Review of Teasing Master Takagi-san

If I were to best describe the Karakai jōzu no Takagi-san, it is like a serving of an extra-large triple-sundae strawberry ice-cream. With its warm animation, cute chemistry between the two lead characters and wonderful voice-acting, the show has the capacity to hook the viewer with its sweetness. And like strawberry ice-cream, the series is sweet and oh-so-delicious. However, by the time a viewer has seen 3-4 episodes in a row – that same sweetness is like the third scoop of the strawberry ice-cream. It begins to overwhelm the taste buds, makes you more likely to get diabetes and the viewer either ends up disgustedwith the sweetness or ends up chucking the last ice-cream scoop in the trash-can. The show suffers from the same problem – if you end up binge-watching this show, the formula becomes easy to predict and it ends up becoming repetitive.

This is because Karakai jōzu no Takagi-san is ridiculously simple – Takagi and Nishikata are 12 year olds who are in love with each other. However, while Takagi is upfront about her feelings, Nishikata is not. The entire show is how Takagi spins circles around Nishikata, teasing him, enjoying him see blush and in the process make him realize how he feels about her. That’s it. That’s the entire show. There are no major dramatic flash-points, no unnecessary love-triangles, not even a major confession between the two lovebirds. It’s just sweet – and one-dimensionally so.

Now, in the defense of both strawberry ice-cream and the show – I will have to argue that the limitation lies not with the product but how the product is consumed. Admittedly, the day I viewed four episodes back-to-back, the final episode began to feel annoying. All I wanted was to Nishikata was to be honest with himself and admit that he liked Takagi, especially when she had been dropping hints about she felt all through the series. But when I paced myself and limited myself to a single episode a day, the enjoyment factor increased considerably.

What makes it enjoyable is the chemistry our lead characters have with each other. Nishikata is hilariously inept but an innocent-lad while Takagi is clever, charming but never manipulative. Where the show shines is slowly developing the chemistry between the two main characters. Takagi is relentless in her teasing but knows to never cross the line. After all, the teasing is simply a cover so that she can spend time with him. At the same time, she helps him out with his Math exam, his summer vacation homework and his tandem-bicycling skills. In return, she gets to hug him while sitting on the back of his bicycle. It’s a win-win for our characters and a win-win for the viewers to see their wholesome interactions. My only advice would be to remember that this show is like a palate-cleanser that is meant to be consumed after a long hard day at work. Like a palate cleanser, it is designed to leave you with a sweet aftertaste. And remember, one doesn’t binge on the palate-cleanser!