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“Komi can’t communicate,” will be adapted into an anime in October 2021. Koga Aoi will play the role of Komi Shouko, Kajiwara Gakuto will play the role of Tadano Hitohito, and Murakawa Rie will play the role of Osana Najimi.

The original story of “Komi can’t communicate” is a “communicative disease” comedy serialized in “Weekly Shonen Sunday” by Oda Tomohito, which has sold over 5 million copies in total.
The story is about a first year high school student, Komi Shouko, who is a beautiful girl who everyone looks up to, but her face freezes up when she tries to talk to other people because of her extreme communicable disease, and she struggles to achieve her goal of “making 100 friends”.

Along with the decision to make an anime adaptation, a teaser visual, a teaser PV, and information on the main cast and staff have been released.
Koga Aoi will be playing the role of Komi Shouko, Kajiwara Gakuto will be playing the role of Tadano Hitohito, and Murakawa Rie will be playing the role of Osana Najimi, Ayumi Watanabe of “Koi wa Ameagari no Yoni” will be the general director, Issei Kawagoe of “Bungo to Alchemist: Gears of Judgement” will be the director, and the series composition will be Akao Deko of “I shaved. And then I brought a high school girl home.”; character design by Nakajima Atsuko of “Tokyo Ghoul: re”; and animation production by O.L.M.

“Komi can’t communicate” will start airing on TV Tokyo and other stations in October 2021.
In addition, a campaign is currently underway on the official Twitter page, where three winners will be chosen by lottery to receive a reproduction of the congratulatory illustration by the original author, Oda Tomohito.

Komi Shouko (CV. Koga Aoi)
■Character Introduction

Komi can’t communicate.
She looks like a beautiful girl that everyone turns to, but she finds it extremely difficult to communicate and when she tries to talk to others, her face freezes up with nervousness and she thinks about how to talk to them and what to do afterwards. But the truth is, she wants to talk to people. Her dream is to “make 100 friends”.

■Cast Comment

Q1: What was your impression of this work?

First of all, when I picked up the book, I saw the title and the cover picture and thought, “Oh, there’s something about this girl.” The cover alone had an impact that piqued my interest.
The title, “”Komi can’t communicate,” I thought it was interesting that there was a catchphrase which made it easy to understand what kind of girl the character was. I could relate to the realism of the situations that many of us experienced during our school days, and I found myself reading on and on.
There are a lot of characters with strong “personalities” in this work, the parts that I tend to think negatively about, or that I don’t want people to see or know about, are portrayed as positive.
I thought it was a work that made me think, “Maybe I can accept this kind of me…” and gave me the courage to push those who are troubled.

Q2: What is your impression of the character you play and how enthusiastic are you about the role?

From the side, she is a cool, beautiful woman who everyone admires. However, in reality, she is not very good at communicating, and when people talk to her, she scares them even though she never meant to. She was confused, and even though she really wanted to get along with them, she couldn’t get the words out. The more I got to know her, the more I felt that way, and the more I fell in love with her. (laughs)
I will do my best to portray her moving forward slowly but firmly, step by step, and to convey her thoughts and warmth in a few words.

Tadano Hitohito (CV. Kajiwara Gakuto)

■Character Introduction
Tadano-kun is just a person.
His goal is to read the atmosphere around him so that his “normal” self doesn’t stand out in the class, and to live his high school life without any disturbance. However, he seems to be very good at understanding people’s feelings, and sees that Komi can’t communicate, so he becomes her “first friend.

■Cast Comment

Q1: What is your impression of this film?

Komi is really adorable… as I read the original story I’m always struck by how she gradually expresses her emotions even though she’s clumsy! In addition to Komi, all the other characters have distinct personalities, which reminds me of my own high school days, and I can’t help but fantasize about how happy my student life would be if I had such friends around me… (laughs) I especially like seeing them at seasonal school events, festivals, and other events, and I can’t help but cry as I read them, thinking about my school days that I can’t go back to…! And personally, the covers are always too beautiful! I’m so impressed! Thank you so much, Oda-sensei!

Q2: What is your impression of the character you are going to play and what is your enthusiasm for the role?

I think that Hitohito is a boy who has the goodness of being normal! He was a little naughty in junior high school, but once he sees it objectively, he becomes normal. It reminds me of my own school days. (laughs) I actually once tried to be a little naughty, but then I realized how naughty I was and went back to normal, so I felt sympathy for him while reading! But I’m very communicative myself, so I admire people who treat me like a normal person like Hitohito-kun.
Every time I read it, I fall in love with it, so I’ll do my best to play it charmingly!

Osana Najimi (CV. Murakawa Rie)

■Character Introduction
Osana Najimi is familiar.
She is Tadano-kun’s childhood friend. Or rather, she is a childhood friend to everyone. Her communication skills are so high that she can get along with anyone in a matter of minutes, but she seems to have a hard time with Komi because of their “past relationship”. She usually wears a skirt and dresses as a “female student,” but she used to wear a school run and dress as a “male student” until middle school. Her gender is no longer known.

■Cast Comment

Q1: What is your impression of this work?

As I was cackling and laughing at the funny gags, I felt that one of the appealing aspects of the film was that it depicted human relationships in such a way that tears of laughter turned into tears of emotion, and that these human relationships were carefully drawn. I think we all want to watch Komi achieve her dreams, but I also think there is a real pleasure in watching her grow up.

Q2: What is your impression of the character you are going to play and what is your enthusiasm for the role?

I will be playing the role of Osana Najimi, a strong character with special abilities who has a mysterious side but also possesses tremendous communication skills. Although she is such a strong character, she fits in so well with everyone that she is everyone’s childhood friend, so I hope I can bring out the best of her. I haven’t recorded yet, so I don’t know how it will turn out, but I’m very happy to be involved in “Komi can’t communicate.” I’ll do my best so that everyone can enjoy it!

(C) Oda Tomohito, Shogakukan/Itan Private High School