Tomo-chan Is A Girl – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Reason for Her Smile / I Want To Be Playful Like A Girl / Heroes Fall A Lot

Episode 4 of Tomo-chan is a Girl begins with Tanabe wishing Misuzu would smile more. Jun tells him that she always smiles when she’s talking to him. Jun meets up with Tomo, who is also surprised that Misuzu smiles. Tanabe and Misuzu get into some heated tension, resulting in her taping his mouth shut. He walks passed Carol, who is in a similar predicament. Carol and Tomo meet, and Carol says Misuzu put tape on her mouth because she attempted to kiss Misuzu.

Tanabe and Misuzu meet again, and she asks him if she likes her. He confesses to Misuzu, who tells him to approach her seriously so she can shoot him down with a smile. Tomo chats with Misuzu about her smiling antics toward Jun and asks if she likes him. She says she doesn’t like Jun but toys with the idea to get on Tomo’s nerves. This segment concludes with Misuzu cracking a cunning smile. The next set piece starts with Tomo wishing to hold hands and hug friends like a girl.

Tomo admits she tried doing something like that in the past, but girls would distance themselves from girls. Misuzu reveals she and Tomo have been friends since birth because their mothers were childhood friends. However, when Tomo says they’ve been friends “long enough” to try it, Misuzu denies her the pleasure. Tomo meets with Carol and hugs her. She’s bewildered by how soft she is, so she meets with Misuzu to let her know.

Afterward, Tomo leaves school and starts hugging other girls randomly to understand what it feels like to be girly. We receive a montage of Carol hugging Tomo. Tomo notices Misuzu’s acting strange toward her and wonders if she’s still angry about their conversation. Tomo and Carol discuss Misuzu’s change of heart, and Carol wonders if she’s to blame for Misuzu’s behavior. Carol apologizes for bothering Tomo in front of Misuzu, but she tells her not to worry.

Misuzu says she’s more flustered about someone else. Misuzu meets Tomo on the rooftop to apologize for acting heinous toward her. She tells Tomo she wouldn’t mind giving Tomo’s hugs a try. Tomo gives Misuzu a hug, and Misuzu says she should try hugging Jun. Tomo sneaks up and hugs Jun after school. He’s stunned by her actions and tells her to stop since they’re in high school now. They get into a heated argument over the situation, resulting in Tomo beating Jun up.

Meanwhile, Carol approaches Misuzu and says she wants to be her best friend. This set piece concludes with Misuzu acknowledging Carol’s effort. The final segment has Jun waking Tomo up, resulting in more bickering and fighting between the two. They have breakfast with Tomo’s mother (Akemi), and she reveals interesting tidbits about her husband. He doesn’t like coming into the house and prefers eating alone in his dojo.

Tomo and Jun visit Tomo’s father (Goro), who scolds them for being late to martial arts practice. Akemi sets Goro straight, resulting in him causing a scene. Later, Tomo and Jun discuss lovesickness. Although Goro’s known for acting shy around Akemi, Tomo says he’s always willing to protect her no matter what. At school, Tomo meets with Carol and Misuzu. Carol explains she and Misuzu will be having alone time because she needs love advice.

Misuzu says this is a chance for Tomo to eat lunch with Jun. Carol places her headband on Tomo’s head, and she and Misuzu depart. Jun and Tomo eat lunch together, catching the attention of other girls in their class. Meanwhile, Carol and Misuzu enjoy their lunch on the rooftop. Misaki arrives and greets Misuzu. He tells her that Carol’s an important person to him and asks if she can look out for her. After he leaves, Carol reveals she’s interested in Misaki.

Misuzu assesses that Misaki acts like Jun and doesn’t see Carol as a girl. She tells Carol to take life more seriously if she hopes to win him over. They meet up with Tomo, who’s mad they left her in such a predicament. Mifune calls Tomo over for some help. Ogawa met a strange man at a mixer, and he’s known for being a philanderer. Ogawa wants to turn him down, but rumors say that he has his friend group bully girls who deny him, love. Tomo, Mifune, and Ogawa meet the philanderer, and Tomo tells him Ogawa’s not interested.

The philanderer mocks Tomo for her appearance and tries flirting with Ogawa. Tomo kicks the philanderer across the floor, and she tells Mifune and Ogawa that she’s not afraid of him or his goons. Later, the philanderer meets with his boys and asks them to jump Tomo. His boys laugh at him, but he says she hits like a gorilla. Jun overhears their conversation and delivers a solid kick to the philanderer’s body. The philanderer and his men meet with Tomo and apologize after getting their butts handed to them by Jun.

The episode concludes with Jun and Tomo walking to Tomo’s house, discussing the situation, and planning to dine on Tomo’s favorite sardine rice balls.

The Episode Review

Things were different in this week’s chapter of Tomo-chan is a Girl. Instead of two set pieces, we received three separate tales. All three segments give our side characters more spotlight, allowing their characters to develop alongside our two lovebirds, Jun and Tomo. Many viewers will adore Misuzu’s openness toward Tomo as she’s not known for showing deep emotions.

The hugging scene between Misuzu and Tomo is excellent. It shows that Misuzu has more room to grow in this show. Each segment contained great situational and deadpan humor. While Carol’s strange habits can feel awkward, many folks may adore her for her weird personality and antics. On that note, it was nice knowing more about Tomo’s parents and their relationship dynamics.

Although Goro cares enough to protect his wife, fans may want to see him develop better practices. For instance, it’d be nice having Goro overcome his shyness and eat a delectable meal with Akemi and Tomo. At the same time, Tomo and Jun’s handling of the philanderer and his men paralleled nicely with their discussion of protecting those you love.

Overall, this was a fun chapter of Tomo-chan is a Girl. It has splendid themes and gave some of our cast great development time. Some segments didn’t leave the best impression, but most got me chuckling. Hopefully, the show can continue building up to a dramatic and solid finish.