Tomo-Chan Is a Girl! Is a Lively and Fun Romantic Comedy

No one ever said dating was easy. The song and dance of courtship has been an integral part of human sociology forever, and not much has changed. If one is truly committed, it can also one of the most fulfilling endeavors one can pursue. Of course, it’s a complicated and sometimes frustrating process—one that requires patience and persistence.

If only someone could have told that to Tomo Aizawa, the heroine of Lay-duce’s new romantic comedy series Tomo-chan Is a Girl! (Tomo-chan wa Onna no Ko!). Then maybe she wouldn’t always have such a headache.

Lay-duce

Tomo, a hot-blooded tomboy with a talent for kicking ass, is in love with her childhood friend, Junichiro Kubota. She’s desperate to make her feelings known, but he’s so dense that he can never seem to pick up on any of her signals—he’s always thought of her as being “one of the guys.” Determined to win Jun over, Tomo is faced with a dilemma: does she try to make herself more girly to try and appeal to Jun more, or does she try to convince him to appreciate her just as she is? Of course, she’s not alone in her endeavors. Along for the ride are her best gal pal, Misuzu Gundō; the popular boy, Kousuke Misaki; and the school idol, Carol Olston.

That premise alone got me hooked because I am of the opinion that romances, especially romantic comedies, are a dime a dozen, but this felt fresh. “Boy meets girl, they fall in love” is the most predictable formula for fiction I can think of, and it’s partially the reason why romance is often demoted to being a side plot. Not to mention the fact that it can be difficult to get right—even with the creative leeway of a light-hearted setting, the author has to have the ability to stir some kind of emotion in the viewer and root for the main characters to get together.

Of course, if there isn’t a pair worth cheering for, there’s no point in watching. Thankfully, that isn’t the case with Tomo-Chan Is a Girl! The clash between Tomo’s dogged determination to be perceived as more feminine and Junichiro’s commitment to being as thick as two short planks is one that not only grabbed my attention straight out of the gate but got plenty of laughs out of me too.

And we haven’t even gotten into the supporting cast yet. Fumita Yanagida, the author of the original manga, did a great job ensuring that each character plays off the others in a way that’s entertaining and believable. For example, Misuzu, the third wheel between Tomo and Junichiro, has a very cool and cunning personality. She has the job of offering assistance to Tomo in her quest while also chiding Junichiro for being a dunce, all in a way that doesn’t draw too much attention away from the core pair.

I have to give credit to the creator for giving us a stand-out entry in the romantic comedy genre. For anyone who’s grown bored with the surplus of rom-com fiction but still wants to feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I would suggest giving Tomo-Chan Is a Girl! a watch.