Line #33 Heartwarming/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular


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7	* Yuu's friendship with Tomoko gives much needed spots of light in her universe.
8	** In chapter 3 of the manga/episode 2 of the anime when Tomoko noticed that Yuu was upset she took her to the arcade where they used to hang out in their middle-school years to cheer her up. And while Tomoko at first lied to Yuu about enjoying her time in high school, when she realized that something was still bothering Yuu she blurted out the truth and tried to raise Yuu's spirits. What happened immediately afterwards kind of ruined the moment; however, the scene still shows that Tomoko doesn't just think of Yuu as a LustObject but actually cares about her as a person.
9	** In chapter 64 Tomoko again shows that she actually cares about Yuu. In that chapter Yuu is upset that she can't have fun with Tomoko and Kotomi on a beach because it is closed, and eventually starts to cry. Tomoko then apologizes to Yuu for picking this particular beach, and she and Kotomi promise to take Yuu to a better beach next time. They keep their promise in the very next chapter. Chapter 65 also has a FriendshipMoment between Kotomi and Yuu, as Kotomi tells Yuu that without her she and Tomoko would probably just waste their summer break away and have no fun; in response Yuu assures Kotomi that she had a lot of fun hanging out with Kotomi and Tomoko.
10	* Although Tomoko feels embarassingly pitied by it, the way her little cousin Kii-chan cares about her is rather sweet.
11	%% * The cicada shells.
12	%% ** Really, any scene between young Tomoko and Tomoki... which retroactively becomes a TearJerker considering their relationship now.
13	* In an odd and strange way, her rivalry with Komiyama. They are so shy, that having someone to fight against feels like an improvement.
14	* The female StudentCouncilPresident noticing her all alone during the school's cultural festival and getting into a mascot costume to hug her.
15	* In chapter 42 the same StudentCouncilPresident notices that Tomoko's teacher unwittingly embarrasses Tomoko in public by questioning her on whether she had made any friends. She then comes to Tomoko's aid by declaring herself to be her friend.
16	* Her dad, finding her sleeping in a compromising scene, gently puts her in bed, without waking her up, and tidies up her room.
17	* In the spin-off, Yuu had suddenly achieved popularity when going to school without her glasses and braids. The next day, she puts them back because she found it difficult talking to her true friends with so much attention drawn to her.
18	* The rare occasions when Tomoko manages to talk to someone without embarrassing herself (such as in chapters 37 or 44), and the fact that during the second year of high school she actually makes an acquaintance in her class, are themselves heartwarming, but especially heartwarming are the implications of all of this: that Tomoko does actually make some progress at socializing, even if only at a glacial pace.
19	* Episode 6 of the anime has Tomoko trying and failing as only she can to get someone to go watch fireworks with her. Finally, at the end of the episode, she just goes to a desolate roof she used to hang out on...only to discover some middle school boys were planning on hanging out there. Tomoko is about to leave, but then timidly asks if she can stay and hang out with them. The boys say they don't really mind so she stays to see the fireworks... and to peep into the rooms of the next door love hotel, which is what the boys came there to do. Something about the boys calling her "Onee-sama" is heartwarming, as she bonds with them over being Peeping Toms
20	* When Tomoko has her umbrella ruined and is stuck under a roofed waiting area with two guys her age, she proceeds to embarrass herself in front of them [[SelfFulfillingProphecy when she tries (and fails) to not make a fool out of herself]]. Notably, the guys don't mock her, and the friendlier of the two even comes back to hand her a new umbrella (which he bought with his own money). He leaves it by her side when he finds that she's fallen asleep. Too bad Tomoko never really realizes that someone did an unmotivated act of kindness for her.
21	** If it is any consolation, she does meet up with one of the guys in a later episode, who mentions the above. Too bad she tried reading too much into it, and how she used him to try to impress her cousin.
22	* In episode 9, Tomoko watches a meteor shower and wishes on a star that a boy would watch with her. Suddenly, a cat emerges from the bushes, and when Tomoko feeds it, it begins to rub her legs. Tomoko becomes adorably excited and cuddles the kitty while LoveBubbles float around them. Even with the PlayedForLaughs reveal that the kitty is a male and thus probably ''is'' [[LiteralGenie the "boy" she wished for]], it's a rare endearing moment where Tomoko exchanges love with a living thing with no social awkwardness.
23	* At the end of episode 11, Megumi notices Tomoko sitting by herself after Yuu has left the festival. In an effort to cheer her up, Megumi borrows a mascot costume, walks over to Tomoko, hands her a balloon, and gives her a big hug. Tomoko goes home with her balloon and a smile.
24	* In episode 12, Tomoko tries a new tactic of trying to get the students to talk about her by doing stuff the same way the StudentCouncilPresident does. However, her first attempt fails miserably, when she squishes a roach in the class, and the students are disgusted by it rather than proud of her. She then tries to approach the president and talk to her casually, but a gust of wind provides Tomoko with a PantyShot of the president, embarrassing her to the point of running away before she could utter a word. Two students then approach from the other side of the walkway, and ask the president who that girl running away was. She tells them a little about Tomoko, saying she's a cute girl who she'll need to keep an eye on.
25	** At the end of the episode, we get [[BookEnds another scene like the first scene]], where Tomoko is looking at the definition of an Unpopular Girl again... except this time she ends up laughing at the term and says it doesn't matter, one can interpret this as her finally finding confidence in herself.
26	* Chapter 57: Tomoko and Komiyama haven't noticed, but Yuu and the readers saw something...
27	* The end of Episode 5, when her mother calls her phone and tells Tomoko to come home so they can eat sukiyaki. It reminds her of the warmth a family home can give, especially comforting when she feels obviously lost and out of place in the red light district.
28	* Chapter 62: Tomoko's joy after learning how to ride a bike.
29	* Chapter 68 had Tomoko have a pretty good day at school. In fact, all her inner monologue about how feudal era girls could have spent their time (watching [[YaoiFangirl lords get it on with each other]]) led her to a passing grade on a pop quiz.
30	* During the class trip plot, Tomoko seems to have gotten a lot better at just talking to people normally, even if she still does or says awkward things. Then, there was that moment in chapter 73, when Tomoko's classmate knows Tomoko is in the bathroom and she is unable to come out because she left her pants in the other room, and she helps a sister out by throwing her pants to her. And in chapter 74, Tomoko is able to harass the "delinquent" girl and ask another girl in her group to save her from said delinquent when she gets annoyed. The latter girl's internal dialog reveals that after getting to know her, she doesn't consider Tomoko a weirdo or a loser. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Just an idiot.]]
31	* In the final chapter of the spin-off, Yuu talks about how her daily life with Tomoko and Komiyama is precious to her and that she wants it to continue forever. In the last panel, after the three of them started to see each other again in Watamote, we see Yuu's happiness in being together with her friends again.
32	* Chapter 97 sees Tomoko eating lunch alone in the cafeteria when some of the popular kids, including her casual acquaintance Nemo, sit with her. When the conversation dies Tomoko tries thinking of something and resorts to talking about anime which leads to the students talking about how one of the members of the class wanted to be a voice actress. When Okada remembers that Nemo wants to go to a liberal arts college she puts two and two together. Tomoko realizes how uncomfortable this is making Nemo and instead jumps in to say that it was actually her who put that but that she wasn't serious about it saving Nemo from having her secret exposed. She also manages to get through the entire lunch with the popular kids, including talking to a boy, without incident as the group seems to have fun hanging out with her.
33	* Chapter 98, Where Yoshida, despite denying that she and Tomoko are friends, gets wet protecting Tomoko from the rain.
34	* Chapter 102 had Tomoko and Tomoki watch ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' together while their mom was out. We not only get an adorable flashback from when they did the same as children, but we get Tomoko actually acting like a normal older sister and taking a walk with him.
35	* In the seventh special chapter, Tomoko finally gets to celebrate Christmas in the company of friends, eating cake, singing carols, and exchanging gifts. Though she had to deal with plenty of hilarious humiliations that day, like being forced to sing karaoke for an hour at Yuu's request, she's happy that she managed to celebrate Christmas properly for the first time in her life.
36	* In chapter 112 Yuri acknowledges Tomoko as a friend for the first time while they are making Valentine's Day chocolates.
37	* Yoshida of all people gets one in the second part of chapter 115 when she drags hesitating Tomoko and makes her say proper farewell to the graduating StudentCouncilPresident. Also said StudentCouncilPresident gives Tomoko a hug again.
38	** While 115 ends on a TearJerker note with Tomoko getting emotional over her parting with Megumi, it's heartwarming in how it shows Yuri and Mako are there to give her support as they all walk home together. YouAreNotAlone anymore, Tomoko.
39	* Chapter 119 has Tomoko dithering on whether or not to go to a class party, but Yuri talks her into going and at least two other classmates ask if she will go. It ends with Tomoko calling her mom to tell her where she was at, for Tomoko to do something as normal as going to a party this is a big indicator of how much her school life has changed.
40	* The entirety of chapter 120 is heartwarming, as it shows how much progress Tomoko had made in socializing since the beginning of the story. The crowning moment of heartwarming, however, is the reveal why Yuri convinced Tomoko and Yoshida to go to the class farewell party: as she didn't know whether they would end up in the same class during their final year of high school, she wanted to spend a bit more time with them. Eventually, as Yuri leaves before the rest of the class goes to a karaoke bar for afterparty Mako, then Yoshida, and finally Tomoko join her. The chapter ends with Yuri [[FriendshipMoment asking the three of them to hang out together a bit longer.]]
41	* Yuri's [[NotSoStoic joy]] in chapter 122 when she finds out Mako, Tomoko and Yoshida will be in the same class as her during their third year of high school.
42	** In the same chapter, Nemo's anticipating Tomoko's introduction because it was amusing the year before but gets disappointed when she sees Tomoko doing a normal one. Tomoko gets upset and decides to add a joke about how she's accepting boyfriend applications. It bombs but it inspires Nemo to resolve to be more honest and reveal to everyone her dream about becoming a voice actress. In the end that one joke moved Tomoko and Nemo away from friendly acquaintances and down the path of [[VitriolicBestBuds genuine friendship]].
43	* Tomoko showing that she cares about Yuri in chapter 127, as she tries her hardest to spare Yuri (and herself) the embarrassment of being called out during a show with audience participation. While she ends up bringing the very thing she was trying to avoid upon Yuri and herself, Yuri does appreciate her efforts in the end.
44	** While the whole thing may have embarrassed Tomoko and Yuri, Yoshida was really happy and it's obvious that she appreciates them getting into it, even if she's unaware they only did it to try to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Yoshida's smile is both heartwarming and absolutely ''adorable''.
45	* Chapter 129 ends with Hina and Akane making up, and Akane deciding to support Hina's dream to become a voice actress.
46	* Just about all of chapter 130 qualifies. Yuri finally getting to spend some quality time with Tomoko who goes out of her way to get her a souvenier and pick a ride she can handle. Rena, Yoshida's delinquent friend who previously said how dumb the entire thing was, getting Yoshida a stuffed rabbit that she wanted to make up for their earlier fight. Asuka offering her snack to Tomoko and her pure joy when Tomoko offers her one of her keychains in return. Ogino practically echoes the reader at the end when she acknowledges that it's nice to see that Tomoko's made more friends.
47	* The second part of chapter 130 follows from its first part. Notably Hina's attempt to clear the air with Yuri and acknowledging that she actually does consider Tomoko her friend, Ucchi showing up next to Tomoko during the fireworks and practically calling her beautiful to her face and the now large group watching the fireworks together and each admitting to themselves that despite the ups and downs of the day that they had fun together.
48	* Largely any time Tomoko and Asuka interact can count. Asuka's [[TeamMom doting nature]] usually leaves a largely positive impression on Tomoko, most notably during chapter 110 where her positive comments about the book Tomoko recommended her and attempt to paint her nails leads to probably the first time in the series where we see Tomoko say that she's glad she went to school.
49	* In chapter 132, Shizuku Hirasawa (whom Tomoko helped in a previous chapter with her entrance exam) sees Tomoko in a positive light, even calling her "Senpai". It may not seem like much, but considering where she, and the manga itself started out, it shows a real milestone in Tomoko's development, going from the creepy kohai no one talked with to someone somebody looks up to, with her own circle of friends, her own sphere of influence, and her own legacy. True, Tomoko is FAR different than her own Senpai, who has at this point in the story graduated, but it still shows all the growing that Tomoko has done; the student has indeed become the teacher.
50	** This is driven home by the last page of chapter 134, where Tomoko is sitting in the school courtyard waiting for her kouhai, ''surrounded'' by girls, and apologizing for all the people who wanted to join her. To think this is the person who at one point was so isolated, she had to resort to eating lunch in a room reserved for storing extra chairs and desks.
51	* In chapter 135 Tomoko decides she wants to try making her uniform more unique. This leads into a discussion with Nemo about getting a makeover. Tomoko declares that Nemo would just laugh at her but Nemo promises she wouldn't. Asuka overhears them and decides to meet up with Tomoko early to help her. The results are about as disasterous as Tomoko's own attempt at a makeover early in the series and though it takes every ounce of willpower she has Nemo keeps her promise and doesn't laugh at Tomoko despite knowing how ridiculous she looks.
52	* In chapter 136 Yuri reads a manga which Tomoko recommended to Mako, and which both Mako and Masaki found very moving. Yuri is not moved by the manga at all, which makes her think that she's different from her friends, that she doesn't understand them and that they don't understand her. Then it turns out that Tomoko already figured out that Yuri would not like this particular manga, and brought her a better one. Yuri reacts to this with TearsOfJoy.
53	* The ending of chapter 138, when Tomoko realizes that she actually got attached to her new friends, and doesn't want to lose contact with them after graduating and become a loner again. Also, she calls Yuri "Yuri-chan" for the first time.
54	* Chapter 143. After finding out just how much Tomoko has changed, Yuu decides to keep Kotomi company, even if it's for an online study session, as she wants the three of them to remain friends even after high school.
55	* Chapter 144. Though it took some prodding from Hina, Tomoko runs after Yuri after the latter leaves their class, obviously upset. Also Tomoko ''finally'' calls Yuri by her first name, while Yuri is also able to do the same for Tomoko.
56	* In chapter 144.1 we get a bit of Nemo's backstory which makes her out to be a girl who felt like she didn't really fit in anywhere and admits to Tomoko that she longs to live a life like the characters from the slice-of-life anime she loves, where everyone gets along instead of backstabbing and bullying. Nemo realizes that she's living a life like that now and that even people as opposite as Akane and Tomoko are now friends. She's so happy at the realization that she actually starts blushing and Tomoko decides it's better to let her have her moment instead of trying to mess with her.
57	* After many interactions involving Tomoko pissing Masaki off and the latter responding with violence, chapter 147 has the two peacefully hanging out in an arcade, and having fun with Masaki's delinquent friends (and Futaki of all people). Masaki even ends up telling Tomoko to call her if she ever wants to hang out with someone.
58	* An omake from volume 14 of the manga, set during the events of chapter 140, has Megumi Imae, now a student at Aoyama University, noticing Tomoko hanging out with Asuka and Ucchi. She seems relieved that Tomoko managed to make friends, and declares in her thoughts that she'll be waiting for Tomoko at the university.
59	* Chapter 149 has three:
60	** The first one is when Tomoko thinks back to how Megumi first helped her after she suffered a nosebleed, and how she now realizes that there are people out there that will help you regardless of whether or not they get anything back in return.
61	** A second one is when Tomoko tries to give Shizuku advice on making friends, tells her that it's good she knows a lot of boys and opens up about her own previous lack of popularity. She admits to Shizuku that she never had any high school friends (Yuu, who goes to another school, not being counted here), not until the fateful Kyoto Trip where she got grouped with Yuri and Masaki, and how things had changed immensely for her social life since that point.
62	** Thirdly, she makes an effort to help Shizuku practice for an upcoming sports meet. On the day of the meet, she unfortunately loses to Futaki, and when Tomoko sees Shizuku, she immediately ponders on what Megumi would do in this situation, which leads her to give her an embrace in the same way Megumi did for her (even if her comforting words could use some improvement.)
63	* From Chapter 152, Ucchi gets into an argument with her friend Kayo because Kayo's starting to resent the way she's been acting and leaving the rest of them high and dry. They quickly make up but Ucchi's friends resolve to get to the cause of her behavior which they quickly determine to be Tomoko. After Tomoko reveals that Ucchi gave her chocolates for Valentine's Day they start to wonder if Ucchi might have a crush on Tomoko and though they quickly move to thinking she just wants to be friends, none of them seem to have an issue with Ucchi having feelings for another girl. In fact Ucchi's glasses-wearing friend says it's understandable she'd ditch them to be around her crush and thinks that Ucchi and Tomoko would make an interesting pair. Tomoko at one point is surprised as she assumed the friendship between Ucchi and her group was shallow.
64	* Chapter 160. Tomoko's mom, who's been shown to be worried about her daughter's lack of friends before, can only help but look on in wonder when Tomoko asks permission to meet the large number of friends who came out to meet her at the end of her suspension.
65	** Which is immediately followed by her looking incredibly proud as a genuinely happy Tomoko is greeted by her friends at the school gate.
66	* A subtle but nuance one, in Chapter 166 Tomoko is called out by Ucchi and Fuuka for her perverted antics. While usually a moment of humiliation for Tomoko, her friends come to her defense admitting they know about her perverted side yet accepting it as a part of who she is, with even Asuka throwing it back to Fuuka. It shows that Tomoko's fear of being unaccepted is uncompounded and that they care for her as herself.
67	* Chapter 166. At the end of the baseball match, Tomoko becomes a little introspective, and then ''proactively'' mentions to her friends that, no, she doesn't want to go back home right away, and wants to go back to the school to do more reviewing with them, as she knows its the last summer she'll probably spend with any of them again in high school.
68	--> '''Tomoko''': I don't want this plain, but enjoyable, summer to end.
69	* Chapter 170 finally contains the much-anticipated meeting between Yuu and Asuka after a number of chapters showing Asuka being jealous of Yuu's closeness to Tomoko. However instead of confrontation the two manage to get along fairly well. They decide to have a talk after leaving Tomoko's house in which both are reassured of their importance to Tomoko and more importantly Asuka promises to help Yuu, who's constantly doubting her own intelligence and feeling like she'd just drag Tomoko down, get into Aoyama University with them.
70	* At Chapter 175.2 at the Summer Camp arc, Tomoko and Asuka share a cute moment together, awkwardly trying to ease up the other before the two decide to give each our nickname after opening up a bit more, with Tomoko calling Asuka by her first name and Asuka calling her Tomo. It all accumulates to the cast who went to the Summer Camp look at the sea enjoying the view in calm serenity.
71	* Tomoko and Yuri's bonding during their sleepover at Chapter 183.2. It's especially poignant since it shows Tomoko actually taking the lead socializing, helping making Yuri feel comfortable around her house and even encourage her to join her family for dinner. The final shot of them walking after the typhoon is especially sweet.
72	* In general Nemo's friendship with Tomoko. While Nemo can be a bit of a troll at times she's also arguably one of Tomoko's most positive influences as she's often the first person to support or offer encouragement when she starts to doubt herself. Notably, she gave Tomoko the push she needed to present her movie idea to the class and set up an entire rehearsal for her to practice her presentation.
73	* In chapter 186.2, Tomoko's movie idea winds up winning the vote for what the class will do for the cultural festival though Tomoko complains that it was only her group that voted for it. Looked at another way, though, Tomoko's friend group is now large enough that solely through them was her idea able to win. It also means that her votes came from people like Komiyama (her SitcomArchnemesis) or Akane, Nemo and Asuka voting ''against'' their long time friends like Kiyota.
74	* The end of the 2021 Christmas special. As Yuri departs on the train, she continues wearing her usual stoic expression. But the moment the doors close, [[WhenSheSmiles she suddenly smiles]] at Tomoko and wishes her a merry Christmas. Even though Yuri went to a crowded party she typically can't stand and got embarrassed from having to wear a SexySantaDress with a very short skirt that Tomoko looked up, she still had lots of fun.
75	* Sachi may generally be the biggest bitch in the series but that just makes her genuine affection and gestures of appreciation towards Minami, such as going out of her way to get her a cake for her birthday and sing happy birthday to her, that much sweeter.
76	* In the Volume 20 Special Edition Booklet, Popular Girl!Tomoko wonders if she can actually get an opportunity to become the loner that she's always wanted to be. But then she spies a girl who completely resembles her main universe counterpart, and decides if she can't BE a loner, she'll associate with one instead. She gets so excited and wonders how to best approach this girl. And while Asuka, Fuuka, and Miho find Tomoko again (inadvertently causing the loner to leave), she realizes that while that girl might never come back again, she only wonders optimistically if she'll have a bright future with friends waiting for her, too.
77	* Chapter 215. While unfortunately it doesn't managed to avert Tomoko [[NervousWreck from messing her presentation]]. Seeing Asuka, Futaki, Akane, Nemoto and even her SitcomArchnemesis Komiyama and Sasaki giving her words of encouragment because of how nervous she is for presenting is rather sweet.

Context Heartwarming / NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular