Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san Movie

This movie should've been a slam dunk.

Over the course of 3 seasons, I've grown quite invested in this series featuring 2 awkwardly cute teenagers. There's this innocent charm to Nishikata and Takagi. Pair that with better production and a theatrical setting, there was no reason for me to expect anything less than delightful. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored for most of it.

For a movie with "Teasing Master" in the title, there isn't a whole lot it. Instead, there's a bunch of garden variety teen melodrama where they act all shy with one another while generic 1-hour Most Beautiful & ... Emotional orchestral music swells in the background. I watch Takagi to escape this kind of stuff, not indulge in it. What made the show work was the playful banter between the 2. Without that effortless chemistry, it isn't nearly as entertaining.

This movie is anime-original, meaning it isn't sourced from the manga, and it seems like the writers involved don't fully understand the appeal of Takagi. I like Takagi because it reminds me of simpler days when holding hands somehow made my heart race. Middle school almost seems silly in hindsight, but those emotions were genuine, and it's pretty peaceful to reminisce about those days gone by. This show makes me feel nostalgic, so you can imagine how awkward I felt watching them raise a surrogate child in the form of a kitten. I'm sorry, I didn't come here to think about marriage. I know that cats hating Nishikata are a running gag, but this was not how I imagined the payoff.

Speaking of payoffs, that's another major reason for this show's success. I remember how season 2--how they built up all that hand-holding suspense--ended with such a satisfying climax. It actually made it feel like the characters grew from interacting with one another. Well, they pretty much recycled the same festival scene--with the same outfits and all--but to a much less eventful conclusion. I was kind of expecting another big payoff movie, only to be left disappointed. Like, they had the setup there--Takagi DID say that whoever wins or loses with scissors during RPS will have to kiss the other person--but they didn't do anything with it. Why??? There was also that whole firefly date myth that could've led to a good scene, but I was pretty checked out by the end of the movie (which is impressive considering how short it is) so I honestly might've completely missed the payoff (and apparently there was a post-credit scene that I didn't think to stick around for).

This movie feels mostly aimless. It didn't have a unifying theme. The side characters, Yukari & co., were having this K-on arc where they realize how little time they have left together as middle-schoolers. But that kind of story doesn't have the same impact as if they were in high school, and it has very little to do with whatever Nishikata and Takagi are doing. Oh well. Despite this lukewarm review, I still somehow managed to enjoy myself--if only by the goodwill of the first 3 seasons.

4 years ago I watched the first season of "Teasing Master Takagi-San" It was such a comforting piece of Media, certainly a "feel good" show. I begged for a second season at that time, now I'm here 3 seasons later watching "Takagi-San" on the big screen with the dumbest grin on my face. Takagi in all of it's light-heartedness is a character driven story at its finest. This film delivered everything it was supposed to, it handled it's serious undertones well, delivered it's fan service (Not lewd ya weirdo) masterfully, it's animation, background scenery in all of it's fluidity had a consistent sense of quality ... throughout, a spectacle on the big screen. It's soundtrack is fun and ecstatic, though some tracks were overused, my theatre also had a terrible stereo system. I was smiling the whole film and even hit the person sitting next to me upon the post credit scene. It's a youthful explosion, even though the runtime is tragically short, I believe it to be a masterpiece. If you're a fan of the show, please go out and watch this film on the big screen, it truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you haven't seen Takagi-san, please seek it out, I'm sure it'll bring a smile to your face atleast once, If you have no interest in the previous seasons, but still want to watch the film, do it. while some context is missing, this film is just as much as a starting point than the previous seasons.

This may be the end of the youthful adventure of Teasing Master Takagi-San, but that's okay, because it's bound to make you happy forever.

Takagi-san on the big screen does not disappoint. It continues the story after season 3 of the series. You get to see some movie quality animation, as expected. There were some rough spots where the animation could have been better quality. There are Easter eggs to the 3 seasons of the anime you can be on the lookout for while watching.
Viewers will get their helping of Yukari, Sanae, and Mina, but other side characters don’t get as much screen time.
One thing that detracted from the movie was an obnoxious talking parrot that I could have easily done without.

Also, be sure to watch after ... the credits.