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Defying gender essentialism at each turn, the truth behind this super popular character’s identity makes them everybody’s best childhood friend.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Komi Can’t Communicate, now streaming on Netflix.
One of the most important traits of a childhood friend is having someone comfortable enough with who they are to accept you no matter what. Capturing the hearts of anime fans everywhere, Osana Najimi not only serves as the perfect foil to Komi Can’t Communicate‘s mostly silent protagonist Komi Shoko, but is also a radical depiction of self-love and liberation from gender stereotypes.
From the moment they appear on screen, Najimi throws hegemonic conventions out the window, embracing traits from across the gender spectrum and creating a character who is about so much more than the labels they use to identify themself.
When co-protagonist Tadano Hitohito first brings his childhood friend Najimi to the inhibited Komi, he initially introduces them as a “girl” before confusedly remembering that they wore a male uniform throughout middle school. This kicks off the question of what Tadano calls their “ambiguous gender.” While the audience is never provided with a clear answer regarding what descriptor they identify as, the series uses pronoun obfuscation, clothing choices and jokes about attraction and romance to provide a nuanced depiction of what could be described as Najimi’s presentation of gender fluidity.
Najimi themself uses the Japanese pronoun “boku,” which, while most frequently used by males, can be used by girls as well, especially those who are less forward with stereotypically feminine characteristics or who display tomboyishness. On the other hand, characters throughout the anime use both “kare” and “kanojo,” the Japanese equivalents of he/him and she/her respectively, to varying degrees when talking about them. At no point in time does Najimi correct other characters about the specifics of pronoun usage, showing that they are okay with any and all pronouns.
Similarly, they appear equally comfortable labeling themself as a “boy” or a “girl” depending on the circumstances. When Tadano initially questions why Najimi is wearing a skirt, they respond that it is perfectly natural to don one as a girl. However, when Najimi’s former classmate confesses his attraction to them, they reject his advances on the grounds of being a boy. Although a simplistic reading of these claims would dismiss these instances as gags or deceit, a more sophisticated understanding allows viewers to see Najimi as someone who is at ease with multiple gender roles in a flexible or hybridized manner.
Perhaps the most visually apparent expression of Najimi’s non-binary gender defiance is their fashion sense, which often utilizes both traditionally male and female items. While attending Itan Private High School, Najimi chooses to wear the boys’ blazer and tie combo along with the girls’ plaid skirt. Likewise, when attending the summer festival with Komi, Tadano and the others, they choose to wear a jinbei — a piece of summer clothing conventionally worn by men and children, but which have recently seen a rise in popularity with women as well. This choice stands in contrast with the more iconic summer yukata, which tends to have distinctly unique designs for men and women respectively.
At the waterpark, Najimi turns heads by wearing a women’s swim top and jean shorts. Somehow, the outfit manages to conceal any definitive physical traits while revealing enough to make them an object of admiration for the boys in the group. Even their process of changing into the swimsuit captures this security in their open identity, as they choose to change in the universal restroom after Tadano stops them from going into the women’s bathroom. As telling as the moment is for Najimi, it reveals just as much about Tadano’s difficulty in fathoming their gender mobility.
Despite knowing them for many years, Tadano is the only character who outwardly shows discomfort with the lack of clarity surrounding Najimi’s gender. He often shuts them down when they make flirtatious jokes and reacts emphatically whenever they seem to lean into one end of the gender spectrum over the other. Still, Tadano makes considerable progress throughout the series, not only to accept Najimi’s subtle shades of expression but also to experiment with gender play himself. By the season finale, he even concedes to wearing a maid uniform throughout the cultural festival at Najimi and Komi’s behest.
Regardless of what words Najimi may use to describe themself, it is refreshing to see the series’ treatment of them as a character. While their gender non-conformity is certainly a crucial part of their identity, they prove time and time again that it’s not their most essential aspect. Rather, it is their ability and history as a loyal companion to seemingly everybody around them that defines them as a person, to the point where even their name means “childhood playmate.”
Whether they be a boy or a girl, neither or both, all of the above or something in between, it’s their easygoing, fun-loving and steadfast nature that makes Osana Najimi who they are. It may well be that no word or phrase is truly suitable to describe their gender. Rather than trying to find a label to box them in, perhaps the most accurate description of them is summed up in a single word — friend.
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