This article contains spoilers from Season 2 of Komi Can't CommunicateShouko Komi and Hitohito Tadano have been paired up practically since their first days at Itan Private High School, and the romance between the two has been slowly brewing (at a glacial pace to be more precise).
Tadano has put a significant amount of effort into helping Komi overcome her extreme social anxiety and make new friends, but it seems like Tadano has earned a great deal of interest and admiration from his classmates in the process. If the Class Goddess doesn't make her move soon, she may miss out on her chance to date the most eligible bachelor of Class 1-1, devastating Komi Can't Communicate fans across the globe.
Overly-affectionate Gestures
Since Tadano's ego took a huge knock after being rejected by Kawai when he was younger, the handsome man has considered himself to be undesirable, generally acting quite shocked if he receives any kind of affection. The first person to get frisky with Tadano is Najimi in Season 1, when the social butterfly goes out of their way to freak their friend out with their ambiguous gender status. Najimi makes suggestive and lewd comments toward Tadano, insinuating that they would like to take their friendship further, but the poor boy is too flabbergasted to respond.
Najimi also makes a point of interfering during the festive celebrations at Komi's house when Tadano ends up having to sit on the floor, and the hostess graciously joins him. The two had the opportunity to share an intimate moment together, until Najimi hurls themself onto Tadano's lap, ensuring to wiggle and bounce around for added effect. Maybe they simply wanted to be the center of attention again, or maybe Najimi will make any excuse to get close to Tadano; the more physical contact the better.
In "It's Just the 'I Love You' Game," Najimi instigates once again by daring Tadano and Shinobino Mono to exchange sweet nothings, which many of the boys had already done without issues. In this instance, however, the wholesome interaction prompts the ninja to blush profusely, causing Tadano to question things. These two pair up again during Komi's party in Season 2 episode 4, when Komi's mother, Shuuko, joins in on the fun. She dares the young Tadano to take things further by kissing Shinobino, who doesn't seem in any way disturbed by her request, nor did he fail to deliver more beet-red cheeks as a result. Maybe Shinobino is unaccustomed to public displays of affection, or perhaps he is quite taken by his suitor; either way, their intimate moments were tender enough to spark jealousy within the usually good-natured Komi.
Naruse the Nude
Although fans doubt that Naruse could love anyone other than himself, his bizarre interactions with Tadano have people pondering. After acquisitioning his classmate's number, Tadano is bombardment with an assortment of seductive, shirtless selfies of the blue haired beauty, before he gets to view the goods up close and in person in Season 2 episode 8, when the boys enjoy their group bathing situation a little too much.
Naruse takes (or rather makes) the first opportunity to take topless, practically nude photos alongside Katai, with Tadano elected as the voyeur and photographer. Taking Naruse's extremely self-absorbed characteristics into account, fans assume that anyone (un)fortunate enough to be on his contact list or in his direct vicinity receives the identical treatment. Singling Komi's paramour out has nothing to do with Tadano after all, besides the fact that he is an easy target with an agreeable and submissive personality trait.
Katai the Courageous
The biggest competition that Komi has to deal with is proportionally statured, as the fierce and mighty Katai has revealed his sweeter side, particularly when thinking, talking, or obsessing over his new friend, Tadano. The unlikely couple first meets when Katai joins the class halfway through the school year, uncertain of his social standing among his peers. After unintentionally sending off some intensely intimidating vibes, Tadano quickly susses out the situation and offers his friendship to the newcomer.
The first signs of romance sprout up during the boys' intimate picnic, as Tadano and Katai share a packed lunch during breaktime in Season 2 episode 3. The pair chat and get better acquainted while Katai spoonfeeds Tadano his lunch, and things get cozy when they decide to cuddle alongside each other, sharing a bench with a bit of light PDA for bonus effect. This gesture sends Komi over the edge (as she had been a green-eyed peeping Tom this whole time), but she manages to infiltrate their private moment when Tadano invites her to join.
Fans get to see how deeply Katai adores his new companion in episode 6, as the handsome hunk shows how much he has missed Tadano over the winter break. He plans their next interaction by picking the perfect setting, and proceeds to invite Tadano on a date (yes, that's what he said) at the ice rink. Remembering too late that he gets awkward over the phone, Katai freezes up and suggests that he and Tadano "do it," setting the tone for something slightly kinkier.
Eventually, the intuitive boy figures out Katai's actual request and meets his bulky bottle-blonde buddy at the ice rink, oblivious to Katai's intention for this event to be a one-on-one bonding scenario. Komi has tagged along and claims Tadano's attention while he helps her learn how to skate, while Katai is sidelined and his heart sinks deeper into the pit of his stomach. Unrelenting to his task, Katai boldly makes his move and successfully ends up skating hand-in-hand with Tadano, overjoyed by their relationship development. For some reason, Tadano does not seem as freaked out by their close contact as before, suggesting that he might be coming out ...coming around to the idea of a more familiar connection.
High School Sweethearts
Anyone with two eyes can see that Tadano and Komi would like to be more than just friends; if only the pair could admit it to themselves. As far as romantic comedies go, it seems inevitable that their courtship will eventually blossom into one of the cutest love stories around but there is only so much that their friends can do to push Tadano and Komi closer together.
Komi manages to initiate contact when she takes Tadano's hand to comfort him through his sickness in Season 2 episode 6; too bad he was fast asleep at the time. Unless Komi finds the courage to make another (not-so) grand gesture again, it will be up to Tadano to initiate their relationship and, well, he seems too oblivious and self-conscious to do such a thing. Here's to hoping that fan service will prevail and motivate the young man to take matters more seriously and get the ball rolling.
Questioning Sexuality
The lesbian undertones in Season 1 of Komi Can't Communicate are undeniable, but it seems the focus is moving over to the gay side of the LGBTQ+ spectrum as the boys take the spotlight in Season 2. Although the homosexual themes seem to have been introduced purely for comical effect, the characters have been handled rather delicately and don't come across as overtly offensive towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Granted, many viewers find humor in the awkwardness of these strange but cute encounters, but generally speaking, it is the interactions themselves that inspire a giggle as opposed to laughing at shamefully stereotypical LGBTQ+ characters such as with Carole and Tuesday. If Katai's involvement with Class 1-1's most eligible bachelor didn't affect Komi so greatly, many more fans would be begging for a Katadano-ship.