Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko Character Analysis
When it comes to tactical brilliance, no one has had as lengthy an impact as Sun Tzu. His famed treatise The Art of War has been lauded for millennia, both for its commonsense approach to tactics/strategy and unique goal: winning. In fact, his wisdom is so effective one expert famously said in the documentary The Art of War: “If you listen to Sun Tzu, if you follow his principles, you will be victorious; if you ignore him, you do so at your own peril, because you will definitely lose.” Moreover, his approach has proven universally effective, with everyone from athletes to businessmen to politicians able to boast of using it to prevail.
Yet, one area remains conspicuously untapped: pop culture. Since Sun Tzu is such a great measure of leadership and effectiveness, why not here too? The solution, like he’d recommend, is common sense: use his principles to rate pop culture characters. Here’s how it works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Factors to be Mastered for Victory: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation; those under consideration can receive 0-10 points based on how effective they are in each category. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (we’ll call it Anger for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring Too Much About the Troops (Over-caring); those under consideration can lose 0-10 points based on how they fare here. At the end, the scores are tallied, and the results reveal how effective a character is in Sun Tzu’s eyes, with the best aiming for 40 or better.
To demonstrate this system, let’s use it to analyze the primary cast of the hit rom-com Tomo-Chan is a Girl. To keep things fair, we’ll look at them in the order they physically appear on-screen, starting with Tomo Aizawa.
Character Analysis: Tomo Aizawa
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko: Tomo Aizawa
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 8 | Outwardly gruff, but a wonderful person: loyal, compassionate, and extremely sincere. |
| Weather | 10 | Due to her physicality, this really isn't a problem for her. |
| Terrain | 9 | Very lithe, but had some trouble in her birthday episode and at the beach. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | Can lead, like when she protected her two friends from a thug, but mostly prefers to follow rather than take over. |
| Preparation | 5 | Okay when it comes to martial arts, but tends to slack on most other things, like homework and fashion. |
| Total | 37 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. Extremely impulsive, often lashing out rather than talking, and has a bad habit of missing important opportunities. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Major red flag. Although gruff, painfully shy, particularly with Junichiro. |
| Anger | -10 | Epic red flag. Explosive temper, easily triggered. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -8 | Major red flag. Pride's a huge problem, both with Junichiro and martial arts. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Major red flag. Obsession with Junichiro is a major driving force in her life. |
| Total | -46 | |
Final Assessment
Score: -9 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Junichiro Kubota
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 8 | A little gruff, but a really good person at heart, especially when it comes to protecting his friends. |
| Weather | 9 | Had a rough start, but his physicality more than lets him excel here. |
| Terrain | 9 | Again, rough start, but good recovery, especially toward the end. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | Capable, but often misses big chances with Tomo and the school's martial arts clubs. |
| Preparation | 5 | Good at studying, but not realizing Tomo was a girl until middle school was an epic fail. |
| Total | 38 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. Often misses hints of Tomo's feelings, constantly underestimates both Misuzu and Carol, and doesn't really explain things well. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Major red flag. Shy and deeply insecure, particularly when it comes to his need to be better than Tomo. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. Has a temper, and is easily triggered, especially by Misuzu. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -9 | Major red flag. Pride is a crippling weakness, both with Tomo and excelling in martial arts; it's also what led to his showdown with Tomo's dad. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Major red flag. Extremely dedicated to Tomo, a feeling that only grows over time. |
| Total | -41 | |
Final Assessment
Score: -13 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Misuzu Gundou
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 8 | She's very sour, but is actually a very loyal friend…even if she won't admit it. |
| Weather | 5 | She's okay, but not really an outdoorsy type. |
| Terrain | 7 | She can get around—namely in the episode where she flees the gang—but again isn't big on the outdoors. |
| Good Leadership | 8 | She's got some impressive skills, particularly with deception and baiting, but flops when Tomo and Junichiro get serious. |
| Preparation | 10 | A great student and skilled planner, Misuzu's quite admirable. |
| Total | 38 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. Her smug attitude causes tons of problems with Junichiro, and she constantly underestimates others, especially Carol. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Serious red flag. Despite appearances, she's very insecure, not to mention extremely anxious about losing Tomo to Junichiro. |
| Anger | -8 | Serious red flag. She's a slow burn-type, but just as easily triggered as the others. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -9 | Major red flag. Her pride's a major weakness, famously evidenced by her trying to stop her mom from seeing her playing Cinderella by claiming the school festival was canceled. |
| Over-caring | -10 | Epic red flag. Her fear of losing Tomo is a gigantic part of her sour nature. |
| Total | -44 | |
Final Assessment
Score: -6 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Tatsumi Manabe
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 8 | He's a good guy, even if he goes a little far with Junichiro. |
| Weather | 6 | He's pretty good—at least when it comes to having an umbrella available. |
| Terrain | 7 | He's capable, even if his performance in the marathon wasn't that great. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | He's got a few good moments—getting Tomo and company jobs at his family's restaurant being the best—but often bungles chances to shine. |
| Preparation | 5 | He's okay in class, but not so much with his crush on Misuzu. |
| Total | 31 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. He's very impulsive, constantly underestimates everyone, and always only manages to annoy Misuzu. |
| Cowardice | -6 | He's okay most of the time, but tends to freeze with Misuzu. |
| Anger | -2 | He rarely gets angry, making this one of his better showings. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -9 | Serious red flag. He's very cocky, making this a huge reason for his constant fails. |
| Over-caring | -8 | His crush on Misuzu, despite being unrequited, is his primary motivation. |
| Total | -34 | |
Final Assessment
Score: -3 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kousuke Misaki
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 9 | Gentle, compassionate, and extremely protective of Carol, he's a great person. |
| Weather | 8 | He's pretty good due to his physicality, even if Tomo's dojo training took a toll. |
| Terrain | 9 | He's very aware of his surroundings, a huge part of how he protects Carol. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | He may be captain of the karate team, but isn't so great outside it. |
| Preparation | 8 | He's a good student, and his ability to predict Carol's movements is quite impressive. |
| Total | 41 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. He constantly underestimates others, and his contradictory behavior toward both Tomo and Carol causes a lot of unnecessary pain. |
| Cowardice | -9 | Major red flag. He's painfully shy and insecure, especially with Carol, not to mention terrified of Junichiro. |
| Anger | -2 | He can lose his cool, but it takes a lot to do so. |
| Delicacy of Honor | 0 | He's pretty humble, so no worries here. |
| Over-caring | -8 | His conflicting feelings for Carol and Tomo are a big source of trouble for him. |
| Total | -25 | |
Final Assessment
Score: 16 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Carol Olston
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Morality | 8 | She's kind of mysterious, but a really good person at heart. |
| Weather | 7 | She's okay, but not an outdoorsy person. |
| Terrain | 9 | She's surprisingly capable, namely when she helped Misuzu flee the thugs. |
| Good Leadership | 8 | She's got some great manipulation and baiting skills, not to mention is great at seizing openings. |
| Preparation | 10 | An incredible student, great at choosing outfits…and she somehow has a stun gun and gloves available for self-defense. |
| Total | 42 | |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|
| Recklessness | -7 | Slight red flag. She's not always very clear, leading to tons of unnecessary trouble. |
| Cowardice | -5 | She's secretly very insecure about Kousuke, although his confession solved much of that problem, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -4 | She's got a slight temper, but nothing too bad. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -8 | Serious red flag. Pride is a huge issue with her, all thanks to Kousuke's mixed messages. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Serious red flag. Her inherent wish for friends makes her very overly devoted, the same with her love for Kousuke. |
| Total | -32 | |
Final Assessment
Score: 10 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Reviewing the Results
Sadly, this cast didn’t do so well, thus showing how even great gifts can be undone by clumsiness, arrogance, and anger. It’s no surprise they bumbled their way through so many things, but that just goes back to what’s been said since the beginning: follow Sun Tzu, and you’ll win; ignore him, and you’ll lose.
Tomo-Chan Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|
| Tomo Aizawa | 8 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 37 |
| Junichiro Kubota | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 38 |
| Misuzu Gundou | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 38 |
| Tatsumi Manabe | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 31 |
| Kousuke Misaki | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 41 |
| Carol Olston | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 42 |
Tomo-Chan Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|
| Tomo Aizawa | -10 | -8 | -10 | -8 | -8 | -44 |
| Junichiro Kubota | -9 | -8 | -7 | -9 | -8 | -41 |
| Misuzu Gundou | -9 | -8 | -8 | -9 | -10 | -44 |
| Tatsumi Manabe | -9 | -6 | -2 | -9 | -8 | -34 |
| Kousuke Misaki | -8 | -9 | -2 | 0 | -8 | -27 |
| Carol Olston | -7 | -5 | -4 | -8 | -8 | -32 |
Tomo-Chan Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|
| Tomo Aizawa | -9 | Nightmare scenario |
| Junichiro Kubota | -13 | Nightmare scenario |
| Misuzu Gundou | -6 | Nightmare scenario |
| Tatsumi Manabe | -3 | Nightmare scenario |
| Kousuke Misaki | 16 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Carol Olston | 10 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
