Welcome, fans, to the grand finale of Tomoko’s Speed Dating Arc. Our last but certainly not least contender for Tomoko’s affection is resident beauty, Asuka Katou. With her tenderness and natural appeal towards those with a mommy fetish, she may just come out on top. Today’s date is another all-day college visit, but not even that can stop Katou’s overwhelming radiance. Stay tuned to see how far she–wait.

Who’s that?

Those dotted eyes…those gritted teeth.

C-could it be!?

Chapter 140: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Go To An Open Campus



Even when all gussied up, that hair horn cannot be contained.



Poor Tomoko just can’t seem to get over that inferiority complex, especially when her looks are in question. And I’m sure meeting up with a beauty like Katou only makes that gap all the more apparent. Thankfully, we have that sparkly background to tell us that everything’s going to be okay.



Showing up early to a hangout like it’s a frickin’ job interview is the Introvert’s Curse.



Katou’s got that natural style, so her cute outfit is completely expected. Her calling Tomoko cute is, as a matter of fact, also expected, since it’s long been established that Tomoko’s average cuteness is offset by her shitty personality. Granted, there might be some concern about Katou calling her clothes cute and not Tomoko herself cute, but I’ll let that slide for now.



I used to think that Tomoko’s outsider perspective about her own gender was odd, and chalked it up to the male author imprinting his own thoughts onto Tomoko. But now I don’t think it’s a big deal. Lots of people can feel detached from themselves when they don’t fit into traditional gender roles, and in Tomoko’s case, it’s a clear expression of her inner insecurities.



This is getting into some romcom shit and I’m all for it.

Sorry, I wanted to wait until we got to a really photogenic shot before talking about Tomoko’s outfit.

Can you believe it’s taken 140 chapters for us to see Tomoko in a fashionable outfit (that compliments her)? Gotta give the artist props for their sense of style. It’s “girly” but not in a frilly way. It’s simple, comfortable, and practical. Tomoko even had to sense to go for a ponytail to match. Some may think it “betrays” Tomoko’s essence for her to be dressing up so nicely, but I think it hits that sweet spot of being innovative while keeping it in line with Tomoko’s personality.

Not much to say about Katou other than she’s a straight-up princess. I am not worthy.

As I thought, this college visit is symbolic of Katou’s character. That being, an open campus full of socializing, a sense of community, and keeping an open mind. And better yet, it’s not just Katou whom the college reflects upon…

( I _ I )

Nico Tanigawa are sure on top of the latest trends to include how VR is dominating the world of education and information technology and porn .

I really do appreciate that the manga takes the time to establish unfamiliar scenes like this. Instead of relying on some ubiquitous narrator to explain everything, it has an in-universe spokesperson to take that role. It ultimately feels like a more immersive experience since the reader gets to follow along under the same mindset as Tomoko.

More like the universe has conspired to keep roughly 60% of the male population outside of Tomoko’s existence.

I wouldn’t worry too much, Tomoko. Honestly, there are probably others out there who would think of even worse things while making the sign of the cross.

What? You mean there’s someone other than Tomoko in this world who isn’t an only child? If Katou turns out to be a (fake) bro-con, she and Tomoko really are a match made in heaven.

Here’s a video of the performance in real life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=46&v=Fsmp2eONGfQ (Shoutout to RedCarConspiracy for sharing it on Reddit).

Middle school Makeup-chan is a cutie pie. Maybe it’s just the angle here, but it looks like she had quite the growth spurt since entering high school, unlike Tomoko, who certainly grew but not as drastically.

I want to see a middle school Yuri now more than ever.

I’m sure that many fans assumed that Katou-san chose this school because it had a respectable cosmetology program or something. Now, I doubt that her given reason for applying to this school is the only reason, but it may have been the icing on the cake. We don’t know Katou’s grades, but she probably had other options she could reasonably get into, and like the others, had her own “silly” reasons that got her to focus on this one.

This the moment the Yuri fans went pale as a ghost at the possibility that she and Tomoko wouldn’t go to the same college.

At this same moment, the Nemo fans offer the Yuri fans their condolences while secretly fist pumping.

And as this is going on, the Katou fans come out of the shadows to blow everyone else out of the water.

As for Tomoko’s reasoning, I do think it’s sincere. Tomoko probably does appreciate the scenery as anybody else would, even if it’s for more shallow reasons. But because Tomoko is Tomoko, she has to oversell it a little in order to look good in front of her sugar mama Katou.

Of course, as we soon find out, Tomoko isn’t the only one here with secondary motives…

The logical side of me argues that Ucchi serendipitously showing up at the same university as Tomoko is a contrived coincidence and is just a cheap way for the author to force Ucchi into the chapter.

The other side doesn’t fucking care ‘cause you can never have enough Ucchi.

Masochist Ucchi confirmed.

The poor girl has been so utterly broken by her crush on Tomoko that in some quasi-Stockholm Syndrome way, she’s actually begun to crave Tomoko’s disgustingness. First in the clouds, and now in the Virgin Mary? It may be safe to assume that Tomoko is a cathartic presence in Ucchi’s life, a reminder that the world is full of temptations and that it’s okay to indulge sometimes (or in Ucchi’s case, be addicted to).

I dunno why, but the fact that Ucchi gains eyelids whenever her sixth sense for Tomoko activates makes the whole punchline even more hilarious.

While Ucchi’s friends are absolutely good people, even they can’t help but wonder how someone like Tomoko became friends with somebody like Katou. I’d like to think that not just Tomoko, but pretty much everyone puts Katou on a pedestal.

There’s something comforting about the fact that Tomoko acknowledges this group by their relationship to Ucchi. Yeah, I know, I’m desperate for shipping material, sue me.

Ucchi’s standards for what she perceives as lesbian flirting are reaching laughably low levels. What’s next, standing together?

Ucchi the businesswoman, eh? It’s nice to see that the girl still has actual aspirations outside of Tomoko. She probably wouldn’t do something like open an emoji mart (again, probably), but Ucchi seems like that type who would be good at a little disingenuous marketing. At least she won’t have to worry about finding a mascot…

Please disregard the previous paragraph as Ucchi has just rendered it totally moot. The finicky, little emoji girl.

If Tomoko still wanted to be a mercenary/arms dealer, I have no doubt that Ucchi would suddenly care a lot about that industry.

“–even hentai.”

With the way Katou’s dialogue bubble is drawn with a dotted outline, it can be taken that her “What’s up?” is not actually being spoken, but non-verbally communicated with her flirting body language.

Girl can’t handle all that mommy power.

Only Tomoko could inadvertently flirt with another girl like this. Even when dressed up, Tomoko, the self-deprecating lass she is, probably can’t even fathom that anyone, let alone Ucchi, could find her attractive in any romantic sense. But using a girl’s face as a relaxant? That’s such a tease.

And you can’t really blame Ucchi this time. Anybody would think something’s up if Tomoko gave you that bashful look. And absolutely no one is going to mistake the meaning behind Ucchi’s tsun-blushing.

See, you can only get away with inconsequential moments like this in a slice-of-life.

You can’t get better foreshadowing than this.

Miyazaki is (at this point) the most recognizable of the Ucchi’s friend, so it falls on her unfortunate shoulders to notice how Ucchi is getting closer and closer to “that girl she’s always talking about”. It was one thing when she’d only notice when Ucchi would do something blatantly affectionate, but now she can’t help but be looking for it. The inevitable confrontation is going to be glorious.

This is the “old” Tomoko pulling the same mistakes she used to do, overcompensating for her ugly side, but ultimately presenting an insincere and phony self that anybody with a keen eye can see. Let the cringe begin.

Darth Vader Ucchi strikes again.



I’ve always felt that Tomoko is at her most adorable when she shows a pure-hearted interest in things related to her hobbies. The reason for that is because it’s often the only time when she’ll look at the world in a truly optimistic perspective. Rather than be a pessimistic realist, or see these ideas as a means to an end, she considers these options simply because they’d be fun for her.

You ever notice how whenever Katou’s “dark” side arises, her pupils shrink? It’s completely different from when the other girl’s go “dark” and their eyes turn a dull black, and it really sells how unsuspecting a mad Katou can be.

There’s nothing more terrifying than when your surrogate mom calls you out on your bullshit.

There is no heterosexual reason at all for this shot.

For all of Ucchi’s unpleasant characteristics, I’m pleasantly surprised by how easy it is (at least for me) to root for her. The other characters have been gradually more active in their friendships with Tomoko, but Ucchi has had the biggest leap in that regard (with the least success). Even if she’s not on Tomoko’s radar yet, she tries as often as she fails, and that tenacity makes her a great underdog.

We all know that bottle ain’t going in the trash.

This manga has been brought to you by Keynote, for when you can’t afford PowerPoint.

I like where this is going…

…a lot.

It was hinted at during her “date” with Yuri, about how Tomoko kind of wishes that she could stay with her friends a little longer post-high school, and now that sentiment has fully cemented. Tomoko has hardly ever thought about her friends when she’s off doing things unrelated to them, but here she is now, considering them when she didn’t even have to like a true buddy.

Although, the thought of Yuu being excluded again fills me with dread.

You know when a girl’s dialogue bubble has those Ellipses of Death, someone’s about to get thrashed.

Even more genuine excitement courtesy of Tomoko’s friendships. Seriously, the girl’s adorableness levels are skyrocketing this chapter.

That’s what they all say at first…

Thus far, Katou’s been walking this line between naivety and maturity, and I think it was mostly Nico Tanigawa trying to understand where they wanted to take this character. She’s got that refined aura, and she’s certainly no fool, but she’s also very optimistic. Katou knows when reality is showing its ugly face, but she’d more than likely give it the benefit of the doubt.

I’ve seen some people make the criticism that Katou’s interest in Tomoko is too unnatural and makes little sense for her character. While I do think this friendship is developing a tad too quickly to be organic, I don’t think the friendship itself is unreasonable. The Tomoko-Imae friendship could have gone in this direction, and the only reason it didn’t is because of proximity issues. The connection with Katou is what would’ve happened if the Imae friendship realized it’s true potential. The only issue at the moment is that Katou is more interested in the idea of Tomoko than Tomoko’s real self.

We’ll just have to fix that now, won’t we?



Oh shit, the mangakas Katou knows about the Tomoko harem!

Not gonna lie, I was grinning like a buffoon during this whole exchange. For the longest time, Ucchi’s presence in Tomoko life has been little more than a joke. So it’s interesting to see that there’s someone in this universe who actually puts the emoji girl on equal footing with Yuri and Nemo. Ucchi may be perpetually behind the others, but this is the first real indication that her relationship with Tomoko could actually develop into something more.

Now I really want to know what their “chatter” was about.

It’s what the entire fanbase has been saying since the start of the series. A Tomoko that tries too hard is a Tomoko that only pushes people away. The way Tomoko’s mind works is that the more she perceives a person as “out of reach”, the more she has to hide herself. It’s how she ended up befriending Yuri and Nemo because when she realizes she has things in common with them, she could loosen up and her scumbag personality actually became a bit of a magnet.

That shot of Ucchi entering from the midground is no coincidence. It’s clear that Tomoko’s inner revelation is meant to be associated with Ucchi. And given the choice of words Tomoko uses, it’s apparent that the expectation they’re going for is that Ucchi is going to “confess” to Tomoko, perhaps not now, but at some point, yes. And with her horde of friends watching from behind, said confession (if it does happen) will be quite the spectacle.

The gravity of this moment is greatly juxtaposed by the reactions going on the background, that it’s actually kind of brilliant. We all know Tomoko is a perv, but Katou doesn’t, so this reveal should be mindblowing. But by undercutting it with the shocked emoji gang, and Ucchi’s appropriately blasé reaction, it reminds us that Tomoko’s confession is actually not that dramatic, because well, it never was. It’s a risky move, playing what could’ve been dramatic for humor, ironic humor at that, and they actually pull it off pretty well.

Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

I wasn’t expecting Katou to pull some “How could you lie to me? I’m never speaking to you again!” crap like some cliché sitcom. Now the “normal” response would be surprised, like Ucchi’s friends were, But Katou’s indifference suggests there’s more to the girl than we even know.

With this single answer, nearly everything we know about the class mom has fallen into question.

Hey, if she’s truly a pervert too, at least she has some class.

To quote a famous line from Assassination Classroom:

“Perversion can save the world.” - Taiga Okajima.



Now I know that sexual harassment is a legitimate issue in Japan, especially with how normalized it is. But something tells me that even Katou’s lack of a reaction would be met with glaring disapproval/amazement.

Poor Ucchi. First Hijirisawa, and now Katou. The supposed rivals just keep on comin’.

No, Katou’s not a saint OR the Virgin Mary, but who is she anyway? A large chunk of who Katou is has to be reassessed now, and in that spiraling uncertainty, I can think of one of two characterizations that work with this.

One, Katou has no qualms about perversions because she herself is a huge pervert. But unlike Tomoko, she is ridiculously good at hiding it. And in keeping with her “mommy” persona, she thinks being a pervert is a natural part of being a teenager, and supports Tomoko like a mother finding crusty sheets on her son’s bed.

Two, to put a much darker spin on it, Katou has been routinely sexually harassed herself to the point where she thinks it’s a natural form of human behavior (it’s not). All those things Tomoko says she did? It’s all happened to her, possibly worse. It’s an internalized perversion like option one, but under much more negative circumstances.

Ucchi, you ain’t fooling nobody with the fake-sleep act. It’s the oldest trick in the yuri anthology book.

And the terrified Yuri and Nemo fans stopped holding their breath, relieved that their respective ships have not been sufficiently sunk.

You know an awkward moment just happened when one of the characters loses their nose.

Could it be that maybe, just maybe, Tomoko has finally met someone who’s even filthier than her?

As the first chapter in which Katou plays a lead role, it did a fantastic job of bringing on a new layer to an admittedly flat character. I think Nico Tanigawa realized they couldn’t rely on the same ol’ shtick with Katou anymore, and so we not only got a bit of her psyche, we also came out with a previously unheard side to her. One that has great potential for the resident class mom. The same could be said for Ucchi in that for the first time, her existence isn’t entirely played for a gag. Sooner or later, our persistent emoji girl will finally make her move.

I’d say this is the end of the “Speed Dating” arc, but this series likes to fuck around with assumptions like that, so instead, I’ll just say that I look forward to the inevitable reconciliation/fallout of Tomoko’s harem.