WataMote Special #6 posted

The latest installment of WataMote is a special for the upcoming Chiba Lotte Marines collaboration, and has been posted at Mokocchi's official home on the web, Gangan Online. In Japanese, of course. The World Three translation in English  is also available.

Mokocchi and Yuu-chan tag along with baseball super-fan Komiyama.

As is sometimes the case with localized humor, the ending might be a bit confusing if you don't know the background, so we'll post some helpful info in the chapter notes presently.

A calendar note--earlier, in the schedule, I identified this episode as Chapter 94. That was incorrect; this is Special #6, and Chapter 94 should arrive next month. Sorry 'bout that! As far as I know, there's no way to know ahead of time if the next installment is a normal chapter or a special, so I'll likely make this mistake again in the future. As they say on the internet these days: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kitta Izumi officially joins the baseball party

When the WataMote x Chiba Lotte Marines collaboration was first announced, Kitta Izumi tweeted right away that she planned to go. Not only is she the voice of Tomoko Kuroki, but is also a former Chiba Lotte Marines cheerleader.

Now her participation has been made official. She'll be hosting some talk shows, and taking part in an autograph session.

The information has been posted in Japanese, and clarified by our friend Mokonymous.

Maybe what I suggested will also occur to them,which is to have Kitta throw the ceremonial pitch. Preferably while wearing Tomoko's school uniform! All Osomatsu had at their baseball game was some random guy wearing a big Iyami head.

Marine's American pitcher says "see you in Chiba!"

Major Leaguer Jason Standridge is ready for his first season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Nico Tanigawa drop baseball drug scandal from upcoming chapter

On Saturday, Nico Tanigawa revealed in a series of tweets that a joke referencing a recent baseball scandal was scrapped from the next chapter, at the request of their editor.

Chapter 94 of WataMote, due on March 17, will likely feature baseball in the story, even as the collaborative merchandise is revealed for the upcoming WataMote x Chiba Lotte Marines event at QVC Field.

The drug scandal involved famed baseball player Kazuhiro Kiyohara. Evidence was found by police at his condiminium that he was injecting himself with a substance containing either amphetamine or methamphetamine.

The incident was referenced in Volume 7 of WataMote, as we find Nico Tanigawa (who are a duo) listening to the breaking news on TV.

Nico Tanigawa at work

Such behind-the-scene changes are not unusual, and Nico Tanigawa also noted other baseball-related dialogue that had to be cut, simply because it was no longer true: "I was going to put a joke that ‘there was no players from the Marines in the Japan national baseball team’ in the next chapter, but actually there is now so I have to change the plot."

As always, thanks to Mokonymous for translating Nico Tanigawa's tweets and providing a link to the background information.

WataMote x Chiba Lotte Marines announce details, prices

More details have been posted about the collaboration between Tomoko Kuroki and Kotomi Komiyama's favorite baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The dates have been announced, and there will of course be special limited edition merchandise available.

In addition, there apparently will be a fan party, and Nico Tanigawa will be on hand to autograph Volume 9, which will also be available for purchase.

All the fun takes place at the QVC Marine Field, in Chiba City, Japan [Google Maps] the weekend of April 8th, with the fan party taking place on Saturday in the Field Terrace Suite.

Check here for more details in English. Thanks be to Mokonymous for the translation!

Chiba Lotte Marines images revealed

It's Kuroki's baseball, with a gaggle of chibi Tomoko and friends.

Tomoko plays ball with the Chiba Lotte Marines

Mr. Osomatsu and Watamote Prepare For Spring With Baseball Collaborations

Tomoko is notoriously anti-baseball, and thinks they could at least do something to make the game interesting like making bats proportional to the players' d*ck size ("in length and girth"). But after fainting from heat stroke at the ballpark, it was the team that saved her, so now she owes them one.

More details about the real world collaboration between Tomoko Kuroki and the Chiba Lotte Marines will be announced in March. Meanwhile, a handful of fans here and in Japan are hoping that this renewed attention might mean that the suits at Square Enix are finally considering a second season for the anime. This is probably just wishful thinking, but if you can drag Mokocchi out to a Chiba Lotte Marines game, anything can happen.

An additional real world note: many of the character family names in WataMote are derived from the Chiba Lotte Marines roster, including Kuroki, so Tomoko's distaste for the game comes with a wink.