REVIEW: ‘Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!’ Episode 3 – “Let’s Go on a Date!”

In Tomo-chan Is A Girl Episode 3, Tomo is shocked to learn that her best friends, Junichiro and Misuzu, have been keeping a secret from her for so long. The truth comes to light when Junichiro accidentally mentions he and Misuzu briefly dated in middle school. Later on, Tomo decides to invite Junichiro on a date herself with some help from Misuse and her new friend. Misuzu and Carol encourage Tomo to make the date different from her and Junichiro’s usual routine to help get closer to him. However, Tomo realizes that’s easier said than done.

Tomo-Chan Is A Girl is a youthful romantic comedy produced by Lay-duce, directed by Hitoshi Namba and Noriko Hashimoto, with Megumi Shimizu as head writer and character designer by Shiori Hiraiwa. Masaru Yokoyama does music composition. The voice cast consists of Rie Takahashi as Tomo Aizawa, Kaito Ishikawa as Junichiro Kubota, Rina Hidaka as Misuzu Gundo, and Sally Amaki as Carol Olston.

Episode 2 left Tomo and us with quite the cliffhanger. I loved how the director and staff framed the previous episode’s ending to make viewers think this episode would open with a lot of drama. In actuality, Mizusu and Junichiro’s secret dating was hilarious in the episode. Comedic setups like these are another thing that makes this anime stand out this season.

The friendship between Tomo, Misuzu, and Carol is one of my favorite things about Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!, as much as this show is about Tomo’s budding romantic relationship with Junichiro. This anime is also very much about friendship. For example, Episode 3 showcases the great chemistry between Tomo and her girl friends and how they are genuinely supportive of Tomo.

In one scene, Tomo and her friends go shopping to find an outfit for her date. However, Carol and Misuzu agree that for Junichiro to seriously see Tomo as a girl, changing up her wardrobe would help. The setup of this scene would make anyone assume Tomo is about to go through a significant makeover. This might be the case for some romantic comedy anime, but that is not the case with Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!.

Instead, Misuzu and Carol consider what would make Tomo feel the most comfortable while she is on her date. They could have put her in a girly outfit completely different from her usual style. But they considered how that might make Tomo self-conscious and nervous throughout her date. Moments like these make the friendships in Tomo-Chan Is A Girl! feel genuine. Tomo’s friends want to help her, but they will not pressure her into something she is uncomfortable with.

So far, the animation in Tomo-Chan Is A Girl has exceeded my expectations as a romantic comedy. This show has a great range when it comes to character designs. Each character has their own look and feel that goes with their personality perfectly. I especially love how the animators are not afraid to make characters like Tomo have a huge range of expressions. This helps balance the romance and humor in the series.

The supportive female friendship between Tomo, Misuzu, and Carol in Tomo-Chan Is A Girl Episode 3 is endearing and genuine. The animation has a great range, especially when it comes to character designs. Overall this a very entertaining watch with the right balance of humor and romance from start to finish.

Tomo-chan Is A Girl Episode 3 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.