Review by Ian Keogh

Every volume of Komi Can’t Communicate begins with a brief explanation of how difficult it is for someone with a social anxiety disorder to interact and explain, starring title character Shoko Komi. As it’s the series theme, Tomohito Oda takes the time to produce a different short strip for every volume.

One hopes it’s not from personal experience, but Oda excels at presenting new experiences showing how they impact on Komi’s condition, and the most imaginative to date concerns a typhoon. It’s one of the shortest chapters to date, yet emotionally strong as fear of the conditions overcomes her fear of communication. Oda underplays this wonderfully. Having admired the nuance, the following chapter concerns the peculiar Japanese predilection for underpants supplied as puzzling slapstick. Yet for all that, a subsequent chapter considers the profound social embarrassment of having to ask about where the toilets are. For outsiders Japanese culture can be hard to understand.

For the most part Oda keeps the art realistic, and she has a gorgeous naturalistic style for portraying day to to day events. Accomplished portraits are evident on the sample art, as is her method of visually presenting Komi’s startled feelings, when Oda resorts to cartoon exaggeration, which she largely otherwise avoids.

The thread running through several chapters is the approaching culture festival, for which the class decide they’ll run a maid service. Again, perhaps this is a regular occurrence in Japan, although there’s probably a satirical aspect to the actual event first being presented via the experiences of a 32 year old man considered a maid service reviewer. It’s a bizarre chapter, in which Oda runs a variation on her technique of others attributing their interpretations of Komi’s behaviour.

A newly introduced character is there for her insight, realising how much Tadano and Komi like each other, and brashly pushing them together. Something so obvious isn’t going to work, but it’s fun seeing how the scenes play out.

There’s not been a poor volume to date, and the winning streak continues here. Oda is becoming more inventive in introducing different circumstances, and Komi is central to everything that goes on here. Bring on Volume 6.