Lots of long-running series end up steering away from the original “gimmick” of the premise, such as the popular manga Kaguya-sama: Love is War, which incidentally has an anime running this season (shameless plug, I know). In some cases, the shift is for the better, which Watamote certainly is, but very few series will point that out in-universe, lest the author shoots themselves in the foot. Naturally, that risky retrospection is exactly what this chapter is about.

Chapter 149: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Be A Proper Senpai



R.I.P. Tomoko’s Long Skirt.

Nonetheless, I actually like what they did here. It’s not ankle-deep as it was before, but not uncomfortably miniature like in the last chapter. Having it knee-length is a nice compromise going forward, both in style and as a reflection of Tomoko’s personal growth.

Hirasawa’s self-maintenance is glamour goals.

It confused me a bit when Tomoko called her “sly” but looking at it from her perspective, I can see her thought process. Tomoko is prone to thinking that prettying yourself up is a means to an end, a deceptive one at that, so she figured Hirasawa was trying to “sell” herself.

They most certainly are…

Tomoko using the phrase “dolling yourself up” indicates that she sees Hirasawa’s actions as going the extra mile. But Hirasawa’s confusion tells us that this is completely unremarkable behavior for her. Talk about a difference in perspective.

Following up from the last chapter, Tomoko continues to be more aware of the social conventions expected of women. And while she has a growing respect for particular things like shorter skirts, there are definitely other expectations she’ll likely never enjoy. In the case of wearing makeup before meeting anyone, it’s certainly the standard, but not exactly a hard and fast rule, and I think Tomoko figuring out which conventions are “optional” towards “becoming a female” will be a continuous challenge for her.

There’s also the third, and probably the most common option, which is to resent the very etiquette you practice. Perfect for a realist like Tomoko.

Freakin’ adorable.

For some reason, Hirasawa looks a little pudgier here. It could simply be that the mangaka faltered when drawing her, but the optimist in me likes to think that it was intentional. That under all the artistic stylization, Hirasawa actually looks like this and the mangaka wanted to show how that makes her pretty since this panel deliberately wants us to assess that. Again, I’m likely overreaching, but it’s still fun to think about.

Wait, so the overabundance of “kawaii!” compliments are just as silly in Japan as westerners make it out to be? Well, how about that.

Tomoko faceplanting on her desk is definitely the epitome of year one.

I suppose that for Tomoko, using the word “cute” would be too forward to use frivolously. It’s the same as how some people have trouble using strong words like “love” or “die” since they implicate a strong personal connection with whom they’re regarding. Cats and dogs are safe because it’s platonic by default, whereas with people, as Tomoko laments, it’s a different ball game.

Hirasawa’s “Precious Sempai” vision returns.

Not to worry, Tomoko. At the rate you’re going, you’ll start casually calling girls cute by the time you finish college.

Ah, there’s that callback. Have I ever mentioned that the continuity of this series is phenomenal? Because it is.

And that’s really all it is: perception.

One’s self-perception doesn’t always line up with others, and that’s especially true for someone self-conscious like Tomoko. For example, Imae was the type of girl that Tomoko believed to have a lot of friends, but it could very well be that Imae didn’t see it that way. Conversely, Komiyama actually has less friends than Tomoko at this point, but to our knowledge, the former’s never seen it as such. In a very real way, Tomoko was so fixated on her own shortcomings that she was blind to all the things she actually does have.

I’m guessing that the word “female” is in parenthesizes because that’s just Tomoko’s assumption. Kind of weird since that’s a pretty critical qualifier to leave out.

BOMB. SHELL.

Ouch. When you think about it, that must have been a slap in the face. By saying that friendship is something that happens naturally, it completely nullifies any effort on the person seeking it. Like when an artist’s skills are mistakenly referred to as “natural talent”. For Hirasawa, it can be pretty demoralizing to think you’re a hopeless case if you don’t have some innate quality.

Of course, since making friends is something that happens naturally, it’s twice as difficult to try and explain it as anything but. Loners tend to have a high sense of empathy for those without friends, and as Tomoko says, they know better than to arrogantly claim that making friends is easy. It’s a complicated feeling. You’re social enough that you want to emphasize it, but not social enough that you want to downplay it. And thus, you become a variation of the blind leading the blind.

Perceptions may vary (drastically). What a dude magnet.

You know you’ve reached an epiphany when you turn into a parrot.

Aw, that’s precious! She’s so delighted to think that she has so much in common with her caring senpai. I’m sure that even Tomoko would feel a sense of pride knowing that she and her kouhai are more alike than she thou–

Oh…right.

She thinks Hijirisawa is a scumbag. Carry on.

Uh oh, looks like Tomoko’s resentfulness is clouding her better judgment. I’m sure that in Tomoko’s eyes, Hirasawa seems pretty greedy, looking to make female friends when she’s already got so many guy friends and a boyfriend. It’s like how Tomoko felt about those so-called sluts in her first year. But what Tomoko doesn’t seem to realize is that those girls were mostly indifferent about her, while these girls seem to actively dislike Hirasawa. That’s a negative impact Tomoko’s never felt herself, and one I hope she comes to understand.

Out of context, that totally sounds like the kind of lines an abusive boyfriend says to his girlfriend.

[listens to song]

Okay, not bad, not bad. It’s got a solid beat even with the questionable lyrics.

Kii’s reign of terror cannot be quelled. Unleash her.

How funny (and a little sad) that Tomoko can only encourage Hirasawa by having herself be a discouraging example.

Heavens to Betsy, has it really been four years since the Kyoto field trip arc? Seeing the three of them together in those outfits really hit me hard with the nostalgia. Fans always choose this moment as the turning point of the series, so it’s pretty cathartic to see Tomoko come to that conclusion as well. It seems like only yesterday that they climbed up the Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Cue the triggered table tennis fans.

You see now, Tomoko? Even when you try and take the easy way out, fate will always conspire to make things difficult for you.

My Little Kouhai Can’t Be This Cute.

Poor girl truly is naive. Making such a concerted effort to make friends isn’t really the best way to go about it. Tomoko herself is a living example of how friends aren’t actually attracted to what you can do as opposed to who you are. That said, I don’t think Tomoko could ever leave behind the little miss after hearing all that.

Being nice, but non-committal is truly the Tomoko way.

Hi Yuri! Nice to see you in your obligatory cameo and–wait. Why do you have your skirt tucked in like that? I thought that was just a one-time deal…

Stylish, I guess?

Ooh, so it looks like the cat’s out of the bag. Though given the circumstances, I don’t think Yuri’s that mad. Sure, it probably ticked her off since Tomoko lied, but since the truth involved Yoshida, a.k.a. one of the girls on Yuri’s whitelist, it’s all good. But honestly, Tomoko need to understand that genuine honesty will fair a lot better than half-lies against Yuri.

And the reason for that is because as Yuri grows to understand Tomoko more, the more she’ll be able to cut through Tomoko’s bullshit.

As they (read: I) say, sincerity is the key to an introvert’s heart.

It’s hard to read whether or not Yuri feels jealous about Tomoko’s little practice session, and I believe that’s intentional. Hirasawa has never really posed any sort of “threat” to Yuri, and given that Tomoko simply agreed to practice rather initiate it, that should clear the girl form Yuri’s unwarranted scrutiny. For now.

Girl’s just waving and Tomoko’s already enraptured? Christ.

Everybody jokes about how Katou is the one most likely to be a sugar mama, but look at this girl here with her quasi-realistic reverse harem. She even has second-tier, possibly third-tier connections to get her out of a jam. I can definitely foresee a future where Hirasawa ends up being the so-called “class madonna” of Tomoko’s school.

A part of me wants to see what would happen if Hirasawa became disillusioned by Tomoko not being the wonderful senpai she thought she is. Then again, I don’t know if I can handle another repeat of Kii-chan just yet.

Although, Tomoko did kind of reveal she’s not that amazing, so perhaps Hirasawa actually does genuinely admire her.

Huh. Could it be that Tomoko actually has a knack for table tennis? She does have decent reflexes with all her time playing arcade games. Either that, or Hirasawa’s really not that good, after all.

Stay classy, Nico Tanigawa.

If there was ever an example of “tasteful fanservice”, this would be it. What the mangaka manages to do is show off a character’s sexuality without framing it as overtly sexual. In Hirasawa’s case, the flowing hair, crossed legs, and drifting skirt expresses her, uh, charm points, without making her out to be a sex object. Like how they presented Yoshida’s roughed up look at not-Disneyland, sexualization without objectification will always be the name of the game.

Except in these boys’ minds, who are totally lewding her.

In addition to being a bisexual disaster, Tomoko is also shallow as fuck. Always keep it real, sister.

Log this image under the Hirasawa-and-Imae-are-Sisters Theory.

First the Kyoto Field Trip flashback, and now this? The nostalgia is even worse knowing that Imae is gone. Not to mention that this is the moment that gave a glimmer of light for Tomoko’s (and this series’) future. Simply lovely.

That she was. It may have seemed inconceivable at the time, given Tomoko’s pessimism, that a girl like Imae would help someone out of pure altruism, but now, it’s not that unbelievable. If there’s one thing Tomoko has managed to learn after all this time, it’s that some people really are that good. And with Imae, the kind of good that inspires others to do the same.

I suppose that if Tomoko’s going through the effort to look after someone, the best approach would be to use what she knows. While this otaku-style of help may seem unusual to Hirasawa, it might just be crazy enough to work, right?

One quick Google search later…

Yeah, this is why we can’t have nice things. GTFOutta here, Tomoko.

You haven’t crossed the rite of passion into otakudom if you haven’t read an ecchi series that uses a sports gimmick as a pretext for fanservice and sex jokes.

A real-life GLHF? Nice one, Nemo.

Because I have nothing else to say here, let’s overanalyze how the girls are dressed. Futaki and Yuri are the most conservative, but while the latter can be attributed to her reserved personality, Futaki pulls it off in that “I’m-geared-up-don’t-cross-me” kind of way. Tomoko prioritizes comfort, naturally. Katou is rocking that extroverted sporty gal look, what with her jacket wrapped around her waist. And lastly, Nemo has the stylish-by-being-a-little-unstylish down pat with her pants rolled up to the knees.

Oh yeah.

She’s fucked.

This would be an uplighting shot of two best friends keeping each other company if it weren’t for the fact that they’re basically watching a murder right now.

Correction–manslaughter.

More of that realistically casual semi-bullying you see all the time in high school. Laughing at someone, but not to their face, and then moving right along. Poor Hirasawa has an uphill battle ahead of her.



And with that, Tomoko takes the first step forward to becoming the kind of person who can give back to others…

Smooth like butter.

So far, so good. Kinda faltered a bit by implying her best wasn’t enough, but the important thing is that she’s offering her support. So long as you don’t say or do anything that can be construed as manipulative, Tomoko, everything should turn out alri–

CRASH. AND. BUUUURN.

Whereas Imae has this supernatural ability to make anything sound pure and wholesome, Tomoko does not. It was a smart move for Tomoko to go for a compliment, but in true Tomoko fashion, the first “compliment” she can think of is sexual in nature. Then it just spirals down the perverted slope. I imagine Imae could say the exact same thing Tomoko says (yes, even the hair part) and it would sound completely innocent. Better luck next time, Tomoko. That is, if you don’t get reported first.

Whenever it looks like Tomoko’s developing too much, too fast, the series imposes a limit in the form of humor just to keep Tomoko in under the suspension of disbelief. But she been brought back down enough to see the various hoops she’s made to get where she is now. The major leaps have been cleared, and while Tomoko is less likely to make giant strides at this point, the smaller victories will always matter.