In the moment you encounter that special someone, everything else is rendered obsolete. In this encounter, the world around you, the people in your life, and the things they demand of you all lose meaning. Your attention belongs to that special someone and no other. Time itself ceases to move as your encounter unfolds; when that special someone carries on a conversation with you, it feels as if it’ll last forever. Your heart races, pulsating as if it’ll spring forth from your chest at any given time. Your nerves quiver, the butterflies fluttering freely inside your body. Your vision blurs and your face crimsons, the
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blood coursing through your head at an alarming rate. Clouded by a whirlwind of strange thoughts, emotions, and instincts, you react to this encounter in a completely different fashion than you would in any other situation. The ideas you contemplate, the things you say, and the actions you create are a jumbled mess, shaken and stirred by the heat of the moment. Just as the conversation is gathering steam, that special someone departs from you and the encounter concludes. Time has moved forward again. While you’re mostly relieved to distance yourself from the situation, there’s a part of you that pleads to return to that brief encounter, that yearns to conversate with that special someone, that fantasizes of losing yourself in the moment once more.
For those that have become infatuated with a crush, for those that are adjusting to their feelings of attraction for another, for those that are stumbling their way into their first relationship, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san is a reflection of their lives, their own romantic endeavors manifesting themselves on a grand scale. As this show ignites and refines the chemistry between its two protagonists, Nishitaka and Takagi, it reveals its understanding of relationships and the intricacies they possess. Subdued in its tone and serene in its outlook, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san’s handling of its central couple is accomplished with nigh-unparalleled ease, using their series of frivolous yet elaborate pranks to slowly and steadily transition into something more, and its examination of their relationship is delivered with a rather unconventional approach.
When two contrasting personalities attempt to align, there is an army of problems that arise along the way due to the differences between them. Although said differences can generate a rift in relationships, they can also strengthen them; contrasting personalities naturally heighten common interests. While most works of the romance genre opt for discovering these common interests, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san almost entirely ignores this pursuit. Instead, what it values is how these characters think and why they’re attracted to one another. In particular, it values these concepts as they relate to Nishitaka.
It is his point-of-view that Skilled Teaser Takagi-san operates from. It is his series of pranks, his attempts to outwit and “tease” Takagi, that this show mainly revolves around. Nishitaka is always thinking of ways to perplex Takagi, either by concocting a complex scheme to use on her or (more often than not) by solving the problems she gives him. Every challenge Nishitaka tackles, every puzzle he confronts, makes for a satisfying watch. No two obstacles are alike; each distinct in their own way, they’re deceptively simple at first glance but dangerously intricate the more you analyze them. And, boy, does Nishitaka analyze these obstacles. The music crescendos to a fever pitch, with saxophones screaming their way through, and the animation dizzily spirals out of control, its color scheme constantly changing, as he ceaselessly conjures countermoves and hypothetical solutions in his head. To Nishitaka, these pranks are far from trivial pastime activities. To him, they are battles of the intellectual variety, epic in scale, each choice determining one’s fate.
It’s obvious that Nishitaka cares deeply about outsmarting Takagi, which makes it all the more depressing to witness him falling short time after time. It matters not what plan he formulates, what measures he takes, what approach he adapts; the result never changes. Nishitaka is Sisyphus, forever doomed to try changing his fate, to watch his efforts go to waste, to repeat the same pattern. It’s not his fault, though. With his remarkable tenacity, perception, confidence, and cunning, Nishitaka definitely distinguishes himself as a talented individual. Were he competing against someone else, against anyone else, one could argue that he’d easily be more than a match for them. However, as long as Nishitaka remains tethered to his current circumstances, he’ll always be defeated. Sure, he’s quite intelligent for someone his age but, for all of his virtues, he pales in comparison to the titular character.
“Prodigy” is an overused word; it's a term that's often given to people who don't deserve such praise. Takagi, however, is an exception. Not only is she able to unravel the most intricate of Gordian knots but she also does so effortlessly. Not only does she repeatedly confound Nishitaka with riddles, traps, and decoys galore but she also manipulates each and every one to obscure her true motives. However, it’s not just Nishitaka that Takagi dupes. On multiple occasions, she easily deciphers the tricks her classmates pull on her, alongside subjecting them to a few of her own, and (in one memorable instance) she’s even able to deceive her teacher, manipulating him into disciplining someone else for her transgression.
With each competition, with each episode, with each challenge, it’s almost pre-determined who's going to persevere in the end. On the one hand, this pattern of predictability causes Takagi to come across as a Mary Sue, one who's almost entirely defined by her ceaseless victories. On the other hand, you simply cannot resist watching her mercilessly outfox her peers time after time. Takagi is akin to a world-renowned chessmaster practicing against novices of the game, a decorated military tactician competing against cadets in the field, a veteran criminal investigator matching wits with rookies on the job; the inevitable outcome of each encounter never detracts from the entertainment value that they provide. While it is pleasing to witness Takagi flaunting her intellect, it’s in conveying this show’s themes where she really proves her worth.
Skilled Teaser Takagi-san is, perhaps more than anything else, a master of subverting expectations. With each issue that arises, the solution to them is never what you’d anticipate. Takagi and the show itself deceive you into assuming, alongside Nishitaka, that the motives, nuances, and hints in each situation are leading to one solution when the true answer is entirely different. Again and again, this show emphasizes that Takagi’s victories are due to Nishitaka overthinking each situation, attempting to uncover the deeper meaning behind it, instead of choosing the most obvious answer. Through its titular character, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san argues that the problems we encounter in life aren't as challenging or complex as we think they are. Through Takagi, this show argues that if we can push aside the details surrounding these problems (alongside our preconceived notions of them) and simply examine them for what they are, it'd be easy to find a solution for our issues.
For Takagi, each challenge presents an opportunity for Nishitaka to acquire more knowledge, and she strives to accomplish that goal. Yes, part of why Takagi teases him is for her own amusement; she enjoys watching her opponent panic, struggle and ultimately collapse under the pressure she places upon him. However, the other part is because Takagi wants to see Nishitaka mature and grow. The puzzles that she tasks him with are crafted out of love; Takagi gives Nishitaka a hard time mainly because she cares about him, and this detail really strengthens their relationship.
When Skilled Teaser Takagi-san directs its focus away from the smoke and mirrors, it's actually a genuinely sweet and charming show to watch, and the central couple’s relationship emphasizes its virtues. On the surface, Nishitaka and Takagi couldn't be more different if they tried. While Nishitaka approaches every situation with tact and caution, Takagi is far more direct. While Nishitaka leans towards the naive, Takagi is incredibly perceptive. While Nishitaka is something of a workaholic, Takagi is more relaxed. However, with a closer observation, one can see that, despite the surface-level differences, they are essentially alike. Both Nishitaka and Takagi are confident and intelligent individuals that adopt an extremely timid approach to their relationship (Nishitaka more than Takagi). Watching them develop more and more into expressing their feelings for one another, while supporting each other along the way, is easily the highlight of the show. In fact, the central couple's bond is so heartwarming, nuanced, and inspiring that it allows one to overlook the more unappealing aspects, the various deficiencies and mishaps, of this show that materialize just outside the insulated sphere of the central couple.
100% Unrequited Love is an in-universe anime that not only inspires a few of Nishitaka’s schemes but it also serves to poke fun at other works of the romance genre. By overloading Unrequited Love with genre-specific stereotypes, cliches and tropes, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san claims that it's different from the other shows of its chosen field, more intelligent and self-aware than the rest. However, when it involves its supporting cast, Takagi-san resorts to the same tiresome and tedious cliches as its peers. Whenever this show transitions away from its central couple and towards the people around them, it almost always suffers because of it. While the supporting cast strengthens Takagi-san’s youthful charm, they also represent this show at its weakest. With each appearance the supporting cast makes, it becomes more and more apparent that, outside of its central couple, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san isn't all that adept at developing its characters.
The relationship between Mano and Nakai, classmates of Nishitaka and Takagi, is among the most dull and lifeless that I’ve seen in recent memory. Mano is the “shy one”, blushing, squirming, and stammering about to no end, while Nakai is but a cardboard cutout, hardly worth mentioning, really, and they lack even a faint resemblance of chemistry. Then, there's Mina and Sanae, classmates of the central couple that serve as comic relief. The adventures that this pair embark on are rife with memorable gags - my personal favorite is a recurring act where they dub over random conversations, like an exchange between cats or a chat between the central couple - but they tend to wear themselves out after a while. Mina and Sanae’s adventures are meant to represent the protagonists’ shenanigans from a different, more carefree, perspective but they (more or less) come across as re-iterations of previous events than anything creative or unique. It doesn't help matters much that this show stylistically pigeonholes these two. One is the “genki girl”, manically working herself into a frenzy over trivial matters, while the other is the “quiet one”, silently observing the mess that unfolds around her, and Takagi-san never allows either of them an opportunity to establish themselves beyond these classifications.
When Takagi-san strays from its intended course (mishandling a supporting character here, re-treading an old plot line there), it's the central couple's chemistry that helps re-adjust its focus. Skilled Teaser Takagi-san is, in part, an elaborate game of chess, a neverending battle of wits, with brilliant strategists on either side. It is also a refreshingly pure and simple tale of romance, a love story mostly unchained by the conventions of its peers. And all of it is deftly secured by the incredible bond between its protagonists. Fascinated with their intellect and awestruck by their passion, you cannot resist wishing to accompany the central couple in whatever direction their relationship guides them toward. Time itself ceases to move as you rush headlong into Takagi-san, allowing its loving, all-encompassing embrace to overtake you.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Skilled Teaser Takagi-san
Japanese: からかい上手の高木さん
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jan 8, 2018 to Mar 26, 2018
Premiered:
Winter 2018
Broadcast:
Mondays at 23:00 (JST)
Producers:
TMS Entertainment, Asatsu DK, Asmik Ace, TOHO animation, JR East Marketing & Communications
Licensors:
Funimation
Studios:
Shin-Ei Animation
Source:
Manga
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#13682
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#383
Members:
620,392
Favorites:
5,367
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 89 / 127
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Your Feelings Categories Mar 26, 2018
In the moment you encounter that special someone, everything else is rendered obsolete. In this encounter, the world around you, the people in your life, and the things they demand of you all lose meaning. Your attention belongs to that special someone and no other. Time itself ceases to move as your encounter unfolds; when that special someone carries on a conversation with you, it feels as if it’ll last forever. Your heart races, pulsating as if it’ll spring forth from your chest at any given time. Your nerves quiver, the butterflies fluttering freely inside your body. Your vision blurs and your face crimsons, the
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Mar 26, 2018
Life is like a game, if you play right, you’ll win. Well, that’s sounds like bullshit but life can feel like a game sometimes. You’re like a player in a world with others and to be successful, you need to play right. Now, what the hell does that have to do with a show like “Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san”?
To put it simply, this show feels like watching two players compete but not in the way you’d think. To me, Takagi and Nishikata are two characters that play with each other in life. However, it’s a little bit different than competition. Between the two, Takagi is ... Mar 27, 2018
Do you want to know what school days love is 10 years back?
This is a story of 2 backbench kids or to be precise, a daily or slice of life of a boy named Nishikata who gets teased by his benchmate Takagi by playing mind games on him. Almost every situation is kind of different, i.e unlike in some anime like 'Tonari no Seki-kun' where the situation is always in class but here in this anime we see diffferent scenarios from walking from home to school, doing homework, studying in library, summer holidays etc. The main beauty of this anime is the presence of innocent love ... Jan 29, 2018
With Winter 2018 comes a plethora of Slice of Life series. One of them being a war. A war between 2 middle schoolers. Enjoying their youth to the fullest comes the ecstatic interactions between our two main characters, Nishikata and Takagi. In short, the females always win.
That’s basically the whole premise, a girl teasing a boy to no end and his failed attempts at retaliation only fans the flame even more. However, there’s always variety in the way she does her schemes. It’s fun to watch each time and highly enjoyable. As a manga reader, I am glad they were able to present all the ... Feb 28, 2018
i just think this was the most underrated anime from winter season.
Just don't overthink it, this show in a nutshell is girl tease boy, he plans something to get tease her, backfires and gets teased again, simple and repetitive but very funny every time Story 7 | Art 9 | Sound 7 | Character 8 | Enjoyment 10 | Overall: 9 Story 7/10 The story is repetitive but not boring, they somehow manage to make completely different scenes without getting the usual plot elements (tease, plans something, backfires,gets teased) and get a lot of comedy moments from it, simple but not everyone can do this. Aside from the ... Feb 25, 2018
It is not the type of anime I am used to watch but i can't prevent myself to smile while watching it.
At first sight, it just seems to be the usual slice of life, but from the very beginning, the relationship beetween the character is very appealing and i am always finding myself wanting to learn more about them. Indeed, we learn more about Takagi and Nishikata during their chat and here is the feat, it is hard to foretell how Takagi will trap Nishikata. When you mix this with an interesting visual choice, one cannot deny that this anime a little ... Mar 12, 2018
Best anime in this season!
Takagi-san, a girl like demon for Nishikata. Coz she always tease him without he revenge her tease. Actually, takagi likes nishikata. But she express her love with tease. And only with tease she can be closer with him. Why i select this anime for AoTS? Because Takagi too cute in her way to get Nishikata heart. Her VA also so suitable with takagi characteristic, make a Takagi more lively of the manga series. ... Jan 30, 2018
This is one of the few anime that my little brother watches with me and that speaks volumes as he doesn't watch many anime. That getting out of the way how does the show hold up so far
The story is very loose but it works. It is just a bunch of pranks and childish fun at and after school between two kids who kinda have a thing for each other, and their friends. Its very episodic but it leads to amazing moments and some character development in an episodic show. Its romance. The kids have a thing for each other. Also there are lots of ... Apr 13, 2018
Romance is usually a concept that is difficult for children to wrap their minds around. Sure, you might like someone, but how do you even approach that person? Even if you do manage to approach him or her, how do you make sure that you don’t make an utter fool of yourself? Most kids end up arriving at one answer – show your interest by teasing the target of your affection. Sure, the target may not take it all that well, but at least you get to interact with them because of it, right? Karakai Juzou no Takagi-san (henceforth abbreviated as ‘Takagi-san’) is an anime
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Mar 12, 2024
The whole anime is soo amazing that you can't rest without binge watching it and i completed the 2 seasons in one day.
Highly recommended for those who are looking for a anime with comedy and want something refreshing and wholesome. This is my one of the best romcom anime with storyline that you you wont find anywhere else. There's no problem if you just start rewatching it after finishing it which i did. While the characters invest you totally in themselves you will find the story more interesting as the story progresses. So start watching this anime series if you are reading this and haven't started yet. Mar 26, 2018
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is a rather episodic format series divided into multiple skits per episode that relies overly on one formula. Once you saw the first episode you can predict how most interactions down the line would go. This is made even more glaring by the fact that the show attempts to preserve the status quo for the majority of its run. You will be stuck mostly watching the male MC repeatedly attempt to pull a shenanigan against the female MC and she is of course one step ahead of him. Much of the show’s attempt at humor is centered on how she flips
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Mar 27, 2018
TL;DR – A fun, comedy-driven show that gives me diabetes every episode. It knows exactly what it wants to do, how to go about doing it and then does it really well.
Basic breakdown below ⬎ == Impressions / Presentation: 7.5/10 == The basic formula involves Nishikata (the boy) trying to tease Takag (the girl), but fails and gets teased instead. Before you know it, you too are thinking: "What is Takagi scheming this time!?". It's not only a game for Nishikata, it's also a game for us, and this is how the show keeps the formula fresh and exciting. ... Mar 26, 2018
Ah...the fun moments of middle school days, MORE SO when it comes towards the romantic aspect.
Needless to say, I was a HUGE fan of the manga series even before the anime adaptation was out, and remembering my thoughts of requesting this to have an anime, and what to say, my (and many fans)prayers are finally answered with this great adaptation of 2 comic series (the main series and the spin-off (Ashita wa Doyoubi) which focuses on the side characters Mina, Yukari, Sanae) and it truly delivered the one-to-one experience to a T. Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is a rom-com, a SoL on 2 very simple but ... Feb 21, 2018
BS Review: In this thrilling, psychological warfare that breaks even the keenest of minds, we witness an antagonist so powerful that we sympathize the main character's mental position. This dramatic, emotional show tells a tale like no other—a show of tragic love and betrayal. And of bobblehead chibis with hairlines that have more of an extreme angle than Minecraft's rubberbanding glitch.
Its hard to forget sometimes that there are some shows that are purely made for fun, with no meaning behind them Like this one. The art and sound aren't that impressive, I feel like you would have the same experience reading the manga. Considering shows like Violet ... Mar 27, 2018
“Don’t tease me bro!” -(Dat forehead though)
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, or, Skilled Teaser Takagi-san as the gringos say, is an anime that I feel a lot of people are getting the wrong impression of. Takagi-san is an adaptation of the manga of the same name by Souichirou Yamamoto that also pays homage to characters from his previous manga, Ashita no Douyubi (Tomorrow’s Saturday). Takagi-san wasn’t necessarily a project that caught my eye given any one name attached to its credits, if I’m being honest here I didn’t even bother to read a premise. I’d go so far as to say it was a series that ... Jun 19, 2018
Funny show, but totally pointless. Don't be fooled, this is not a romantic comedy : it's a comedy with a very small pinch of romance.
STORY It's about a boy and a girl in love with each other and teasing each other, and... that's all. Literally. There is no development at all on the situation nor on the characters. Even in each episode there is no actual story, as each episode is only a set of several indepedent sketches. That's why this show is pointless : there is nothing to learn from it, and nothing to expect from it. That said, story is far from being everything in an anime! ... Mar 27, 2018
I know most of you guys will not enjoy my review but this entire review is based purely on my opinion on this show. And also, this is my very first review of an anime so please bear with me. :)
*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW* (Well a bit) (Although there are some recommendations throughout this review) I’ll start my review with the Story — Rating: 10 Ok. Not much to say but it is based on two characters Nishikata and Takagi who are middle school students who sit next to each other during class and Takagi is a “skilled teaser” (as mentioned in the English Title) who teases Nishikata. But it ... Feb 23, 2018
Everyday lives which can bring silly smiles on your face.
That's one sentence which can describe karakai jouzo no Takagi-san. It will tease you by showing and repeating the male MC pitiful being over and over(if you see the VA you'll remember Arita from Accel World xD). And Takagi cute laugh will haunt your boring life, because it's very adorable (as expected of Emillia-tan). This show is simple and silly, yet I will wait every week wanting to see more. I'm not bored because the events and places are varied and of course all of them are cute. Though the personality of Nishikata stay the same, but ... Mar 29, 2018
Lets talk about one of the animes of the season. Not just for me but to the community in general. After all it has a rating in Mal of 7.92 (at the time of my writing) and you ask me why is that?
Well, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is a story about love. What?? You ask. It is. It's a story about love in middle school and most of us don't remember our early years of middle school and can't phantom to remember if we felt love OR how we express it. One thing I know for sure - after all I am 37 now so... Boys ... Mar 26, 2018
For those who keep saying "Oh it's just an anime about a Girl teasing a Boy and the Boy wanting to take revenge" FALSE...well slightly false. While it is true that in the beginning it is mainly about our main character Nishikata being teased by our main heroine Takagi-san and wanting revenge on her, it slowly turns into a development between both middle school kids and their relationship with each other. While Nishikata tried different kind of ways to get back at Takagi he actually goes on to try to improve his body and mind as well. Constantly doing pushups throughout the series in an
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