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A review by absentminded_reader
Teasing Master Takagi-San, Vol. 1 by Soichiro Yamamoto
5.0
My introduction to this series was the ★★★★★ anime (On Crunchyroll (S01) and Netflix (S02)). I was curious to discover how different the manga was.
The animators mostly copied the manga plots exactly, so there aren't any big changes there, though they jumbled the order of events a bit. What stands out is that difference in art style. The story came out seven years ago, so the character designs evolved. The kids were originally drawn a bit older, and they matched their supposed age—middle school (6-9th grade)—but I'm also holding volume 10 in my hands and can see that the characters are depicted as you see them in the anime. I have to admit that I find their depiction in the anime and later volumes to look too young for their age and predicaments. I far prefer the 2014 styles.
That being said, how does the manga hold up as a book? If you aren't familiar with the anime, you may be in for a treat. Nishikata is a middle school boy who sits next to Takagi in class. They also live near each other, so she walks home with him daily. Nishikata is clueless to love and has no idea why the sadistically cute Takagi latches onto him like a remora, flustering him and teasing him at every opportunity. Every teaser will know instantly that it is Nishikata's exaggerated faces that make teasing him so rewarding. However, this would be a mean book if not for one character flaw of Takagi's—her teasing gets in the way of her expressing her affection for Nishikata. Every tease pushes him further away, confusing him, and angering him. This interaction between the two romantically attracted kids makes for a delightful story.
Each chapter is short and is generally centered around Takagi teasing Nishikata, or Nishikata trying to get even, with other classmates thrown in to break the tension or provide a setup for the next conflict. It's a wonderful series. I highly recommend it for those interested in manga without the excesses of shoujo or Shonen stories.
★★★★★ for character development and pacing. Masterfully done.
The animators mostly copied the manga plots exactly, so there aren't any big changes there, though they jumbled the order of events a bit. What stands out is that difference in art style. The story came out seven years ago, so the character designs evolved. The kids were originally drawn a bit older, and they matched their supposed age—middle school (6-9th grade)—but I'm also holding volume 10 in my hands and can see that the characters are depicted as you see them in the anime. I have to admit that I find their depiction in the anime and later volumes to look too young for their age and predicaments. I far prefer the 2014 styles.
That being said, how does the manga hold up as a book? If you aren't familiar with the anime, you may be in for a treat. Nishikata is a middle school boy who sits next to Takagi in class. They also live near each other, so she walks home with him daily. Nishikata is clueless to love and has no idea why the sadistically cute Takagi latches onto him like a remora, flustering him and teasing him at every opportunity. Every teaser will know instantly that it is Nishikata's exaggerated faces that make teasing him so rewarding. However, this would be a mean book if not for one character flaw of Takagi's—her teasing gets in the way of her expressing her affection for Nishikata. Every tease pushes him further away, confusing him, and angering him. This interaction between the two romantically attracted kids makes for a delightful story.
Each chapter is short and is generally centered around Takagi teasing Nishikata, or Nishikata trying to get even, with other classmates thrown in to break the tension or provide a setup for the next conflict. It's a wonderful series. I highly recommend it for those interested in manga without the excesses of shoujo or Shonen stories.
★★★★★ for character development and pacing. Masterfully done.