Another week, another episode of Tomo-Chan is on the books. The rom-com, slice-of-life genre isn’t my usual go-to when it comes to anime, but I’ll make an exception every now and then. If the plot or characters are entertaining enough, I’ll watch anything. And between Tomo, Misuzu, Carol, and Jun, Tomo-Chan has a fun cast. Especially Carol, given how last week gave us this gem.

I had no idea what was going on, and I loved it.

Carol is From a Family of Airheads

Carol Olston might be one of the most airheaded girls I’ve seen in recent anime. Her thought process is a mystery to everyone; she always seems happy. Did I mention the headband thing? That was so random and hilarious!

So when Tomo and Misuzu get invited to her house, it should come as no surprise that we learn that Carol’s mom is just as much an airhead. She mistook Tomo for a boy, she can get lost walking back to her own mansion…and she’s just as affectionate as Carol.

This must be Misuzu’s worst nightmare. Then again, what happens next might be Misuzu’s worst nightmare.

Carol Olston: Ditz, Genius, or Genius Ditz

There is a trope that is known as obfuscating stupidity. Essentially, it is when a character in fiction pretends to act dumb or clueless when, in truth, they’re way smarter. Some people do it to avoid suspicion or the stress of their talents, and others do it for the lolz. After this next short, I’m convinced Carol might be the latter case.

So, the midterm’s are the next day, and Tomo’s freaking out since she forgot, so Misuzu offers to help her study at her place, and Carol joins them. Given how the subject in question was math, I don’t blame Tomo for freaking out. Math was my worst subject in school, and it caused me far more stress than it should have. Unfortunately, if she wants to go to the same university as Misuzu like she wants, she’s got to do well.

Carol, on the other hand, doesn’t need to put much effort into studying for math. She manages to get the top score on their math test, taking Misuzu’s spot as number one, much to her irritation.

Until we learn otherwise, I’m convinced that Carol might be a bigger troll than Misuzu.

The Big Sleepover

The real meat of the episode comes in the third segment, though. When Jun gets a new video game that he and Tomo have been dying to play, he invites her over to his house. Overnight. While his parents are out of town. You see where this is going?

I don’t know what Tomo would be more stressed over. The fact that she’s spending the night over at a boy’s house (even if he is her best friend), or her parents are perfectly fine with it. Her mom even says she will start thinking of names for her grandkids! She says that! It’s hilarious; embarrassing and hilarious.

While Tomo and Jun do spend most of the night just playing video games and best friend stuff, to the show’s credit, they do have a few moments where they could take things a step out of the friend zone. There’s the standard “fall on top of you” scenario, and at one point, Jun accidentally grabs onto Tomo while he’s asleep on the floor. However, they don’t take that next step because it’s too awkward for them. And it stays that way for a week afterwards.

As annoying as this is, though, it did show me one key thing. I’m almost certain that Jun’s into Tomo like she’s into him because he was as flustered as Tomo was. He’s just in super denial over it. 

Now, the anime’s only thirteen episodes long, so I doubt anything will get resolved before the season’s out. If it does well enough, though, it might get a second season, so if you wanna find out if they get together, then support this show on Crunchyroll. Do it for Tomo and Carol, who I’m also nominating for the best girl of 2023!

I Give “The Girls of the Olston Family”, “A Feeling I Won’t Give Up” and “Heart-Pounding! A Gaming Overnighter” a 4/5. a 3.5/5, and a 4.5/5