Tomo-chan Is A Girl – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

Birthday Present / Burn Up! The Ball Sports Tournament

Episode 6 of Tomo-chan is a Girl begins with Jun giving Tomo glasses for her 16th birthday. She taunts Jun since she’s now older than him.

At school, Tomo shows off her glasses to Misuzu and starts taunting Misuzu about her age too. It’s revealed that this is an annual routine of Tomo boasting about being older than her friends. Misuzu gives Tomo reference books for her birthday while Carol hands her a gold brick. Misuzu asks Tomo if she’d like to head to her place this weekend as she and Carol would like to give her a transformation.

The weekend arrives, and Misuzu and Carol tell Tomo they want to make her look more feminine by giving her a makeover. They apply makeup to her face and give her a new skirt and wig. Once she’s dressed up, Misuzu tells Tomo to practice sounding like a girl. Tomo gives a short speech, and Misuzu approves of her tone and says boys will like it. Misuzu and Carol force Tomo to get them ice cream while dressed in her feminine outfit. At the store, Tomo catches every male’s attention and spots Jun. She attempts to flee the store with the goods but trips.

Jun wonders if the woman’s Tomo but chooses to ignore his theory since he knows Tomo never wears makeup or girly clothes. He helps Tomo, and they walk together. During their outing, they spot some kids playing soccer and sit on the field to observe them. Jun points out a boy and a girl in the field and asks Tomo about their future. Tomo argues it’d be cool if they became a couple. Jun tells Tomo the girl reminds him of his best friend. Tomo asks Jun what his friend’s future will turn out like. He’s unsure but knows he wants to defeat her at something. Although Tomo wants to reveal herself to Jun, Jun reminds her about the ice cream, and she flees.

Tomo arrives at Misuzu’s place and discovers they planned to surprise her with a birthday celebration. They eat cake, and Tomo explains her experience with Jun. Jun arrives at Tomo’s house the following day and grabs her cheeks. Tomo punches him, and the segment concludes with Jun believing the woman he was with wasn’t Tomo.

The next set piece starts with Tomo instilling fear into her female classmates because of the upcoming ball sports tournament. Misuzu reveals Tomo always gets pumped before athletic events. The coach reveals Tomo will play on the boys’ dodgeball team at the ball sports tournament due to undisclosed reasons.

The ball sports tournament begins. Tomo and Jun realize they’re playing against the philanderer and his companions from episode four in the first round. Tomo and Jun’s team score an overwhelming victory over many teams in the tournament. Jun and Tomo warm up before the finals. Tanabe warns them about their opponent’s team having a gorilla-like player. Jun knows he’s referring to Goma Takeru, a third-year in the judo club and the strongest kid in the school. Despite Tanabe’s worries, Jun and Tomo are excited to face Goma. Meanwhile, Misuzu and Carol discuss their loss in the volleyball tournament.

They plan to watch Tomo’s event. In the final round, Goma tells Tomo he’s disappointed by her weak appearance. However, he’s more interested in Jun. Goma makes Jun an offer. If Goma wins, Jun must join the judo club. Jun accepts the deal but doesn’t know what he should wager. Meanwhile, Tanabe notices Misuzu watching the game. Although he wants to impress her, Tanabe gets eliminated. Goma eliminates more players on Tomo’s team and goes for her next. Jun protects Tomo and gets eliminated. This fires Tomo up, and she vows to put everything she has into this throw to eliminate Goma.

Although the ball doesn’t hit Goma, Tomo planned to pass it to Jun to have him eliminate Goma from the sidelines. However, Tanabe catches it and throws it at Goma while he’s puzzled. Jun and Tomo’s team win the ball sports tournament. After celebrating with her team, Tomo meets up with Misuzu and Carol. Tomo tells them she enjoyed playing dodgeball with Jun and hopes their future relationship will be the same. Jun and Goma have some one on one sparring sessions. Although Jun defeats Goma in their first session, Goma secures multiple victories over him.

Jun tells Goma that his urge to defeat someone close to him pushes him to attain more strength. Tomo and Jun walk home together. Jun tells Tomo he lost to Goma numerous times. He feels she could beat him, and Tomo acknowledges how Jun likes to overestimate her too much. The episode concludes with Jun wanting to be more like Tomo.

The Episode Review

It appears we’re getting more of an idea around what Tomo looks like in Jun’s eyes. While it’s been a running gag that he sees her as a male, many will understand where Jun’s coming from in this chapter. He sees Tomo as a goal-post for himself and someone he wants to surpass. This can play a vital role in transforming their relationship into something romantic in the future.

Jun aside, the earlier set piece’s plot didn’t offer anything too refreshing. We’ve already had a chapter dedicated to Tomo trying to appeal to Jun via a new change in appearance. Seeing the idea crop up again felt a bit redundant. The moment they shared on the playground and reflected on what the future holds for themselves was wholesome, though.

It was a bummer that this chapter skimmed through most of Tomo and Jun’s matches. It would’ve been great to see them smiling and having a blast eliminating the teams than being told about their victories. It would give viewers more reasons to grow an attachment to Tomo and Jun, as Misuzu and Carol normally steal the show with their colorful personas and actions.

Overall, this was a fun episode of Tomo-chan is a Girl. It gives Jun more characterization and an idea of how he views Tomo from a psychological perspective. It’ll be intriguing to see how the anime plans to shift his viewpoint of Tomo as we get further into the story. Hopefully, the transition is authentic and beautiful.