'Teasing Master Takagi-san' Is The Most Wholesome Anime
A scene from the last episode of season two
'Teasing Master Takagi-san' (からかい上手の高木さん, Karakai Jōzu no Takagi-san) is a simple story of a young boy who is constantly teased by a girl named Takagi. However he calls her: “Takagi-san.”
Before I tell you why you should be watching “Takagi-san”, I should mention that this series is based off a manga with the same name. It features a collection of short stories told in a nonlinear fashion. The anime follows a similar format. Each episode features three (sometimes more) short stories about the relationship between the two main characters: Nishikata and Takagi-san.
The plot and idea of the series is very simple. Nishikata and Takagi-san sit next to each other at school. From trailers, pictures, and educated guesses; one might assume that Takagi-san has a crush on our boy, Nishikata. This isn’t much of a spoiler because this is where the entire plot of the show stems from.
Takagi-san is constantly teasing Nishikata because that’s what kids do when they like someone at the age they both are. Nishikata however is oblivious to all the signs, and takes Takagi-san’s actions to be more of a “competition.” He seeks to be able to tease Takagi-san the same way he gets teased by her. However, Takagi-san is always one step ahead of him and his plans always end with him being embarrassed by her.
This series is pure and innocent. It provides a clean look at kids being kids. It does not fall into the same tropes that many other slice of life’s fall into. Teasing Master Takagi-san is a very cute show that you can’t watch without smiling.
It’s not a show that implores you to think deeper about certain subjects, rather it asks you to feel the same way that the characters feel in the moment. Much of the story is told from Nishikata’s perspective. We as viewers are asked to assume that everything Takagi-san does is because she likes Nishikata. It’s pretty obvious that she does.
You might be thinking that this is just another show with an “unassuming main character” who is blind to the romantic story playing out in from of him; but remember, this is a wholesome anime. He acts like any other 12-13 year old boy would act when dealing with a pretty girl for the first time. Nishikata doesn’t know how he feels about Takagi-san yet. You have to watch the series to understand what I’m saying.
Another thing that TMTS does really well is build its characters. Through the exceptional voice talents that are Rie Takahashi and Yuki Kaji, Takagi-san and Nishikata thrive most in the “little” moments of the series. Much of this show is built on the principle’s of “if you blush you lose” and “if you can hold my hand, you win.” This makes those “little” moments between Nishikata and Takagi-san all the more important.
The payoff of certain scenes and moments are there, and you aren’t left with the feeling of “I wanted more.”
If there’s anything that I want more of, it has got to be another season of the show. The manga definitely progresses on certain plot threads, and I’d hope to see them manifest on screen one day. Not to mention, there is also a spinoff series running at the same time as the current manga, about the same two characters (spoilers if I say anything more).
Teasing Master Takagi-san goes down as the most wholesome anime I’ve ever seen because of it’s pure and honest form of storytelling and quite frankly, it strikes a “soft & uwu” nerve of mine.
I’d recommend this anime to anyone that is interested in the school, slice of life, & romance genres. I say give it a go!
The first season of 'Teasing Master Takagi-san' is available on Crunchyroll, while the second is exclusively on Netflix.
↓FOLLOW OUR INSTAGRAM!↓
Stay tuned to The Boba Culture for more!
