古見さんは、コミュ症です。 21 [Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu. 21]

古見さんは、コミュ症です。 [Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu.] #21

by Tomohito Oda

国境を越えるコミュ症美少女コメディー!

行き先はアメリカ・NY。
コミュ症美少女・古見さん、2年目の修学旅行は初の海外へ。
英語で話しかけられて緊張したり、注文に困ったり、
アメリカへ引っ越した友達・澪ちゃんに再会したり。
初めて経験する気持ちと、変わらない人付き合いが
異国の地に広がります。
年末年始の古見家 只野家、正月太り(?)との戦いも収録です。

緊張と嬉しさが、初めての景色を彩る
コミュ症美少女コメディー、第21巻。

Genres: Manga, Romance, Slice Of Life, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Humor

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2021

About the author

ODA Tomohito
Name (in native language): 小田智仁
Associated Names: オダトモヒト

Tomohito Oda won the grand prize for World Worst One in the 70th Shogakukan New Comic Artist Awards in 2012. Oda’s series Digicon, about a tough high school girl who finds herself in control of an alien with plans for world domination, ran from 2014 to 2015.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Komi's class trip to New York City is an exhilarating journey that takes readers on a whirlwind adventure filled with cultural richness and new experiences. In this special storyline, the characters from Komi Can't Communicate step out of their familiar environment and embark on an unforgettable trip to the bustling metropolis.

One of the standout aspects of this storyline is the detailed depiction of New York City. The artwork beautifully captures the city's iconic landmarks, from the towering skyscrapers to the vibrant atmosphere of Times Square. The attention to detail immerses readers in the sights and sounds of the city, making it feel like a genuine travel experience. Whether it's visiting famous museums, indulging in street food, or taking a stroll through Central Park, the trip showcases the diverse cultural offerings of New York City.

While the setting is undeniably captivating, it is the character dynamics that truly shine in this storyline. Komi and her classmates are confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliar situations. However, they approach these challenges with open minds and a willingness to learn, ultimately fostering growth and understanding among themselves. It's heartwarming to witness their bonds strengthen as they navigate through the city, supporting one another and forming lasting memories.

Moreover, the trip serves as a pivotal moment for Komi's character development. Stepping into a new environment forces her to confront her communication anxieties head-on. As she interacts with locals and explores the city, Komi begins to discover her own voice, gaining confidence and breaking down the barriers that hindered her in the past. Her journey of self-discovery resonates with readers, reminding us of the importance of embracing new experiences and overcoming our own personal obstacles.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty flat and unmemorable volume in spite of the fact that there is a field trip to America! The Rumiko-Komi-Tadano struggle continues, with no real progress. The Komi Slap Cup, New Year's games--the Swamp Bros. Tournament, eh. I liked the cameo of Komi's protective grandma, the most memorable image in the whole volume. Pretty fluffy, this one.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A volume of genial futzing about. Christmas and New Year's chapters give way to a multi-chapter arc about a class trip to New York City that continues into next volume.

Lots of friend stuff and little romantic progress makes for a pleasant enough limbo. But I want more.

[akacya ❦]

2024 reads: 47/250

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Komi celebrates Xmas and her 17th B-Day with a interesting video game tournament with her circle of friends while continuing to ponder on her feelings for Tadano. Later, she and the class are off to NYC on their second annual school trip and there’s lots for her to see and even a few surprises. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun and sweet friends shenanigans as Komi and her class move into a new year--and then a trip to America! Gotta' love those suspicious TSA agents.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Komi's birthday again! I love how the plot changes even though the same events come around, birthdays and holidays.
Seeing America portrayed was fun too, and Rei and Komi reconnecting was cute as well.
Check out my YouTube channel for bookish videos and monthly wrap ups!

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Manbagi Can’t Communicate! Oh, sorry, wishful thinking there. Yamai plots things so I’m automatically annoyed, America is visited, and an incredible amount of butt whupping round out this volume.

Boy, starting a volume with Yamai is not a great way to endear me to any volume of this series and this isn’t one of the better ones no matter how you slice it. I do like the return of the Smash Bros. knock-off, but there’s too much dumb plotting just so Yamai can get a slap.

There’s a ton of New Years stuff that doesn’t amount to much, mostly in the form of text messages and fretting about text messages. Komi and Tadano grow closer, Tadano and Manbagi have actual chemistry, the usual stuff.

And even the New York section is kind of a snooze. It feels like so much of it is wasted without being especially funny, but I just described this whole volume in a nutshell. Komi is many things, but boring is rarely one of them. This entire volume feels like it’s inert.

The one part that does work is Tadano’s New Years plans, which involve Najimi inviting themselves along and instituting a butt slapping (with a huge bat) for anybody who laughs.

Running gags come in two flavours - those that recur because they are genuinely funny and warrant coming back and those that are not funny, but become funny by sheer force of repetition. This section is firmly in the latter, repeating the same shot of various peoples’ butts being whacked and just rotating the characters. It is genuinely hilarious by the end.

One good section does not a good book make, however, and I would be hard pressed to say I enjoyed any of the other stories especially well. That’s an absolutely terrible batting average for the series, but given that we’ve made it to this many volumes, it’s not surprising that it might stagnate a bit.

2.5 stars - I feel bad, I know people love this series and part of it was funny, but if I hadn’t bought this volume at all I doubt I would have missed it. It’s absolutely skippable and all filler, no killer.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was super cute. My favorite storyline was Komi going to get her passport and talking to all these strangers by her self and Tadano in the background proud of how much she's grown. The new year's messages were also cute.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had several volumes of Komi checked out from my library for a while now, but I just haven't been able to summon up the will to read them. Much of the time, the story is all about gags and tropes, and it's just hard to find it interesting. The rest of my family enjoys the series much more than I do, but I will say that these last three or four volumes were much more enjoyable to read than previous volumes due to actual - actual! - plot development. I found myself enjoying the volumes for the first time in a long time. So, even though this series is like 40+ volumes in Japan, I guess I'll keep plugging away...for now, at least.

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great moments and as always the art is incredible. I'm glad Susie from Deltarune is here now (iykyk) and the school trip to America was a lot of fun! Surprisingly this ends up being a slower volume built around a handful of solid gags. This provides some good moments for tertiary characters and I'm stoked to see Rei again, but there's no plot momentum here in regards to Manbagi, Komi and Tadano. Yamai's antics here are more wholesome than usual, and Najimi's screen time is great, though I always want more Najimi.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Except for a couple of really cute moments, this is basically your run of the mill volume, where nothing much really happens, we don't get to see a lot of our (or my, in any case) favorite secondary characters... plus we got to suffer Yamai and her always annoying plotting to top it...

But, anyways, cute and fun, just a proper light read.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holidays and Travel

Holidays with different characters! Some cute moments! A pun I understood lol!

And then travel with a school trip to America. Same kinds of jokes in a new setting. I definitely related to the prep nerves (like getting a passport).

Generally a nice volume

[Jack Syron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely most balanced volume in a long while, I love how the visit to America is non stop food.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like their styles, but I’m still not loving the harem for Tadano 🙄

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

The komi/manbagi mid-chapter Aladdin ship art was crazy

[Janneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was mostly filler but it was cute regardless! The small museum chapter was very sweet 🥹

[Zuli · Rating 5 out of 5]

just mentioning New York was enough for the five✨

[Pearline · Rating 3 out of 5]

so now we know 40 friends!

[Alejandra Bran (Blue Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

UHG! It’s so hard when you like both the rival and the MC! I have been wondering if what Komi really feels is love or appreciation for Tadano. It’s hard to really tell.

Tadano and Rumiko’s moments are my favorite. They are just so sweet together and he is blushing more around her which means that he thinks of her as a bit more than just a friend now.

I loved that Komi is doing things by herself and on these moments is where I see Tadano being just the “parent friend” of Komi. The way he cares, encourages and feels proud of her is more on mom level than a posible lover… but that could just be me rooting for Rumiko.

Can’t wait for the next book

[Chari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love “Komi Can’t Communicate”. I was introduced to it via the Netflix anime and was desperate to know what happens in Komi and Tadano’s second year of High School. I was not disappointed! Komi’s goal to make 100 friends is such a sweet journey and Tadano is just the cutest character. I love characters that are shy and quiet because I relate to them more. Later in the series other characters are obviously introduced, some that I’m not too keen on, not because they are bad characters, I’m just not a fan of them.

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like a filler volume. The field trip to America is a fun idea but there is no momentum.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We kick off with some Komi birthday party high jinks featuring the Yandere Girl obsessed with Komi slapping her. The ending to that cracked me up! Then some fun Japanese New Year stories where we get a glimpse of how Tadano and Komi celebrate with their respective families. Komi visits her Grandmother at her traditional Japanese home and helps pound rice the old fashioned way while the more modern Tadano crew find themselves at the mercy of the ever eccentric Najimi and their crazy New Year games.

After the slight drama of over thinking about their New Year messages to each other, Komi may have made another friend while working as a Shrine Maiden and finding herself taking care of a sickly stressed out student.

The next chapters highlight Komi's continuing progress of growing self confidence as she tackles major social milestones like applying for a passport and getting the correct paperwork from the local city office. Of course, Tadano cheers her on from afar. She also teams up with Manbagi to lose some weight gain via jogging and avoiding temptations.

Then we get the big main story about the School Trip going to New York and their various mini misadventures in the big apple. The relationship between Tadano and Manbagi continues to deepen when he stumbles upon her crying in the theatre they just attended. She's kinda embarrassed about being so weepy and Tadano decides to wait with her until she's ready to go. They start talking and bond over their love for Aladdin. Meanwhile Komi finds them together and I like to think that the sirens from Kill Bill start playing when she sees them. Heh.

Komi gets her sweet, sweet Tadano time in an Art Museum then brings Manbagi along to meet up with Rei, Komi's mother's friend's daughter who stayed with them many chapters ago. They had a rocky start but eventually really clicked together. Rei moved on to New York but they promised to stay in touch. It was nice to see her again and how she can bring out Komi's more competitive (and hilarious) side when it comes to their vow to see who gains 100 friends the fastest. So far Rei is winning but Komi's not doing too badly! Although they can get a bit riled up, it's clear they do care for one another and are glad they are doing well with the friendships they're making. The story ends on a very sweet note and a friendly badminton match.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW

➽ Volume 21 is exciting as Komi's class takes another trip. This time it's abroad, as they're going to New York! Komi is nervous because she needs to request a passport for her first international trip. She's afraid to get anything wrong, but hypes herself up to go to the city office and get her documents. Despite trembling with anxiety, Komi goes alone and tries to communicate with the office workers, which shows she has come a long way since the beginning of the story. Tadano is also there to get his passport, but he decides to hide and observe Komi. I like that he gave her the chance to do this herself without immediately butting in to offer help!

➽ I visited New York almost a decade ago, so this volume brought back so much nostalgia! Traveling for the first time can be stressful as an anxious person, so everything was very relatable to me! It's still hilarious how unbothered Najimi is in comparison, as they try to bring a bunch of things that aren't allowed on the plane 😂 Komi braves her first long flight, where she gets eyed by the Flight Attendant who thinks she'd be perfect for the job. Some awkwardness ensures as Komi is nervous about the flight, but I liked that she left the note thanking the attendant for making her feel comfortable! Afterwards, we follow the class's adventures in New York, which were so fun to read about! Komi also meets up with her friend Rei again, who moved abroad and has tried her hardest to find new friends. The competition they had to see who had found the greatest best friend was so funny!  

INFORMATION
➽ CW's: Anxiety
➽ Representation 🌷 Social Anxiety

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[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The New Year holidays come and go, and the dorks of Itan High are stuck navigating that odd, liminal state between freedom of past obligations and the encroaching anxiety of all that is yet to come. KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE v21 avoids treading older storylines here by abbreviating most accounts of family visits and the like. And while it's always fun to see Komi's grandmother Yuiko stare down the girl and ask heaps of probing questions, one cannot help but wonder if the cast's plethora of secondary characters also have meaningful relatives worth visiting (again).

Fortunately or unfortunately, in the current volume, readers snare only one example. Komi performs assorted shrine maiden duties during the New Year festivities, and in doing so meets a young woman whose crippling social anxiety looks remarkably familiar. Komorebi Hiki is an exceptionally tall (and exceptionally shy) junior high school girl whose brooding disposition and frequent bouts of nausea terrify all in her vicinity. She is, naturally, sweet deep down, but being in large crowds flat-out incapacitates her. Komorebi is a close relative of the super-nice (and markedly self-conscious) country kid, Nokoko.

Elsewhere, readers tag along on a class trip. The second half of the volume tracks a visit to New York City, complete with museums, burger restaurants, parks, and more. Komi meets up with Akira, her younger cousin, meanwhile, her numerous classmates are surprisingly well-behaved. Of particular note is a chapter focusing on the characters hunting down the biggest, juiciest burger to devour (it turns out everyone has their own way of attacking such a delicacy). This episode is probably more realistic than most western readers are aware, since Japan only recently (2019) lifted beef import restrictions with the United States. Until recently, Japanese consumers eating U.S. beef was a rare event indeed.

Altogether, another passive, episodic exchange in the adventures of Komi and the gang.

[Lovelymisanthrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up as part of my continuation of this series.
“Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 21” continues to follow Komi and her friends as Komi attempts to make 100 friends. In this volume, their class in taking a school trip to America, New York City to be precise. Everyone has to procure a passport, but that means talking to some strangers.
This was a really cute volume that I thoroughly enjoyed. The entire process of getting the required paperwork for a passport and then securing the passport really challenged Komi and her newly developed social skills. It was really great to see her step outside of her immediate comfort zone and get this task done all on her own. I think it is sweet that Tadano sees these moments and really appreciates how far Komi has come, but sometimes his reactions feel a little bit condescending. He acts more like a proud Dad than a friend.
By far my favorite part of this volume was the brief interaction with Rei. I really enjoyed that we got to see Rei thriving in her new environment, and that she remains the same old Rei. Komi’s contest with her seems to be doing good for both of them, and motivating both of them to be more personable with the people the meet. I think Rei has served her purpose in the story, but there is just something so endearing about her, and I wish we could continue to see more of her more frequently.
I am interested to see what else New York City has in store for the gang!

[Đức Nhật · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tập này cũng hài cũng cute, nhưng một vài phân cảnh làm mình chợt nhớ ra là mình đã bỏ qua hành trình kết bạn của Komi cũng khá lâu rồi. Đến hôm nay gặp lại Rei mới sực nhớ lại, mà sao 21 tập rồi mà cũng kiếm được không nhiều bạn lắm, 41 người :)). Cũng vì tính cách mỗi người một kiểu nên khi lên truyện thì kể tràn màn hình cũng không đủ để thể hiện sự đặc sắc.
Tập này bên cạnh câu chuyện năm mới có phần giống với năm ngoái (chuẩn bị tươm tất, trò chuyện với bà hay gửi tin nhắn chúc mừng) thì còn có một chuyến dã ngoại của trường đi Mỹ (trường này chơi lớn ghê). Từ lúc chuẩn bị đồ đạc đã thấy bất ổn rồi, đọc đến đâu cười đến đấy. Komi cũng mới kịp rủ Rumiko đi chơi với Rei thôi nên mình nghĩ cho ở Mỹ khoảng 2-3 tập nữa mới đã cái nư được.
Tập này Komi có vẻ nói nhiều hơn bình thường, còn cố gắng nói chuyện với người lạ nữa. Khá khen.

[daniella ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

- cute holiday season family things
- tadano blushing seeing rumi's new years message <3
- both komi and tadano wondering if they should send their new years messages they are so cute
- shrine maiden komi!
- gearing up for school trip!!
- both komi and rumi holding tadano's hand when taking off i am being fed so well
- rei!!!
- tadano and rumi crying watching aladdin
- "no i want to do this with you" aw
- rei and komi reunited!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad volume but there are a lot of references to previous volumes. But I did like Komi being independent and organising all the things for her passport, speaking and Tadano cheering her on (even if she doesn't always know it). As well as talking to her grandma. Some really short chapters in this one.