GOD DAMN IT I WILL BEAT THESE COPYRIGHT STRIKES WITH THE POWER OF MUSIC. An examination of Tomoko's anxiety as it is portrayed in Watamote. Scope: Watamote anime.
Super Nova eeeehhhhhhhhh no... not so much them... this actually rolled with the punches and was done well, along with taking replacing what he couldn’t show with something entirely different that we never knew we wanted until we saw it, all the while still bringing attention to the bs copyright strikes. Doug Walker would just growl and grumble and scream bitterly about #wheresthefairuse
I related to Tomoko to such an uncomfortable degree it was literally the last straw in convincing me to try and overcome my social anxiety. This show makes me lowkey depressed because she just has _zero_ concept of a healthy relationship and based off her attitude, probably never will. The sad part is that the vast majority of kids who end up coming across this show by way of the algorithm of the universe will end up relating to Tomoko in at least one way, and Tomoko, being the epitome of a broken person, makes us so damn uncomfortable.
Literally, this is a show about the cycles of anxiety and depression (obviously it's predominantly anxiety). Which is why it works SO well. It's not just about "being nervous/afraid." It's about the whole, seemingly inescapable pattern and escalation of it all Oh. And it's about little victories. Baby steps. And I love it
My Hero Academia OverHyping Federation WE NEED MORE COPY RIGHT STRIKE!!!!!! I've never thought I would say that and actually meant it as a good things Huh? This is weird, some of my favorite video on RU-vid was taken down because of copy right. I don't know what feel anymore, help.
This show made me realize that I actually have real psychological issues that require attention, I found it extremely concerning when a character that I often saw described as an over the top representation of an exaggerated case of social anxiety found herself in at least a dozen situations every episode that where almost exact retellings of my own life, I found myself painfully relating almost every single scene in every single episode, I remember losing my bag and immediately thinking that it was stolen, going almost as far as actually hurting a classmate, just to realize it was on the ground under my desk, I remember intentionally packing yogurt past the expiration date to get sick and be sent home so that I could be alone, I remember playing an unhealthy amount of dating sims to get something remotely similar to a human connection, I remember getting a ridiculous change of appearance that backfired so bad, that I wore only black and grey pants and t-shirts for 3 months, I remember cheating on chests against kids before winning made me feel good about myself, but what really got me thinking to the point where I had to get help, was that I remember crying myself to sleep while repeating"I'm happy" and not understanding why I felt the way I did almost every night for almost 3 years, that scene got me harder than any scene before or since
...going by personal experiences I'd say that...sometimes life(and more to the point other people) "pull out the chair from under you" so many times, just nearly enough for a breaking point, that you always end up being the one overreacting over the "simplest" of life's snafus "expecting the other shoe to drop," and you've just have had enough, up to your absolute tolerance levels to deal with anymore "BS" from reckless and uncaring or outright (yet somehow still covert enough to fly under ygr radar of orhers ir zeems or just enough to m a ke other people not xare enough)sadistic people, not at all, not for anything, and even the suggestion, the thought if it making you mentally sick ...a spiral, a self feeding spiral, like many psychological or neurological disorders and aberrations...and more to the point as I am left contemplating this and empathizing with you on this, I feel it, such responses that is, are largely, not in of themselves at least, in their origins, are faulty or evident of a fault in us ourselves so much as our society constructs and our cognitive nature proving highly incompatible in practice...under pressure of life as we've developed and grown (apparently imperfectly so) to adapt to and accept as "normal" or more to the point standard, due to out own affinity towards complacency, as something that nothing can be done about...
You just gotta get out and do it. I had social anxiety, got a cashier job (so I had to speak with people) and slowly but surely it got better. I'm not perfectly fixed, I still have a bit of anxiety but I can finally talk to people calmly. I even got a gf now finally. You just gotta get out there and talk!
This is literally the BEST analysis on Watamote, and Social Anxiety Disorder, on the Internet. Ironically, I think too many bloggers and reviewers are just too close to, or are currently living in, Tomoko's mental state to talk about the characters mental state in a clear concise psycho-analytical way.
I dunno. I found it funnier precisely because I relate so much to it. Tomoko might not be me as such, but it comes dangerously close to combining the worst elements of two different parts of my life, and I find it all the funnier for it.
@@imprisic6319 Yeah, no idea. But then, everyone is different. I mean lots of things in the series are embarrasing to witness... But some people are OK with that, some aren't. Up to the point I saw the comments here I had assumed that a series like this would be hard to watch unless you could personally relate to it or at least had intimate knowledge of someone like that, because if you don't then laughing at any of it just seems cruel, but if you can understand that kind of situation you might be able to find the humour in it. But... I guess I may have misjudged that...
Yo dood. If you upload your videos on private and let it sit for an hour or two, you can then tell if their going to strike your video or not without it being public, and then just hit publish when you know your in the clear.
The thing is that Watamote honestly has Avoidant Personality Disorder far more than merely “crippling social anxiety”. That’s why those with anxiety might find this show to be a bit of an exaggeration, but as somebody who suffers from AVPD, it’s one of the most relatable shows I’ve ever seen. And it’s also why she can’t get better no matter what she tries. For years, I’ve have had the same thought processes as her “I’m going to make friends this semester, I’m going to be popular, etc.” and each year it never happens. She constantly procrastinated making friends (aka avoiding making interpersonal contact). You can also notice that she is more freaked out about talking one on one with people than she is with actually being in social situations (such as standing in line or sitting in class). I’m fine with being in social situations or crowded areas as long as I don’t have to talk to anyone. This is probably the first anime I’ve watched that addresses an actual avoidant personality character rather than social anxiety. If you have social anxiety, you can get cured. But if you AVPD, it’s your personality and a cure is not possible. That’s why she remains the way she is. Of course, if she reached out to therapy, she can definitely improve and learn to cope.
I high key loved Watamote. Only “slice of life” anime I actually like. The manga gives her a huge amount of growth where she actually makes a healthy amount of friends (that she has normal conversations with) and talks to people in her class. I’d love to see it animated, but the manga is still ongoing
It’s Me The manga is absolutely great. I loved how natural her growth felt and how she just gradually started getting used to being around people. Its hilarious and also heartwarming. She ended up getting her harem, just with a bunch of girls interested in her. Also a slice of life manga I genuinely enjoyed was Yugami-kun ni wa tomodachi ga inai. I highly recommend it, you should check that out.
@推ししか勝たん Nah, Lucky Star is Watamote without the reasons on why Watamote is good. It's like watching a superhero movie, but just the scenes where the good guy punches the bad guy. Simply no.
I've always had problem with social anxiety and watching watamote made me laugh and cringe and cry for many reasons. Like you addressed in your video tomako is scared that the only way she can feel happy is if she is alone. I've had this exact though go through my head and it had almost the same affect on me as it did tomako. It's sad to think that your life will always be miserable unless you're alone with out human connection and that's where depression comes in. The only way somebody can truly believe that thought proses is if their brain can't feel happiness; it can only feel numb. That's why I love watamote bc it resonates with me on a fundamental level. Also little side comment I absolutely love your channel if you had more videos I could watch them all night.
If you liked Watamote, make sure to read the manga. Her character development really picks up right after where the anime ends. The payoff is so satisfying after all the struggle she has been going through.
I know its been a long time since you wrote this comment, but I still want to thank you for it. After watching Watamote, I'm left with intense need for catharsis from this show/series/title, and knowing it can be found in the manga makes it a must-read for me now.
I have social anxiety, it was completely debilitating as an adolescent. As a child I couldn’t watch watamote, but now as an adult I think its great. I definitely put myself in some watamote situations because of my anxiety 😂 Thanks for the video
4:56 after re-reading the manga , i noticed how she was actually crying out of sadness but made herself believe she was having the most fun. Same with the star gaze episode where she wants to think everything is ok but starts crying a little on her ramen cup while watching the star gaze alone , later comforts herself saying a male cat was watching it with her so she did made her dream come true somehow. Its quite sad actually , worst when you know how the relation of imae and tomoko ended , worst how you know that everything would have changed if nemoto hina was willing to talk to her on the 1st day of school or if tomoko actually didnt run away in the last episode of the anime.
Tomoko is literally me in middle school and high school, I’ve improved a lot from back then(extreme social anxiety), I’m in college currently and taking online class and I don’t have to stress having to do in-person face to face interaction with people 😃 it took a lot off my shoulders. I still have social anxiety but not as then where I literally am scared of people and talking to people, quarantine is basically heaven, I don’t even have to go out 😃
I read the manga in class and I was reading the totally not McDonald’s scene and I flipped the page and there it was her pigtail duck face scene and I closed the book and put my head down
As a person who gets socially anxious a lot, this anime gets so much right. I felt like they were laughing with me about problems they understood as well.
When I tell you I relate to Tomoko so much it’s actually crazy. The internal desire to be cruel to others, which leads to my distrust of others. The general inability to interact with people, and when I do I struggle to not be mean because it’s all I really know. And the waiting. God the waiting. I spent most of my life waiting for someone to talk to me, but of course people don’t want to talk to someone who never talks back. I only realized recently that life isn’t an anime and I have to talk to people if I want them to like me. Watamote is incredibly important.
Nice video, really insightful. The manga continues from the anime and she does start gradually making progress after meeting imae. More people start approaching her and even a teacher actively tries to help tomoko make friends. I suggest reading from chapter 37 if anyone wants to pick up the manga, gonna be some filler still but its past the bits the anime covers.
I love WataMote so much that I started reading the manga and I'm almost finishing it, but why the fuck does such few people talk about? None of my real life friends have even made into the end of the anime, and most of them hadn't even heard of it before in the first place And there's probably, like, less than 10 serious videos in English on RU-vid about WataMote. Some of my friends really hated it, but i think it's so underrated, because the anime is funny, the manga is awesome and even wholesome at times, and I love the characters. *Why doesn't it has the recognition it deserves?*
Ucchi-san is such a tsundere but i think she's really cute with Kuroki. I believe the author will release Season 2 when the manga is finished( Which is soon ) he just doesn't want to be clogged up with projects
After reading the manga last year (which mind you, is still going on strong), I can conclude two ways to break this kind of fate. Both include becoming at least a little more social. 1) Try to fit more with people. Take better care of your appearence, learn more about what other people like, and try to get close with them by acting nice and interested about what they like. 2) Do stupid stuff that'll either entertain the people near you or make them interested about you (if possible, obsessed). Make your bizarre aura so strong, that it envelops everyone around you, making them almost as weird as you. Thus, you'll never have any problems about acting weird or opening up to your friends because they already see you like a freak, and don't care about it because they still love you. If you've read the manga, you'll also see how the first option is wrong, while the second option is valid. Tomoko did achieve in getting friends with the help of someone I won't mention because she's fucking annoying and I'm pissed about having to be grateful to her. And she did so by going with the second option. There, she meets many girls with waaaaay different attitudes than her. From silent and introverted Tamura, to chuuni pseudo-normie Nemoto, to "kind" delinquent Yoshida, to abnormal normie Uchi. (and Tomoko still acts like a damn lesbian from time to time, now with more victims). All the while Yuu went with option one, and we see how much she hangs with Tomoko's friends instead of hers, from which we can assume Yuu doesn't really fit with her "friends" at all, and when she asked Tomoko in the anime if she still likes anime, we see how Yuu doesn't have any confidence in opening up about her stuff with her so called friends. This can be understood better with Tomomote, a spin-off from the series that has Yuu as protagonist, and takes place when she, Tomoko, and manga-only baseball fanatic Komiyama, go to middle school. There, while looking kind of plain, Yuu is seen by the class as a cute girl with potential to become really beauty, yet they only care about her appearence, and the only ones who do care about her as a friend are Tomoko and Komi. I don't want to boast, but the second option really works. Kind of. Maybe. I'm an introvert, and I've been working full time in a little kiosk ran by my aunt since some months before the pandemic. I have a dumb and weird sense of humor that can be _tolerated_ by the internet folk, but it doesn't suit irl people. I've been putting my best smile at work (even when I have my mask on), being nice and crap, and after a year I've seen some clients catching up the weird from me, even making the same kind of jokes I make, and most people either tolerate my stupid self or smile about it, looking at me like "that sympathetic dork" (which is kind of the point of my dumb humor). I repeat, I didn't have really good social skills from before working here, I am an introvert, and yet people kind of liked it. Nowadays I don't have much problem about socializing (it tires me as it would introvert, but I have no impediment aside from that). So...uh...different people have different ways to socialize?
@@Freakcheeks Internally? No, I'm as cringey as I have always been. Externally? Yeah, I've learned how to keep the cringey stuff to myself a little better. Socializing is a useful tool, but you have to practice it quite a lot if you weren't born with social skills. If you ask me, most people are easier to approach than it looks like, and you only have to try and talk to them, holding the cringe to yourself as much as you can. It won't go smoothly the first couple of times, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.
I absolutely loved this show. I was able to relate with Tomoko on *NEARLY* every level. The only thing I was disappointed with(Because it felt a bit unrealistic) was how easy it was for Tomoko to just toss years of anxiety away in about only a minute in the last episode. Though I can't really blame that on the creators, as I'm sure they had to end it that way since they were limited on the amount of episodes they could work with. Just a great show that I'm sure all socially awkward people can relate too. Also, amazing analysis!
But she didnt just toss away years of anxiety. Its not like her life is fixed at that moment, at least thats not how I interpreted it. She just kinda has a moment of realization, but ultimately we only see her improve a little bit in terms of actual human interactions. Thats just the shows final message more than anything else (as well as a call back to episode 1)
People adore Bocchi because she's awkward in a softer manner but Tomoko really exemplifies the negative parts of having social anxiety and that not everyone who has it is a soft uwu couch potato a bloated ego and a low self esteem aren't mutually exclusive
Bocchi you mean bocchi the rock? I love that animeeee! I relate to bocchi because she has social anxiety, I love her for that; and I love Tomoko because she’s so funny and silly and I love that she has anxiety because I relate to her because I also have anxiety
I'm going to say this that I literally went through what she was going through and it was like a test to myself where I literally passed with flying colors where I was literally depressed and has social anxiety even when I was in middld school elementary school high school..... I felt like when she was feeling where I had barely any friends and had barely anybody to talk to especially the fact when all my friends were dating people and wanting me to hear about them dating someone all the time when I was lonely..... I felt like a guinea pig and it made it worse when things happened time and time again in my life
You interpreted the ending a lot more positively than I did when I was young. I thought it represented Tomoko giving up and laughing at her own absurdity, giving the show a grim, morbid vibe to me as in the end despite everything she ultimately fails. But hearing you explain your interpretation of it, combined with the other events of the episode, it makes a lot more sense!
Watamote is cringe in the most relateable way possible. The little moments where she poorly interacts or her mom walks in on her doing something, i just have to try my hardest to not look away because its so relatable i start to remember.
Thanks for this. I and others share the same fondness for the "cringe humor" of Tomoko's plight, but it's really nice to see it so well addressed in your video. Your singing is pretty hilarious and awesome as well. Also I hope you've read up on the manga, because she's made a lot of progress in terms of social interaction so far!
Great analysis! You brought up so many reasons why I and so many other people love Tomoko and why her actions are so relatable even if we haven't been in the same exact situation.
As someone with severe social anxiety I can safely say that Tomoko is genuinely such good representation of what social anxiety is and what it feels like, for me anyways.. and I’m so glad of this because I feel like there’s not enough depictions of mental disorders in media that aren’t watered down this is like the true unfiltered portrayal of social anxiety and it’s just so..wow
I don't know what he did either, but your videos kept popping up in my recommended videos, so I'd say you got lucky with RU-vid algorithms or something. Either way, your content is great and you deserve all the subs you have.
JuSaKuO it's because of how long his videos are and how well excited and creative the presentation is. We all watch the entire video because we don't want to miss a single quip or funny photoshop
You were in the reccomendeds for one of the videos of his I was watching. I guess you're close enough in style that youtube correctly guessed people would like you.
For anyone who wants to see the long-term effects of Tomoko moving on to another stage in her life, the manga is still ongoing and she has been on a fairly consistent upward slope, with a few stumbles and freakouts. The best part is that, as she puts herself out there and interacts with other people more, the reader also learns new information about her that they didn't know before, because now she's able to talk about it.
Man, your videos are absolutely amazing, keep up the great work! Editing, that improvisation, reference to other anime, it's all great. Please never polish your editing (to make video flow better with images), there are a lot of youtubers with perfectly synced and edited picture and audio, but you take it to another level by not giving a shit about composition at all, instead making it kinda random but completely fitting with your narration. It just feels like I am reading your flow of thought directly, even though I know you've developed a proper script for this video!
Explanation Point You totally should make a Vid.me account and put your videos there as well! You may not get the same number of subscribers over night (seriously, what kind of black magic did you use to do that?!), but it's a lot content creator friendly and you'll most likely suffer less with copyright claims over there.
Don’t ask me why this brought me to tears, but I really long for what this video explained is the story and evolution of Tomoko. I relate to her entire experience on a deep level, and would love more than anything to obtain the same triumph she now has. I’ve never seen Watamote, but I am really inspired to watch it now, thanks to you. Thank you so, so much for making this video, and I hope that someday I can complete the experience she went through as well! ❤️
I've noticed a lot of high quality RU-vid channels very very recently emerging and getting huge amounts of subscribers after only 2 or 3 videos, I'm going to guess some kind of algorithm change is causing it be a lot easier to find stuff like this, I honestly can't tell weather you're more deserving or lucky. ;)
The manga is fantastic. There seems to be another act after this where others become more infatuated with her odd behavior while she slowly becomes more comfortable with their presences.
A few hours ago a guy reacted to a story I posted and we started chatting. I dreaded every second of it but I forced myself to push through because I have to get out of my comfort zone. When he stopped replying tho I felt hugely relieved and like Tomoko, I started crying at the realization of how happy isolation makes me I first watched watamore when I was 13 and I found comfort in how much I related to the character, at that age tho I didnt think Id be 24 and essentially crying over a cute guy wanting to talk to me when thats all I coud have dreamed of back then Being the way I am sucks ass
I love Tomoko so much the people hating are stupid. Tomoko thinks exactly like a lot of people out there and just wants to be treated like a human being and make connections but her experiences have made her understandably have a distrusting nature of others. I think she is a very human character and to say this show is being insensitive and disrespectful to the condition makes it seem like they are saying there is something wrong with the person who thinks and feels like this thus dehumanizing them further and making them feel like they are a "special case" who needs to be treated differently than others. I bet MOST people have felt like Tomoko at some point in their lives.
Okay a: Your singing is adorable. B: These videos are really funny and though I don't necessarily agree with you about all the things I found them really informative and helpful as analyses. I hope that someday you make some more!
As someone who had some of the worst crippling social anxiety and managed to somehow overcome it, this video warms my heart. I haven't watched the anime yet, but after this analysis I think I might give it a go.
That method of side-stepping copyright claims (like seriously youtube, Fair Use?) is easily the best thing I've ever heard. You made it sound really catchy and I'm going to go back and listen to that again. And share it to some friends. Also, congratz on almost reaching 75K subs.
I used to be like that. Seeing everyone with spite and envy, living everyday with social anxiety thinking everyone was out to get me, everyone is being fake with me, everyone is being happy or is suceeding to make me depressed. I see a younger version of myself in tomoko. A person full of guilt for their actions but complacency to stay the same. However, what I find more endearing than anything is the determination and perseverance of tomoko. I combat everyday to appease my social anxiety and social awkwardness. Seeing tomoko stride time after time to the next step, biting tooth and nail to improve herself, is liberating. I've been through it and continue through it. But, seeing her fight so hard. Makes me feel competitive. So I'll fight harder, I'll continue to stride.
Thank you so much for creating this wonderful, amazing, educational, life-changing video. This made me wanna RE-READ the entire watamote manga. I've re-read the manga a few times already, but this time I am going to analayze the manga and learn from it. Idk how I'm gonna do it cuz I'm not really good at literature (it's my worst subject at school). But I love the series so much, so...... idk.
This has to be the one of the most mutually entertaining and wholly satisfying in depth analysis of a show I ever seen. I am honestly shocked at how good this was and now I can see that how fast your channel blew up is a not surprise.
