Review of Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro
TL;DR: A romcom with more sadism than usual. Story - 7/10 Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san (2021) tells the story of Senpai (AKA Paisen) and his kouhai, who is very sadistic and loves to torture and tease him in many ways. Nagatoro, the kouhai, is your classic gyaru girl that just wants to have fun and the story focuses on these two dynamics. The fun thing is that they are completely opposite one to the other, at the same time you have a very introverted Senpai, you also have a very extroverted Nagatoro. It’s quite fun. It’s also worth mentioning that the anime has quite a lot of ecchi, so keepthat in mind as you watch.
Animation - 6/10
The animation gives us what it proposes to. It ain’t the most beautiful thing you’ll watch, but it is honest. The movement is well animated, the visual effects are well explored and the characters’ expressions are cool.
Sound - 6/10
The soundtrack is cool, but nothing special. The opening really gives you the essence of the anime and Nagatoro’s personality (even if you’ve only watched the intro). And the ending is quite forgettable, like the classic chill song at romcom endings.
Characters - 7/10
The characters are also quite simple. Nagatoro’s friends are a group of gyarus who like to play arround with nerd and mess with them, the council president is a imposing and challenging to Nagatoro. Senpai is the typical introverted nerd protagonist, meanwhile Nagotoro is his counterpart. Without a doubt Nagatoro really shines in the cast, as of being the most vivid and fun character in the story (probably a reason to why she is so popular online). Nagatoro is cute, even though she tries to show herself as someone strong and self sufficient, she’s also just a normal girl who wants to have fun and be with people she enjoys the company.
Enjoyment - 6/10
In general, the anime is cool, yes. It’s cool to see some innovation (Nagatoro’s sadism) in romcoms, since is quite a stale anime genre. If it weren’t for Nagatoro’s personality, it would be just a common romcom that you forget about when the season ends. Outside from the first episode, which made me VERY uncomfortable, the anime keeps up a good pace.
Also, the ecchi is completely unnecessary. I get that the mangaka’s career could lead to something with such a theme, but still, I think it would be a better anime without so much sexualization.