Summary
Not only was this one of the funnier episodes of the season, but it also gives us further insight into how Jun feels about Tomo.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Tomo-Chan Is a Girl! Season 1 Episode 6, “Birthday Present/Burn Up! The Ball Sports Tournament,” which contains spoilers.
Each week this series finds a new way to surprise viewers as they flesh out this show’s quirky cast of characters. Still, despite how unexpected and silly things can get at times, the main focus is still on Tomo (Rie Takahashi) and Jun (Kaito Ishikawa). Just when it seemed like Tomo was finally going to make some progress during their sleepover, things got weird when they realized they had slept in the same futon together. Hopefully, the last week hasn’t been too awkward for them, and things get resolved in this episode.
Tomo-Chan is a Girl! Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
The episode opens with Jun and Misuzu giving Tomo gifts for her birthday. Although they both seem a bit annoyed by Tomo rubbing in the fact that she’s older than them. Carol then appears, attempting to give Tomo a gold bar for her birthday before Misuzu suggests Carol try an alternative gift instead. They then tell Tomo to meet them after school for a makeover.
After dolling her up with makeup, skirts, and even a wig, Misuzu and Carol send Tomo to the store in her new look. She sees Jun, who does not seem to recognize her at first. However, we see that Jun is actually struggling to decide if he’s seeing things right or not.
She almost makes it out safe, but trips outside the convenience store door, prompting Jun to approach and see if she’s okay. He thinks to himself that the girl in front of him looks just like Tomo but swears it can’t be because she would never wear something like this.
After being asked to walk with her, Jun concludes this can’t be Tomo because the girl is too tall, but not noticing that she is wearing heels. As they continue to walk, stopping to watch kids play games or talk, Jun does not seem to realize he is talking to Tomo.
Jun’s confession
Unaware this is Tomo he’s speaking with, Jun begins to tell her about his best friend, a girl with whom things have recently begun to change. She asks if he’s thought about what this could mean for their future, but Jun reveals that he’s trying to focus on his present goal of beating Tomo.
Tomo plays with the guys
With the school’s annuals Ball Sports Tournament coming up, Tomo is especially excited. After getting a bit too aggressive in the girls’ game, Tomo is forced to join the boys in playing dodgeball. Tomo seems embarrassed, although the boys, especially Jun, are ecstatic.
Tomo and Jun’s team easily dominates the tournament’s first two games but find themselves going up a particularly scary third year nicknamed “The Gorilla” in the final round. Although he’s heard of Tomo, The Gorilla is more interested in beating Jun. They make a bet that Jun will be forced to join the Judo club if he loses.
In the middle of the match, Jun sacrifices himself for Tomo giving her the strength to throw a game-winning pass and win the tournament.
Tomo-Chan is a Girl! Season 1 Episode 6 Ending Explained
Misuzu tells Tomo that she’s running out of time. Meanwhile, The Gorilla approaches Jun and challenges him to a match. He’s surprised to find himself struggling against someone who doesn’t practice judo or enter tournaments. He doesn’t understand why Jun is wasting his talents, to which Jun replies all he ever wanted was to catch up to Tomo. Now, however, he is unsure how to approach his current situation.
On a walk home, Jun comments that Tomo could probably beat the Gorilla in a fight, and she scolds him for putting her on this pedestal. She assures him that he will always be stronger than her because he is a male, but he realizes that the only reason he feels strong in any sense is because he has Tomo by his side.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a makeover episode, but this was honestly one of the funniest episodes of the series yet. The jokes were subtle, and Tomo’s aversion to being dressed up was somehow even better than I expected. Somehow even after making you laugh out loud, the episode still manages to tug at your heartstrings. Every week, we see another aspect to Jun and Tomo’s relationship, showing us that their relationship extends far deeper than we expected.
They both deeply value their friendship which adds another complicated layer to this entire situation. It’s hard not to root for Tomo because she’s such a likable character, but at the same time, it’s clear that Jun still needs time to process the change in their relationship more than anything. It makes for a far more interesting dynamic and show than I could’ve thought.
What did you think of the anime series Tomo-chan Is a Girl! Season 1 Episode 7? Comment below.
