Support WataMote: Read the new chapter online, and be sure to buy Volume 8 from Yen Press, on sale now! Volume 9 is still only available in Japanese, and the current chapter will be in, I think, Volume 10.
Series creative duo Nico Tanigawa are on a roll, scoring a direct hit with just about every chapter, lately. This time is no exception.
Only now we're getting a much needed shot of testosterone, after a series of chapters featuring some aspect of Tomoko's relations with other girls.
To review:
- Chapter 89: Frenemy Kotomi falls asleep in Tomo-kun's bed
- Chapter 90: Popular friend Hina is outed as a closet otaku by tactless teacher Ogino
- Chapter 91: Confused rival Akari makes a desperate bid for Tomo-kun's affections
- Chapter 92: Bully Yoshida forces Tomoko into a death match with a UFO catcher
- Chapter 93: Basket-case Ucchi finally discovers Tomoko together with Yuu-chan
This chapter returns to Tomoko's most important relationship since the series inception, her ongoing love/hate with Tomo-kun. (I use the form Tomo-kun in order to avoid confusion; when talking about them both at once, I'm prone to mistyping Tomoko for Tomoki and vice-versa.)
We join Tomo-kun taking part in a local prelimary round of a national soccer competition. Hot Guy Senpai from the athletic meet makes an appearance (Tomo-kun's upperclassman friend who was happy to help Tomoko out in the borrowing race).
Tomo-kun's game is peppered with thoughts of Tomoko, and thinking about the things she does to him spurs him on to wilder, more aggressive gameplay.
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| Tomo-kun suddenly recalls his sister squeezing an entire lemon on his dinner |
There's a callback to the earlier Christmas chapter (Special Chapter #4) when Tomoko discovered the gag gift one of Tomo-kun's joker friends left in his room, a porn DVD called My Older Sister in Black Tights. Tomo-kun walks in on Tomoko dressing, and she accuses him of being a pervert trying to peek at her while putting on her tights for real.
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| It's always rich to hear Tomoko accuse other people of being perverts |
There's a callback to the more recent chapter (91, listed above) when Akari mistakenly blurted out that she wanted to see Tomo-kun's dick. She did this because she misread Tomoko's relationship with her brother, along with her accusation that her brother was hiding a "boner". Tomoko has apparently taken to calling Akari "dicky-chan" or "penis-chan" (depending on your translation).
In the end, a surprisingly sweet moment, or at least what passes for a sweet moment in Tomoko Kuroki's world, mixed in with some typical Kuroki family failure.
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| Sympathy from the devil |
It's worth noting, maybe, that Tomoko generally takes pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but not her brother. She takes out her frustrations on him the rest of the time because he is popular and successful, but she doesn't wish ill on him, and feels bad whenever she feels he may be as bad off as her.
Oops, it has been pointed out that I have misinterpreted the meaning of the final scene. I assumed this took place after Tomo-kun lost the game, but looking again, it is clearly another flashback. So this is Tomoko's idea of being nice to her brother in between making his life miserable.
However, this clearly doesn't rob him of his rage-powered strength. The wild kick he made that lost the game is actually in keeping with the fouls he committed on the way there. My interpretation, in any case, is that Tomoko's overall infuriating nature makes him more aggressive, but also causes him to lose focus.
We know from an earlier 'what if' sequence that a sweet, attentive Tomoko would actually generate MORE Tomo-kun rage than the usual "garbage sister".
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| Get a grip, Tomo-kun! |
apart from everything else, only one glossary term, I think: karaage, essentially deep-fried chicken or seafood.
An additional note on tights
Apparently we also have to explain why Tomoko looks so strange while putting on her tights. What in all that is holy are her arms doing in there?!! Let's take a look at the unfortunate moment that Tomo-kun walks in on his sister while she's dressing.
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| Suddenly tights aren't as sexy as you imagined |
Some readers simply leap to the conclusion that it's just our Mokocchi being awkward and weird again. But, no, apparently this is how it works. Take a look at the following helpful infographic.
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| OK, it still looks pretty weird, but who are we to argue with an infographic? |
Read more about why here. I'm not going to pretend to understand, nor do I need to, because I will never wear such things. I simply trust that the illustrator of WataMote -- who is a woman, herself, after all -- probably knows more about these things than I do.
Hope this clears things up.
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