American Psycho (2000) is a movie where an evil man does evil man things, and for whatever reason insecure men flock to Patrick (the protagonist) like flies. I see Watamote as the feminine equivalent to this, as while Tomoko isn't a sociopathic serial killer, she's gets the same reaction to Patrick despite also being not the best person.
...But she's also probably one of my favourite anime protagonists ever. Tomoko is probably the most personally relatable character I've seen besides Ame from Needy Girl Overdose, but they are both incredibly similar so take that with a grain of salt. Point is, i like Tomoko because she is an exact replica of how i was when i was also 15. I was also a socially awkward, outcasted, hypersexual nerd who didn't know the first thing about holding a basic conversation.
Now that I'm a 19 year old who is socially awkward, not socially active enough to be outcasted, and nerdy, i can confidently say that i was a dumb, stupid 15 year old, and Tomoko reflects the way i feel about my early adolescence perfectly. I like watching Tomoko because it helps me comes to terms with the dumb things i did when i was her age. Some of which is directly reflected in some of the show, actually (see: Tomoko asking her friend Yuu incredibly intrusive questions not knowing they are intrusive).
Beyond Tomoko getting up to awkward shenanigans, the show actually offers a LOT of satire on anime tropes, namely ones that are of a sexual nature and are typically misinterpreted by the audience as being acceptable/ethical. For example, in the second episode there's a scene where Tomoko attempts to seduce her brother (for whatever reason twincest is something that is fairly common in anime, don't ask me why) thinking that shes just having a regular interaction with him. Her brother however, is grossed out by this and shoots her down immediately.
A lot of the satire is actually targeted at people like Tomoko; lonely losers who create their own problems by either being too awkward/too intrusive. Just like Patrick, Tomoko is an example of not what to do. However, i can forgive Tomoko and find her behaviour quite endearing because shes still a kid at the end of the day. She doesn't know what she's doing is wrong, despite the fact everyone around her acts negatively to it. Her worldview is built on dating sims and video games...just like i was when i was her age.
I feel i should also mention Tomoko's clear-as-day bisexuality. I don't know why this stuck out to me so much (maybe because it adds to the long list of reasons i find Tomoko to be engaging and relatable), but it became one of the things that made the show such a unique watch. Probably because i can't name any truly Bisexual characters off the top of my head, but also because Tomoko never makes a point of her preferences. She shows clear attraction to both men and women, but she never mentions it directly. Maybe it's just nice to see a character who is secure in their preferences for once and the show not making a huge point about it.
On the topic of bisexuality, YUU AND TOMOKO NEED TO KISS. IMMEDIATELY.
Yuu is my second favourite character beyond Tomoko, serving as a sweet but oblivious childhood friend of Tomoko who frequently makes Tomoko freak out over the fact she changed a lot going into high school. If you know anything about romance tropes in anime, "Childhood friend" should stick out to you like a sore thumb. Almost all of their interactions scream soon-to-be lovers and it KILLS ME knowing we probably arent getting a second season where that can be explored.
OVERALL THOUGHTS/TL;DR:
It's probably my favourite slice-of-life comedy ever made. Funny, cute, and cozy, but not totally brainless at the same time.
9.2/10
FOR FANS OF/IF YOU LIKED: Bocchi the Rock, Komi Can't Communicate
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