The Komi Can’t Communicate finale has just premiered for English fans and whilst season 3 remains TBA, fans can be confident of more to come.
Wholesome anime, the 2022 Spring broadcasting slate was undoubtedly dominated by them. However, there aren’t many series that can match the wholesomeness of Komi Can’t Communicate, the hit adaptation of Tomohito Oda’s manga series by Studio OLM.
The series is currently being simulcast on Netflix, with the streaming giant opting to add the season 2 episodes onto the first batch from 2021, rather than a separate instalment. Season 2 is therefore considered to be episodes 12-24 on Netflix for international viewers outside Japan, with the finale having just been released today worldwide, July 13th.
Whilst season 3 has yet to be officially confirmed to be in production, fans can be extremely confident that Komi Can’t Communicate will return for more wholesome, friend-making and blush-inducing adventures in the future – here’s why.
Komi Can’t Communicate season 3 remains TBA, for now
Whilst we are still waiting for official confirmation of Komi Can’t Communicate season 3 going into production, fans can be extremely confident in the future of the hit anime series.
In June, director Ayumu Watanabe said was asked in an interview with Looper, “Are you prepared to continue directing the anime for as many more years as it’s going to run?” To which the showrunner responded, “Yes. I think any director would love to work on whatever they’re working on and see it until the end. I would love to, at least until they graduate.”
More good news is that there is plenty of source material left to be covered by the TV series. Per Anime Geek, season 2 episode 12 (season 1 episode 24 on Netflix) covers up until volume 10 chapter 130 of the original manga series.
As of July 13th, 2022, the manga is still ongoing and has published 25 total Tankobon volumes domestically in Japan, with volume 26 releasing on July 15th, meaning that there is potentially enough source material for five total anime seasons.
The show should also prove popular enough to be continued into a new season, as the anime has become one of the most popular and beloved series of the past year, following its domestic debut in October 2021.
The series is currently scoring an impressive 7.8/10 on IMDB, 80% on Anilst and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Komi Can’t Communicate has also achieved the rare success of having a second season that has matched the success of the first broadcast too.
On Anime Planet, season 1 scored a 4.14/5, rising to 4.26/5 for the recently concluded second season. Similar scores can be seen on MyAnimeList; season 1 is rated at an 8.02/10 with 330,000 reviews and 665,000 members, whilst season 2 is scoring an 8.17/10 with 100,000 reviews and 300,000 members.
In fact, across the entire 2022 Spring anime slate, Komi-san was the 6th highest-rated series, which is even more impressive when considering the show isn’t airing as a direct simulcast, with a three-week delay on Netflix. The series also peaked in 3rd place in the AniTrendz ongoing fan polls, spending 10 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 listings.
“Ah Komi-san, Komi-san. What is there not to love about this show honestly? There is a level of charm to it, that’s unmatched by most shows. To which there are many reasons for that. You don’t need to watch many episodes, to truly get what Komi-san is about, or what it’s going to be about. But even then, it’ll throw things in there, that are just surprising, and catch your attention. Think of the good ol K-ON days. It was fun, it was silly, it made us smile, it made us laugh, and once again, Komi-san is doing it once again.” – User Ellenwitch, via MAL.
Overall, it should only be a matter of time before season 3 of Komi Can’t Communicate (season 2 on Netflix) is publicly confirmed to be in production. Interestingly, the series’ official Japanese Twitter page also shared the following manga panel after the domestic conclusion of season 2, which translates to “The final story…Soon after this!”
Our quick-stop review of Komi season 2 (ep 13-24)
Komi Can’t Communicate continues to be the smile-generating, wholesome anime that we love and adore across its second season.
Particular high points came with the introduction of Katai, the New Year’s Celebrations and Tadano being nursed back to health through the power of sheer embarrassment.
Whilst episodes can certainly feel quite repetitive when neither a new character or important plot point are the main focus, season 2 has delivered on exactly what fans expect, i.e., cute and/or funny moments.
No matter what type of day you have had, putting Komi Can’t Communicate on is a sure way to give yourself that added Serotonin boost that slice-of-life anime can deliver.
The only aspect of Komi that is starting to irritate us at HITC is Yamai, who certainly turns up the creepy-dial once again in season 2, even after literally kidnapping Tadano last season just to gain Komi’s recognition.
Yamai is meant to be the awkward and overly-obsessed character, but right now she is a purely one-dimensional personality and the grope-trope is definitely wearing thin after 24 episodes.
In season 3, we would love to see another side of these supporting characters, mainly Yamai and Hajime as right now, there has been very little development from when we first met them in season 1.
As noted by fans on social media, season 3 is expected to be when a lot of the relationships between characters become more established – fingers crossed this goes for all characters, not just Komi and Tadano.
The amount of ship wars and discourse that Season 3 of Komi is gonna generate is gonna be wild lmao
— Yuki Nagato Is Sweet and Pure (BLM) 🐝💜💜 (@GainesUriel) June 21, 2022
Where to read the original manga series
As of July 13th, Komi Can’t Communicate has released 25 total Tankobon volumes domestically in Japan, with volume 26 set to release on July 15th.
The English release is sadly lagging slightly behind the domestic serialisation, with 19 of those volumes currently available to readers around the world:
- Volume 20 – August 9th
- Volume 21 – October 11th
- Volume 22 – December 13th
- Volume 23 – February 14th
- Volume 24 – April 11th
Physical copies of the hit manga series can be purchased through Amazon, Book Depository, Waterstones and Bookshop. Digital versions can also be read via Google Play, iBooks, Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook service.
By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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