I'm usually not really one for romantic comedies (especially not in anime). But after 'My Dress-Up Darling' absolutely blew me away, I thought I'd branch out into this genre as well, hoping to find another show I'd enjoy just as much.
'Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro' is not that show. That is not to say that it's a bad series; it indeed has many good qualities. The show is entertaining and of consistently good quality, with only half an episode that is an absolutely skippable filler. The English voice acting is top notch, the animation style is enjoyable, and... uh... well, maybe that's it.
On the not-so-positive side, the show also quickly becomes repetitive. Nagatoro, the protagonist's love interest, mercilessly teases the protagonist (who I'm sure also has a name, not that anyone ever bothered to remember it). For a bit of an additional flavour, sometimes Nagatoro's friends will tease the protagonist as well. And if the episode is particularly adventurous, some of that teasing might splash back at Nagatoro, making her flustered for half a minute.
Cue next episode, rinse, repeat. It doesn't help that the protagonist is very much of the utterly passive one-size-fits-all mould that will never strike the slightest controversy, that Nagatoro's friends are absolutely one-dimensional, and that the recurring cast counts five characters in the first season, extending to six-and-a-half characters in the second season.
The premise itself is also a bit problematic. The entire point of the show is that Nagatoro teases the protagonist a lot, and that the protagonist is basically just too pathetic to do anything about it. It'd be a bit harsh to call Nagatoro a sadist, and I'd certainly not call the protagonist a masochist, but perhaps they are sanitised and child-friendly versions of the archetypes. Unfortunately, Nagatoro's teasing regularly skirts the line to bullying, occasionally turning into outright sexual harassment (at least by western cultural standards; I guess Japan might see things differently).
There is some fanservice, which I would consider pretty mild for an anime but outrageous for a Saturday Morning cartoon. For my taste, there were entirely too many 'noodle arms' and cat faces in the show; even for an anime this was pretty over-the-top.
In total, at least for me the show is in that ungodly realm where it's not bad enough that I'd stop watching it but neither good enough that I'd shove it onto the 'discard' pile. If a third season comes out, I'm not sure if I'll begrudgingly watch it or just pretend to ignore it entirely.
Bonus points for Nagatoro not fitting the classical character design mould, though. Not sure when I'd last seen a showrunner with tan-ish skin in an anime.
Honestly, I'm just not sure who the target audience is supposed to be. Young teenagers who just figured out that they're into SM? Perhaps it's better to not follow this thought any further; I ran out of brain bleach years ago.
'Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro' is not that show. That is not to say that it's a bad series; it indeed has many good qualities. The show is entertaining and of consistently good quality, with only half an episode that is an absolutely skippable filler. The English voice acting is top notch, the animation style is enjoyable, and... uh... well, maybe that's it.
On the not-so-positive side, the show also quickly becomes repetitive. Nagatoro, the protagonist's love interest, mercilessly teases the protagonist (who I'm sure also has a name, not that anyone ever bothered to remember it). For a bit of an additional flavour, sometimes Nagatoro's friends will tease the protagonist as well. And if the episode is particularly adventurous, some of that teasing might splash back at Nagatoro, making her flustered for half a minute.
Cue next episode, rinse, repeat. It doesn't help that the protagonist is very much of the utterly passive one-size-fits-all mould that will never strike the slightest controversy, that Nagatoro's friends are absolutely one-dimensional, and that the recurring cast counts five characters in the first season, extending to six-and-a-half characters in the second season.
The premise itself is also a bit problematic. The entire point of the show is that Nagatoro teases the protagonist a lot, and that the protagonist is basically just too pathetic to do anything about it. It'd be a bit harsh to call Nagatoro a sadist, and I'd certainly not call the protagonist a masochist, but perhaps they are sanitised and child-friendly versions of the archetypes. Unfortunately, Nagatoro's teasing regularly skirts the line to bullying, occasionally turning into outright sexual harassment (at least by western cultural standards; I guess Japan might see things differently).
There is some fanservice, which I would consider pretty mild for an anime but outrageous for a Saturday Morning cartoon. For my taste, there were entirely too many 'noodle arms' and cat faces in the show; even for an anime this was pretty over-the-top.
In total, at least for me the show is in that ungodly realm where it's not bad enough that I'd stop watching it but neither good enough that I'd shove it onto the 'discard' pile. If a third season comes out, I'm not sure if I'll begrudgingly watch it or just pretend to ignore it entirely.
Bonus points for Nagatoro not fitting the classical character design mould, though. Not sure when I'd last seen a showrunner with tan-ish skin in an anime.
Honestly, I'm just not sure who the target audience is supposed to be. Young teenagers who just figured out that they're into SM? Perhaps it's better to not follow this thought any further; I ran out of brain bleach years ago.