Tomo-chan is a Girl is a very hit or miss romcom in my opinion, with its louder style of comedy, and while being a bit repetitive at times, it worked for me. It has a rocky start in the romance aspect, and the comedy was definitely what made this show a decent one. It’s pretty goofy and episodic, while having Tomo and Junichiro’s relationship slowly build. It sadly falls into the category of a show where the side characters shine the most, with Carol and Misuzu carrying the show on their back, but they were so entertaining that it saved the show. It’s a comedy reliant on punchlines, and if you like that type of comedy, it may work well for you.

The story actually starts with a confession in the very first scene from a tomboy, Tomo Aizawa, the main female character, to Junichiro Kubota, the main male character. As the title of the anime may hint towards, Junichiro has thought that Tomo was a boy for a long time, and thus, treats her like one of the boys, much to Tomo’s chagrin, as her confession isn’t taken seriously. Tomo’s friends, Misuzu and Carol, push her towards being a little more feminine to get Junichiro’s attention, and sometimes this works, sometimes it backfires. The romance is pretty generic, as it’s mostly the friends that push the couple together, and the friends just feel like the peanut gallery to the romance.

Misuzu and Carol are amazing, and what made me like the show more. Misuzu is a savage, never holding back in abusing people socially, and in a way, she’s more intimidating than Tomo’s physical abuse. Carol is just a dunce, doing the dumbest things sometimes, though she can be quite clever in other ways, which is a fun balance to have. To make these two even better, their interactions with each other are just comedy gold.

One thing I did enjoy from the romance was the exploration of gender roles and how true romance means accepting the other person for who they are, and not a forced version of oneself. Misuzu pushes Tomo to be more feminine, but she does address how in the end, romance isn’t purely liking more feminine or masculine actions from the other person, but for liking the other person as a whole, whether it’s Tomo’s tomboyish behaviour, and or her softer, more emotional side. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance to start, but this pushed me to at least appreciate the attempt at writing the romance.

While the romance felt slow, at times, it also felt like they were rushing through the manga chapters as well. I haven’t read the manga personally, but I know there were a lot of chapters in there that were probably skipped over. Ultimately, the romance development was just a little inconsistent, as it felt slow for a good chunk of the show, and then just sped up suddenly, which was a little jarring.

Overall though, the comedy is the real charming point of this show, as a lot of the punchlines were decent and gave me quite a few laughs. The romance could have been executed better, but the comedy and the side characters were enough to allow me to enjoy the show nonetheless. It’s a decent show to check out if you have the time, it’s good for a laugh.