WataMote Chapter 210-3

Chapter 210-3
Information
Volume Number	23
Chapter Title	Because I'm Not Popular, School Festival Preparation. Part Three
Published	November 30, 2022
Previous Chapter	Chapter 210-2
Next Chapter	Chapter 211

私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い!

Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!

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

Synopsis

This chapter continues from the previous with titled sections.

Companion (同士・dōshi)

The chapter opens with a view out the school windows from outside announcing four days until the festival. Bathed in animesque light, Kotomi stares into Class 2 - 4 while Hikari dutifully stands behind her. Inside, Nakamura and another boy chat with Tomoki. In the background, Director Glasses-Chan chats with Akaki while Akari looks toward Tomoki with concern.

Nakamura teases, "Wow, you look good together! Hilarious!" Irritated, Tomoki tells them to return to their own class. The other boy jokes that, unlike him, they have nothing to do. Behind Nakamura, Sayaka, in her costume dress, calls out his name. He turns to her, and she curtly asks why he came and continues that if he is going to interrupt he can leave. Smiling, Nakamura compliments her costume as "really cute." Sayaka blushes deeply and sweats as she spits back, "Haa?I Are you s-stupid?!!"

Maintaining her blush, perspiration, but looking away from him, Sayaka continues, "I mean, I'm not pleased by Nakamura's praise," but Nakamura retorts, "Nyah, you're lying." Sayaka hikes up her skirt to kick at Nakamura as she cries, "I'm seriously pissed!! Die, you know!" With a smile he nonchalantly notes that he can see, which provokes her to scream, "DON'T LOOK!"

Looking at the script, Director Glasses-Chan tells Track Suit Twin Tails-Chan they should perform the scene between Tomoki and Akari again, and the latter calls out to both to come over. The two stare back at them with a Background of Gloom™.

Concerned Chibi Director Glasses-Chan laments, "Somehow isn't also Iguchi-san's expression getting worse?"

Midsummer Noon Nightmare (真夏の昼の悪夢 ・manatsu no hiru no akumu)

A WataGirl wearing a sheet like a ghost asks Tsugu if this is scary. Tsugu pleasantly admits that it is not really, but it is "Halloweenish." Behind her, Fūka watches unconvinced with her arms folded while Miho and Rise take a "selfie" in front of the entrance of a "haunted house."

Later in a hallway with her arms still folded, Fūka asks Miho, who is standing next to Asuka and Tomoko, about any ideas for the Class 3-6 haunted house. Miho, happily, replies that she does not think they should take it so seriously. Tomoko confesses to herself that she has read a lot of "scary stories" on the "net," and she has wanted to be a haunted house producer for a long time.

Over a view of a long black wig on a stand, Chibi Tomoko explains that an easy way to make it scary is to have a wig (カツラ・katsura) with long black hair, to Surprised Chibi Fūka's surprise. Over a view of hair on a desk, then on a paper head on a desk, Tomoko continues to explain that just leaving the wig on a desk is pretty scary, and if they roll up some newspaper into a face and put it on it, that will be pretty scary. With a view of a scarecrow with long black hair and a quite tasteful period dress, Tomoko continues that while it is a lot of work, if they make a larger doll, then put it on the doll, they will wet (小便・shōben) themselves.

With a view of Kiko happily waving her scarecrow, Tomoko explains to Fūka that she, herself, was scared by a scarecrow with black hair and wet herself.

"WHAT?!!" Fūka demands.

Revolving Flow of Time (回転する時間の流れ・kaitensuru no jikan no nagare)

The complete "coffee cup" ride with two "cups" sits on the floor of Class 3-4. One voice exclaims, "two units installed and completed!!" Another suggests that they go for a ride. The next panel reveals Nagi, Kaede, and Kayo talking together. Nagi explains that she wants to know how much weight she can go up to: "As for boys, three, for girls, four maybe." Kaede turns to Kayo holding up four fingers as she repeats Nagi's suggestion of three boys, and Kayo pleasantly replies, "as for girls. . . ."

Not Shown: "Fun"

The next panel reveals a depressed Koharu in the cup between a Faceless Sachi with her arms crossed, Maki with her face turned away from both of them. Across from her sits Nori. Looking at them, Miyazaki, standing next to Kayo, asks about "Minami-san" with "those three": "they had a fight." Kayo replies that since "Minami-san" was here, and they are here, a reconciliation would be interesting. The next panel reveals Emiri standing to Kayo's left. With a look of concern, Miyazaki turns to ask Kayo if it could get worse inside the cup. Staring ahead at them, Kayo replies their relationship cannot get worse, and if one has a good personality, she thinks it should work out.

Emiri calmly replies that Kayo, also, has a "good personality."

Shown: Koharu with a Transfixed Smile
Also Shown: Upset Chibi Mako

In the cup, Maki sits to the right of Nori and pleasantly asks if they think they are all friends. Nori insists that that is impossible, they know, and jokes that they are mean. Maki turns her attention to the Faced Sachi across from her. She "sweetly" inquires, "I mean, what are you doing on your phone, you gloomy creep?" Without looking up from her phone, Sachi nonchalantly "sweetly" replies that it is too cramped for conversation and Maki's mouth stinks. As Koharu watches with a transfixed smile, Upset Chibi Maki protests, "Ha? The one who stinks is you. Are you getting cocky because Koharu-chan is here?" Smiling Chibi Nori adds, "Right? You're alone in the classroom and never saying a word."

With a view of their legs, Sachi continues with a Faceless Chibi version of herself: "I can't help it, I don't have a jutting jawed boyfriend or a wimpy boyfriend." This elicits a swift kick from Maki to her ankle, to which Sachi gleefully notes that Maki cannot talk back so must retort to violence, "lol."

Shown: WataMote Wiki would not call a sista "old," perhaps a bit thinner, not that a sista's "fat."

The following panel is a long montage of humility and shame Chibi Maki, Nori, and Sachi bitching at engaging in a meaningfully deep philosophical debate betwixt one another . . . probably. Laughing, Chibi Maki sarcastically complains that it is so cramped her feet hit her. In support, Chibi Nori quips that it happens to her as well. Chibi Sachi retorts by rhetorically asking if she could actually hit her since her legs are so short. Upset Chibi Maki tries to retort with, "E?! Wait – Aren't you teary eyed? Did it hurt? Sorry, right?" Triumphant Chibi Sachi continues, "Keep your face from me, 'cause you stink." Chibi Nori asks in complaint if all Sachi can do is "Maki's chinny boyfriend" and stinking. Crestfallen Chibi Maki snipes, "you piss me off too."

Then next panel shows the bottom of the resting "coffee cup." The next shows Faceless Sachi with a sweat-drenched Koharu. Arranging her hair, Sachi asks Koharu what is with her having aged.

Video Appearance (映画出演・ビデオ出演・bideo shutsuen)

Tomoko looks into Class 1-7. Inside, Shizuku, happily, cuts paper on the floor with a group of boys. Tomoko continues to watch, and a collection of anonymous girls chat near the entrance. Tomoko muses that she remembers the Cultural Festival when she was a first year: "I don't know why I was working with the extra boys, either. Well, she's actually popular, unlike me, so it's very different." Shizuku spots Tomoko and calls out to her. At the doorway, she dutifully asks Tomoko what is wrong and does it have to do with the movie. Sweating, Tomoko replies that she just wondered what she was doing. Over view of girls singing and taking pictures of a boy sweating as he holds up a heart that has "cute" written in Korean, Chibi Shizuku explains, "The girls are thinking of costumes and music to play, while the boys are creating the interior based on the designs the girls have come up with." Chibi Tomoko muses that it seems easier for the girls. Beaming, Shizuku announces that she does not have anything to do which is why she is helping the boys. The next panel is a pause as Shizuku smiles at Tomoko. Chibi Tomoko then asks her if they can wander around a bit, and Shizuku immediately answers, "yes!"

The two walk the hallway filled with students working on the festival. Shizuku confesses that she always wanted to skip class during the festival preparations. Tomoko replies that she understands since she would have liked to have done that if she had friends. Chibi Tomoko then asks over girls laughing as they work if Shizuku does not do it with her boyfriend. Chibi Shizuku readily replies that they did but they did not spend too much time together. Tomoko suggests that the other boys would get jealous.

Shizuku then adds that being with "senpai" is more fun than being with boys. Sweating and blushing, Tomoko tries to stammer a reply. She finally suggests that Shizuku send her boyfriend a scene with someone who is not a boy, since he is probably worried. Shizuku eagerly agrees. As they take a "selfie" together, Tomoko sheepishly thinks, "Hey!! Boyfriend-kun, you watching . . . your precious girlfriend will be in my movie!"

Feeling of Loss (喪失感・sōshitsukan)

The two walk the hallway, and while Shizuka excitedly points out a scene, Tomoko, with her arms folded, looks down and broods that despite the fact that Shizuku came up with the idea for the Cultural Festival, her position has not really changed. Shizuku eagerly tells "senpai" to "please look," and Tomoko inwardly reacts by observing, "after all, as 'senpai' should I offer her advice?"

The scene shifts in Tomoko's imagination which is best depicted in the Gallery. She continues her thoughts: "Or preach to myself blind of my own shortcomings?" In her imagination, she asks Shizuku if her parents know what is happening to her. She continues, in her mind, to declare that she, too, had problems in her first years, but consider how far she has come: "I want you to be happy and look forward to your future."

Back in reality, Tomoko sweats in blushes as she realizes, "No, in fact, when it comes to preaching, I can only come up with sermons that make me feel good." While Shizuku looks at her in questioning anticipation, Tomoko concludes, "this is how preachy old men are born."

Tomoko then imagines standing some distance behind Shizuku as she chats with two anonymous girls. One has dyed twin tails, and the other has long bleached hair. "Well, if you make friends and don't need me anymore, that would be sad." With a view of the outside of the building, Tomoko is heard asking if Shizuku's Boyfriend will attend. When Shizuku responds he will, Tomoko suggests that they will go around together, but Shizuku stammers, "no, another . . . uh . . . a friend? . . . have. . . ." Tomoko quickly assumes it is a boy, but Shizuku corrects her that it is a girl. Tomoko expresses shock that she has a female friend, but Shizuku explains that it happened during summer vacation.

Revealed!: Tomoko is Sachi's Sister!!1!

Sweating Chibi Tomoko stammers a bit then "that's good, right, a female friend." Beaming, Shizuku chirps that they communicate a lot through e-mail and Line. Inwardly, Tomoko marvels about "this hazy feeling."

The next panel has a hazy background broken up. Tomoko sweats and loses her face as she thinks in horor: "Is this NTR? . . . No, because I did not sleep it's TR!"

Shizuku looks back at her questioning.

Pre-Screen (事前審査・jizenshinsa)

The outside sign indicates that there are three days until the Cultural Festival. As they stand in the classroom together, Hina and Yuri look over Tomoko's shoulder as she peruses a festival program. She points to the picture of their class' "Youth Graffiti" picture with the caption "A Youth Film Double Feature!!" It is between a picture of horror for Class 3 - 6 and the coffee cup ride for Class 3 - 4. Probably Hina compliments it on how legitimate it looks, and either Yuri or Tomoko replies, "yeah, Hatsuba-kun."

Tomoko's finger points out the program for the first day, listing their class' film at the sixth period. The next panel depicts the trio from behind. Tomoko laments that even though their film is not finished, they are in the program then adds that there is still the problem of the primary film. Hina tries to reassure her that since "A-chan"'s group finished it should work out.

Shown: "Stone-Cold Sober as a Matter of Fact!"

They are interrupted by someone calling out to "Kuroki, Nemoto." Ogino appears at the doorway with a sheepish Akane and Yoshinori behind her holding juice boxes. Ogino announces, "after school today, I'm going to check your movie, right?"

Tomoko stands sweating and emits, "E?! They're going to check? That's can't be good?" Yuri explains that "coming-of-age movies" often show the despair of school to all of the students. Over a view of a film screening with a boy hugging a girl and the audience reacting, Chibi Yuri continues that, "They can reveal romances between teachers and students, they can bring bullies in the school to light, and so on," and she thinks they want to prevent that. Chibi Tomoko protests that she was not going to "rock" that much, but she trails off.

Back to normal, Concerned Yuri retorts that she thinks what Hina did was "rocking": "That's insane." Hina looks at her and rhetorically asks if it was not her who had her do it.

Concerned Tomoko™ turns to Hina and says, "If Nemo is detained, sorry."

"No, if I'm in detention then the original criminal Kuro will be suspended because it's the second time!"

Characters

In order of appearance

• Kotomi Komiyama
• Hikari Itō
• Nakamura
• Tomoki Kuroki
• Director Glasses-Chan
• Akari Iguchi
• Sayaka Yoda
• Track Suit Twin Tails-Chan
• WataGirl Ghost
• Tsugu (Former Class Rep)
• Fūka Sasaki
• Miho Narita
• Rise
• Asuka Katō
• Miho Narita
• Tomoko Kuroki
• Kiko Satozaki
• Nagi Ōtonari
• Kaede
• Kayo
• Koharu Minami
• Sachi Mima
• Nori
• Maki
• Miyazaki
• Emiri Uchi
• Taku (Maki's Boyfriend mentioned)
• Shizuku Hirasawa
• Shizuku Hirasawa's Boyfriend (mentioned)
• Shizuku's New Friend (mentioned) – Arg! Spoilers There Be! Arg!
• Yuri Tamura
• Hina Nemoto
• Hatsushiba (mentioned)
• Ogino
• Akane Okada
• Yoshinori Kiyota

Referbacks

• "Watcher of the Skies Class 2 – 4 Watcher of All!": Kotomi has been watching Tomoki's rehearsals since Chapter 204-1.
• Battle of the Sexes: Sayaka and Nakamura reveal their relationship, such as it is, in Chapter 156.
• "A Hairy Situation": In Chapter 158, when both Tomoko and Masaki got suspended, to kill time, Tomoko narrated a horror story which involved hair.
• "We are the Awesome Foursome Until We are Dead!": break-up of Koharu group in Chapter 189. Include Nori ignoring Koharu chapter Chapter 190, Maki in chapter Chapter 191, and Nori tormenting Sachi Chapter 200-2.
• "The Jaw that sank Titanic": The first time someone badmouthed about Maki's boyfriend was on Chapter 169.5.
• Crying Over Spilt Coffee: Coffee Cup Chapter 203.
• "I haven't had anything to do either": Albeit it was Shizuku's proposal of Korean cafe the one that won the voting in Chapter 192-1, she remains isolated from preparation as seen in Chapter 202-1. This chapter suggests that she can only help out the boys.
• "HAIR?!!": Fūka becomes obsessed with Asuka's hair down there foliage about the entrance to her Road to a Christening based on Asuka's joke in Chapter 60, and she carried this into the Summer Study Camp.
• “A River Runs Through it”: Tomoko refers to the scarecrow incident when providing ideas for the haunted house.
• When I was your age…: First Year School Festival chapters 20 and 21.
• "It is Not the NTR!": Since Chapter 162, Tomoko occasionally thinks she cheats with Shizuku against her boyfriend.
• "The Sign of Peace": In the back cover from Volume 2, it was shown how Tomoko fantasied with her doing a selfie together with two random girls while the three of them did the peace sign. In this chapter, the fantasy has been half-achieved thanks Shizuku's help.
• Two-Timing Shizuka: In Chapter 192-1, Shizuku speaks by phone with this girl. At the time, the girl asks about Shizuku's senpai.
• "Hatsushiba-kun Did Well": Hina mentioned Tomoko how she was working with Hatsushiba to do the pamphlets for school festival in Chapter 210-1.

Cultural References

• "Scary Puns/Jokes": 洒落怖 (sharekowa) refers to scary postings as opposed to funny jokes.
• Long-Hair'd-Chans . . . of DEATH: as this linkypoo discusses, while the type is ancient, Sadoko-chan made it famous.
• "アホだ!": to quote the ending lament of Tomoko in Dō Kangaete mo Watashi wa Warukunai, perhaps WataMote Wiki commits eisegesis, but Koharu seems to have an aho hair (アホ毛・ahoge) during the ride, as does Chibi Sachi.

Trivia

• "A Bitch Girl Could Serve the Many-Faced God!": As posted on reddit, Nico Tanigawa responded to the question as to whether or not Nori and Maki will ever travel to Bravos, Valar morghulis! acquire faces. As seen in the linkypoo, and in the original Tweet, they leave the answer ambiguous. Valar dohaeris!
• "A Girl Doesn't have a Name?": Tomoko initially thinks of Shizuku's name, but then uses a sort of pronoun when she ruminates about her: (こいつ・"this one"); (あいつ・"that one"). Both can be rude. They are usually understood to be "bitch" or "bastard."

Memorable Moments

• "The Lady doth Protest too Much, Wethinks": Akari and Tomoki's combined reaction to Nakamura's teasing and Sayaka's denials.
• A Very Special Episode of WataMote: Tomoko shows recognition of her growth over the series. She readily offers suggestions based on experience to Fūka, which is something she could not do in her first year. She recognizes how she can be selfish with her advice
• "Oh, the Bitch is Back! Stone-Cold Sober, as a Matter of Fact": Ogino-chan!!
• “A Silent Voice”: Surprisingly, Minami remained silent during the entirety of the coffee cup scene.

Quotes

• "That's good, that's really cute." – Nakamura
  • "Haa?I Are you s-stupid?!!" – Sayaka Yoda
• "I'm seriously pissed! Die, you know!!" – Sayaka
  • I mean, I can see it." – Nakamura
  • DON'T LOOK!!" – Sayaka
• "Somehow isn't also Iguchi-san's expression getting worse?" – Director Glasses-Chan
• "I've read a deathly amount of so-scary-it's-not-even-funny stories on the web, and wanted to be a haunted house producer for a time. I gave up on it since I didn't know how to become one, but could this be my chance to shine!?" – Tomoko Kuroki inwardly
• "This one might take some effort. But if you made a huge mannequin and put a wig on that, you'll make people piss their pants. I should know, I've accidentally pissed myself after getting spooked by a scarecrow with long black hair" – Tomoko to Fūka Sasaki
• "Since it's already bad, there's not much difference, you know. If you have a good personality, I think it'll work out." – Kayo
  • "Kayo also has a good personality." – Emiri Uchi
• "I mean, what are you doing on your phone, you gloomy creep?" – Nori to Sachi Mima.
• "Koharu-chan, what's with you aging?" – Sachi to Koharu Minami
• "I don't know why I was working with the extra boys, either. Well, she's actually popular, unlike me, so it's very different." – Tomoko Kuroki on Shizuku
• "Besides, the fun I have with you is different from when I'm with another guy, senpai" – Shizuku Hirasawa
  • "Hehehe, really?" – Tomoko
• "Hey!! Boyfriend-kun, you watching . . . your precious girlfriend will be in my movie!" – Tomoko
• "After all, as senpai should I offer her advice? Or preach to myself blind of my own shortcomings?" – Tomoko thinking about her relationship with Shizuku
• "Do your parents know what is happening to you? You can't keep them worrying forever." – Tomoko imagined lecture to Shizuku
• "No, in fact, when it comes to preaching, I can only come up with sermons that make me feel good." – Tomoko thinking
• "Is this NTR? . . . No, because I did not sleep it's TR!" – Tomoko about Shizuku
• "If Nemo is detained, sorry." – Tomoko
  • "No, if I'm in detention then the original criminal Kuro will be suspending because it's the second time!" – Hina Nemoto

Gallery

Original Art from Nico Tanigawa Twitter

Shown: "Advice" . . . probably