Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu – 07

「プールです / かき氷です / 図書館です / 公園です」 (Pūru Desu / Kakigōri Desu / Toshokan Desu / Kōen Desu)
“It’s just the pool / It’s just shaved ice / It’s just a library / It’s just a park”

While Komi and the crew did not specifically go to a beach, there was a strong aroma of “beach episode” written all over this one. Heading down to the water park with Najimi and the crew, Komi and Tadano engage in plenty of fun, thrills, and most importantly, awkward moments (I mean, it’s not a Komi episode without them right?). The second half of the episode was an absolute gift to the viewers, as we get to see the ever-stoic Mr. Komi himself, father of our beloved Komi-san. Here are my takeaways from the Komi-san beach episode:

Najimi is the hero this series needs

Having organized a friendly get-together with Komi, Tadano, and the rest of the weirdos to the water amusement park, Najimi has shown once again why they have all the qualities of a leader in the making. Keeping the vibes positive and the energy high is no easy task for those that take on this role in their friend groups (if you know you know), but Najimi absolutely owns their role in doing so. From breaking the awkward silences between Tadano and Komi to being the glue that brings all these quirky characters together, and just making the whole event work in one way or another, Najimi truly deserves the MVP award for keeping the ship sailing towards the light.

A classic example was when Komi had hurt herself and only Najimi was quick to realize how upset she was over “ruining the fun” for everyone. Springing into action, Najimi does not let the crew fall into bad vibes while alleviating the burden of guilt off Komi’s shoulders. Indeed, a truly heroic act masked by the face of joy and carefree fun with friends. Our hero again came to the rescue when Tadano fell into a spiral of awkward behavior after holding Komi’s hand, to which Najimi once again breaks the ice in the way they know best, water gun fights!

Komi’s father is just like her, in all the best ways

Polar opposites to Komi’s mother, her father is a completely silent man who communicates through action. While he is indeed on the extreme side, just like his daughter, we can learn a lot about communicating with our loved ones through acts of kindness rather than words that are sometimes taken the wrong way or not expressed with enough feeling. Mr. Komi’s relationship with his daughter is something out of a heavenly realm, and I could not help but feel utter warmth and wholesomeness in their interactions at the cafe.

The understanding runs deep between this father and daughter pair, even to the extent that Komi is comfortable enough to express a joke in her own quirky way, a gag that only someone like Mr. Komi could understand and appreciate. Father Komi’s whole mission of walking Komi to the library was purely so he could ask her how school was going, which he eventually achieved after wrestling with all the inner obstacles that come with expressing himself verbally. Indeed, the best lesson we can extract from all this is that there is nothing wrong with being a silent type, and just as they work hard towards improving their verbal communication, the overly social or extroverted types can also work towards using more actions and fewer words in their daily communication.