The 2023 winter season is jam-packed with charming romantic comedies, with Tomo-chan Is A Girl! at the forefront of it all. Tomo Aizawa is a tomboy, but she'd still like to be seen as a girl. Unfortunately, she takes a major blow after her childhood friend and longtime crush, Jun, mistakes her romantic confession as an affirmation of their friendship. Tomo's romantic mishaps resulted from a simple misunderstanding because Jun was too dense to realize what she was trying to convey.
Tomo then confides in her friend, Gundo, and asks for advice about how to be recognized as more feminine while still adhering to her tomboyish aesthetic. Gundo and, later on, Carol, both try to force Tomo into a "girlier" aesthetic that she's not comfortable with, from ditching the shorts under her skirt to speaking more softly. However, these only make things more awkward between Tomo and Jun.
Tomo Wants To Stay True To Herself, Regardless Of Society's Expectations
Even though the audience is only three episodes into Tomo-chan Is A Girl!, a few things are already apparent. Firstly, it's not a typical "role reversal" romance where the female protagonist always rescues the male lead, as seen in Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. It's also not a stereotypical tale of the ugly duckling where a tomboy grows out of a 'phase' and starts adhering to everyone else's expectations of her. Instead, Tomo-chan Is A Girl!'s narrative revolves around self-acceptance and refusing to change oneself to meet society's wishes. Rather than changing herself, Tomo would rather make everybody accept her as a girl just the way she is. There have been plenty of other tomboy anime characters throughout the years, but Tomo may be the most revolutionary example because she's so realistic and actually fits the definition.
Tomo seems to be in a perpetual tug-of-war between what she wants for herself and how she perceives herself versus the rest of the world's expectations. She may not speak as softly as her female peers or engage in traditionally feminine activities, but she still identifies as a girl and wants to be seen as such. Tomo doesn't want to alter any aspect of who she is, even if her peers don't recognize her as a girl.
Misuzu Gundo, one of Tomo's closest friends, suggests that she try to present herself in a more traditionally feminine way if she wants to win Jun's heart and be seen as a girl by everyone else. Unfortunately, this would mean ditching her straightforward manner of speaking and dressing in ways that aren't true to herself. Tomo begrudgingly tries talking more femininely, but Jun doesn't like it and jokes that she sounds like an old man. She also ditches the shorts she typically wears under her skirt at Gundo's behest, but this only led to an awkward moment between Jun and Tomo on their walk home from school.
In Episode 3, Tomo and Gundo visit a cafe where they see two classmates visibly bewildered by Tomo wearing pants. They leave the cafe, and Tomo expresses confusion. Gundo explains that it's because Tomo is dressed in a stereotypically boyish way and goads her into buying new clothes to ask Jun on a date. Of course, she also specifies that the pair can't go to their regular hangout spots, like a bowling alley or batting club.
Even though Tomo agrees, she isn't entirely comfortable with her friend's suggestions because she isn't staying true to herself by following them. It's also evident that, despite Jun's obliviousness, he can tell Tomo's not acting like her usual self and is visibly uncomfortable with her attempts to change. Tomo doesn't want to change any aspect of her presentation, and it's clear that Jun wouldn't alter anything, either. Tomo already realizes and fully accepts who she is; now, it's everybody else's turn to get on the same page. Tomo has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't wish to change herself, but instead, how everybody else views her. Tomo fully embraces traditionally masculine and feminine aspects as part of her identity. However, that's not to say she's androgynous, as she clearly states otherwise.
Tomo Challenges People's Preconceived Notions of What Defines a Tomboy
Tomboys are one of the most misrepresented types of characters in any fictional media. They're too often portrayed as the typical ugly ducking yet to turn into a beautiful swan in the end, or as women who are simply bad at love because of their boyish dispositions. They're also not meant to be placeholders for clumsy male love interests as a way to turn the tides on the "damsel in distress" trope. Tomboys also shouldn't be written off as quirky side characters who only contribute gag comedy and contrast with the rest of the cast.
Tomboys are typically stereotyped as athletically inclined and not anybody's first choice as a romantic interest, but characters like Tomo flip all of those preconceived notions on their heads. Tomo proves that someone can take pride in their femininity and demand that others see her as a woman even if she doesn't care to act according to society's vision of how a woman should look, sound and behave.
Another anime character commonly called a tomboy is Ouran High School Host Club's Haruhi Fujioka. However, it's more accurate to call Haruhi androgynous because she flat-out states that she doesn't care whether she's perceived as a boy or a girl. Tomo, however, clearly draws a line and says that she is a girl and would like to be seen as such, and that she feels disrespected when her peers refer to her as a boy or avoid her because she dresses more masculinely. Tomboys don't identify as male, and they shouldn't be likened to good athletes with unshakable emotions who struggle with romance.
Tomo may carry herself in a boisterous way that's not typically associated with girls her age, yet she shows typically girlish traits as well, like when she gets gleefully excited about being recognized as a girl or when she gets jealous over Jun hanging out with Carol. Tomo is a tomboy, but she's just as much a regular high school girl as the rest of her peers. She's not just "one of the guys" and doesn't exactly argue that she's "not like the other girls." Tomo is simply being herself and would like others to accept her for who she is, and fans can't help but root for her because of that.