With massive chapter count of 953, Tomo-chan might seem like an unconquerable mountain to those who don't know what the catch here is, but the truth is almost the polar opposite. Tomo-chan falls under the definition of 'short but sweet' as its chapter count is almost equivalent to its total page count due to it being originally released in one-page-a-day format. The overall length is the one of four regular manga volumes (tho for some reason they were released in eight), and time-wise, most people should be able to read the entire series in 2-5 hours. A mountain it is not.
The second thing that might
...
raise some questions is the title itself, 'Tomo-chan is a Girl' as it's giving quite strong implication of gender-bender, but that's not its deal either. Tomo-chan deals with much more simple concept. Childhood friendship between a girl and a boy starts developing into something more. Tomo herself is the first one to realize that she is in love with her best male friend, but unfortunately conveying those feelings seems to be a hard task due to mr. love interest seeing Tomo as his "strongest bro", but... Tomo-chan is a Girl. Hence the title. The daily lives of our two main protagonists are presented as a romantic comedy.
In terms of characters, Tomo herself is a tomboy who is very ignorant to how female x female frienships commonly work as well as to romantic feelings that boys have. The way her tomboyish traits are dealt with counter her weaker sides and make her very likable and real person, making it easy for the reader to side with her. The main dude himself doesn't have very strong characteristics or many visible character traits even, but the way the story is approached makes this seem like a decent choice. He is at his best when he embarrasses Tomo with bro acts or throws in some dialogue/witty remarks that rekts everyone. Since both of our main leads have some dense and embarrassment going on with their characters, side characters goof around and wingman the shit out of our main leads, sometimes teasing them, other times actually proving to be helpful and very much all the time cracking up due to Tomo's and her crush's reactions and behavior. The entire cast certainly has been created one things in mind: to work better as a team, together than alone as separate characters, but it all works well here and offers some nice chemistry and charm. I won't go into detail with how good the side characters are, but they stand out a lot, tie the series together, and as a whole the series feels like light, casual version of Kaguya-sama thanks to its cast.
Story-wise, we face a lot of cliches here. This is not a series one should read for its original take on plot. It's a rom-com that relies on comedy and interactions, going into further detail with what type of events these resolve around would be rather pointless. However, it should be noted that comedy is prioritized over romance and that the work doesn't contain much actual romance development. The entire series has two strong sides that stand above the rest and those are;
1) The colorful characters and their interaction with each others. This is perhaps best seen in forms of casual talk which is close to banter majority of the time. Such simple yet essential things as word choices and ways to phrase a sentence with euphemisms are put in the spotlight. Creativity is chosen most of the time for the sake of comedy and entertainment value + to make the characters more likable. While it occasionally seems like the author is just trying to deliver gags and wits with the help of characters, it's a mild flaw when character behavior remains loyal and doesn't go out of character even when the dialogue seems like sit-com script at times.
2) its unusual 1-page long format which manages to capture good amount of detail and present the story and its characters with minimalist story events via art that has gone thru great deal of planning and polish. The artwork itself is not technically mind-blowing or anything of the sort. It's simplistic and not very praise-worthy when it comes to drawings itself. The part that stands out is the way its panels are constructed, how much is manages to do with so little, how incredibly smooth the series is to read due to its artwork and the art format. So basically, the art itself is a form of story-telling and story presentation, and these are among the greatest merits this work has to offer. This manga presents itself incredibly well and its strongest sides benefit its comedy a great deal. In short: it delivers.
As far as enjoyment goes, Tomo-chan is quality time. It's not a ground-breaking work that can be read with serious mindset. It's a rom-com and can be disliked for the same reasons why any rom-com fails to entertain. Many seem to dislike its ending/not be pleased with it, but this is an attribute that majority of romances have. It's true that the length is unnecessary long for this content when taking into consideration the things that were not done instead of what was done. Partially filler-ish comedy is chosen over character development/relationship development for example. But as for me, this was rather fresh, smooth and entertaining read + ever so smooth reading experience. It managed to make me laugh and react + tomboy is the best girl type, so yes, easy pass from me. With fewer blushing scenes and more solid pace, and definitely with fewer feelings pondering, it could have been even better, but nevertheless, a good series for the reason that it's so enjoyable.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: トモちゃんは女の子！ More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 8
Chapters: 56
Status: Finished
Published: Apr 7, 2015 to Jul 14, 2019
Theme:
School
Serialization:
twi4 Authors:
Yanagida, Fumita (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #10152 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #99
Members: 122,901
Favorites: 3,151 Resources | Reviews
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Jul 22, 2019
With massive chapter count of 953, Tomo-chan might seem like an unconquerable mountain to those who don't know what the catch here is, but the truth is almost the polar opposite. Tomo-chan falls under the definition of 'short but sweet' as its chapter count is almost equivalent to its total page count due to it being originally released in one-page-a-day format. The overall length is the one of four regular manga volumes (tho for some reason they were released in eight), and time-wise, most people should be able to read the entire series in 2-5 hours. A mountain it is not.
The second thing that might ... 
Jan 2, 2016
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now arriving at the next station, the evolution of manga and 4-koma:
*Tired of waiting a week, a month or in case of Miura, a few ages for new material? *Are you suffering even slightly from a short attention span as real life worries are more important than your entertainment? *Do you want to be able to read more chapters a day, but have no time? Well look no further, as we have Yanagida Fumita's first full blown manga, 'Tomo-chan Is a Girl!'. As those of you who are familiar with this manga, you probably decided to read it on a whim, because it has ... 
Sep 21, 2015
Don't let the fact that Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! is a 4-koma manga or the fact that its summary statement seems rather week drive you away.
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! is an amazing manga about a teenage girl, Tomo Aizawa, confessing her love to her childhood friend, Juunichirou Kubota. The only problem is that Jun thought Tomo was a boy until they entered middle school and he keeps treating her as if she was a guy even in high school. Story: The main plot of this story is Tomo trying to get Jun to notice her and accept her as a girl more, even if it ... 
Sep 1, 2019
A high school romCOM where the friends outshine the main pair.
Story: Generic school life events that follows and drags out the plot of what you'd come to expect for a high school romance. Art: Solid and improves throughout the story, especially considering Tomo-chan was a daily release. Characters: Main cast consists of a generic main couple, Tomo and Jun, overshadowed by their friends Carol and Misuzu. Side characters are mostly forgettable or adult versions of the main cast. Enjoyment: It's a light read and has its comedic moments, but blue balls the reader when it comes to the romance and compensates by overusing some jokes. Tomo-chan is all about ... 
Jul 18, 2019
Tomo-chan is a Girl! is a romcom about a tomboy (Tomo) who confesses to her crush (jun) but he gets the wrong idea and treats her like a close guy friend instead. She spends her time trying to become more girly to catch his attention and laughter ensues.
The story progresses at a decent pace. The 4-koma format might be offputting at first but I think it suits this manga well. They could have cut some filler pages out in some cases but for the most part there isn't too much filler. The characters are pretty well written and interesting. The 4-koma format might make it a ... 
May 18, 2016
I picked up this manga with the expectation that i would drop it within the first few chapters. My thought process was something along the lines of "If you've read one slice of life school romance you have ready them all." To my pleasant surprise this was not the case. With one page per chapter and near daily releases, this manga is low cost high reward read. Not long after finding this manga it quickly became part of may daily routine to the point found myself struggling to maintain my normal rhythm when stopped releasing for a week.
Story Overall: 7/10 Mystery: 6/10 Thrill: N/A Uniqueness: 10/10 Unlike most stories ... 
Dec 27, 2019
'What's up, gamer boy?'
That's all it took for Tomo to start a friendship with Jun. You'd think with 953 chapters count that be a lot? Each chapter is a single page that's all the more reason this manga is so easy to digest. There's an overarching narrative, thus making it all the more enjoyable. Our story centers around Tomo-chan, our tomboy protagonist. She's a strong female lead and is more on the physical spectrum. Tomo has two female friends, one being Misuzu, who is devious and shows little no emotion towards anything. The other is Carol, who has a bubbly personality and wants to be ... 
Sep 14, 2020 Not Recommended Funny 
Honestly I can't tell you how much I began to grow bored of this 4-koma 1 page comic after reading 435 chapters. All it's about is dimwitted lad called Jun who isn't just bothered by his childhood friend Tomos confession just because she ain't "girly enough" to make him self aware that she is in fact, the opposite sex. Literally gender labelling involved in this manga is just a joke. It's like I feel the characters surrounding Tomo just can't accept for who she is. I have to give credit tho that she does stand up for herself whenever any character pisses her off.
I ... 
Jul 11, 2022
One of the best rom-com I have ever read.
This manga uses the perfect mixture of comedy and romance to reach the peak of rom-coms. Not a second feels wasted in this manga. At the start, you might feel that the same stuff is repeating over and over but it isn't the case at all. The characters slowly but surely develop, and the development pace is so realistic that if you try re-reading the manga from the start, you will notice things that changed in the characters clearly. The short and sweet story enhanced the plot as there wasn't any wasted time. It never feel as ... 
Apr 28, 2018
Story:
A well planned and well foreshadowed story. Despite the 4-koma structure, this manga manages to convey important details and leave readers thinking while maintaining the humor that it's known for on the surface. There are many elements of drama between the cast that are not apparent at first, and are revealed as the story progresses. There are many times where you will go and reread a certain chapter as an event revealed in the future allows you to view the scene in a different light. Art: While not as impressive as series known for art, such as Tokyo Ghoul, Tomo-chan holds it's own. It's character designs and ... 
Oct 8, 2017
661 chapters and 4 omake in and I honestly can't remember what made me start watching this in the first place. But whatever it is, I thank my lucky stars that it compelled me to do so because this is a diamond in the rough.
The story is quite good, albeit a little slow. But that is forgivable because this is meant to be a 4-koma comedy. Releasing 1 chapter a day, you never have to wait for too long to find out what happened in the story. It becomes a daily ritual of sorts, wake up, clean yourself up, read Tomo-chan, eat breakfast, go ... 
Jan 3, 2019
Overall it is a lightweight (no love-triangle or drama in general) romance, with interesting, hilarious and really loveable characters.
First of all, don't be shocked by the amount of chapters this manga has (871 right now). Each chapter is only one page. Considering the overall premise of the story, it could've easily been that sort of comedy without any real development, constantly revolving around how Tomo is tomboyish and Jun not being able to take a hint. But luckily, this isn't the case. The pacing isn't the fastest, but there is a decent development to the characters as well as the relationship between Tomo and Jun. I ... 
Sep 13, 2019
A random guy passing and sees this manga and you know what? I gave it a chance. Then oh my god i don't regret anything about finding this Manga!
Soiler Alert! Let me start with the story. The story talks about a girl named Tomo_chan. Tomo_chan was a girl who liked to play with her childhood friends especially with a boy named Junichirou. Tomo and Junichirou are best friends they played together alot when they were kids. and the girl named Tomo liked sports and likes to play outside while Junichirou liked to play video games. Then when Tomo met Junichirou the kid named Junichirou changed from playing video ... 
Oct 5, 2020
Tomo-chan Is a Girl! | Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! Review. Romance about a muscular boy and an even muscular woman.
Tomo-chan starts off with a confession.... that our dense MMC doesn't understand. The main heroine is an incredibly tomboyish girl as such she's always been treated like a boy (honestly its almost 50/50 her fault) by her best friend and her Crush. Jun is character made of steel and is incredibly, unnecessarily chiseled. Along side with the help of her 2 other friends can Tomo find a way to make Jun see her as a woman and hopefully make him fall in love with her. First thing you'll ... 
Jan 12, 2017
yo like i think tomo is hella cute and i'd let her break my back if it means i could see her smile but jun's skull is as thick as a concrete wall like come on mannnn slay that shiiiitttt
carol is too pure for this world and she is great and the other one is evil and i would let her set me on fire if i can see that smug sinister smile as she dances on my corpse please jun, get your head in game and slayyyyyyy i have counted more times than i can possibly imagine where i just wanted to strangle jun for ... 
Dec 16, 2020
I don't document the manga I read on MAL, but Tomo-chan has a special place in my heart, being the very first manga I actually read, back in 2016. This manga was probably one of the reasons why I really got into the whole anime industry and otaku culture. I may be a 'lil biased, but here goes:
Story: 6/10 The story of "Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko" is quite simple. A gorl with a big rack is known for being considered a boy by Jun, the boy mc. It's a bit basic and cliche, but its quite addictive, with the mass amounts of cutesiness and fun that occurs ... 
Aug 7, 2021
I don't normally write preliminary reviews.
Normally when I do its because I simply couldn't bring myself to go on. But Tomo-Chan is one of the rare casee where I feel safe voicing my opinion AND that I feel like recommending the manga. It's a simple romantic comedy, with emphasis on the comedy. The lead is Aizawa Tomo, a compete tomboy whose lost sight of her feminine side. The main thrust of the comedy is her attempts to woo her best friend Jun, which is a nice break from the usual male lead romantic comedy set up. The humor is the main selling point for me, most of it ...
Apr 8, 2021
While the story, character, and art fall somewhat into the standard of mediocrity, I enjoyed the stories' lack of nuance, slow but fun pacing, and how it feels like while there could be a lot more development, I want nothing more than what was offered. There were some opportunities for better development, but I love the characters and how it was written. Not much objectivity, just telling you that the 973 chapters are single pages and are very fun if you don't come in expecting something amazing.
The story has a very flat and plain basis of tomboy and best friend treating her as a guy ...
May 17, 2020
The author put a lot of thought into fleshing out every character and their subtleties, even if they may fit certain archetypes at first.
It’s a funny, enjoyable read with a lovable cast. There were several pages where I chuckled out loud and smiled to myself. There are complex and subtle dynamics between the characters, and the author reveals different sides of them over time in a way that doesn’t feel unrealistic or forced. I would recommend this series. ... 
Jul 10, 2022
The characters seem original, and there is some substance to even the most minor players. The parents, especially Tomo's parents, play a big role in the story, and that is refreshing.
The negative is the slow pace of the story which is due to the one-page-per-chapter format. The story might have been better as a light novel, or at least a more traditional manga book format with longer chapters and more fluid plot development. And yes, you can call it a high school rom-com, but it is much more than that. Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! is a great coming-of-age story. The tension in the plot, the great conflict ... |
