Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 18

古見さんは、コミュ症です。 [Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu.] #18

by Tomohito Oda

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who decides to step out of his comfort zone in order to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends.

The culture festival might have been a huge success, but Komi and Manbagi are still reeling from the shocking discovery that they both like Tadano! When everyone goes to karaoke after the festival closes, the girls see a perfect opportunity to woo their crush. Too bad neither of them can sing!

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

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2020

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

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively light but fun volume where we basically learn nothing new, but get to play out the competition between Manbagi and Komi who both have unarticulated crushes on the clueless Tadano. It's a series about social anxiety disorder and so almost everyone suffers from problems with communication, and most especially around issues of romantic attraction.

At one point Manbagi and Komi get (informal) flirting lessons from a new friend, but they are not good at this. And they each elect to sing karaoke with Tadano, but this goes nowhere; they can't sing. Then, Komi approaches Tadano and asks him what is his relationship to Manbagi is. He answers, fairly directly, but then she asks him what his relationship is to her (Komi!): and then there is an interruption, so it's either a cliffhanger, or (more likely) they will not return to this question for three volumes. . . . sigh. 3.5 stars.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having got me all revved up with the last two terrific volumes, this one taps the brakes by doing one of those tours of the ensemble series of short stories. We skip back to see how Nakanaka ended up a band for the school cultural festival. Komi and some girlfriends have an escape room adventure. We flashback to Komi's parents dating as teens. Komi and Tadano's younger siblings have their own cultural festival. Several characters missing from the action for a while get to stick their heads into a few panels.

But a few crumbs are tossed our way to tantalize the beast ravenous for details about the romantic triangle. Settling quickly into a Betty and Veronica frenemies vibe, Komi and her rival team up for flirting lessons and prod each other to act on their feelings, but they also get support from separate friends who sympathize with how awful the situation is. Tadano remains as clueless as ever, though the last scene of the book might threaten that status quo too.

So impatient for the next volume!

[Umairah (Sereadipity)]

It's cute how Shoko and Rumiko are doing this whole let's try to get Hitohito's attention together thing... it's a very different take on love rivals it's funny.

BUT I'm starting to get impatient it's obvious that Komi and Hitohito are ending up together and I feel like it's starting to get too dragged out.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the commotion of the play, we get to see more of the school festival with a few surprises and even see some familiar faces having their own time there. Meanwhile, Komi’s friends are hotly curious about her feelings for Tadano following their stage performances. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars out of 5

This was more of a filler volume after the glory that was volume 17. However, there were still some fun moments. Rumiko and Komi trying to learn how to flirt in order to seduce was hilarious. Also, our ladies have to solve puzzles to escape a giant mansion. Random, yes, but very entertaining.

We did get a cute moment between Komi and Tadano when they are accidentally locked in a storage closet. I see you Tadano. If you can’t say Komi is your friend, then what is she?

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

komi girl....

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Komi, oh, you get it by now. In the aftermath of the school festival there are a ton of memories to be reflected upon and some new battle lines being drawn. Too bad that Komi and Manbagi have brought neuroses to a boy fight. Also Yamai gets a redemption arc that goes roughly as expected.

Giving Yamai an arc where she’s a decent human being was a good idea that’s probably a dozen volumes too late. It’s kind of like having your assailant apologize after mugging you - the damage is already done.

Which is a shame, as it really works otherwise. If this girl band story was here to cause us to re-evaluate anybody else who, say, hadn’t tried to force Komi’s head up their skirt, it would be a winner. As it is, I acknowledge the attempt and move on.

The new girl this time out has seductive as her trait, which basically equals her getting guys to carry her everywhere. Minus one very, very unfortunate drawing it is a lot less cringe than you’d expect.

It also pays dividends in the best chapter, where she gives Manbagi and Komi advice and the two of them put it into practice at the same time, simultaneously being one another’s friend, rival, and wingman. Their awkward interpretations of said advice are comedy gold.

There’s also a great chapter of Komi’s brother being utterly tormented to death by Tadano’s sister, which I always love. Yes, discomforting introverts is wrong, but in context here it is damn funny.

With a very sweet chapter of Komi and her mom, plus the Ase and Naruse moment I didn’t know I wanted, plus the reappearance of the best tsundere ever, it is kind of odd I didn’t like this one better. Part of it is familiarity - 18 volumes on and the series has a groove it is happy to exist in, for both better and worse.

Heck, there’s even a great escape room out of nowhere (if you’re wondering why the chunibyo character is suddenly everywhere, look no farther than the popularity poll results at the back). Part of it might be the love triangle angle (cough), which got well hammered on last time and just keeps on going, to much diminished returns.

Oh right, I also hate Yamai.

It doesn’t help that I read this back to back with the third volume of No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary!, which can’t match Komi for breadth of characters or heights of comedy, but avoids the lows and has some subtlety to its cast and was, for my money, much more fun.

3 stars - the Yamai rule is in effect: no more than 3 stars when she appeared in the volume. This series is always gag first and heart second in my mind and that does work to its detriment at times.

[akacya ❦]

2023 reads: 177/350

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some silly fun with Otori's house and the after party for the culture fest, plus a sweet chapter with Shoko and Shuko having a late light snack.
I also really like seeing the younger Komi, Tadano and Katai sublings!
That ending thooooo
Check out my YouTube channel for bookish videos and monthly wrap ups!

[Cat Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars*

Realistically this is a 3 but I struggle to lower Komi to a 3. I miss the earlier style of Komi volumes/chapters. There were a few moments in this volume that I really liked but the rest of it, again like previous volumes feel like the author is trying to fill in pages with random things. Sometimes the chapters don’t even make sense anymore, and I want more content with the old original group, like where did half the characters go? Najimi is barely in it and when they are now they’re kind of annoying. I miss Otori and Onemine, I’m glad they at least had a little focus in this volume. I also feel like there’s slow burn and then there’s slowww burn, Komi and Tadano as a ship is barely existent now and then there’s this whole love triangle thrown in? I dunno. I like Manbagi but I hate the whole sequel/third act love triangle/second love interest trope. Anyway, I realise I could stop reading Komi and I contemplated it a few times but I decided I have to keep going for the few characters I love because I want to know what they get up to. I hope the volumes/chapters get good again 🤞🏻

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some amusing filler from the festival, terrible flirting--and can we talk about that ending?!

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

*sighh how much longer until they confess 🤦‍♀️

[lujine ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

「 book 162 out of 100 」

boring volume tbh

[Cloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 *

[Tsuki Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

shosuke. first spotted on 127, i love shosuke. last spotted on 144. live love laugh shosuke (please get with hitomi).

[Zuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

turns out he wasn't just an ordinary guy

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice bit of tension in a few chapters as well as that final chapter setting up the next one ever so well. Can't wait for vol.19

[Pietrisycamollaviadelrechiotemexity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filler, neither good or bad just Filler.
Gentle and sweet nothings.

[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.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe it has been more than a year since I read a volume of this series. I just re-read this volume - the last one I finished - because I plan to return to the series. Exciting!

I'll probably start volume 19 very soon.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

The current volume is both a dawdling redux of the culture festival as well as gentle nudge forward. These wayward youths haven't much to which they might anchor themselves, but every so often, a kind act, a gentle smile, a solid bass line, or quick stop at a photo booth will help just as much.

One would hope the knock-on dramatics of the festival would work their way into the future romantic entanglements of Komi, Manbagi, and Tadano, but it would seem this was too much to ask for, too soon. KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE v18 recaps the school's culture festival from start to finish, but from a multitude of differing perspectives.

Some of the volume's theatrics are delightful, whereas others are a bit tedious. On the better side of things, for example, readers see the origin and evolution of Nakanaka's band. The friends and frenemies the eyepatch-kid pulls into her orbit constitute a brief and awkward, but genuinely heartwarming ode to loner kids everywhere. Omoharu Nakanaka is probably the manga's best low-key character.

Elsewhere, the manga wades through various "reflections," returning readers to the festival prep, to the stage play, to parental meet-ups, to food booths, and so forth. Fun, yes, but only asymmetrically. One would prefer to read more about what happens because of the events of the culture festival, rather than merely indulging how others experienced the same series of events. Altogether, only five or six chapters in the whole volume track original storytelling (and even then, readers must wait until the book's final two episodes for any genuine, emotional vindication).

The best highlights of KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE v18 are the subtle ones. For example, the author continues to massage the budding relationship between Ase (sweaty girl) and Sato (the narcissist). The most exquisite moment of which occurs in four interrelated panels that appear over the course of eight pages. The episode focuses on Komi and Manbagi's crude attempts at flirtation (yielding to and misinterpreting the advice of a classmate, Mitsu Toro), but in the background, everyone's eating lunch at their desks. Regarding Ase and Sato, the first panel shows Sato seated at the far end of a string of desks (next to Isagi, the misophobic, and also overprotective, student council president), and thus one seat over from Ase. The second panel, two pages later, shows Isagi preparing to pummel Sato with a mallet. The third panel, three pages later, shows Sato with a lump on his head. The fourth panel, two pages further, shows Ase nervously escorting Isagi out of the room. This encounter occurs entirely in the scene's background, and represents a fabulous example of wielding nested storytelling to elevate an otherwise tedious narrative.

And for what it's worth, the creative team's ongoing use of puns to articulate the ensemble cast's quirks is worthy of a good laugh. Towa Bosa is a the tall, scraggly-haired, somewhat languid bass layer in Nakanaka's band; the etymology of her family name was probably pulled from bosotto (absent-mindedly; idly) as well as bosabosa (ruffled hair; unkempt, disheveled, untidy). Meanwhile, the "seductive" but otherwise kind and pitying Mitsu Toro offers advice on tagging boys that usually goes in one ear and out the other; her name roughly translates to "a close/intimate expression of speaking one's mind."

KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE v18 isn't a compelling volume, but as a transitional volume, the book has its highlights.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW

➽ The Culture Festival is slowly coming to a close and leaving many of the characters with their own reflections. Komi herself has a sleepless night, and I loved that she made rice balls after getting a midnight craving. Unexpectedly, her mother joins her, and it is nice to see them spending some time together! We also see Komi's younger brother's Culture Festival, and it's always a treat to see how the younger siblings are doing. Tadano's sister, Katai's sister and Komi's brother honestly deserve their own spinoff, they're so funny, as you can see the family similarities! After an intense previous volume, I liked getting back to some of the other characters and how they've been doing. Nakanaka joining a band for the culture festival was fun to read about, especially since her archnemesis Yamai, helps them out. I'd love to hear more about them, as we saw that there might be something else hiding behind Yamai's bossiness and obsessiveness.

➽ There's a bit more of Komi and Manbagi trying to connect with Tadano, who's clueless about everything that has been going on. I liked that they were both a bit jealous, but still couldn't help but root for each other. They each have trouble communicating at times, so they understand each other very well. I loved that they asked one of the prettiest girls in the class for love advice, but kind of failed to apply it to Tadano 😂 The ending definitely had a small cliffhanger again! 

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

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[Lovelymisanthrope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up as part of my continuation of the series.
“Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 18” continues to follow Komi and her new found friends, and, hopefully, a few new friends for Komi. In this volume, Komi and Manbagi are still trying to come to terms with the fact that they both have a crush on Tadano, and they are still trying to preserve their friendship. The class decides to go enjoy some karaoke, and Komi and Manbagi think it is the perfect opportunity to impress Tadano, unfortunately, neither of them can sing.
This felt like a very forgettable volume to me. I feel like the story is starting to lag and Komi is not moving forward in her goal to make 100 friends. It is sweet to see Komi and Manbagi enamored by Tadano and still prioritize their friendship, but I want to get back to the original plot line. I also think it is wild that Tadano has not picked up on either crush yet..?
Hopefully, Komi meets some new people in the next volume!

[Đức Nhật · Rating 4 out of 5]

Một tập nhẹ nhàng. Chèn nhiều phân cảnh nhỏ ở lễ hội văn hoá và có sự xuất hiện của nhiều nhân vật khác nhau. Ấn tượng nhất là cảnh Nakanaka tham gia ban nhạc nữ, ngầu lắm.
Sau đó là tiếp tục cuộc sống học đường ở ngôi trường kì lạ với những quái kiệt. Từ việc Komi và Manbagi học cách “tán trai” cho đến đi giải đố theo phong cách Escape Room ở nhà Kaede. Tác giả cũng giỏi trong quá trình theo dõi mối quan hệ giữa những nhân vật phụ ha, như kiểu thấy Manbagi và Nakanaka gặp nhau lần đầu cũng lưu ý lại. Bộ này khá nhiều nhân vật với muôn màu muôn vẻ mà.
Cuối tập là những khoảnh khắc “lãng mạn” tiềm tàng giữa đôi trẻ. Đọc mà thấy tức anh ách vì vẫn chưa phát triển thêm mấy, còn dính phải người thứ 3 nữa.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many side stories starring uninteresting characters, but several gems stood out.

This volume was filled with short stories filling the behind-the-scenes of the multitude of characters that made up Komi’s world during the culture festival. Many of the stories missed the mark for me, but there were enough that hit bullseye that I ended up enjoying the volume. My one major complaint is that Komi and Manbagi’s friendship is developing faster than her relationship with Tadano. With less than forty friends left to go, Tomohito Odo will tease us with the romance between the two leads for volumes and volumes…the sadist.

[b (tobias forge's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't enjoy the more episodic volumes as much as I enjoy the ones focused more on the core relationships, and this one was very episodic, with lots of little strips showing what a bunch of background characters were doing during the cultural festival. I get that this is slice-of-life, but sometimes there are way too many lives to keep track of all the little slices from. The ending was a huge cliffhanger and although I hope that there will be some major plot progression in Vol. 19... I'm sure that Tadano will weasel out of confessing anything and we'll be in for yet more yearning and uncertainty. Sigh.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proof that if you give Yamai literally anything else to do other than be creepy, she can actually be a great character. Loved the girl band plot. I hope the author keeps doing more of that.

I also liked Komi and Manbagi's continued friendship. They're just so sweet and want the best for each other and I want them both to be happy. And I like seeing Komi and Tadano have friendships independent of each other. It's so fun to see how far Komi has come since the beginning of the series.

And we get frustratingly close to a confession scene that, as always, gets interrupted. Well done. Now I just have to wait until Vol 19 is available. I'm not too far down the hold list at the library.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

This was such a fun and cute volume. I really liked seeing Nakanaka's band! I also liked Komi and Rumiko continuing to encourage each other to pursue their feelings for Tadano. I still wonder when he will learn about Rumiko's feelings. The chapter showing Komi's parents' first kiss was very cute. I also loved the chapter of the girls being locked in a house and having to solve puzzle in order to get out. I think Shosuke has the patience of a saint for calmly dealing with Tadano's sister being the manager that he never asked for. Overall, I just really had a fun time with this volume.

[Kiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss for allowing me to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Another fun instillation to this manga series. In this volume the story picks up with Komi and her classmates/friends summarizing other bits of the culture festival and features some fun stories about their life afterwards. There was less character development than the last few novels, but it's still fun to see Komi and Manbagi's friendship further develop. I can't wait for more romantic development with Tadano, though!

[daniella ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

- rumi and komi both trying to woo tadano but just being silly and awkward is so funny- like both of them taking him to cultural festival, both singing duets with them they're just so funny and cute giving each other equal opportunity
- escape room at otori's house
- shosuke at his school festival and katai, komi and tadano all coming to support their siblings
- komi trying to cheer kato up by telling her love gossip
- this one had some cute bits but other parts i got a little bored of like nakanaka's band
- komi and tadano getting stuck in the pe shed.....i screeched