Continuing on with the Komi Can’t Communicate reviews, we are at the book I left off on way back when I started buying this series. See, for whatever reason, volume 6 was extremely hard to find for a minute. I couldn’t even order it most places. So I kept on buying volume 7+ in the hopes that I would eventually find volume 6, but I never got around to reading them.

So I had sat on volume 5 as my last one having read for a WHILE before I finally found 6 and decided to read the whole story for you here in these reviews. By the time I found 6, 21 was the most recent volume, so yes… as of this writing, I’m at 21 volumes owned–that’s SOMEHOW not the end off this series, so maybe she really will get 100 friends–and I’d only read the first five.

After this review, we’re into uncharted territory for me!

I feel like I need a periodic check in on some of the most prominent characters before we start meeting any more, so…

TADANO: Like, the only named and relevant boy character. First discovered that Komi Can Not Communicate. Wants to help her get 100 friends.

KOMI: Cripplingly shy and nervous around others, even though she is basically a perfect, beautiful goddess.

NAJIMI: Tadano’s oldest friend. A trans girl. Very bombastic and personable.

YAMAI: Has a massive crush on Komi. Kind of pervy and aggressive about it.

AGARI: Also very shy, but nothing like Komi. Submissive and embarrassed of herself.

NAKANAKA: “Going through a phase” where she is playing the character of an ancient warrior reborn in a teen girl’s body.

YADANO: EXTREMELY competitive, but loses to Komi at everything

NETSUNO: Currently a girl in another class. Very athletic. Respects Komi.

INAKA: Country bumpkin girl that talks like Rogue from X-Men ’92.

That’s not too bad! But be warned: we meet a few new characters this volume. Whoof.

And let’s not waste any time doing just that! We meet Onemine right away, the “big sister” of the class. She notices everyone dumping their workload on Tadano, so she volunteers to help him out. This leads to Komi feeling jealous because she is blocked out from her best friend. Onemine ends up figuring out that Komi might have a crush on Tadano* and leaves them to each other… and then tells Komi she is cheering for them.

*I have been unhappy about this notion, but it’s CLEARLY where the series is going… so I guess I’ll get on board. Like it or not, Komi and Tadano have some romantic undertow to their friendship. They ARE pretty cute together. I guess. I hate you for making me get invested with this, book.

Two mini episode chapters follow that up. The first sees a typhoon hit the region, resulting in Komi staying home from school and losing power. She is eased by Tadano calling in to check on her, and they have a conversation. After that, Yamai tries to trick Komi into being in position for the former to see the latter’s panties.

Listen, manga. This is why people don’t take you seriously. Stop this.

We then get ANOTHER chapter about Agari taking everyone out to eat. Okay, we already did this once in the first four volumes, but… sure. They end up finding a run-down place Agari has never visited before. The server is convinced Komi is a local secret restaurant reviewer, so she treats Komi wonderfully but ignores everyone else.

Ultimately, everyone gets their food and enjoys it; the cook, seeing Komi, decides to cook with passion again for the first time in years. It turns out that Agari is the secret reviewer, and she is so happy Komi was treated well, she leaves them a glowing review that revives their business.

This all leads us into the story that takes up the entire rest of the volume–over half the book, which is a record for any single “tale” so far!–and that is the first (and I’m sure not the last) Culture Festival. ANOTHER idea I am familiar with thanks for Azumanga Daioh, and ANOTHER reason Japanese High School seems so damn fun.

It starts off with the class debating what they should do for their portion of the event: a maid cafe, a haunted house, a rock band, whack-a-mole, a movie… you know what? There are several other such options. I’m not going to spell them all out. Oda takes several pages to show us pretty much every named (and a few unnamed) character’s idea. It fills out the clock, I guess. I’m also not sure how any of this is “culture”, but what do I know? It sounds more like a fair.

Which… we have had a fair story already, too.

You sure this series goes on for at least 16 more volumes, Oda?

Man, all right.

As preparation for the culture festival gets underway, we meet another new friend, Otori, described as “super laid back”, but is really more… oblivious. She reminds me of Mitsumi from Love Hina. Always smiling and in her own little world. She invites Komi to get supplies for the festival, and Onemine tags along to make sure all goes well.

Otori wanders about and gets lost, but Komi saves her, whereupon Otori mentions she sees Komi and Tadano and Najimi and wants to be their friend, too. And after that… Komi actually speaks to her. Just to say “Okay”, but still… big step!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the Maid Cafe won the vote for the class, so that’s their… “culture” festival?

*shrug*

Anyway, we then get the story of a 32 year old dude going to their cafe because THAT’S NOT CREEPY AT ALL. Ugh. Anyway, he shows up and even though he is a lonely dork, he is judging all of the girls in his head. Until he sees Komi glaring at him, and he thinks she is annoyed. So he turns over a new leaf of NOT LUSTING AFTER THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS IN THEIR MAID OUTFITS. And then Komi speaks to him, too, saying “Come again” when his back is turned! Komi is talking up a storm already! Again… how are there still 16+ more volumes of this story?!

At some point Najimi throws Tadano in a wig and maid outfit just because. And we get some unneeded “Oh, so you’re like that” jokes from Komi’s mom and Tadano’s sister. And then he just spends the rest of the volume in that costume, so I guess he enjoyed it.

Their class ends up “winning” the culture festival (how can you win at culture?), but it gets revoked because Najimi was running around charging patrons extra fees for pictures with the maids and what-have-you. But Komi, as she does, points out she had fun anyway!

At the end of the festival, Tadano and Komi start dancing together, but Najimi shortly breaks in.

So five volumes in? This series is still adorable and charming, but it’s not as funny as it was when it started. It’s kind of hitting a lull where it seems to be playing the High School manga tropes, and I have no idea how this keeps up for 20-some volumes. Right now, this is feeling like a story that should be wrapped up by volume 15.

You just can’t keep a Will They / Won’t They going THIS long.

But we will see how the long-awaited (for me) Volume 6 goes soon!

Until next time… take care!