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[Neonivek]

As well... social anxiety? Sometimes there is no cause.

Just like depression.

[itisnotlogical]

I think the brother's a pretty reasonable character. He's not affectionate, though you'd be hard-pressed to find siblings that age who are. It certainly doesn't help that Tomoko is almost always doing something to antagonise him, but he tolerates it.
We never see them in anything beyond everyday interactions, so we can't say he hates her or is an unforgivable arsehole. Their relationship is mostly just belligerent sibling silliness.

My only misgiving about the show is that it shows the result of Tomoko's behavior (being a largely self-imposed social outcast), but it doesn't dive into the cause.

I actually appreciated that they left the cause out of it. IMO it would have undermined the execution and potentially made her harder to relate to - as it stands Tomoko is a horrendous amalgamation of social problems, but suddenly learning it's because... I dunno, she was bullied or whatever, drives in a bit of a wedge with people who have anxiety but weren't bullied.
Not saying every aspect of her character is relatable, but I think going into the reasons for her anxiety would be heading in a different direction to what was intended.

I think if there was a dramatic reason for Tomoko being Tomoko, it would drastically undermine the tone of the show. Despite how insanely real it is, it's still a comedy to laugh at. Maybe the smartest damn anime comedy I've ever seen, but still hilarious. I'm not a big fan of the "it's the last episode, time to get serious" tradition in one-season comedy anime.

[Neonivek]

I'm not a big fan of the "it's the last episode, time to get serious" tradition in one-season comedy anime.

Unless they are Excel Saga... Because they knew EXACTLY how to do it!

[Orange Wizard]

I'm not a big fan of the "it's the last episode, time to get serious" tradition in one-season comedy anime.

That didn't really happen in Watamote though, did it? IIRC it was open-ended enough for a S2 and matched the rest of the tone.
There's also probably enough source material for a S2, although the show was a flop so we'll never see one.

[itisnotlogical]

I haven't finished watamote yet. Been watching it relatively slowly, although I imagine there's not much to spoil except jokes.

[Reelya]

As well... social anxiety? Sometimes there is no cause.

Just like depression.

Yup, everything has a cause, technically speaking, but when someone talks about a "cause" for a mental illness, they usually mean some external trigger or social set of events that "explains" why you feel like that. The main problem is that if you understand it like that, then "get over it" becomes good advice for chronic depression sufferers, or your friends think that sticking someone with crippling social anxiety into rooms packed full of people to "get used to it" is a good idea. So that's why trying to come up with external "explanations" for why someone turned out a certain way can be harmful to understanding real sufferers. People basically project their own psychology onto other people to try and explain why someone acts the way they do.

I'm not a big fan of the "it's the last episode, time to get serious" tradition in one-season comedy anime.

That didn't really happen in Watamote though, did it? IIRC it was open-ended enough for a S2 and matched the rest of the tone.
There's also probably enough source material for a S2, although the show was a flop so we'll never see one.

Yeah, Japanese Otaku not really digging shows that reallistically depict otaku/hikkomori. Welcome to the NHK also flopped in sales. I heard The World God Only Knows (about a Japanese dating game geek) also didn't go over too well in Japan, though better than the other two, since it's not so scathing about otaku. But in the West, such series are lapped up. Watamote and Welcome to the NHK, and World God Only Knows are relatively much more popular. Maybe this is because "geek" doesn't carry the same negative connotations as "otaku".

Japanese Otaku only seem to like media about otaku that make them look good. e.g. shows about Hikkomori otaku who go to a game-based fantasy world, and suddenly lose their social inhibitions like magic, and/or get all the girls.

Contrast total flop of sales of Watamote to the strong sales of Himouto Umaru-chan. I liked both shows though. Umaru-chan is about an adorable otaku girl, who projects a Ms Perfect appearance when outside her house, so she has to hide her banal interests behind a socially-acceptable facade. It's a good contrast series to Watamote, basically the settings are similar yet complete opposites. That sold like hotcakes in Japan.

I wonder if some series will (or do) get enough overseas sales, so that the Japanese studios basically end up making them mainly for export. But they have to be made in Japanese, air in Japan to "keep up appearances" for the anime street cred. Watanabe's Space Dandy would be one possible suspect for this. It was simulcast in English right from day one, and was clearly aimed at people who loved Cowboy Beebop, plus some things reminded me, very vaguely of Futurama. Additionally, it didn't sell all that well in Japan from what I can tell, yet still got a second cour.

[Cruxador]

Man, do y'all only watch shows that are over? Where's the hype for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? Or Netoge no Yome? Or Luluco or Kiznaiver or Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou? Even in the MAL range of taste, there's Flying Witch.

[Orange Wizard]

I'm working my way through this season's stuff. I normally wait until 3 or so episodes are out before I bother though.

[TheBiggerFish]

In other news, Homestuck now claiming to be an anime.  Also it's over.

That was probably a joke?  I don't think one can be sure.

[Orange Wizard]

REMOVE WESTERN FILTH

[Cruxador]

In other news, Homestuck now claiming to be an anime.  Also it's over.

That was probably a joke?  I don't think one can be sure.

Not only was it a joke, it's one Hussie has made before.

[itisnotlogical]

Man, do y'all only watch shows that are over?

Shows that are over are usually the ones that interest me. Also it's annoying to wait for new episodes, I prefer to watch as much as possible in one sitting.

[Reelya]

Man, do y'all only watch shows that are over? Where's the hype for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? Or Netoge no Yome? Or Luluco or Kiznaiver or Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou? Even in the MAL range of taste, there's Flying Witch.

I'm still finishing off last season. College and shit takes priority over day-1 watching.

[Furtuka]

As well... social anxiety? Sometimes there is no cause.

Just like depression.

Yup, everything has a cause, technically speaking, but when someone talks about a "cause" for a mental illness, they usually mean some external trigger or social set of events that "explains" why you feel like that. The main problem is that if you understand it like that, then "get over it" becomes good advice for chronic depression sufferers, or your friends think that sticking someone with crippling social anxiety into rooms packed full of people to "get used to it" is a good idea. So that's why trying to come up with external "explanations" for why someone turned out a certain way can be harmful to understanding real sufferers. People basically project their own psychology onto other people to try and explain why someone acts the way they do.

I'm not a big fan of the "it's the last episode, time to get serious" tradition in one-season comedy anime.

That didn't really happen in Watamote though, did it? IIRC it was open-ended enough for a S2 and matched the rest of the tone.
There's also probably enough source material for a S2, although the show was a flop so we'll never see one.

Yeah, Japanese Otaku not really digging shows that make Otaku look bad. Whereas the western equivalent seem to lap that stuff up. Maybe that's because the Western "geek" stereotype has a much different social status to the Japanese "Otaku". So the Western audience get into it because they can relate to the charater, where the Japanese audience don't get into it, for the very same reason.
I wonder if some series will (or do) get enough overseas sales, so that the Japanese studios basically end up making them mainly for export. But they have to be made in Japanese, air in Japan to "keep up appearances" for the anime street cred. Watanabe's Space Dandy would be one possible suspect for this. It was simulcast in English right from day one, and was clearly aimed at people who loved Cowboy Beebop, plus some things reminded me, very vaguely of Futurama. Additionally, it didn't sell all that well in Japan from what I can tell, yet still got a second cour.

Contrast total flop of sales of Watamote to the strong sales of Himouto Umaru-chan. I liked both shows though. Umaru-chan is about an adorable otaku girl, who projects a Ms Perfect appearance when outside her house, so she has to hide her banal interests behind a socially-acceptable facade. It's a good contrast series to Watamote, basically the settings are similar yet complete opposites. That sold like hotcakes in Japan.

Yeah to my understanding Watamote was a total bomb in Japan as a whole. According to net lore it getting an anime in the first place came from the manga gaining a massive following on 4Chan of all places (you can probably guess why). There's an authors note where she mentioned that they kept sending her dick pics and has even acknowledged their memes regarding the series.

Though personally I didn't really like the show. For me the cringe humor got really old after the first few episodes and turned into just plain cringe.

Man, do y'all only watch shows that are over? Where's the hype for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? Or Netoge no Yome? Or Luluco or Kiznaiver or Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou? Even in the MAL range of taste, there's Flying Witch.

I've noticed that in recent times the thread has gained a habit of eating up a lot of show discussion with its massive demographics and culture tangents. Anyways personally I've been watching Joker Game, Concrete Revolutio: The Last Song, Macross Delta, Gundam Unicorn 0096, Endride, Jojo, and Sailor Moon Crystal since the new season somehow cleaned up its act.

[Neonivek]

Japanese Otaku only seem to like media about otaku that make them look good. e.g. shows about Hikkomori otaku who go to a game-based fantasy world, and suddenly lose their social inhibitions like magic, and/or get all the girls.

There is kind of a reason for that. Japan isn't a very kind culture to Otaku.

So any media that insults, puts down, or is negative towards Otaku is just source of derision towards them. (As typical of the "CONFORM!" society that is Japan)

While in the US it hovers around them being both awesome and a source of hilarity.

At least that is my guess.