WataMote Chapter 49

Chapter 49
Information
Volume Number	Volume 6
Chapter Title	Because I'm Not Popular, I'll Decide Where To Go
Published	October 19, 2013
Previous Chapter	Chapter 48
Next Chapter	Chapter 50

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

During class, Tomoko has to decide where to go for her school trip even though she does not want to go on the trip. Ogino directs her students to spend lunchtime looking up the possible location so they can write down a reason for their choice. Instead, Tomoko spends most of her time in the library searching for funny cat pictures. She overhears other students excitedly discussing places their classes could go. Tomoko feels a bit guilty but then wonders if she should just feign illness to skip the trip like she did the previous year. Instead, Tomoko begins to remove from the list the places she does not want to go. She quickly dismisses skiing in Niigata and imagines herself overcome by smiling snow demons.

She similarly dismisses Okinawa as she imagines her seaweed covered body washing up on a beach. For Kyūshū, Hokkaido, and Kyōto, she imagines tours to art museums where the statues judge her as having no friends. This leaves Kyūshū, but after she marks it, she realizes that travel between the cities will take a very long time. She imagines being trapped next to Ogino on a bus. Choosing the shortest possible bus rides, Tomoko finally marks Kyōto.

While still reluctant to go on the trip, Tomoko then tries to find interesting things about Kyōto. She watches a video on Kyōto which includes a fountain which causes Tomoko to need to use the restroom. As she returns to the library, she wonders if skiing would work if she can find a place in the hotel to hide for four days. She finds a large group of students viewing her video she paused on the terminal she was using. They are delighted with Kyōto. When the votes are tallied, Kyōto wins. Tomoko walks away with resignation.

Characters

In order of appearance:

• Tomoko Kuroki
• Ogino
• Mrs. Kuroki (flashback)
• Hina Nemoto (imagination)
• Yoshinori Kiyota (imagination)
• Akane Okada (imagination)

Referbacks and Forwards

• This chapter foreshadows what will be the Field Trip Arc that will start in Chapter 69
• Tomoko’s purple toy makes an appearance.

Trivia

• Tomoko skipped her school trip the previous year by pretending to be sick.
• Tomoko's class choices were:
  • 1. Hokkaido
  • 2. Niigata - for skiing
  • 3. Kyōto/Nara
  • 4. Kyūshū: Kumamoto/Nagasaki/Fukuoka
  • 5. Okinawa

Cultural References

• Tomoko uses her computer time to look at funny cat pictures instead of researching the destinations.
• When Tomoko feigns illness to avoid her previous year's field trip, she plays a PSP in bed.
• Tomoko uses the "Gaagle" search engine at school.
• Tomoko quotes Kaibara.
• The fountain Tomoko views in the video is a Shishi Odoshi.
• An excited student recognizes Kinkaku-ji in the video Tomoko was watching.

Quotes

• “Rather than trying to find where I want to go, it'd be faster to figure out where I DON'T want to go…” – Tomoko
• "For someone like me, who doesn't even want to go to a field trip on the best of times, my motivation to care is getting lower and lower." – Tomoko

Gallery

Tomoko uses the Internet for its original intended purpose.

Art is a Tomoko Critic

Tomoko imagines traveling with Ogino on a bus in Kyūshū.