seat change knocks Tomoko for a loop...! And after surviving that trauma, how will she face the looming "Cultural Festival"...?! Tomoko's smack-dab in the way of an oncoming term loaded with terrifying events!! Will she make it through unscathed?!
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 2012
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143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 13, 2017
This volume has more sad elements than funny ones. I feel sorry for Tomoko and definitely not amused at her awkwardness anymore. I'm able to understand her anxiety and loneliness. The poor girl needs a break! Hope she develops some social skills at least in the next volume and starts making friends soon.
June 28, 2024
If it's even possible, Tomoko's thinking is getting even more warped. Tomoko, no! Don't go there!
I don't think I've laughed out loud while reading Watamote, since it's more of a dark comedy. There were several parts of this volume where I felt pity for Tomoko, like when she goes up to the abandoned top of a staircase to eat lunch by herself, because her seat assignment in the classroom is near the popular kids. Or when she puts in an application to start a school club and is rejected, and ends up playacting "SOS Brigade"-like club interactions with the stuffed toys in her room. Or when she goes to a Print Club (photo sticker) booth by herself, and her poses all end up being weird and stilted because even being photographed by a machine triggers her social anxiety.
I don't usually get into manga with this level of perviness, but the level is just enough to not make me stop reading in disgust. Along with feeling revulsion and pity, the reader can also hold out hope that something good will happen to help Tomoko start pulling out of her increasingly mentally-ill spiral. This must be an incredibly delicate balance to pull off, but the writer ("Nico Tanigawa" is a writer-artist team) manages it, and this is quite a compelling read. I gobbled up the three volumes I picked up recently in a couple of days, and am looking forward to reading more. Well, maybe "looking forward to" isn't quite appropriate... maybe it's more like suspense, wondering what groan-worthy situations our hot mess of a heroine will get into next time.
I don't think I've laughed out loud while reading Watamote, since it's more of a dark comedy. There were several parts of this volume where I felt pity for Tomoko, like when she goes up to the abandoned top of a staircase to eat lunch by herself, because her seat assignment in the classroom is near the popular kids. Or when she puts in an application to start a school club and is rejected, and ends up playacting "SOS Brigade"-like club interactions with the stuffed toys in her room. Or when she goes to a Print Club (photo sticker) booth by herself, and her poses all end up being weird and stilted because even being photographed by a machine triggers her social anxiety.
I don't usually get into manga with this level of perviness, but the level is just enough to not make me stop reading in disgust. Along with feeling revulsion and pity, the reader can also hold out hope that something good will happen to help Tomoko start pulling out of her increasingly mentally-ill spiral. This must be an incredibly delicate balance to pull off, but the writer ("Nico Tanigawa" is a writer-artist team) manages it, and this is quite a compelling read. I gobbled up the three volumes I picked up recently in a couple of days, and am looking forward to reading more. Well, maybe "looking forward to" isn't quite appropriate... maybe it's more like suspense, wondering what groan-worthy situations our hot mess of a heroine will get into next time.
November 17, 2024
This volume was nearly as solid as the others. It has a few chapters that are more "Ha" that LOL. And that was a letdown. I especially thought the first two chapters in particular were a bit weaker, and kind of depressing verse funny.
However, the stuff with the brother was truly hilarious. Watching her care for him so she can get sick and stay home from school was fantastic. I also loved whenever her friend came to visit her at school, cause that's when she's even creepier, and it is legit funny.
A 3 out of 5.
However, the stuff with the brother was truly hilarious. Watching her care for him so she can get sick and stay home from school was fantastic. I also loved whenever her friend came to visit her at school, cause that's when she's even creepier, and it is legit funny.
A 3 out of 5.
September 18, 2022
The most relatable part of this is her yearning to have a hug and not being able to figure out how to get one. I'm glad she has a secret friend looking out for her, but I hope that person becomes a more obvious friend to her in the future ^-^
July 11, 2014
This volume makes me a bit sad how lonely Tomoko is.
November 13, 2014
I'm starting to think, that a large part of the Tomoko's awkwardness is from negative thoughts.... not only about her own insecurities but about negative interpretations of others as well...
January 31, 2015
Lord, I don't know whether to be amused or to cry for the poor girl.
July 7, 2018
2.75 out of 5 stars
She’s so socially awkward it hurts!! This whole thing is so awkward and the story line is so choppy and weirdly sexual at times.
Not sure if I’ll continue on since this is all I checked out
She’s so socially awkward it hurts!! This whole thing is so awkward and the story line is so choppy and weirdly sexual at times.
Not sure if I’ll continue on since this is all I checked out
September 25, 2018
Another cute volume. I really like this series and like the main character. The story is easy to follow and has a good pace. I really like the different chapter titles and the over all plot. I am excited to see where this story will go.
May 28, 2021
This volume definitely went for a more sad tone, focusing a lot on tomoko's loneliness quite heavily. It made me really feel quite bad for her, and how hard she is finding it to be more social. But instead of turning me away, it's compelling me to read on, to see how this story continues.
March 16, 2024
Tomoko is a pretty sad character and there seems to be no progress on her part. Since, I have 15 volumes of this series, I'm hoping for at least some light at the end of the tunnel.
On a positive note, there is a lot of interesting information on Japan's culture provided in the notes.
On a positive note, there is a lot of interesting information on Japan's culture provided in the notes.
July 31, 2017
I liked this book just the same as the second one. I thought it was funny but not as funny as the first. The series is really good. She has some crazy ideas. Excited to read vol. 4!
October 18, 2017
Very, very dark humor
June 10, 2019
This one was just depressing. Most of the humor was either too formulaic and predictable as opposed to wacky.
August 23, 2019
Maybe I shouldn't have watched the anime before reading books 3+, but oh my god, Tomoko is still as incredibly awkward as ever. I start high school on Monday... Mojyo life, here I come!
October 2, 2020
2.5 stars
May 30, 2024
Can't lie, I feel kind of bad for her
June 23, 2014
First anime comic I've ever read! Took me a while to force myself to read from right to left, but I finally got with it. The plot and storyline was very funny and witty. I think the stories take a while to get used to. I definitely see myself picking up a few more volumes :)
July 4, 2013
4.5 Stars!
May 28, 2015
This one made me much, much sadder than the first two... Damn.
June 18, 2015
Hella entertaining.
August 23, 2015
see review for vol. 5
October 3, 2016
これも面白かった
Read
December 6, 2016This book series is really good from the ones i've read but they don't have the second book or any past volume 4 at the library
July 7, 2015
Painfully funny stuff. The best in cringe comedy and then suddenly feels.
April 4, 2017
Here we are again, another volume of No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Vol. 3 down. This series by Nico Tanigawa, pen name for the two creators of the series, is about Tomoko, high school student determined turn things around from her middle school days, make friends, and talk to boys. Unfortunately, this is harder than it originally sounded. Already at the start of second term, none of Tomoko’s plans have come to fruition.
Now, the usual notes. Both the manga and anime series are referred to as Watamote, because, while the actual title is a perfect fit for the series, it’s so long that it boosts the word count of these reviews by quite a significant amount. Since no one's trying to boost the word count for a college essay here, I’ll be using Watamote to refer to the series throughout the rest of the review.
If you haven’t caught up, you can find reviews for Watamote, Vol. 1 and Watamote, Vol. 2 here as well.
There were quite a number of moments in this volume where Tomoko makes the belated realization that she should never have wanted whatever it was she was looking for in the first place, even if it’s to fit in better, have something to talk about or get sympathy from, or to stay home from school for a few days. As usual, her plans backfire, some more massively than others.
I like how we see the simultaneous and conflicting inner wishes of Tomoko here. At once she is trying to have something to talk about and seem cool about in the form of falsely telling her friend Yuu that she was groped to taking care of her sick little brother in the hopes that she’ll get sick too and need to stay home the next day and not deal with her social life or lack thereof. The need for friendship and camaraderie is conflicting with her desire to just not be at school or a part of activities at all.
This is very human, and something I think the vast majority of people can relate to. At some point ‘screw it, I’ll just give up’ often does overtake, or at least conflict with, ‘maybe it’ll work out this time’.
In either case, the desire for something and how it works out in one’s head often doesn’t coincide with the reality of it. Tomoko doesn’t want to participate in helping her classmates setting up the school festival, and she certainly gets her wish. However, it is most definitely not in the way she desired. After several similar situations, she beings to learn that maybe there are things she should never have wanted in the first place. This is something Tomoko begins to learn, and verbalized later in the volume.
The more subdued, sad feeling we get from Tomoko at times in the second volume continues here, as opposed to the misguided furor she attacks her problems, real or perceived, in the first volume. Tomoko does seem to be changing, little by little. Maybe not a lot. Maybe not quickly. But she doesn’t feel stagnant, which is something that I feel can happen in slice of life or high school related manga.
This volume is just as relatable as the others. Tomoko, despite her sometimes extreme reactions, is someone who is easy to relate to. The awkward factor is doubled in places simply because we’ve all done or said similar things or been in similar situations and know how things are going to turn out before Tomoko does. We can commiserate with her. And I think this is why I gravitate to this series in particular, as opposed to the plethora of other high school manga.
As for the artwork, there were a few singularly amazing faces (of horror, despair, etc.) Tomoko makes within this volume. This is something I feel was most prevalent in the first volume and I found a bit lacking in the second. Here, while maybe not quite as numerous, we have more of this. And what we get certainly stuck out in my mind after finishing the volume.
If you haven’t already started reading Watamote by Nico Tanigawa, you should. The story is fun and relatable, and the volumes themselves aren’t terribly long and easy to get through. If you like humorous stories or were a fan of the anime, you’ll like this volume. If you didn’t like the anime or don’t like slice of life manga this may be one to skip.
This review and more can be found on Looking Glass Reads.
Now, the usual notes. Both the manga and anime series are referred to as Watamote, because, while the actual title is a perfect fit for the series, it’s so long that it boosts the word count of these reviews by quite a significant amount. Since no one's trying to boost the word count for a college essay here, I’ll be using Watamote to refer to the series throughout the rest of the review.
If you haven’t caught up, you can find reviews for Watamote, Vol. 1 and Watamote, Vol. 2 here as well.
There were quite a number of moments in this volume where Tomoko makes the belated realization that she should never have wanted whatever it was she was looking for in the first place, even if it’s to fit in better, have something to talk about or get sympathy from, or to stay home from school for a few days. As usual, her plans backfire, some more massively than others.
I like how we see the simultaneous and conflicting inner wishes of Tomoko here. At once she is trying to have something to talk about and seem cool about in the form of falsely telling her friend Yuu that she was groped to taking care of her sick little brother in the hopes that she’ll get sick too and need to stay home the next day and not deal with her social life or lack thereof. The need for friendship and camaraderie is conflicting with her desire to just not be at school or a part of activities at all.
This is very human, and something I think the vast majority of people can relate to. At some point ‘screw it, I’ll just give up’ often does overtake, or at least conflict with, ‘maybe it’ll work out this time’.
In either case, the desire for something and how it works out in one’s head often doesn’t coincide with the reality of it. Tomoko doesn’t want to participate in helping her classmates setting up the school festival, and she certainly gets her wish. However, it is most definitely not in the way she desired. After several similar situations, she beings to learn that maybe there are things she should never have wanted in the first place. This is something Tomoko begins to learn, and verbalized later in the volume.
The more subdued, sad feeling we get from Tomoko at times in the second volume continues here, as opposed to the misguided furor she attacks her problems, real or perceived, in the first volume. Tomoko does seem to be changing, little by little. Maybe not a lot. Maybe not quickly. But she doesn’t feel stagnant, which is something that I feel can happen in slice of life or high school related manga.
This volume is just as relatable as the others. Tomoko, despite her sometimes extreme reactions, is someone who is easy to relate to. The awkward factor is doubled in places simply because we’ve all done or said similar things or been in similar situations and know how things are going to turn out before Tomoko does. We can commiserate with her. And I think this is why I gravitate to this series in particular, as opposed to the plethora of other high school manga.
As for the artwork, there were a few singularly amazing faces (of horror, despair, etc.) Tomoko makes within this volume. This is something I feel was most prevalent in the first volume and I found a bit lacking in the second. Here, while maybe not quite as numerous, we have more of this. And what we get certainly stuck out in my mind after finishing the volume.
If you haven’t already started reading Watamote by Nico Tanigawa, you should. The story is fun and relatable, and the volumes themselves aren’t terribly long and easy to get through. If you like humorous stories or were a fan of the anime, you’ll like this volume. If you didn’t like the anime or don’t like slice of life manga this may be one to skip.
This review and more can be found on Looking Glass Reads.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews