Netflix revealed what the names of the characters in the hit anime series Komi Can't Communicate mean in an all-new video.
The video explains that many of the names in the series are puns that reflect the characters' personalities when they are read in Japanese name order (with the family name first and the given name second). For instance, the name of the series' protagonist Shoko Komi or "Komi Shoko" sounds like "komyusho," a Japanese term for "communication disorder." This fits perfectly with Komi's character whose severe social anxiety stops her from communicating with others. Hitohito Tadano or "Tadano Hitohito" is also a play on the phrase "tada no hito" or "just a normal person," referring to his average or everyday nature.
The names of the side characters in Komi Can't Communicate enjoy meanings that express the traits of their owners as well. Highlights include Himiko Agari's last name, which alludes to the word "agaru" which means getting overly excited or nervous, which hints at the girl's perpetual anxiety and jumpiness. Similarly, Ren Yamai, whose rabid obsession over Komi leads her to be downright nasty to those she deems too close to the titular character, has a name that can be written with certain Japanese characters that when put together read "madly in love."
Komi Can't Communicate follows Shoko Komi, a high school girl who is immediately put on a pedestal by her classmates on her first day at the elite Itan Private School due to her seemingly unshakeable poise and graceful beauty. Underneath all that, however, Komi suffers from a severe communication disorder that those around her mistakenly attribute to her stoic charm. After Hitohito Tadano, Komi's classmate, accidentally learns about Komi's plight, he pledges to help make her dream of befriending 100 people come true.
The series has enjoyed great popularity since its manga began its serialization in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday, with over 5.2 million copies of the first 20 volumes of the manga in circulation as of February 2021. The series was created by writer and artist Tomohito Oda. An anime adaptation produced by studio OLM (Pokémon) aired between Oct. 7 and Dec. 23, 2021, with Netflix streaming new episodes to a worldwide audience on a weekly schedule.
Netflix recently announced that a second season of the show will begin airing in April 2022.
Source: YouTube
