Komi Can't Communicate's star is the popular Komi Shoko, a shy girl who has the noble goal of making 100 friends before high school graduation. She longs for personal intimacy and connections, something she's never had before, and there's another shojo-style heroine who understands what Komi is going through.
One of the co-stars of Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is the aloof and calculating Shinomiya Kaguya, who was born with it all -- money, prestige, influence, a personal maid, chauffeurs and more. However, all that can't replace love and friendship, and now Kaguya is locked in a stubborn but enjoyable battle of wits with the student council president, Shirogane Miyuki. This may sound somewhat familiar to Komi fans.
The Personal Goals Of Komi & Kaguya
Komi Shoko and Shinomiya Kaguya share a voice actress, Koga Aoi, who does a fine job bringing both characters to life with her charming and heartfelt voice acting, from Kaguya's bold proclamations to Komi's timid whispering and squeaking. However, the two characters have much more overlap than that. Both of Koga's characters are earnest and sweet girls who are not content with the status quo of their lives, and they take personal, bold steps to get what they really want and reinvent their lives of their own volition.
Komi Shoko grew up in a secure and happy household, which is good, but she also suffers from a lifelong communication disorder and never made any friends in her childhood. She always felt left out, and that weighed heavily on her. Meanwhile, Shinomiya Kaguya grew up in a wealthy household, but being rich isn't all luxury cars and caviar.
Kaguya's life is controlled by her entire family, and a lot is expected of her. She is a tool of the powerful Shinomiya family, and not even all the money in the world can fill Kaguya's heart and make her happy. She longs to define herself not by her formidable family name, but by her own accomplishments and personal values -- a situation in which many children of wealthy parents find themselves. Like Komi, Kaguya grew up feeling safe but dissatisfied, and if these girls somehow met, they would understand each other to a surprising degree. Both feel like they're trapped by circumstances, looking at a whole world of friends and lovers from the outside in.
What Kaguya & Komi Will Do To Find Happiness
Kaguya and Komi both resented this feeling of alienation growing up, but by the time their respective stories start, they find the resolve to change their circumstances and take scary but important steps in reinventing their personal lives. No one told them to do this or even encouraged it. Instead, Komi and Kaguya both showed incredible resolve and courage and took the necessary steps to forge real, meaningful connections with the people around them.
Making friends can be challenging and a bit daunting for any child or adolescent, but Komi and Kaguya have extra hurdles to overcome, including Komi's communication disorder and Kaguya being too aloof and pretentious for most people's tastes. Despite these challenges, Komi and Kaguya persisted, and their efforts paid off. Both girls grew immensely thanks to these personal projects.
Komi Shoko set her goal to make 100 friends and then accepted Tadano Hitohito's offer of friendship one fateful afternoon. That got the ball rolling, and with Tadano's help, Komi has made dozens of new friends, from the party animal Najimi to the yandere Ren Yamai and beyond. Komi doesn't rely entirely on Tadano to pursue this project, but Tadano is a reassuring presence in Komi's eyes, and he can encourage her without even saying or doing anything. Similarly, Kaguya formed a vital friendship with Miyuki, and she built upon this momentum and befriended several more classmates, including Fujiwara Chika. It was fairly easy for Kaguya to befriend her maid Hayasaka Ai, but befriending someone who doesn't have an obligation to her is more daunting.
In theory, both Komi and Kaguya could find great success in their lives even without these friends, and their personal quests aren't a matter of survival. Even so, Kaguya and Komi showed true character by challenging themselves to come out of their shells and form meaningful relationships at last, and this optional quest gave them more happiness than they ever could have imagined. These girls have embarked upon a wonderful and intimate journey, and they won't stop until they see it through. No family politics or communication disorder will get in their way ever again.