Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san
Teasing Master Takagi-san

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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.

This manga is very wholesome, sweet, innocent and adorable.

It is weldrawn and almost episodic in nature. So embracing the slow plot progression.
I enjoyed reading this as the chemistry between Nishikata and Takagi is enjoyable and well established.

I cannot imagine reading this again, as it is just good vibes and nothing is challenging the reader. No drama, no "after the confession", no showdowns with friends or family and no real plot. But sometimes, wholesome slice of life is all that you need.

I recommend this, and I respect the manga for what it does. But I cannot imagine buying 20 tankobons of just you ... know... this?

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.