Review of Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro

Recommendation: If you're an existing fan of the series, you'll probably enjoy the adaptation. If you're skeptical or aren't familiar with Nagatoro, I was in the same boat as you and I thought it was surprisingly great. One of the really pleasant surprises of Spring 2021 for me. Definitely give it a watch if you like romantic comedies. Story: Our nameless Senpai gets bullied by a younger girl that has a crush on him. That's really all there is to it. Eventually some of Nagatoro's friends join the picture too, but it retains this basic setup from start to finish.The plot isn't very complex, but the romance aspect between Senpai and Nagatoro is well-paced and delivers convincing progression in their relationship without having the two actually get together, because the moment Nagatoro admits that she likes him, the entire gimmick of the series would be over.

Regarding the bullying part of the story, despite what you may have heard, it's really quite tame. Bullying victims may understandably have a negative reaction to any amount of it, but in truth Nagatoro is very careful to not go too far with it. She never humiliates Senpai in front of others and gets upset and defensive when other people pick on him. There are also a handful of times where she gets hit on by other guys and she's far more vicious and cutting with her remarks to them than she ever is to Senpai, demonstrating just how playful her bullying with him is by comparison. Additionally, as the series and their relationship progresses, her bullying becomes more obviously performative and basically indistinguishable from normal flirting. Whether you find the gimmick cute or alluring or whatever is going to be a matter of personal taste, but I can confidently say that it's not at all toxic or abusive as a portrayal of a relationship.

Audio/Visual: The art looks excellent apart from a small number of character designs that are on the mediocre side. Nagatoro's signature smug faces and noodle arms are all here in full color, the animation is strong without being flashy, and everything just looks very pretty overall, with a nice use of colors especially. The voice acting is also solid, with their respective VAs nailing Senpai's nervous cadence and Nagatoro's high school mean girl drawl to perfection. The pop-punk OP is fun and gets you excited for the show as well.

Characters: This can be a bit up and down, but I would say more good than bad for sure. I actually hated Senpai at first, he was a pathetic crybaby mess that was impossible to root for, but he improves noticeably as the series goes on and generally becomes more assertive and respectable while staying true to his essential nature as a wuss. He even starts teasing Nagatoro back a bit later on. The titular Nagatoro is great, and a surprisingly great example of showing and not telling in a romantic comedy. She never comes out and says why she likes Senpai, in fact she never says that she likes him at all. It's the use of excellent visual storytelling that shows how their relationship progresses, like facial expressions and visual cues at the right time. Without ever saying a word about it directly, the series uses mostly those visuals to clearly deliver the message that Nagatoro respects Senpai's talent and his commitment to his art, but also sees him as passive and lacking in confidence, and the bullying is to some extent her attempt at molding him into respectable boyfriend material. The side characters, mostly Nagatoro's friends, are hit or miss. Sometimes they're a funny group that adds extra silliness to whatever Nagatoro and Senpai are up to, but just as often they're an annoying third wheel that detracts from scenes that would be better with just the two of them. There really isn't a lot to say about them overall, they're basically just joke characters.

Overall, a fun romantic comedy. I had low expectations because the bullying gimmick doesn't really appeal to me personally, but I was pleasantly surprised at how funny and sweet it ended up being. If you normally like romcoms but don't care for the premise here, give it a shot anyway. I promise it'll be better than you think.