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EP. REVIEW: Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro


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metalpail



Joined: 08 Jan 2018
Posts: 8
Location: New York City
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:57 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It's missing some of the teeth of those previous outings. That makes for more clarity in how this show can continue to persist in the long-term, but I have to wonder if it won't be in danger of losing its audience if it forgets what they all really came here for.


I felt the same thing when I was reading the manga. The fetishist in me really was annoyed that the intensity was dying down around this part. However I'm also a big fan of high school stories and romances so I really started to enjoy their character dynamics and the whole female (Nagatoro) led relationship that could form. Despite her rough handling of MC there is a part of Nagatoro that is nurturing him into being more honest with himself and comfortable around others. She was clearly interested with him from the beginning but exactly why isn't clear at this point beyond the reactions she was able to get out of him. As much as we can call this story "realistic" the bullying turning into more intense teasing is a natural change for two people getting to know each other more and become more comfortable.

I hope people that felt like this show wasn't their cup of tea (not including those with traumatic bullying experiences) give this show another chance as it's not a common gender presentation of these characteristics and dynamics, which makes a very interesting and enjoyable watch. Can't wait to see more of my favorite scenes get animated! Very Happy [/quote]
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Roadwarior2



Joined: 31 Jul 2019
Posts: 45
PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2021 1:15 am Reply with quote
Personally I like Nagatoro a lot more than either Takagi-san or Uzaki-chan.
Uzaki-chan for me is just fetish fuel, and I find the main characters to be a little too juvenile for their age, and difficult to identify with.
Takagi-san is just boring, the main pair just static characters all the way up to adulthood (am I really supposed to believe Nishikata spoiler[got around to marrying and impregnating Takagi-san] while acting like he’s still 12 years old?)
Nagatoro’s mains actually have a degree of depth and development the other two lack, and it’s honestly a joy seeing them both grow more open and more assertive in their dealings with one another.
I see how Nagatoro’s initial teasing definitely can be off-putting, but in hindsight it’s clear that Nagatoro is actually rather supportive of spoiler[Nao-kun (yes he does have a name)] from the get go in her own rather precocious way, and it’s just his own baggage and inexperience that leads to him breaking down into tears.
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Polly E.



Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Posts: 139
PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2021 1:04 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
That makes for more clarity in how this show can continue to persist in the long-term, but I have to wonder if it won't be in danger of losing its audience if it forgets what they all really came here for.

Personally, I came into this show kinda daring it to do something more than what the first or even second episode were doing. (Completely blind to the manga by the by.) This episode is sorta where it took me up on that and you start seeing the nuance. I don't think things are going to get as radical as they did in episode 1 and 2, because I feel like these are two characters (Nagatoro especially) poking at boundaries and seeing what's okay, and she very clearly backed off from the worst of it. I also don't think there's going to be a complete abandoning of the teasing aspect either. I'll be interested in seeing how these personal boundaries are explored and how they can continue to keep that interesting and humorous.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 12:27 am Reply with quote
I too am on board with this pairing now, the teasing is not the only thing to their relationship, Nagataro doesn't really come across as trying to do anything that could hurt him, rather she has pushed him to grow, and even he is starting to stand up a bit. Telling her friends that he wanted Nagataro to cut his hair, blocking the guys from looking at her bra, and taking her out of the line into the shade with a cool drink because despite what she was saying she was likely at real risk from a heatstroke.

There is some fantasy to the whole thing, where as is clear in a number of parts he is kind of a loser, going back to the first interactions with a self made story that was the creativity level of masturbation. But he might be moving to be a person worthy of the attention as he gets out of his own head, while Nagataro grows in her way. That giving complements to receive them has kind of stuck with me.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 10:55 am Reply with quote
i dont remember if i already said it here, but i really like how one of nagatoros friend ia not really bullying senpai, but actually bullying nagatoro where senpai is basically just a proxy for that.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun May 23, 2021 4:43 pm Reply with quote
I thought what was interesting about the recent episode was taking into account the characterisation of Nagatoro's friends. Gamo seems much more aware of Nagatoro's interest, and perhaps some level of where Senpai is, and although teasing as a bit of a game, I think was trying to help by the way of getting her to come to the festival. And Yoshi, she is a bit of an airhead, but kind of looks like she is super insecure, why she copies things said and is really trying to impress her cool friends. And Yoshi's reaction to the boys was interesting like she has absolutely no idea how to act around that kind of peer pressure that it makes her uncomfortable, which is also interesting that is missing from interacting around fluffy Paisen.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3629
PostPosted: Sun May 23, 2021 5:13 pm Reply with quote
I don't remember if the manga had Senpai being as "bold" as he has been, but I certainly remember the reaction to the chapter featured in the last segment. It really seemed like the first time you saw him take initiative and felt like there was real progress for him and their relationship.
Definitely a great scene Anime smile
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zrdb





PostPosted: Sun May 23, 2021 8:07 pm Reply with quote
I've actually read the manga this is based on (as far as has been released) and it's cramming an awful lot of chapters into each episode but still I think it follows the manga fairly closely.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2021 1:10 pm Reply with quote
DuskyPredator wrote:
I thought what was interesting about the recent episode was taking into account the characterisation of Nagatoro's friends. Gamo seems much more aware of Nagatoro's interest, and perhaps some level of where Senpai is, and although teasing as a bit of a game, I think was trying to help by the way of getting her to come to the festival. And Yoshi, she is a bit of an airhead, but kind of looks like she is super insecure, why she copies things said and is really trying to impress her cool friends. And Yoshi's reaction to the boys was interesting like she has absolutely no idea how to act around that kind of peer pressure that it makes her uncomfortable, which is also interesting that is missing from interacting around fluffy Paisen.


yeah, those little details make this series more enjoyable than it would normally be.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2021 10:07 pm Reply with quote
Well, my dear Mr Ferris, see how this show is turning out? Not as expected and thanks to sticking with your reviews I have watched and caught up on Nagatoro! A little hard to watch at times for my own personal reasons but the show is growing into being a decent story with some heart. I love it and it's thanks to you!

It's funny to see Miss Nagatoro "playing with fire" in her sexual teasing and how she winds up being the one mildly "burned" when the unexpected happens like Ep8. I thought it was just sweet to watch her and Paisen's embarrassed reactions! However, I'll bet she will reconsider her approach in the remaining episodes because she is realizing that they are getting too physically close and an "accident" could happen. That, or she decides to go for the prize regardless of where it leads.

A little surprised no one other than Dusky Predator has gotten much into The Gal Gang's dynamics but here are my observations. Gamo and Yoshi are both quite well developed but are uncomfortable with the unwanted attention from predatory guys when the scene changed to high school so they and Nagatoro, with Sakura being a little on the outside, have banded together to provide insulation against such as well as "pal around". They don't feel ready for sexual behavior but 'Toro has found a "safe" guy she finds interesting so she is trying it out a little. Gamo wouldn't mind doing the same and seems a little competitive with Nagatoro so she is pushing the situation more because of 'Toro's reactions and to see if 'Toro really likes paisen enough to not allow her a chance at him. Sakura seems like she'd like to see how she would rate on the attractiveness scale relative to Gamo and 'Toro. I think we may see the true intentions of those two next episode...

Yoshi is more a transplanted middle-schooler at heart just trying to fit in, find acceptance and keep up with her pals as they go into uncomfortable territory. That's why she was flustered, she has no interest in guys at the moment but she knows her social standing could be negatively impacted if she doesn't show some interest. The whole group "noped out" of the impromptu gathering with those pushy guys given any excuse because those type could be trouble but Paisen is OK for sure...
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:36 am Reply with quote
Sakura does seem very comfortable with more literal flirting, that it would not be surprising if she is more along than the others.

I did have a fondness when Senpai was among the group of girls at the restaurant , and can even talk back now.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:02 pm Reply with quote
^Well I guess you are quite correct as we see Sakura maybe doing a flirt-a-thon with the other club guys (or found a way to generate a reverse harem)! She is guaranteed to have attention like no where else if those guys are like I was in HS. Ep10 here has really cast the die and very interesting to see 'Toro defend Sempai so strongly. You can see how she is changing him little by little and changing herself too, really sweet to see where all this goes! I'd say to my previous musing that she has decided to "go for the prize" and I'd guess her friends are along to see it rather than sabotage it...
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:35 pm Reply with quote
I thought maybe a mention of the president calling the girls "unsavoury", such as how he might react to that. Does he still see them through that lens that they are delinquents or something?

Of course Nagataro's sportswear was a bit fetishy for Senpai, but the whole thing is also evident of that change where that teasing made him more motivated to work harder rather than backing down until he cried like early on.
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gridsleep





PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 12:33 am Reply with quote
The trope of Nagatoro-san is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. It's been around at least since Aristophanes was scribbling. Go look it up in TV Tropes dot com. The first line of today's column, and that article, sum up the entire series.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:55 am Reply with quote
I think filtering shows and stories through what tropes and "fetishes" they might contain or reference as a summary of the work and/or measure of quality tends to cause one to ignore other elements the work may contain, is thus limiting and sometimes doing a disservice to the whole of the material. Nagatoro is obviously not some brilliant character study, but it is more than a collection of trope displays and elements to satisfy fetishes.

I boldly predict the theme of Sempai's exhibit will be something like "insight of a young woman's many states of being". Also, the Pres' "self portrait" was an absolute crap piece in composition, contains no exploration and seems to have no real message, other than she is insecure of her body.
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