is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by . It was serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

's manga magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Sunday is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...

'' from May 2016 to January 2025, with its chapters collected in 37 volumes. The series is licensed in North America by

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

. The story centers around Shoko Komi, a high school girl who suffers from extreme

social anxiety Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings (i.e., interacting with others). Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum dis ...

and struggles to communicate with others. With the help of her classmate Hitohito Tadano, they embark on a mission to make 100 friends and improve Komi's communication skills. An eight-episode live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast from September to November 2021, while an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series adaptation produced by

OLM The olm () or proteus (''Proteus anguinus'') is an aquatic salamander which is the only species in the genus ''Proteus'' of the family Proteidae and the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe; the family's other extant g ...

aired from October to December of the same year; a second season aired from April to June 2022. The anime adaptation is licensed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

for worldwide streaming. By January 2025, the manga had over 16 million copies in circulation. In 2022, the manga won the 67th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

for the category.

Premise

On her first day attending the elite Itan Private High School, Shoko Komi immediately receives an overwhelming surge in popularity due to the unprecedented stoic beauty and refined elegance her classmates perceive her to possess. However, only Hitohito Tadano, an exceedingly average schoolboy who sits next to her, discovers that behind her appearance, Komi has a severe

communication disorder A communication disorder is any disorder that affects an individual's ability to Speech perception, comprehend, detect, or apply language and speech to engage in dialogue effectively with others. This also encompasses deficiencies in verbal and N ...

. Tadano learns that Komi's goal is to make 100 friends, and resolves to help her reach her goal.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by , ''Komi Can't Communicate'' was first published as a one-shot in

's manga magazine ''

'' on September 16, 2015; the manga was later serialized in the same magazine from May 18, 2016, to January 29, 2025. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 37 volumes, released from September 16, 2016, to March 18, 2025. In November 2018, during their panel at

Anime NYC Anime NYC is an annual four-day anime convention held during August at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Programming The convention typically offers arcade games, an artist alley, concerts, manga library (Carolina Manga Li ...

announced that they acquired the license for the manga. The first volume was released in North America on June 11, 2019. On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their ''Viz Manga'' digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.

Drama

An eight-episode live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast on

NHK General TV , abbreviated on-screen as NHK G, is the main television service of NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster. Its programming includes news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime, and specials which compete directly with the output of its co ...

from September 6 to November 1, 2021. Aiko performed the series' theme song .

Anime

On May 11, 2021, an

television series adaptation by

was announced. The series was directed by Kazuki Kawagoe, with Ayumu Watanabe serving as chief director, scripts by Deko Akao, character designs by Atsuko Nakajima and music by Yukari Hashimoto. The series aired on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.

streamed the series worldwide on a weekly basis starting on October 21, 2021. performed the opening theme "Cinderella", while performed the ending theme in episode 1, and the ending theme from episodes 2–12. On December 23, 2021, Netflix announced the series would receive a second season. It aired from April 7 to June 23, 2022, in Japan, and premiered worldwide on Netflix on April 27 of the same year.

Miku Itō is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer affiliated with Style Cube. Her major voice roles include Nanako Usami in ''Locodol'', Ann Akagi in ''Action Heroine Cheer Fruits'', Kokoro Tsurumaki in ''BanG Dream!'', Miku Nakano ...

performed the opening theme , while performed the ending theme . On December 12, 2022, the official ''Komi Can't Communicate'' Twitter account announced that the anime production team did retakes of the animation for episodes in both seasons that had already been streamed on Netflix.

Reception

By September 2018, the manga had over 2 million copies in circulation; 5.2 million copies in circulation by February 2021; over 6 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 7.4 million copies in circulation by June 2022; over 12.7 million copies in circulation by July 2023; over 14 million copies in circulation by February 2024; and over 16 million copies in circulation by January 2025. In 2017, the series ranked eighth in the third

Next Manga Award The is an annual award for manga series presented by Kadokawa Corporation's '' Da Vinci'' magazine and Niconico streaming website. It is divided into two categories: one for print manga, and one for web manga. Overview The award was originally ...

in the print category. ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

'' named the manga as one of the best comics of 2019. It won the 67th

in the category in 2022. In 2020, the series topped the "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll conducted by

AnimeJapan AnimeJapan is a Japanese anime consumer show held annually at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center in Tokyo since March 2014. It was created from the merger of the Tokyo International Anime Fair with the Anime Contents Expo. It is organized ...

. The anime won Best Comedy at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2022. Shoko Komi was nominated for Best Girl while the series was one of the nominees for Best Romance.

Critical response

Manga

In a review of the first volume from ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

'', Rebecca Silverman described the series as a "a nice little story with humor and a distinct lack of cruelty that doesn't break any new barriers but is definitely fun to read." Faye Hopper questioned whether the humor stemmed from Komi's "absurd behavior" or a relatable portrayal of social anxiety. Hopper criticized Najimi's character as a "transphobic punchline", calling jokes about their gender fluidity "extremely tasteless" and detrimental to the series' message. However, Hopper acknowledged the series' success despite its flaws, praising its compassionate portrayal of dysfunctional characters and avoiding casting Komi as a "social outlier". Gabe Peralta of ''The Fandom Post'' noted that much of the series' humor arises from others misinterpreting Komi's silence. He described it as "wholesomely silly" with "a bit of fanservice worked in" that fits within the manga's tone, despite some characters' awkwardness. Peralta concluded that the series is "basic in premise, but slightly more nuanced in execution". Reviewing the first volume, Leroy Douresseaux of ''Comic Book Bin'' described the series as a and mix that "offer readers young male and female characters forced together for a common goal, with some romantic elements", noting, however, that it is not its central focus, also calling Oda as "quite adept at creating small situations out of this narrative's central conceit." In her review of the first volume, Sheena McNeil of ''Sequential Tart'' praised the story, characters, and humour, calling it "a hidden gem, definitely worth checking out". McNeil, however, criticized some of Komi and Tadano's interactions with other classmates. Morgana Santilli of '' The Beat'' made a positive review of the series, praising its premise, comedy, characters, and the relationship between Komi and Tadano, calling it "cute and fun, something that injects a little positivity into a world that frequently seems to shun collaborative efforts to help others".

Anime

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' included the series on their "Best New Anime to Watch (Fall Season 2021)" list. Isaiah Colbert of ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

'' included the series on the "11 Best Anime of 2021" list, praising it for its comedy and for addressing the issue of social anxiety.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Anime and manga set in schools Anime series based on manga Coming-of-age anime and manga Cross-dressing in anime and manga Crunchyroll Anime Award winners Gyaru in fiction Netflix original anime NHK television dramas OLM, Inc. Romantic comedy anime and manga Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Slice of life anime and manga TV Tokyo original programming Viz Media manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga