MarketNo Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!
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No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!

No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! , commonly referred to as WataMote (わたモテ), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by two people under the pseudonym Nico Tanigawa. It began serialization on Square Enix's Gangan Online service in August 2011 and is published by Yen Press in North America. A 4-panel spin-off manga was serialized in Gangan Joker between January 2013 and July 2015. An anime television adaptation by Silver Link aired in Japan between July and September 2013.

Plot
Fifteen-year-old otaku Tomoko Kuroki believed that she would become popular when entering high school due to her experience with otome games and dating simulators. In reality, she finds that she has become an unsociable loner, though she still forces herself to try out what she has learned about achieving popularity. As she progresses through high school, Tomoko attempts to improve her social status among her peers. ==Characters==
Characters
Main characters ; : :Tomoko is depicted as a desperate, obsessive, depressed, and lonely girl who is characterized by her social anxiety, vivid facial expressions, and bags under her eyes. She has a grim and cynical outlook on life, as most of her thoughts involve insulting others or herself. She spends most of her days playing otome games and browsing the web, initially with very few personal connections. During her third year of high school, she decides to pursue a career as a novelist and applies to the Literature Department of Aoyama Gakuin University (青山学園大学, Aoyama Gakuen Daigaku), encouraging her new friends to do the same. ; : :Tomoki is Tomoko's gloomy brother, who is a year younger than she is. He is often annoyed by her odd behavior and often gets into arguments or fights with her. Because he has friends and is a talented soccer player, Tomoko occasionally intrudes upon his room for advice on making friends or improving herself, much to his annoyance. ; : :Yū is Tomoko's best friend since their second year of junior high school. Initially a dorky-looking girl with glasses, she enters with newfound blonde hair and a lively attitude, much to Tomoko's surprise. Even after her radical makeover and relationship with a boyfriend (with whom she later breaks up), she continues to regard Tomoko as her best friend when they reunite, referring to her by the nickname "Mokocchi". She is the star of the 4-panel spin-off manga. She later befriends Tomoko's classmates and schoolmates during a summer study camp in their third year. She is aiming to enter the same school as Tomoko, Aoyama Gakuin University. ; : Tomoko's second- and third-year classmate and friend who is often seen with Yoshida and Mako. Often silent and gloomy, she gets upset whenever Tomoko gets along with other people. Tomoko believes that she is a covert pervert based on her interest in reading an ecchi manga on a platform introduced to her by Tomoko. She is also shown to be very strong. ; : :Tomoko's first- to third-year classmate and friend who secretly wants to become a voice actress. Initially considered part of the popular crowd, she opens up about her true otaku nature after Tomoko learns of her dream. Tomoko discovers that she is actually innocent with regards to sexuality despite teasing Akane about it. Hina and Yuri have a friendly rivalry, with each competing to outdo the other in getting closer to Tomoko. She aspires to enroll at . ; :Tomoko's classmate from second year to third year and friend. She is a stylish gyaru who is kind towards Tomoko, who in turn admires her as a motherly figure. Like Tomoko, she aspires to enroll in Aoyama Gakuin University. Tomoko's family ; : :Tomoko and Tomoki's mother, who is often concerned about her daughter's well-being. ; : :Tomoko's little cousin who is three years younger than her. Initially looking up to Tomoko as a big sister, she later begins to pity her after she realizes she lies to impress her. She is described by Tomoko as a "psychopath", as while she was emotional as a young child, she later becomes deadpan and overtly emotional around Tomoko, and emotionless around most other people. ; : :Tomoko and Tomoki's salaryman father. Harajuku High School ; : :The kind-hearted former student council president at Tomoko's school, who has shown the most affection towards Tomoko. She is now a freshman at Aoyama Gakuin University. She owns a dog named . ; : :Tomoko and Yuu's classmate in second year of junior high school, who first appears in the spin-off manga and is later revealed to be attending Tomoko's high school. She and Tomoko outright dislike each other, only pretending to get along when Yuu is around. She has an excessive crush on Tomoki and is obsessed with the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team. Tomoko's classmate in third year of high school. ; :Tomoko's second- and third-year classmate and friend who has a scary appearance and is often referred to as a delinquent by Tomoko. She often acts violently towards Tomoko when she goes too far, and also likes cute things. Like Akane and Hina, she is shown to be rather innocent when it comes to sex-related subjects. ; :Tomoko's second- and third-year classmate and friend who is also Yuri's best friend. She is generally kind-hearted, though a misunderstanding causes Tomoko to believe she's a lesbian. She aspires to enroll at . ; :Tomoko's second-year classmate, nicknamed by her friends, who becomes increasingly conscious of Tomoko's behavior and eventually develops an obsession with her. She is often noted for having emoji-like expressions and for appearing out of nowhere. ; : :Hina's best friend who has a distinguishing hairstyle, and Tomoko's first- to third-year classmate. She initially had reservations about Hina's aspirations to become a voice actress, but quickly accepts it thanks to Tomoko's indirect help. ; :Tomoko's second- and third-year classmate, a girl with a fanged appearance who is friends with Mako and often speaks badly of Tomoko. She develops an uneasy friendship with Shiki after a falling-out with Sachi and her clique. ; :Kotomi's best friend and Tomoko's third-year classmate, who is often bewildered by Kotomi's creepier moments. She is good at observing other people. ; :One of Asuka's friends in another class. She has a strange curiosity with Asuka and Tomoko's interactions with one another, bordering on obsession. Tomoko nicknames her "Sleazy Maiden" and "Gorilla" because of her rather intrusive questions. Fuuka often attempts to one-up Tomoko by showing off her shallow knowledge of sex, which backfires due to her inexperience. As a result, she is the subject of many rumors circulating around the school and is labeled an "idiot" by Miho. ; :Asuka and Fuuka's friend. She is a cheerful and playful girl who likes teasing Fuuka and Tomoko. ; : :A girl in Tomoko's school who is in love with Tomoki, but constantly has her reputation damaged by Tomoko. ; : :Akari's best friend whose attempts at pairing Akari up with Tomoki prove to do more harm than good. She likes Nakamura, her classmate and a member of the soccer club. ; and :Masaki's friends in her "delinquent" clique. ; :Nicknamed "Emoji Mk.II" by Tomoko, she is Tomoko's classmate and friend during their third year. She aspires to be a professional gamer and streamer. ; :A first-year student in Tomoko's third year who looks up to Tomoko for helping her pass her entrance exams. She has trouble making female friends because her female classmates envy her popularity with boys. ; :One of Koharu's friends, who enjoys talking behind people's backs and is largely responsible for Koharu's behavior. She seems to have an interest in Tomoki. ; : :Tomoko's eccentric homeroom teacher who often encourages her to make friends, much to her chagrin. ==Media==
Media
Manga Written by two people under the pseudonym Nico Tanigawa, WataMote began serialization on Square Enix's Gangan Online service on August 4, 2011. The first tankōbon volume was released on January 21, 2012, with 28 volumes and an official fan book released as of March 12, 2026. An anthology was released on June 22, 2013. The second volume, released on May 22, 2012, ranked #10 in the Oricon charts in its opening week. As of July 2013, the series has printed over 1.5 million copies. The manga gained popularity overseas after fan translations of the series were posted on the English-speaking imageboard 4chan, the Western equivalent of Japan's Futaba Channel. Yen Press has licensed the manga in North America and the UK, and began releasing the series from October 29, 2013. A spin-off 4-panel manga series, , known as for short, ran in Square Enix's Gangan Joker magazine between January 22, 2013, and July 22, 2015, and was collected into one volume released on August 22, 2015. A novel anthology written by Nico Tanigawa, Masaki Tsuji, Yugo Aosaki, Sako Aizawa and Van Madoy was released on November 15, 2019. In the Yen Press English version, individual chapters are called "Fails" and are preceded with "I'm Not Popular, So". she struggles to find a boy to share the experience with. In the special chapter, Tomoko goes shopping and wins a massage wand. }} }} Tomoko's class changes seating, but Tomoko does not make new friends and hides in a group of desks during lunch. In prepping for the school's culture festival, she tries to fit in by taking on miscellaneous jobs. During the festival, she meets up with her friend Yuu. She tries a photo booth. She has a rainy bad hair day and looks for her umbrella. She is bothered that she is not attractive enough to be groped on a train, but then it happens. Following an accident in P.E., Tomoko returns home, where she nurses her brother who has a cold in order to try to catch it. She tries to start a school club. In order to experience lewd dreams, she tries sleeping on her stomach. }} Tomoko reconsiders working as a cabaret girl after visiting the red light district. She tries for a job making cakes, only to end up with a not-so-glamorous factory job. On a school run, she needs to go to the bathroom. She is embarrassed when Yuu reminds her of her delusional career plans from middle school. She is surprised to find her brother's affectionate essay from elementary school. She is invited to a Christmas party, but wanders off to spend time alone. On a New Year's shrine visit with Kii, Tomoko is embarrassed by Kii's maturity. When a cockroach enters the class, she kills it hoping to be praised as a hero, only to leave a less than desirable impression on her classmates. She forgets to mail Tomoki's high school application and tries to win his forgiveness. On her birthday, she catches up with Yuu over coffee. }} }} }} }} • Special chapter 3 }} }} }} }} • Special chapter 4 }} }} • Special chapter 5 }} }} • Special chapter 6 }} }} • Special chapter 7 }} }} }} }} }} }} }} • Special chapter 8 }} }} }} }} }} }} • Special chapter 9 • Special chapter 10 }} }} }} }} }} }} • Special chapter 11 • Special chapter 12 }} }} • Special chapter 13 • Special chapter 14 }} }} • Special chapter 15 }} }} • Special chapter 16 • Special chapter 17 }} }} • Special chapter 18 • Special chapter 19 }} }} }} Anime An anime television adaptation of the manga was announced to have been greenlit in an advertising for the third manga volume on December 20, 2012. The television series was produced by Silver Link and aired between July 8 and September 23, 2013. The series is directed by Shin Oonuma and written by Takao Yoshioka, with character design by Hideki Furukawa. An original video animation episode was released with the seventh manga volume on October 22, 2014. The opening theme is by Konomi Suzuki and Kiba of Akiba, which reached #43 on the Japan Hot 100. The main ending theme, featured in all but four episodes, is by Izumi Kitta. It charted at #79 in Japan. The ending theme for episode six is by Utsu-P & Toka Minatsuki, featuring vocals by Hatsune Miku (a cover of the original 1990 hit song by Jitterin' Jinn). The ending theme for episode eleven is by Velvet.Kodhy and μ. The series was simulcast by Crunchyroll. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America and released it on Blu-ray and DVD on August 26, 2014. After the acquisition of Crunchyroll by Sony Pictures Television, the series, among several other Sentai Filmworks titles, was dropped from the Crunchyroll streaming service on March 31, 2022. Episodes ==Reception==
Reception
WataMote has been the subject of much discussion and debate, particularly in its depiction of social anxiety and the main character Tomoko. Many have debated if the series is a comedy or a study of neurosis, with many varying opinions on whether the subject matter is supposed to be humorous or not. Still, the anime adaptation has been highly praised by most websites, particularly for its main character Tomoko and Izumi Kitta's portrayal of her. Among the most praised aspects of the series, the opening title sequence has received unanimous praise for its opening song and visuals, and how well it represents Tomoko's loneliness, frustration, and intense social anxiety. On the other hand, Anime News Network's review compared the series to other well-known series dealing with subject of social misfits, such as Welcome to the NHK and Genshiken. It suggested that Tomoko is portrayed as a completely anti-moe character, since she is angry and vengeful instead of typically cheery. The review praised the series for being insightful and straightforward in its treatment of social maladjustment. In 2023, Norbert Daniels Jr. wrote an article for Anime News Network noting that in the ten years since the manga started, it had transitioned from a cringe comedy centered around Tomoko's social maladjustment to a more optimistic story with a larger cast and some yuri undertones, with Tomoko's own growth as a character being apparent. He also suggested that Bocchi the Rock! and ''Komi Can't Communicate, anime which also feature protagonists with social anxiety, may in part owe their popularity to WataMote'' paving the way for them. == Explanatory notes ==
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