Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san
Teasing Master Takagi-san

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

So, finally this manga has come to an end. If you are not acquainted with it, this is a slice-of-life romcom that follows the daily lives of middle school students Takagi and Nishikata. Takagi is a master at teasing and pranking Nishikata, who always plans to beat her at her own game but ends up outwitted and embarrassed himself. Then repeat next chapter. It's episodic, so you can even read the chapters out of order, it won't make any difference. This manga has become very recognizable over its long run, and maybe even inspired other stories like Nagatoro.

Despite their constant antics, Takagi and Nishikata have ... a close friendship and unsaid feelings for each other. This is what can be concluded in chapter 1, and this is where any development stops, which is my only criticism of this manga. There is very little progression, for hundreds of chapters. They are still funny and endearing, despite that. And it does have an ending.

The art is good, clean and clear, and characters are drawn very consistently.

I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a simple, wholesome and cute story. Even a single chapter can make your day a little better and lighter.
And if you like this, I especially recommend its adaptation. In my opinion, the anime greatly outshines its manga counterpart: it rearranges some chapters to be more chronological, so it has better build-up, and genuinely heartwarming, beautiful moments sadly missing in the source material.

Teasing Master Takagi-san has been a happy thorn in my side for some time now. Overall I had a wonderful time reading this series and enjoying almost all of it.

I started reading this series right before the follow up series of them older and it was wonderful until the last couple years of the series.


Overall I give this series a 8/10 because it felt like it was stretched too thin, but at the same time ignored by the author once they started the older version series. Which was sad imo because I started reading/following this mangaka because of this series (and the vampire ... one).

Art is a 9/10 it's as good a it gets with good expressions and background arts

Story is a 10/10 until the end then 8/10 for previous statements. It was funny and cute and good to see interactions between the characters and how the Mc grew over the years.

Characters are a 10/10 for the ones I remember. It isn't as bad as other series like komi-san but there are a good amount you forget about but the more reoccurring ones are well written in the parts they show up.

To conclude this series really brought the romcom wholesome type manga and anime into the spotlight for a lot of people and it deserves it's spot but I wish it wasn't as sidelined as it was in the later years of it's publication. Do give it a read if you like this type of r

This series is a hard one to review because it was always intended to be a light read. There are no deep themes, or plot twists, it’s just something you’re supposed to read on your commute once a week and give you a “Aw, how cute” feeling.

That being said, it still felt like it was milked way beyond appeal.

Story: Almost every chapter follows the same routine. Nishitaka wants to defeat Takagi-san and they play some “game”, he loses, and perhaps there is some hint of romance between them. Occasionally we follow other characters, but they usually just are their own couples with their own routine ... dynamic. By Chapter 50 you’re probably already tired of it, and it’s not even half way over. There isn’t really romantic progress, though it’s hinted at more and more as the series goes on, the plot is not told chronologically, you aren’t actually seeing a deepening relationship. The series would have been a lot more enjoyable if it was much shorter, or Nishitaka and Takagi’s chapters were a side plot and the manga spent more time with other characters to inject some variety.

Characters: The games Nishitaka and Takagi play range from clever to kind of weird and making either Nishitaka look like a moron or Takagi has some sort of psychic powers. They are definitely some of the best “cute” characters in a series in a while, but they get one note at times. The side cast appears sparingly and are also somewhat one note.

Art: The art style shifts somewhat dramatically. It becomes much cleaner and more detailed, however Takagi’s design becomes more moeified and looks like a alien at times.

Overall: 5/10. It definitely can be enjoyable if you want a light read and cute moments, but due to its length and the time invested to read it all, it could have been more engaging with some changes without losing its main appeal.