Monica Rial, Tomoko's American voice, is slated to be at the ginormous MegaCon in Orlando, Florida in May. Other guests will include Adam West and Burt Ward, Stan Lee, and a bunch of the original Star Trek crew (including Captain Kirk himself).
She is still slated for Anime Boston later this month.
Rial is known as one of the most prolific voice actors in the US, and proudly brags that she's been "keeping child actors out of work since the 90's." For the WataMote anime, she did not try to copy Kitta Izumi's voice, but rather summoned up a sort of American version that perfectly fit Tomoko's various swings, from her stuttering shyness to her mean streak.
08 March 2016
Akari Iguchi
Akari Iguchi initially seems to be a one-off character, but later becomes an important supporting player.
She first shows up at the Kuroki household in Chapter 25, which becomes part of episode 3 of the anime, using a handout as a pretext to visit Tomo-kun (Tomoko's brother) at home while he's sick. However, he's sleeping so she postpones seeing him until he's better. Story-wise, her only purpose here is to make Tomoko miserable, because nobody ever comes to see her.
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| Akari (far right) visits the Kuroki household |
Later in the manga, we see her a few times in the background, usually trying to get up the courage to talk to Tomo-kun. Generally, she's with the same friend who is always trying to encourage her. But Akari seems to be having trouble making her feelings known, and tends to chicken out.
In Tomoko's second year, Akari and Tomo-kun both enter Makuhari high school as first year students, and they both become more important to the ongoing story.
Tomoko first sees Akari at school while spying on her brother in his homeroom. This is not a significant appearance, but Tomoko continues to be irritated by how different her brother's situation is from her own loner status. Akari is still trying to win Tomo-kun's affection, but timidly. Her friend is always there to offer advice.
Later, Akari becomes a central figure in a farcical plot development involving mistaken identities.
In Chapter 83, Akari and her usual companion happen to visit Star Turry's, the same coffee shop frequented by Yuu-chan and her middle school friends, Tomoko and Komiyama. Komiyama is unnerved when she discovers that she has a rival for Tomo-kun's affections. After meeting Komiyama in the bathroom, Akari becomes confused by Komiyama's questioning, and assumes she was mistaken in thinking the other girl (Tomoko) was Tomo-kun's sister.
Komiyama doesn't correct the error, but instead tries to gain an advantage over Akari by warning her that Tomo-kun prefers "older women".
Thereafter, when Akari sees Tomoko together with her brother, she assumes incorrectly that Tomoko is Tomo-kun's upperclassman love interest, and that her gleeful teasing of Tomo-kun is actually flirting.
The situation comes to a head in Chapter 91, when Akari bumps into Tomoko and Komiyama in the hallway and invites them both to lunch. A panicky Komiyama, aware of her dangerous situation, continues trying to cover up her lie, insisting that Akari call Tomoko "Mokocchi-senpai" in order to block Tomoko from saying her family name out loud. But the jig seems to be up when Tomoko drags her unwilling brother to the table.
The farce works, and Chapter 91 was cheered by some fans as one of the funniest chapters yet.
The situation, however, seems to be far from resolved. So we expect to see Akari again in future chapters.
WataMote alternatives I
One of the most frequently asked questions concerning WataMote goes something like, I've watched the anime/read the manga, what do I watch/read next?
At first, I thought I'd get away with a single page of recommendations, but then I realized that A) I talk too much, and B) I'll probably think of more recommendations to add from time to time. So instead I'll tag occasional posts as recommendations, and link the tag for people who want to browse.
I'm going to start out with two recommendations. The first is more typical, in a way. Whenever people ask about WataMote alternatives, people almost always reply Welcome to N.H.K., because it's about a guy who's afraid to socialize. I want to mostly try to steer away from such comparisons, because simply being lonely and miserable isn't really a good summary of Tomoko Kuroki's life. Her stories are actually far more exuberant, when you watch how she schemes and plots to escape her loneliness, and she is endlessly optimistic about her chances of breaking free from her past.
In any case, Tomoko is not an isolated shut-in, although she has fantasized about following that lifestyle in order to escape adult responsibilities after high school. She is merely a lonely girl who wants to be more sociable, but has trouble overcoming her anxieties around others.
And yet I can't resist recommending a novel about a recovering loner by Haruki Murakami, partly because he and his popular books are part of Tomoko Kuroki's world, especially when she tries to impress others by showing off how she reads important literary novels. My second recommendation is a long-running TV show that at first glance might never be compared to WataMote, but is probably closer in tone and content than anything else you'll find.
Jump past the fold for the reviews!
At first, I thought I'd get away with a single page of recommendations, but then I realized that A) I talk too much, and B) I'll probably think of more recommendations to add from time to time. So instead I'll tag occasional posts as recommendations, and link the tag for people who want to browse.
I'm going to start out with two recommendations. The first is more typical, in a way. Whenever people ask about WataMote alternatives, people almost always reply Welcome to N.H.K., because it's about a guy who's afraid to socialize. I want to mostly try to steer away from such comparisons, because simply being lonely and miserable isn't really a good summary of Tomoko Kuroki's life. Her stories are actually far more exuberant, when you watch how she schemes and plots to escape her loneliness, and she is endlessly optimistic about her chances of breaking free from her past.
In any case, Tomoko is not an isolated shut-in, although she has fantasized about following that lifestyle in order to escape adult responsibilities after high school. She is merely a lonely girl who wants to be more sociable, but has trouble overcoming her anxieties around others.
And yet I can't resist recommending a novel about a recovering loner by Haruki Murakami, partly because he and his popular books are part of Tomoko Kuroki's world, especially when she tries to impress others by showing off how she reads important literary novels. My second recommendation is a long-running TV show that at first glance might never be compared to WataMote, but is probably closer in tone and content than anything else you'll find.
Jump past the fold for the reviews!
07 March 2016
What I want to see at QVC Marine Field
Tell me that there'll be somebody at the Chiba Lotte Marines game in April throwing a pitch while wearing a gigantic Tomoko Kuroki head.
Tweet roundup
What Twitter is saying about WataMote lately.
"Oddly horrifying and cute..." :D@IcebergLuffy My anime of the day is Watamote! Oddly horrifying and cute so far! pic.twitter.com/uGnIekDjrd— Adam ViviDark (@VivDaker) March 8, 2016
Finished up on Watamote and gotta say it's probably my new favourite anime, bursting with awkward/cringe humour. pic.twitter.com/qUxCOkirFM— Max (@Ninkoopa) March 6, 2016
06 March 2016
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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