Tomo-chan is a girl is a yonkoma manga series written and illustrated by Fumita Yanagida. Currently, it has received an anime adaptation and It is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. This series It tells the story of a young woman named Tomo, who is in love with her childhood friend Junichiro Kubota..
NOur protagonist is characterized by being a “tomboy,” that is, she is a girl with a masculine expression who loves sports and fighting. Because of this, her lifelong best friend perceives her as “just another friend” and doesn’t recognize her as a girl or treat her as such.
As we anime fans well know, The romantic comedy genre has been taking off lately. with several manga adaptations to anime that have proven to be successful and hilarious. The most famous example of this resounding success is the series Kaguya-sama love is war which, with three seasons, and a movie coming soon, continues to grow as a franchise.
School romance premises are the most common within the genre. However, despite following this formula, Tomo-chan differentiates itself from its counterparts by having a different premise that, while simple, is executed perfectly.
It originally started as a serialization of cartoons on Twitter that ran between 2015 and 2019.. This webcomic, finally, It was compiled into eight tankobon volumes and, in 2016, received the Next Manga Award in the web manga category.This year, it received an adaptation from the Lay-duce studio that began airing on January 5 and has nine episodes out of 13 to date.
Tomo-chan a series with charismatic characters
You'd think that an anime whose plot is escaping the "friend zone" might be cliché and unappealing to new viewers, but this couldn't be further from the truth in the case of Tomo-chan.While the series is simple at its core, the characters, both supporting and main, are extremely charismatic and well-rounded in just the right measure.
The character interactions feel natural and realistic for young people of that age, while still being subtly exaggerated for the sake of Japanese humor. The script makes good use of its premise to create laughter and, at the same time, create a bond with the characters, establishing defined characters that contrast with each other.
Tomo Aizawa is a refreshing and unique protagonist who stands out for her charisma, loyalty and will. Going beyond what's expected of a romantic comedy heroine, she excels at seeing the world and living life on her own terms, independent of what others might expect. Her bond with Junichiro Kubota feels completely justified by the way they interact and explore the limits of their friendship.
The dilemma of where they want to progress their relationship is narrated with an honesty and ingenuity appropriate for that stage of life. It feels as if they are truly two young people trying to understand what they want in each other and what to do with the new feelings that puberty has brought them.
One of the narrative's most notable features is that it discards the typical cliché that everything that happens is due to a lack of communication. This is resolved by opening the series with a frustrated confession, which is what triggers the premise that Tomo must find a way to be perceived as a girl. The problem is more complex than just not expressing feelings. Tomo is frank and transparent about what she likes and dislikes. But confessing is pointless if Jun refuses to see and understand her as a woman.
However, this project of change is nothing more than an experiment started by her best friend, Misuzu, and not a genuine insecurity of the protagonist, Because the series constantly reminds us that Tomo is perfect just the way she is.
She's an excellent friend, a loyal, sincere, and genuine person, and the best karate fighter. She inherited her father's fighting techniques and isn't afraid to use them to defend her loved ones, as she doesn't hesitate to resort to physical violence if she deems it necessary. She is extremely brave and impulsive, which leads her to several unexpected and exciting situations.
However, The series not only does not criticize Tomo's way of being and praises her authenticity, but also stands out with a cast of secondary characters that show that there are many ways to be a girl.It breaks away from the stereotype that there are different girls, better than traditional girls, or that there's anything wrong with being traditionally feminine. It highlights its protagonist without the need to trample on other ways of being women. Being more or less feminine doesn't add or subtract value from the other girls in the cast.
Tomo-chan is a fun, warm, and simple series that celebrates its characters and allows them to grow and mature.All of this is based on a lighthearted comedy webcomic, but it weaves together a truly charming narrative about two friends who must figure out how to navigate their friendship and take it to the next step. Without going into spoilers, and only mentioning what's evident from the first episode, it's clear who Tomo is and what her challenges will be when it comes to getting closer to Jun. While its script is less intricate, coming from a less sequential publication than a traditional manga, it still manages to be an enjoyable experience.
Image: Crunchyroll
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