Review of Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro

Love is a fascinating phenomenon - Despite being the most commonly known human emotion, many of the ways how love can manifest may not make sense to both "the sender" and "the recipient". In other words, love can cause the lovelorn to adopt erratic behavior towards the person in question subconsciously. I am fairly certain that most of you have heard something similar to this at least once before, and this sentence is perfectly suitable for explaining what Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san is about. The anime goes through the daily life of Naoto (often referred as Senpai) and Nagatoro, and even though their relationship at first isdefinitely more awkward than anything, their bonds keep getting stronger the more time they spend with each other - through teasing, of course.

Let's start with the good stuff. I can boldly claim that this is definitely one of the better romcom releases that have been airing recently. The anime offers a good, consistent pacing where with basically every episode you get to see some kind of development happening between the two. Whether that is caused by them interacting with one another or through interference created by the other characters, there's always an obvious bond developing between them, showing that they care for each other. The show did a really great job in conveying that their relationship has "ranked up" every time such an event happens and giving the most satisfying conclusion.

Talking about characters, I think the additional cast introduced in the anime was great. The characters mostly had the purpose of getting in the way of Naoto and Nagatoro's relationship, which they delivered well with the added sense of rivalry as well as forcing the two to be honest with themselves. Despite that being the case, each character still felt unique and relevant and offered a strong sense of diversity. What better fun is there than to have not one but multiple girls playing with Naoto's mind?

Although some may disagree with adding sexual incentives to shows in general, I personally like these as they add an unique comedic flair to everything while taking the enjoyment to another level. With "Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san", the impact on these scenes is fantastic and is often used as a clever tool to push sudden plot advances while cracking up a good laugh. Due to this the show may be a hit or miss for you, depending on whether you feel awkward with it or not. As for me though, I haven't laughed so much in a while and it's really a shame there wasn't more of this.

And now, the cons. If I have to point out one problem that I had with the show, it is the fact that they still managed to stuff in some filler in a 12-episode anime, which is really a letdown when you're just looking for some story development. Luckily, these in the end are quite far and few, so most of the time you'll be having a good time. They didn't bother me all that much since I was enjoying the anime all the way, but you do inevitable notice these things. This was mostly the reason why I refrained to give this show a 10, and I don't give one lightly.

Overall, I think that "Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san" is definitely a must-watch for those who have a soft spot for romcoms and don't mind sitting through some more intimate moments. Combined with a well-structured pacing, diverse character roster and a load of laughter, it is arguably one of the masterpieces of the season. If there is going to be a second season to this, I'll definitely be watching it and looking forward to where Naoto and Nagatoro's relationship will lead us next.