Every day, Naoto Hachiouji is teased relentlessly by Hayase Nagatoro, a first year student he meets one day in the library while working on his manga. After reading his story and seeing his awkward demeanor, she decides from that moment on to toy with him, even calling him "Senpai" in lieu of using his real name.
At first, Nagatoro's relentless antics are more bothersome than anything and leave him feeling embarrassed, as he is forced to cater to her whims. However, as they spend more time together, a strange sort of friendship develops between them, and Naoto finds that life with Nagatoro can even be fun. But one thing's for sure: his days will never be dull again.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
AcidicAccord
My Ijranaide Nagatoro-San Review :) Story 9/10 Most people dropped the series to quickly because of the bullying in the first few episodes and calling it problematic. Throughout the entire series you can see how these characters grow and develop into something that is clearly more than a girl picking on her upperclassman. Art 10/10 I LOVE this art style, I think it looks so clean and colourful; It definitely stands out. The art for the opening is also incredible and interesting to watch.Sound 8/10
The opening and endings are really catchy and memorable. The rest of the soundtrack is also very fitting for the scenes they are intended for but nothing incredible.
Character 9/10
As stated before, most people dropped the anime too early because Nagatoro was a bully and problematic, and I will say the first few episodes may have been a little too over the top. But even after the first few episodes we can already see Nagatoro and Naoto’s dynamic change. Naoto starts to grow more confidence and is able to fire back at Nagatoro’s teasing. Nagatoro’s attitude around Naoto begins to change and is less bold with her comments, though she still likes to tease him it is in a more playful manner. I don’t have much to say about Nagatoro’s friends other than they are fun characters to watch.
Enjoyment 10/10
I really enjoyed watching this and I would definitely recommend this to someone else. It’s a great and fun show and I wish more people would have given it more of a chance instead of dropping it after the first few episodes.
Overall 9/10
Stark700
The one major attraction of anime medium is that we can explore any idea, in any way possible. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san (Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro) explores the idea of a fiesty girl who makes it their personal hobby to bully a guy. Just imagine that. We have a show about a girl picking on a guy as a major plot element in 2021. Watching Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is the type of rom-com adaptation that you know what you're going to get from day one. The premise speaks for itself as Naoto Hachiouji (better known as Senpai) is teased by Nagatoro every single day. And forhis sanity, let's just say that Senpai would have to put up with Nagatoro antics even if he can never have a peaceful day again. Based on the manga of the same name, it's clear the author wanted to entertain us in the form of an eccentric romantic comedy. I'll warn you though. If you're not into watching a girl toy a guy on a daily basis, then I'd highly suggest to turn back now.
Even as the title suggests, the anime itself isn't sadomastic as it sounds. Senpai isn't Nagatoro's boy toy although he is teased as part of Nagatoro's favorite hobby. The first episode gives us a deep dive into how she operates. With every witty dialogue, she manages to put Senpai into compromising or embarassing positions. Senpai's own insecure personality doesn't help him stand up to Nagatoro either. Or perhaps there's a bit more? Watching the first few episodes also suggests that at some levels, he enjoys being with Nagatoro. Through their character chemistry, there's also some levels of sexual tension. This is evidenced especially whenever Nagatoro tries to use her body to tease Senpai. Other times, she makes sexual jokes alluding to adult references. It's the type of humor that you'll see every episode. And she's not even the sole character behind acting on these schemes.
Meet Gamo and Yosshi, two of Nagatoro's classmates who loves to tease and bully Senpai just as much as she does. Nicknaming our male protagonist as 'Paisen', they're known to call him Virgin at every chance possible. However, one interesting thing to note is that their teases sometimes irritates Nagatoro or perhaps even makes her jealous. At many points throughout the series, it shows that Nagatoro wants to keep Senpai to herself rather than letting others have him. Sure, she treats him like a toy but also wants to protect him for herself. Perhaps 'protect' isn't the right word to use here but Nagatoro has her moments of envy whenever Gamo and Yosshi takes their teases too far. It's physically reflected in her distorted eyes, a contrast to her usual bubbly self. Does that mean Nagatoro likes Senpai? That question may be ambigious and honestly too early to tell from this season alone. Unfortunately, this season didn't have enough time for any character development for Nagatoro. It seems that the anime itself just wanted to tease the audience about Nagatoro's feelings towards Senpai. In later episodes, we see this more evident when she engages in a rivalry with President but this really goes to nowhere.
With such a goofy cast and entertaining premise, you can bet this anime doesn't take itself seriously at all. The show generally follows a non-linear storytelling format with each episode playing out like skits. Each episode contains multiple parts but some of the recurring elements remains the same, most noticably being Nagatoro's teasing habits. The show also tries to throw off the audience on occasions by doing unorthodox episodes such as fantasy/isekai. Watching Nagatoro's relationship with Senpai equates to an owner playing with their toy, at least in the beginning of the anime. While the show always relies heavily on the teasing, it does get more playful later on. And of course, Nagatoro seems to be able to always find some way to tease Senpai with her clever mind. Whether it's physically or emotionally, she's the master at what she does, and is part of her DNA to tease Senpai.
We should give credit to where credit is due. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is known for its comedy but it's serious about its artwork style, straight out of the manga. Frames in this adaptation is consistent with character designs appealing to the way they look. Nagatoro is known for using her body sometimes as a weapon on Senpai so it comes to no surprise that the show gave her a slim figure. More importantly is the character expressions. The show adapts a highly expressive way of showing her personality whenever her emotions runs wild whether when playful, jealous, or sarcastic. Nagatoro's playful personality also includes cat traits to reflect just how playful she is. In essence, she plays around like a curious cat. On the other hand, Senpai is protrayed as a nervous character who seems to be fearful of Nagatoro's antics. Who can blame him though? If you were teased by Nagatoro 24/7, you might get anxiety like him too. This show isn't also afraid of throwing in fan service elsewhere especially with the President. Can you imagine who walks around at school with just a towel like that?
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san isn't the first type of anime that focuses on a girl teasing a boy and it certainly won't be the last either. Here, we got this anime about a playful girl who loves to toy Senpai like her personal property. However, the big question you should ask yourself is if you want to join the entertainment with her along the way. Do you want to watch a show where the protagonist gets played around every episode? The answer can be both easy or hard to answer but if you look at the bigger picture, it's not difficult to decide. Because the fact is, this anime sells itself exactly the way it is: a huge animated meme.
dragonclaws
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is a heartwarming and hilarious story that never has a dull moment. The playful tension in each interaction between Nagatoro and Senpai builds up to adorable punchlines that seamlessly blends comedy and romantic progression, making for an incredibly fulfilling romcom. Let’s talk about the romance part first. Instead of using a lazy excuse to bring Nagatoro and Senpai together, the show creates a connection that’s thoughtfully woven into their growth as characters. Episode one’s library scene and episode two’s restaurant scene establish why Nagatoro took an interest in Senpai in the first place, and their similarities highlight how her contrasting decisions are veryintentionally written to detail her attraction. At their core, both scenes introduce boys to Nagatoro through their art. Unlike the faceless restaurant boys music, drawing is a labor of love for Senpai. It’s something that he pours himself into, and Nagatoro picks up on his passion. She also takes note of Senpai's obvious self-insert and main character of the manga he's drawing, Siegfried, the chivalrous knight who protects Elizabeth even though he knows his love will never be requited.
Despite initial appearances, Senpai proves that he can be quite similar to Siegfried. Even in the first episode, his personality shines through his anxiety and catches Nagatoro off guard. When Senpai returns her hand towel, she reacts to his consideration. When Senpai steels himself to draw her, she reacts to his confidence and determination. He’s able to overcome his anxiety and is often a lot more courageous than Nagatoro. Like his passion for art, I think it’s something that greatly interests her.
Senpai has his own reasons for putting up Nagatoro in the first place. Although his tolerance seems strange, it’s shown that most people don’t even take the time to read his manga and just tease him for drawing it, whereas Nagatoro actually takes the time to read his work. If art is an expression of your soul, it would feel validating for someone to at least acknowledge it, right?
The rest of the show is pretty much Nagatoro and Senpai just hanging out. The show gives no underlying excuse for them being around each other than the fact that they want to be, nor does it need to. Nagatoro tries to chip away at Senpai’s shell by way of teasing/flirting with him, but often retreats into her own shell when she loses her nerve. Ironically, much of the advice Nagatoro gives is more applicable to herself than Senpai. In between all the teasing are moments of intimacy, where one of them lets themselves be vulnerable without trying to emotionally protect themselves. These moments become more common overtime, and their entire dynamic naturally becomes more intimate. The payoff in the final two episodes perfectly capitalizes on the buildup by introducing the first big conflict in the relationship, resolving it through the connection they’ve formed.
Of course, every little moment of Nagatoro and Senpai’s time together not only serves as romantic progression, but comedy as well. Something about seeing Nagatoro finding new ways to make Senpai squirm just tickles. You’ll laugh along with Nagatoro as she verbally pokes and prods Senpai. Or when the tables turn and Nagatoro’s the one squirming as her friends torment her beloved Senpai. Every scene has some sort of comedic tension, made all the more memorable by how they’re presented.
Whatever the scenario, the art and sound really tie things together. They’re what makes specific scenes so memorable, even relatively mundane ones. While the artstyle isn’t particularly stunning, the show makes the absolute most out of it. Character designs are appealing, the faces are expressive, Nagatoro’s smiles are absolutely infectious, Senpai’s blushes give me second hand embarrassment, everything works. The voice acting is incredible as well, to the point where I can just remember a line and grin, whether it’s from Nagatoro, Senpai, or Nagatoro's friends. The soundtrack can be overbearing at times, but the songs never feel repetitive and are just as fitting as the rest of the sound and visuals.
I couldn’t recommend this show more. Beyond the well-written establishment, development, and presentation of the main relationship is something very relatable. Trying to overcome insecurities and let ourselves be vulnerable with someone is probably something we’ve all experienced. It’s a struggle that both Nagatoro and Senpai both go through as they slowly take down their emotional walls for each other. It’s a struggle that leads them to the discovery of someone special, someone who’s seen their true, unguarded selves and loves them for it. It’s a journey filled with laughter and warmth. Hopefully, we’ll all find someone to take the journey with one day, just as Nagatoro and Senpai have.
IrrelevantGuy
Bullying, and anything similar, has always been regarded as a sensitive subject. For that reason, most anime and manga tackle this topic with a rather solemn approach, as they should. Serious issues akin to bullying shouldn't be viewed as a medium to make obscene jokes—unless you make it obvious that you aren't ridiculing the subject matter in question. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san seemingly does the opposite; according to a part of the audience, it treats a heavy topic like bullying in a comedic manner and makes light of it. This show isn't actually about bullying, though. In the end, despite my initial impressions, Iiranaide, Nagatoro-san turned out tobe a weirdly heartwarming show that consistently kept me entertained. Why, though? I will explain.
The first episode of Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is quite misleading. In it, our boisterous and tan-skinned heroine Nagatoro approaches our timid protagonist Naoto and bullies him to the point that he starts to break down. This immediately put me off from the anime to be honest, but luckily, Nagatoro's teasing—which was actual bullying at first—gradually softens as the story progresses, and after a few episodes, the series just becomes a likeable romance story between the two leads.
Now, it should be noted that the author of Nagatoro-san was formerly a hentai artist, and this indeed shows in several places. Most of the scenarios that occur in the anime are risque to say the least; however, they don't really cross the line. Nagatoro-san surprisingly maintains a pretty light-hearted tone throughout its runtime that is well-executed for the most part. In actuality, this series is far from being a borderline hentai—regardless of what some people may have led to believe.
I'm addressing this since many people seemed to disparage the series solely based on the fact that its author previously made hentai, when in reality, Nagatoro-san is fairly "clean" compared to a countless amount of ecchi anime out there. Although this kind of reaction is to be expected, I find it condemnable that some people hate the show just because it's made by a hentai artist. It's one thing if you simply don't like the anime, but associating it with the author formerly being a hentai artist is completely uncalled for.
Coming back to the actual review, the interesting dynamic of our main duo, Naoto and Nagatoro, is what primarily makes this series an entertaining watch. A proper sadomasochistic relationship between two of the leads isn't something that you commonly find in anime, which alone makes Nagatoro-san stand out from other similar shows. Most of the episodes consist of multiple segments, almost all of which follow the same format: Nagatoro runs across Naoto and playfully teases him while he gets embarrassed. Despite this formulaic plotline, the scenarios in each episode are usually varied enough to keep the viewers engaged—albeit there are times when this can feel a bit repetitive and lacklustre.
Nagatoro is definitely the more compelling one of the main duo. Initially, it can be difficult to like her because of her overly mocking personality, but trust me, she becomes a lot more likeable later on. Nagatoro's mischiefs include taunting Naoto in a light-hearted manner, poking at him with her fingers, lightly hitting him on his head, etc. Most of the teasing basically consists of Nagatoro doing silly things like these which Naoto doesn't mind at all (probably because he is a masochist). Her intentions are fortunately far from being mean-spirited, and even when she crosses the line or goes a bit too far, she quickly catches on to it and apologizes to Naoto.
Nagatoro's personality is unexpectedly very dynamic. Throughout the anime she displays three distinct personas (teasy/energetic, embarrassed, and yandere-ish), and they shift smoothly depending on the situation that Naoto is put into. All three sides of her personality are honestly quite likeable, but the latter two are especially entertaining since they are infrequent and contrast greatly with her usual teasy personality. On a side note, Nagatoro's voice actress Sumire Uesaka's contribution in this regard is undeniably notable.
Most likely, you will dislike Naoto and find him to be a dull character, and I wouldn't blame you for that. There aren't many things that are unique about him as a character; he is kind of your typical introverted protagonist. Personally though, I actually liked Naoto quite a bit. Yes, he is pretty wimpy, irritating and a pushover at the beginning (some would argue most of the times), but his personality actually improves at a consistent pace as he interacts with Nagatoro. The development is admittedly very slow-paced, but it doesn't cause much problem since that's ultimately the purpose of the anime—to show Naoto gain self-assurance in a steady and meaningful way.
The supporting characters do let down, though. Sakura is okay (although she can also be dislikeable at times), but Maki and Yoshi are mostly very annoying. The former solely exists to exasperate both Naoto and Nagatoro, and the latter just mindlessly imitates whatever the others do or say. Granted, these two do create some interesting circumstances by bringing out Nagatoro's yandere-ish personality, but surely it could have been done in a more tasteful method. Besides the aforementioned three, Naoto's club president Sana is the only other significant side character, and while she is not necessarily a bad character, she is introduced rather abruptly in the story.
Nagatoro-san is decently animated for the most part. Although not spectacular, the animation is consistently fluid and there aren't many noticeable flaws. I do have some complaints regarding the character designs, though. Every character in the anime, besides those that I have mentioned above, doesn't even have a fully drawn face; their eyes are always covered with a shadow or not shown at all. Some might use the argument that this is supposed to signify a subtle meaning and shouldn't be taken at face value, but I find it a bit lazy nonetheless.
Regarding the soundtrack, most of Nagatoro-san's background tracks aren't particularly remarkable (while there are a few that I like quite a bit), they fit in well with the playful atmosphere of the anime. The opening theme "Easy Love" is intentionally made to be over-the-top with the flamboyant visuals and the screechy (kind of) singing, but while I kinda disliked it at first, I didn't mind it much later on. On the other hand, the ending song titled "Colorful Canvas" is pretty catchy and has a calming vibe to it.
Chances are that you will either enjoy Nagatoro-san as some sort of a guilty pleasure, or think it's another vapid ecchi anime with no substance whatsoever. And honestly, this is one of the few cases where I can understand both sides of the argument. Nagatoro-san is pretty much fated to be polarizing among its audience, so the controversy surrounding it isn't surprising at all. However, despite this and the fact that I'm not generally fond of this kind of titles, I found myself enjoying this show a fair amount. I was surprised at myself for enjoying it this much, but in retrospect, Nagatoro-san actually does have some praiseworthy things about it—and I legitimately believe that it's a good show.
Before I end this review, I would like recommend any potential viewers to watch the anime with an accepting mindset—you will probably enjoy it more that way. Also, sit through the first episode.
legoanimegirl
This anime is dogshit, I only watched it because my ex wanted me to catch the episodes weekly with him and I even felt obliged to keep up with the manga. It's just some horny dude getting bullied by a younger girl, they're obviously in love but don't act on it so it's just awkward to watch. The sexualisation of this teenage girl is also bleh. Animation is good, I won't be watching Season 2 but my friend told me the new animation studio is abysmal which is kind of funny. Degenerate fanbase also, which isn't surprising because my ex is a massive one. Irandomly remembered this anime exists today when seeing the most racist tweet from someone with a Nagatoro pfp and thought I'd leave a review for fun.
Jaereku
If you’ve been around online animanga communities, chances are you’ve happened upon a dark-haired, smug anime girl with a prominent flesh fang at least once. It’s become almost unavoidable with the surge of profile images featuring the titular character. At the same time, more than one viral post has been made, sometimes decrying the show’s “bullying” gimmick, but most of the time about the fanbase it supposedly attracts. The idea of this light rom-com being under so much scrutiny, to the point of crafting artificial controversies around it, is a pretty amusing one. Even so, despite its flaws and rather loud detractors, I find myselffond of Nagatoro.
The premise is simple: the titular character Nagatoro teases and messes with Senpai, a timid and unsociable student. Aside from a couple of gags, what is “teasing” rarely crosses over to “bullying”, and wholesome moments of genuine connection between the two characters are sprinkled in more and more as the story progresses. It’s a pretty simple, straightforward, and even unoriginal idea of a dynamic. So what exactly makes this one work? What managed to hook so many manga readers for dozens of chapters?
The obvious answer, as with any other romcom, is the main couple as characters, both individually, and in the sense of how these two complement each other. If you don’t understand why some people enjoy this kind of story, then the next couple of paragraphs might answer your questions.
Senpai is, through and through, a spineless and quiet one. He deals with his surroundings by simply shutting himself off – and though he’s often seen as a “victim” by the average viewer, the anime highlights his negative sides along with his positive ones. As the “quiet kid”, his internal monologue as he sees the main girl squad for the first time is defensive and exaggerated – while, at the same time, self-inserting as the hero who gets the girl in the manga he is drawing (art skill being one of his positive sides). In any case, what’s behind that quiet façade is a kid who’s socially stunted, especially when it comes to his thoughts towards women at first. That’s where Nagatoro comes in. Through his interactions with Nagatoro, who makes sure to call out and mock his more “incel” or “loner” sides, Senpai learns a thing or two about how to interact with people, and forges a bond with this bothersome kohai – a kohai who encourages his strengths (supporting his drawing and art) while (rather meanly) pointing out his weaknesses, and offering him to help work on them (like helping him get fit). One could discuss the healthiness of such a dynamic at this point, and the concern wouldn’t be completely unwarranted – but I won’t go on a tangent about that here, and simply point out the clues that Senpai is more than consenting to it.
What about “mean girl” Nagatoro? What is her appeal as a character? In many ways, she’s the opposite of Senpai. While his flawed side and negative traits are hidden deep within, she wears hers on her sleeve – that is to say, her constant need to tease and bully, masquerading as one of the “mean girls”. The fact that she stops when it gets too much (and many other clues) denote how she has a certain level of awareness about how unpleasant she may potentially be to someone. With that being the case, I believe the main draw of her character to be, for many viewers, the steady progression of her learning to be both more honest with herself, and more pleasant with other people through her interactions with Senpai. The anime, early in the story as it is, even hints at causes of such behavior by drawing sharp contrasts between her and the rest of the mean girls (for instance, in typical anime fashion, her insecurity regarding her modest chest compared to her other “mean girl” friends – a sort of visual disparity).
Of course, that isn’t to say Nagatoro is a perfect romance (a far cry from it), nor a perfect story. It makes as much fun of tropes as it indulges in them, partially due to the manga being, undeniably, a reflection of the mangaka’s interests. This is more of a “self-expression” work of fiction rather than one of “communication”, where the mangaka is (at this stage) less interested in getting across certain themes and messages, but moreso in simply expressing his own desires. That doesn’t make for an inherently bad story; however, if you come wishing for a more thematically rich throughline than what I stated earlier, you will be sorely disappointed — except for the last few episodes, where the narrative takes itself a bit more seriously, and where you might start actually thinking about these characters and their development. That is why one’s enjoyment of the Nagatoro anime hinges mostly on how attuned the viewer to that kind of duo/dynamic on a surface level. I wouldn’t blame anyone for disliking this premise or this kind of characters (though trying to frame this dislike in different ways, like unfunnily portraying Nagatoro as “the face of racists” in a repetitive manner for no real reason, is to say the least in bad faith).
The art for this anime is impressive, with occasional atmospheric shots that made me double-check if I was really watching Nagatoro. It would’ve benefited from some thicker linework, as with the manga, to make the characters look a tad better but this is only a minor nitpick. The OP is very catchy and well-made, the sound design is mostly fine. I don’t think I have many gripes with the show on a technical level.
If you’re wondering whether you would enjoy this anime, ask yourself first if you would enjoy the kind of dynamic between two very flawed people as described above. If your answer is yes, and if you don’t mind the occasional romcom anime shenanigans, do give this one a shot, and maybe you’ll enjoy it more than you thought you would.
RebelPanda
TRIGGER WARNINGS: ABUSE, HARASSMENT, GASLIGHTING, MANIPULATION, MISOGYNY, INCELS, KINK SHAMING Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is not a traditional romantic comedy because it is neither romantic nor funny. Rather, it is comparable to a horror movie. The horror genre appeals to people who enjoy being scared. You put yourself in the shoes of a frightened protagonist as they get chased by psychopaths, monsters, demons, etc. It’s almost masochistic how we enjoy horror. In Nagatoro-san, a teenage beta-male cuck gets tormented by a sadistic girl he has a crush on. He is repeatedly gaslit, humiliated, and manipulated by her. Similar to a horror film, it is frustrating, disturbing, uncomfortable, but strangelyentertaining for a particular audience.
Naoto, our virgin loser protagonist, is the audience’s avatar. He is devoid of character depth. The sole reason he exists is to fulfill the viewers’ sadomasochistic fantasies. Have you ever wanted a gaudy teenage anime girl to bully you? You’re in luck. Every time Nagatoro enters Naoto’s art room, where he works on his latest painting, it is clear exactly what will happen. She will bully him. Regardless of how she goes about the bullying, it will be sexual in nature. Red flag: they’re both in high school—if that will upset you, then don’t watch it. Nagatoro acknowledges Naoto is attracted to her, and she uses that power to toy with his emotions. Giving the impression, or verbal agreement, that she wants to date him, then backing off as soon as he gives in to temptation. Just as Naoto begins to reciprocate, she pulls the rug out from under him, making him look like a fool. As a comedy, this joke isn’t funny enough to hold an entire show. They didn’t have well-written jokes in mind while making this anime. That becomes clear after the third time seeing Nagatoro pretending to strip for Naoto; then, he accidentally grabs her boobs. It is transparently fetish fuel. Acting like it but fetish fuel only makes the stale humor more unfunny. Could it have been self-aware like other ecchi anime? Yes, but that still wouldn’t have saved it from being mediocre. Another red flag: If you’ve experienced bullying, you will most likely feel repulsed by ALL of this anime.
Witnessing their twisted relationship progress into romance is horrifying. The power dynamics are crucially imbalanced. If it were a friendship, there would be no problem. The thing is, Nagatoro and Naoto’s relationship is sexually charged. Seduction, partial nudity, fantasizing about each other. It is not ‘cute’ teasing like the comedy anime Teasing Master Takagi-san.
Although both Nagatoro and Naoto derive pleasure from the bullying, there is a dangerous imbalance. Only the Dominant holds power in their relationship, whereas the Submissive should be able to revoke consent whenever they want. The English title, “Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro” should set off red flags immediately. Nagatoro bullies him whenever she pleases. On the other hand, Naoto never has the power to withdraw consent. Their arrangement is unspoken. There’s no safe word to pause her mortifying teasing, which makes it very bizarre seeing them together in public. Rather than coming to an agreement, as a healthy S&M relationship would, she continuously bullies him until he enjoys it. While it initially seemed like they could have a symbiotic connection, it is more like an abuser desensitizing a victim until they give in to the abuse.
Calling Nagatoro an ‘abuser’ would be an overstatement. She continuously manipulates and gaslights Naoto. Though, it is impossible to sympathize with him because he always falls for her blatant ploys. I felt schadenfreude seeing Naoto get shat on, but that enjoyment ran out eventually because he is intensely unlikeable. He never learned, and so the teasing never escalated past the first episode. I doubt many people like Naoto, why would they? Curiously, he becomes friends with Nagatoro and all of her friends, even though they exist to humiliate him too. They appear in random places to come and tease him. They have nothing better to do with their lives, apparently. Every female character in this is a fanservice vehicle. Their surface-level personality traits range from ‘kind of rude’ to ‘complete asshole’. Naoto even got invited on a trip to the beach with them—seemingly so they could step on him while in swimsuits. It’s not like they were pandering towards humiliation fetishes! For humor, you know?
As for art and sound, it is decent but unremarkable. The environments are static; the comedic facial expressions are mostly traced and gain almost nothing from being animated. The few times the art looks good, it is a close-up on Nagatoro copied directly from the manga. Due to the nature of the source material, it requires little to no animation. Thanks to that, the character designs look adequately drawn. These designs are slightly altered from the manga; however, they look fine. Although I find flesh-fangs disgusting, if you’re into that sort of thing, then Nagatoro’s design won’t bother you. Her voice performance more than made up for it. Though many viewers will write off Nagatoro as an annoyance machine (understandably), it is worth praising Sumire Uesaka’s stellar realization of the deranged girl; every inflection and mannerism associated with the titular psycho comes to life believably. The opening and ending tracks are good, with the latter performed by Uesaka. All I can praise about the sound design is the original soundtrack’s editing, especially between flashbacks and the present day. It is most successful during dramatic scenes.
This is not an anime aimed at the average S&M enjoyer. Instead, it is targeted at teenage male viewers interested in dabbling in taboo fetishes without fully delving into smut. Unsurprisingly, cleavage and thigh shots are ever-present to appease the hormonal adolescent audience. Nagatoro and Naoto’s non-consensual relationship is framed as titillation for the viewer; it bears more similarities to a virgin porn addict’s view of S&M. Instead of writing an accurate and informative portrayal of S&M power dynamics, this is a pseudo hentai plot. Mangaka 774 could write a halfway decent romantic comedy, he certainly has the fanbase who’d devour it, but this isn’t it. Had Nagatoro-san been explicit hentai, as the mangaka’s other works, I would review it as such. Nonetheless, this is a TV anime, and you have to admit, hentai writing is kind of garbage.
zoronik
This is probably the worst anime... no.... show I have ever seen with my two very eyes. The plot, characters, just everything is dreadful. PLOT: 1/10 I still cannot comprehend why this is considered to be rom-com when it has nothing to do with either one. Sure maybe there was some comedic moments but for the most part it left me dying of cringe to the point of wanting to hang myself. The whole entire concept of this upperclassmen being dominated by an underclassmen left me to tears because of how horrific it was. It felt like a rinse and repeat with each episode feelingthe exact same with no REAL romantic tension between the two main characters. Its almost like the show was constructed for down bad discord mods who love to feel inferior and be dehumanised by girls. I am not sorry to say this but if you genuinely like this show or give it a rating above a 5.... you are the most down bad mf I've ever seen.
CHARACTERS: 1/10
Nothing much to say here. Definitely one of the worst casts ever. All the characters felt bland and just plain out annoying. The two main characters had little to no development and were just static throughout the 12 atrocious episodes.
ENJOYMENT: 0/10
If I had the choice I would give enjoyment a 0/10. From the very start I was puzzled on how this anime would be executed and oh boy it was greatly disappointing especially all the hype it was getting prior to its release. As said earlier each episode felt repetitive and very predictable with the same premise of senpai being bullied by nagatoro and I get it. She did it cause she liked him. But I don't give two fucks. This "romance" was still executed very poorly. I can proudly say this is the worst anime I have ever seen.... I'll have to go get my eyes checked to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding from watching this "anime."
OVERALL: 1/10
I would rather watch paint dry.
NorthmostIsle
This show is a good fun time. It's got fun wacky characters that do fun wacky things and have a fun wacky time. The humor is enough to give me a chuckle here and there and it's occasionally wholesome nature gives you that nice warm feeling that every slice of life should. Just dont think about it too hard. Just sit back and have fun. Enjoy the tsundere doing tsundere things. Don’t think about the bullying, and the sadism, and the fact that senpai probably gets off on it. Don't think about that because the more you do, the more disturbing it becomes. In factyou may eventually find yourself not having fun.
Instead, you may find yourself spiraling into an empty desolate void as you become consumed by despair as the true deranged terror of the human mind presents itself. You may find yourself asking “What kind of unspeakable horrors must happen to a person for them to construct such a monument to mankind's corruption?” or “What kind of loving god would allow something like this to exist?”. Then as these thoughts consume you, you come to the shocking realization that the void is staring back at you. It has been this whole time. You look on helplessly as it claws at your heart, forcing you to confront your own twisted hedonistic depravity. As much as you try to deny it, to turn from it, to run, you can't escape as that little part of your soul screams out “Yes I like it GIVE ME MORE!”. You feel nauseated as you drown in the shame and disgust. Why? Because you're watching it. You're watching the whole thing. You created this icon of sin. There is no god. You have been abandoned by him.
So don’t do that!
Just turn your brain off and enjoy. Look, Nagatoro just did the octopus arm thingy!!
See?
Fun.
BlackBusterMAL
English. This, more than a series of student romance, seems to be a series of bullying which is normalized throughout it, not only what we see on the screen is very humiliating and uncomfortable to watch, but also the story itself it helps her a lot. Many will debate that the girl actually does it to make the guy see her more, but even so, what she does goes way beyond the threshold of being romantic and becomes constant harassment, not only does it show the guy no vulnerable moments but it also he spends the entire series beating and humiliating him incessantly. Now also how the boysupports it is unreal, they argue that it is because he is used to bullying since he was a child but from my opinion it is not a fairly solid argument for him to put up with so much, many times he only does it because he is a girl and it comes to him like it because I really can't find another reason for me to put up with her so much throughout the entire series.
In conclusion, don't watch it, it's not worth seeing constant harassment of a poor boy with little sparks or crumbs of love.
Español.
Esto más que una serie de romance estudiantil parece que es una serie de acoso escolar el cual es normalizado a lo largo de toda está, no solo lo que vemos en pantalla es muy humillante e incómodo de ver sino que también la historia de por si no le ayuda mucho a está.
Muchos debatirán que en realidad lo hace la chica para hacer que el chico la viera más pero aún así lo que hace pasa muchísimo el umbral de ser algo romántico y pasa a ser un acoso constante, no solo no muestra momentos vulnerables al chico sino que también se la pasa toda la serie pegándole y humillándolo sin cesar.
Ahora también el como la soporta el chico es irreal, nos argumentan que es porque está acostumbrado al acoso desde niño pero no es un argumento desde mi parecer bastante sólido para que soporte tanto, muchas veces solo lo hace porque es una chica y le llega a gustar porque en verdad no encuentro otra razón para que la soporte tanto durante toda la serie.
En conclusión no la vean, no vale nada la pena ver un acoso constante a un pobre chico con pequeñas chispas o migajas de amor.
LordSozin
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro or Nagatoro for short, is the latest installment in a pack of narcissistic girls “teasing” an anti-social, awkward degenerate boy. The whole premise and the comedy revolve around Hayase, the main girl, “jokingly” bullying her upperclassman: Naoto. Hayase is teasing Naoto because that’s the only method for her to show affection to him. Now, this type of comedy-romance isn’t anything new. When done right, it can be wholesome, cute, and enjoyable. The prime example that I can immediately think of is Teasing Master Takagi-san that aired a few years back. But Nagatoro isn’t wholesome, cute, or enjoyable. Contrary toTakagi-san, Nagatoro is the most predictable, boring, and quite frankly, one of the offensive shows to be aired.
I don’t find any appealing elements in how Hayase “teases” Naoto, and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Naoto is okay with Hayase’s twisted ways of showing her affection. What Hayase does to get Naoto’s attention is to go to extreme lengths and force Naoto to do questionable things. Such as Hayase forcing Naoto to touch her body parts, and if it doesn't meet her satisfaction, Hayase physically abuses Naoto. The result is that the show shrugs it off and plays it as comedy. Except, it’s not funny in the slightest.
Being stuck in this toxic relationship, any normal person would want to confront and address it. But not this pathetic Naoto. He never once stopped and contemplated that this relationship is quite abusive, to say the least. He goes along with it and willingly plays into Hayase's palm as if he enjoys it. And I think that’s the key: people watch this show to insert themselves, which I can’t grasp upon. No matter how much I watch and rewatch Nagatoro, the appeal isn’t there for me. All I see is a generic anime with no plot and progression, no appealing romance between the two main leads, and no likable characters. When a show exists to offer nothing but cliches, badly written narrative, characters, and themes, I consider that particular show to be a cash cow. And Nagatoro is precisely that.
If there are any genuine moments I can find is the one honest conversation between the two. The rest is just filled with Hayase and Naoto occasionally blushing. Because there are no other appealing elements, the genuine moments don’t lead anywhere. Hayase and Naoto’s relationship stays the same, with neither of them progressing the static state of their relationship.
For me, Nagatoro can be looked at from two perspectives: One, it’s saying that this bullying, abusing, and exploiting relationship is not okay and that the people who are watching this will hopefully come to an understanding of it. Or two, the show is actively promoting this type of relationship, and people who don’t realize it are the ones who have never had any social interactions with the opposite sex--which is why they are okay with this type of show. I honestly hope it’s the latter.
The main leads were already appalling to watch. Both Hayase and Naoto are the stereotypical cutouts for this type of show. They both have no other exciting aspects to their characterization. As the show progressed, it became increasingly clear that their status would stay the same with no progression. It’s the laziest and unappealing writing since it never goes beyond its cliches and tropes. Since the show has no thematic value to offer, the characters are worth even less than it already is.
As for the side characters, they are just one-dimensional bullies that are used for gags.
It’s quite apparent from the first time watching Nagatoro that the artist behind its source material is a hentai artist since the characters are drawn with hentai features: The eyes, face, and overall body structure. Every female character in this show is drawn with exaggerated body parts and personality that’s honestly sickening to watch from episode to episode. And every other male beside Naoto is drawn with shaded eyes and perverted nature. That’s all they are.
Don’t Toy with Me Nagatoro is neither cute nor amusing. The show failed as a meaningful romantic show. The show has undoubtedly failed as a comedy. And to its absolute, the show is pointless. Usually, when I encounter a pointless show like this, I turn off my brain and often find enjoyment. But I couldn’t even do that. In my eyes, Don’t Toy with Me Nagatoro deserves no praise and recognition.
Score: 3/10
bulkyhog
OMG! THIS SHOW PROMOTING BULLYING. I CANNOT EXCUSE THE PORTRAYAL OF THIS ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP IN AN ARTISTIC MEDIUM SUCH AS ANIME. IS THIS ANOTHER KOIKIMO? These are the vibes you’d expect from a negative review of this series, which so many people have come to “love.” Well, I’m here to say I couldn’t give a rats ass about the “bullying” in this show. When Nagatoro was first announced, I thought it’d be some nasty shit and the first episode proved my point: I was ready to go SJW keyboard warrior mode on this show like many others did for Koikimo (deserved btw, that show is ass). Yet,I found that the bullying and teasing wasn’t as atrocious as I thought it’d be, nor as bad as many manga readers were making it out to be.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop me from realising that Nagatoro, at the end of the day, is just another “generic” romcom, but severely lacking in the comedy department. And by generic, I mean following the same formula because it’s the easiest and go-to, not because it works for the story’s setting and characters. Sadly, this is the case for almost every single romcom out there these days (excluding Kaguya) so judging a show like Nagatoro extremely harshly over something everyone else does is a bit extreme imo.
As with any romcom “story,” there is none. There is no progression for 80% of the series. A good way to judge any series’ quality when it comes to story is to look back when it’s done and see how many memorable moments you can recall.
Well then kiddos, let’s show and tell our favorite scenes from Nagatoro! Uhhhh… the fireworks and festival episode? A little bit of the beach episode…. and the part where senpai confronted the mobs? So that’s what, 3-5 memorable moments? Nice! Out of… 12 episodes with almost 20 minutes of content each? Ehm, maybe not so nice.
While most romcoms are like this, at least they have vibrant characters or comedy to make the lack of a story feel more digestible. While the character dynamics were at times interesting, for the most part, it was the same rinse-was-repeat formula of teasing, misunderstandings, moving onto the next arc. There’s really only 2 actual characters in the entire show, and somehow, we get next to no development whatsoever. Senpai/Paisen remains the same until the final few episodes, and Nagatoro is basically the same from start to finish. The show doesn’t make any effort whatsoever at proactively developing its characters, hoping you can take the excuse of “they’re awkward highschool students” for no reason. I’m sorry but people more immensely more awkward and introverted than me found girlfriends/boyfriends before I did in highschool, so I don’t get why this excuse is tolerated by so many people.
On the bright side, I did enjoy the audiovisuals. Sound mixing, OP, and VA were all quite good for the series, and yes, while there were strong "hentai" vibes in certain scenes, the art and animation was quite good overall and befitting of the series.
At the end of the day, did I enjoy watching Nagatoro? Not really. I spaced out in a lot of the episodes because the lack of content/engagement was just that bad. Watching the first 6 episodes is a pain and right when you think there’s some development, and senpai will start acting differently, he takes 100 steps back so he’s really only progressed like 5 steps from the start of the series. I also don’t get why we don’t see any changes in Nagatoro’s character; about as stale as the bread my mom makes (jk ily mum).
Will you enjoy Nagatoro? I can’t say. It’s an attempt at copying the traditional romcom formula, but maxed the stats out for “lack of development” and “absence of enjoyment.” If you watch the first 4 episodes and don’t like it (not for the bullying), then I don’t think you’ll enjoy the series. That being said, I can see why your generic romcom enthusiast will enjoy a series such as this: it’s pretty much the same as everything else out there.
asteroidsmoke
[Content warnings for Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro: Partial nudity (not to mention underage), and general all around pervy-ness] Overall: 2/10 This anime probably gets the superlative of my least favorite show as of right now. There's just nothing I liked about it at all. And yeah, I know I would get a lot of hate for this review. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me but, this anime is just what seems like complete fanservice, twelve episodes of nothing, and the sexualization of minors. The overexaggerated "tsundere" character is the most annoying cliche in anime, and Nagatoro was just executed especially poorly. Story:1/10
The story line is just awful. There's simply none at all. None of the episodes really seemed like they connected with each other with any importance at all, and the setting rarely left the school's art room, making it feel extremely stuck. And the only real story this show has going on is in the last three episodes, where the MC, Naoto, wants to win a competition between himself and the art club president. In the last three episodes.... The only thing the show focuses on for the rest of the time is the ridiculously embarrassing relationship between Naoto and Nagatoro. There's absolutely nothing cute or appealing about their relationship. Nagatoro bullies her upperclassman for fun, just to get a reaction out of him, while he is right on the line of enjoying it and being annoyed. Their relationship barely even grows as the show progresses. The only thing different is that sometimes Nagatoro isn't as ruthless and they get jealous of each other.
Art: 7/10
The art is basic. There's nothing really special about it. I didn't really like the style of their eyes (I thought it was a bit creepy), or the hair. Everything else was fine, I guess. Nothing stood out other than that.
Sound: 6/10
I do actually like the opening to this show a little bit, but I did end up skipping it more times than not. I also just could not get over the amount of sound effects throughout the show in the fanservice scenes. Also, I know she's a very good voice actor and I'm just biased, but Nagatoro's VA annoyed me quite a bit whenever she would just scream. It was hard to listen to.
Character: 1/10
I genuinely don't think I've ever equally despised an entire cast of characters more than the cast of Nagatoro-san. Every single character annoyed me to the core. The MC, Naoto, is just a stereotypical awkward pervert who enjoys being degraded by this little girl, while Nagatoro, his bully, is an annoying tsundere who literally never listened to him when he told her to stop doing something. Even if he was secretly okay with it, the fact that Nagatoro never stopped when he said no sorta just rubbed me the wrong way. The way she just seems to get pleasure from his pain is so strange and creepy.
Enjoyment: 1/10
I don't think I would enjoy this anime in a million years. It seems to have been made specifically for lolicon men who enjoy being degraded and can place themselves in Naoto's shoes, wishing that were them. Of course, I'm sure people outside of this demographic have somehow enjoyed this anime, but I'm certainly not one of them. Usually with short animes like this, I find myself finishing the anime in what feels like a few minutes, but with Nagatoro-san, it felt like I was checking the clock every few seconds, anticipating the end of each episode before it barely began. This show also sexualizes minors like crazy, which is just completely gross. Nagatoro (a 15 or 16 year old girl) is depicted fully naked a handful of times, and shown in sexualized situations or poses even more. Don't even get me started with her friends and the art club president. This show tries to pass off the art club president's portraits as a passion and love for her work, but it just feels like they're implying that she can only advance if she pictures herself in the nude, just for the attention of her male peers. Last thing I want to talk about: the amount of virgin and sex jokes there are in this show. Really? It's possible to be funny without making fun of the MC for being a virgin all the time, you know. And none of them were even funny anyways, in my opinion. But yeah, this anime is just really, really, REALLY not my cup of tea. Maybe you'll enjoy it, though, who knows.
WestHeather
If you stopped watching after the first episode, you're weak. At first glance, a simpleton might believe that the entirety of the show is about Nagatoro messing with Naoto. And this is true, for maybe two episodes. But what it's really about (besides the obvious, a slow burn romance...) is about the two of them pushing each other to becoming better versions of themselves. I'm not kidding. Season 2 does this much better than Season 1, as more of the groundwork of the relationship is laid. The show is lighthearted, and you'll either be into the teasing premise or you won't. If you're into it,you'll end up watching a well paced romance play out where a surprisingly healthy relationship develops (more on this in my S2 review). If you weren't into it, as I said initially... you're weak.
Banquish
People might claim there's some hidden nuance under this show; they might say to "just wait until episode X". They are wrong. This is humiliation fetish anime. An insecure highschool girl bullies an introvert to tears. She isn't "cutely" bratty, she's relentlessly annoying. She isn't doing the male protag any favors or offering wise, complicated lessons. I understand the message; I understand the characters have two layers: what we see, and what they actually feel. I think the show is about average, and the others' high praise is because of (1) good animations, and for some reason (2) people love bratty highschool women. The male protagonistis made to be as insufferable as possible. Every episodes' plot is him getting bullied by multiple women. There is next to no character development except for Naoto squeaking out some mild confidence, and Nagatoro sweat-blushing.
I cannot stress enough this is just Humiliation Fetish: the show. If you want to be humiliated and your internet is locked down by parental controls, then go ahead and knock yourself out.
Rytality
To be honest, after careful deliberation I have concluded that you either have to be 12 or a pedophile to like this show. I'll start off with the positives I suppose, then move on to the negatives: Positives - The animation isn't bad. This IS an anime after all, so I have to give it that much. Also, the male MC had some potential as a character and some slight character growth in the series. Slight. Negatives - Nagatoro literally looks like a middle schooler. This show was often extremely uncomfortable to watch, and the fact that this was trending as popular on Crunchyroll amazes mebecause it is literally degenerate clickbait. For those who like fanservice, that's your prerogative. In fact, there was a time I admittedly used to be like you! But I saw the light and I just can't condone this show. Not because I'm not a fan of the ecchii shows anymore, but because this is crossing a line. Also the storyline feels like filler to justify the gimick of the show thats just more one-sided bullying and torment from Nagatoro.
For those defending Nagatoro's bullying as her "love language", then she's either emotionally abusive, or the author has a humiliation fetish.
The only thing that really kept me engaged with this show is because the male MC literally looks like the anime version of someone I know, and it was funny to see. Also, I was curious to see if he would actually gain some character development and stop being such a timid guy. I have to give this a 1, again fanservice is one thing but Nagatoro looks 12.
ekimrellik1
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is one of the best slice of life, ecchi, romantic comedies available in anime right now. Story: The story is similar to many other ecchi romantic comedies with it's comedy skits and school setting. It starts off with Nagatoro teasing Hachiouji so much it seems like bullying but once you get through the initial episode, it becomes obvious that she likes him. There isn't much to the story yet, with it being one comedy skit after another with no overarching plot. The show did add a mini arc to develop the relationship between Nagatoro and Hachiouji at the end of season 1 and itseems that the overarching plot throughout the series will be their relationship. I hope it will add more depth in future seasons to develop the characters.
Art: The art and animation are well done for an ecchi rom com. The anime showcases the art of the manga exceptionally well.
Sound: The openings and endings are fun and fit the tone of the series. The voice of Nagatoro is done extremely well but may be slightly annoying for some because she plays her role so well. I look forward to how she'll sound in the English dub. The OST wasn't very noticeable.
Characters: Nagatoro is a mischievous girl who continuously teases Hachiouji non-stop. She gets littles bits of development while being very funny. I like how she obviously admires him and wants to build his confidence but she also can't help herself with the teasing. Hachiouji is an unconfident protagonist that lets Nagatoro get away with whatever she wants, he is annoyed by her but likes the attention. The only other characters are Nagatoro's friends, who will hopefully get more development. I look forward to seeing Nagatoro's and Hachiouji's relationship develop in future seasons.
Enjoyment: If you can have a good time watching a cute girl tease someone who is extremely introverted and shy, then this could be the series for you. I enjoyed most of the comedy with it only missing the mark a couple times. I personally have this series as one of the funniest anime rom com's I've ever seen and look forward to future seasons.
Overall: This is one of the funniest anime rom com's I've seen. The series is great for what it is but it would be nice if it tried to be more than a comedy. I have high hopes for the second season to develop the characters and add more romance.
KANLen09
First, there was Souichirou Yamamoto's "Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san", that seems cutesy for same grade middle school teasing right? The young youth days of full-on rom-com that's as pleasing as it comes, even if the stories are daily slice-of-life centrc. Second, there was Take's "Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!", the college version of Takagi-san with a "Sugoi Dekai" Kouhai and her loner Paisen. Well wait no more, just 6 months after Uzaki-chan's anime, we complete the Holy Trinity of the "girl-teases-boy" formula with Hentai artist 774 a.k.a Nanashi's "Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san", which I've explicitly mentioned in my Uzaki-chan review as being the most extreme form of the teasingformula done through bullying, and tanned girls like Nagatoro I stan, except the bullying part of course.
I said it before, and I'll say it again: ever since Takagi-san, this small gesture of teasing between girls and the boys they like but inadvertently dismiss if they get too shy, is nothing new, this is a fact that you should be able to recognize of similar traits in AniManga. However, in the case of "Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san", it's a show clearly made for the degenerates who wanna fantasize and be abused by the S&M features of girls like Hayase Nagatoro, that caters to the niche and then some. And I'm not gonna lie that as satisfying as the rom-com got overtime, the bullying part is still the low point of the series at its initial run, because mangaka Nanashi has made his point very clear that: in order to tease the Senpai-Paisen (that is the MC Naoto Hachiouji), bullying (in FICTION terms) is the "best" way to spur his character development from the tanned Kouhai in question that is Nagatoro herself. As controversial as it sounds for a tanned girl to go full-on Yandere with her masochist personality, you have to get through those red flags to see that Nagatoro isn't so bad of a character after all. To that I say, SILENCE you keyboard warriors who don't give two flying Fs about what Nanashi does best, he is THE based Hentai God Almighty. MONKE!
From the start, dare I say that you should feel bad for the obscenely weak virgin MC Naoto, because other than his desire to draw and create art that he hides from classmates, it does not take long for the Gyaru clique that is Nagatoro herself, along with Maki Gamo, Yoshi and Sakura, awaiting to score him out with Nagatoro taking first blood. The happy litergy of girls going around and being flirtatious from the guys to score either one of them. Well, not for Nagatoro, because Naoto is her one and only target to toy with of her crazy antics that doesn't seem to end, at least not initially. For one, she is able to score with Naoto over the many small things he does in the romantic sense...just through bullying of course. Overtime this bullying grows to become an affection from the Kouhai to the Paisen, other than getting their faces more beet-red and flushed with embarrassment with activites both in and out of school, I'd say that it slowly rears towards the Uzaki-chan formula that is more or less the same with the passing of time. Love can conquer even the most extreme cases of romantic conflicts and afflictions.
Alas, both Nagatoro and Naoto aren't in this lovey-dovey character development improvement journey together. As mentioned, the Gyaru clique of Gamo-chan, Yoshi and Sakura all play the integral part of being unscrupulous winggirls, these "Happy Three (Teasing) Friends" are the same as Nagatoro in the teasing spirit, but also knows when to get serious and defend for themselves. Of course, when Naoto is in the picture, he will be very pissed off with the girls, especially when the teasing goes into the line-blurring romantic side of things, which Nagatoro immediately shuts them down to defend her only toy of interest. It's inhumane "fun" in the bullying side of things, but it's great to also have friends account for each other to have quality time, even if it meant disturbing the spineless Naoto, even in the Art Club (which many of it initially was spent together in private with Nagatoro).
Of course, for such a character like Nagatoro, you had to find a Seiyuu who can do that job to the succinct, and it's none other than Sumire Uesaka. Her voice lends into Nagatoro's role very appropriately (aside from her many egreiously insane character roles which are a fricken Bible Black list), and of course, the new generation of prolific male Seiyuus: Daiki Yamashita, voicing the ever classic MHA's Izuku and OreSuki's Joro, and once again, proving himself to Naoto's flimsy character. Working in tandem for these two VAs are the icing on the cake for this show. Even down to the OST, which I've always known that Sumire Uesaka is an incredible singer, and her OP directly mirrors that of her character. The standard-ish character ED, I got nothing to say, just sounds pleasant when compared to the beginning of each episode.
Otherwise, this adaptation is straight poggers. From the main chapters to even the side, omake and extra chapters, the production team at Telecom Animation Film doesn't miss a beat for this one. I wasn't looking forward to the adaptation from the get-go based on the studio's small track record and OK-ish production values, but overtime I got enamored with the great adaptation, so much so that I can appreciate the simple artwork and visuals for what it is with the somewhat limited animation (and God I still love Nagatoro's flimsy iconic noodle arms, which are nice to finally see in animated form). Overall, a really good effort, bar none.
It's awkward, it's stoic, and at times, kinda mediocre with its growing payoffs of the stereotypical charm of the couple-like romance progression. But make no mistake, while there can be a bad start to everything, but progression is the payoff if you're looking to not be a keyboard warrior and enjoy this for all I care. The bullying may be the tip of the iceberg, but deep down there's some romance contraptions to be had of the wholesome kind.
And it's not everyone's cup of tea, so shut it if you're not planning to watch this and just go around flaming unnecessary fire. For everyone else, get through the bullying parts first to see what this show has in store, and I guarantee that it will not miss the heartbeats of love.
ReallyPatrice
A confession: I feel a great need to wear surgical gloves as I type out this review, for fear of the shame trembling out from my fingertips and leaving a residue on my keyboard. Indeed, I've used this keyboard to lambaste a great variety of anime, and regardless of the words I've chosen, I have always taken to these reviews with a measure of pride. However after finishing Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, I looked down at these keys, lovingly decorated with the vinyl Harry Potter stickers I bought on Etsy last year, and felt tangible embarrassment for the first time. For a moment, I couldn't believe that it'sactually my job to watch and write about crap like this. I publicly set the show to 'dropped' because I didn't want my co-workers to see me watching it. Maybe I need a break. Or maybe the industry as a whole needs one, because I weep at the thought of the collective time it's wasted with series such as this.
Summary:
Let me skip right to the apotheosis of this review: This show is cheap smut in everything but name. While there are a handful of self-deluding holdouts who pretend Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san has comedic value or narrative worth, the overwhelming majority of people who watch this show do so because they like the idea of being emasculated by an imperious woman. I've admittedly shared a similar fantasy since finishing Living History (2003), but that was an incidental, natural reaction to a stellar book. Nagatoro is, conversely, a shameless treadmill of fantasy-enabling gestures with no goalpost or meaning. From start to finish, the intended way to enjoy this show is to project yourself onto the frail, insecure, and utterly doomed male protagonist as he is incessantly tortured by a salacious girl. It subsists entirely upon that preexisting interest, and never once dares to venture beyond it.
Simply put, it is a 12 episode-long lobotomy and it would be a waste of time to write about any particular scene because they all consist of the same premise: Nagatoro teases “senpai”, and a mistake or a misunderstanding results in the teasing being slightly more lewd than she intended. Roll credits. That's it, genuinely. There is no further context to be extracted from this shameless carnival of a series. I've covered it all.
For all intents and purposes, that's my review. There is, however, a pressing matter that deserves additional study. I am of course referring to the blistering controversy surrounding the show's localization: If get one more email about Nagatoro saying "sus" I'm going to drive my tesla straight into the fucking sea and scream the whole way to the ocean floor.
For the love of god, leave me alone. I know already. I had to watch for three days and nights as you animals argued about whether or not that specific localization choice counts as a war crime. I nearly ripped my eyelids off when my former friend Esposito drunkenly called me to ramble about “ethics in anime localization” because he was so pissed off about it. Let me clue you all in on a really scary fact: You have every reason to be worried about localization, because Moscow has been influencing it for years. I have seen some extremely malignant and untrue lines about the United States in anime subtitles, such as “It's an illegitimate settler state” and “their infrastructure sucks gorilla balls” (slightly paraphrasing). To spread their propaganda, hostile agencies target huge media platforms with undiscerning audiences, and anime is #1 in that category, closely followed by Marvel “movies”.
But the thing that finally spurs you all to action is a character in this dumpster-fire of a show saying "Sus"? I don't know who or what is responsible for that one insignificant line, but I can promise you that it is, cosmically, the least significant issue you could ever have with subtitles. You need to be worried about the real problems, like unknowingly reading anime subs funded and influenced by notorious Russian mob-boss Semion Mogilevich. Ever wonder why you started humoring dangerous, economy-destroying ideas like nationalizing the hospitality industry after watching Little Witch Academia? You are not immune to propaganda. Direct your vigilance to a rational place.
Conclusion:
Despite all my issues with Nagatoro, I can still recommend the show to the emotionally immature young men who comprise its target audience, although I'm not sure how they'd ever get around to it with so many Marvel movies and first person shooter games keeping them busy. As for me, I'm going to wash my hands of the show, because it's bloody dreadful. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san gets a fat and definitive 3/10 from me.
Please don't watch it.
