Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san
Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

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Look, I'm not gonna write one of those raige-bait cringe reviews or analysing this as if it was a Tarantino movie.. but I've been with this manga from the start and heck I enjoyed it. Nagatoro and Naoto were great characters who had great development and if you are still upset about the first chapter: Just don't read it.
This is not a manga about fetishising bullying, this is a story about kids growing up and realizing who they want to be. It's probably one of the best rom-coms we have right now, so why don't we just enjoy that?

(God I wish this was me)

First, let's get one thing out of the way; the first few chapters may put you off. It's a pretty terrible first impression. I can see how some people may find Nagatoro, the female lead, to be a complete bitch with how she treats the male lead (Senpai). I was somewhat the same and I was ready to just stop reading after the first few chapters, but I kept chuggin' along because, well, it's pretty different to what you'd usually find.

I like to look at the manga in its entirety and their relationship hand-in-hand, because yes: they DEFINITELY had ... terrible first impressions. However, while there was a rocky start, once you dig a little deeper into it, you'll find something to like.

What appealed to me is that the state of their relationship slowly changes as chapters pass, albeit slowly and subtly. Readers will come to realise that Nagatoro's view towards her Senpai develops gradually into affection (as unlikely as the first dozen chapters makes it out to be). As time passes, Nagatoro slowly grew on me. She isn't two dimensional; while she does get a kick out of bullying Senpai, calling him names and intentionally making him flustered, it isn't long before you'll notice the changes in her disposition. Things like moments of protectiveness whenever other people make fun of her Senpai a little too much or jealousy whenever he's involved with a girl that isn't her. It's not long before the 'bullying' is really just teasing.

Really cute to see.

Though the plot itself is rather straightforward: girl likes to mess with guy, guy puts up with it (or probably enjoys it). There isn't anything fancy when it comes to it, though despite that it's still enjoyable. There's nothing wrong with simplicity.

When it comes to characters, it's nothing home to write about. They're pretty barebones, Senpai is just referred to as Senpai, he doesn't have an actual name. He's just a pushover who enjoys art and has fluffy hair. The only noteworthy developments you'll find is Nagatoro's aforementioned view and approach towards Senpai, and to a lesser extent, Senpai towards Nagatoro. As enjoyable as Nagatoro is to see when it comes to her antics with Senpai, the side characters leave much to be desired. They don't do much aside for creating tension every now and then.

The art is in the same vein; nothing jumps out at you, except Nagatoro is pretty cute, not gonna lie. Oh, and I guess the mangaka isn't so great at drawing feet. If you know, you know.

All in all, a fun read once you're invested. Not exactly a full-course meal, but it's quite a snacc.

Wow, I did not like this.
I expected something cute and funny where a kouhai would make fun of her senpai because she likes him but shit, this is real bullying. This is like GTO level bullying minus the fun parts and Onizuka-sensei bringing justice for the bullied.

For a romcom whose sole purpose is to make me laugh and swoon over the Nagatoro and Senpai's relationship, it failed. This actually disgusted me. I forced myself to finish the nine chapters that were out just to see if it could get better. Surely, there are romantic feelings between the two of them but love does not pardon ... the attitude. This is one of these mangas that send the wrong message: it's okay to bully if it's to someone you like.
Well, here's one for you: it's never okay to bully. Not your crush, your romantic partner, your friend, your classmate, anyone.

From this, I get the story is meant to evolve and develop a cute romantic relationship but no matter under which angle I take this, I can't see it being healthy in the future. This manga has no humor weight or deep meaning, it feels like it's only a way for abusive comportment in romantic couples to be romanticized. If this manga had as a purpose to expose Nagatoro's journey to redemption like Shouka from A Silent Voice, it would have given more depth to the characters. I'm persuaded the story would have found a better place in the drama category. However, this is not the case. And as a comedy, I did not even smile.

As for now, we're stuck in some kind of episodic trash where Nagatoro makes fun of everything her senpai likes or even humiliates his feelings. What infuriates me most is senpai attitude. It's like babysitting kids; you got to imposes limits or else, the kids will be nightmares with you. But senpai says nothing and lets himself be bullied so the story becomes repetitive overall. They both suck as manga characters and they both suck as human beings. In that case, sorry to say, they deserve each other.

The only redeeming point of this manga is the aesthetics. The faces, the chara design, the overall art is very dynamic. Sadly, it gets quickly redundant since they both always make the same expressions and nothing really happens. I think it's better for the mangaka to go back drawing hentai because this story as a romcom brings me no interest, it has no comedic values nor romantic depth. If that was his shot at becoming a 'serious' mangaka let's say, well it failed.
Do not recommend.
Will not finish.