Just you wait, Takagi-san...I'll get you back today for sure!
Creative Staff:
Story & Art: Souichirou Yamamoto
Translation: Taylor Engel
Lettering: Takeshi Kamura
What They Say:
Middle schooler Nishikata has had it with his classmate Takagi -- the chronic teaser who sits nearby. Day in and day out, she comes after him with every sort of trick or prank. Even when he tries to get her back, she's always one step ahead. But rest assured -- that's only the beginning. Nishikata is not about to give up so easily in this battle of cunning and youth!
The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)
After months of kicking myself for not watching the Takagi-san anime (No one told me Rie Takahashi was in it) I was excited to finally be able to dive into a series that so many of my friends seemed to be raving about. This surprisingly popular comedy series pits two young teens against each other in what is perhaps the most one-sided battle of all time. Nishikata (No first name given) is the same type of beta-male protagonist that we've become accustomed to in the world of anime, while Takagi (Also no first name given) is the complete opposite. She is a conniving, treacherous genius that feeds off of the mental torture of her classmate [and prospective love interest?].
This stark contrast may seem offputting to some readers who like their couples to be more 'of the same ilk,' but the fact of the matter is, the immense difference between Takagi and Nishikata is exactly why the series has skyrocketed in popularity. There is no story- well, not much of it at least. The manga (And I'm assuming the animation) is sort of like a fleshed out 4koma comic, in that each scene is self-contained and only partially related to the one preceding it. That being said, volume one of the series simply gives us a glimpse (Or nine) into some of the things Takagi-san does to torture Nishikata. These can be as simple as getting him to act out in class or as complex as intentionally forgetting an umbrella and feigning short term memory loss in order to elicit an embarrassed semi-romantic reaction on the way home from school. You know, normal middle schooler antics.
It's actually rather difficult to even approach critiquing manga like this because, at its core, Takagi-san is rather empty when it comes to content. But there's something about these fun-filled pranks that makes reading the series a lot more endearing than other books of the same genre. Frankly, it really comes down to the characters themselves. And by 'the characters,' I mean Takagi all by herself because Nishikata kind of sucks. So here we have an entire manga built around one well written female character who knows she's the best, and so she continues to remind you why she's the best for almost 200 pages. Even with literally nothing else of value in the series, Takagi's antics somehow manage to make it overwhelmingly enjoyable. It doesn't make sense. This premise shouldn't work, and I'm having a very hard time exemplifying why exactly it does. Takagi-san has broken my manga-grading formula by introducing its x-factor of 'enjoyment' and tossing aside pretty much every other criteria available.
At the end of the day, we're left with one of the most simple books on the manga shelf at your local bookstore. Takagi-san has nothing to offer you but waves of nauseating cuteness and fuzzy, borderline-traumatizing mental torture of an adolescent boy. These elements, however, are executed so well that nothing else really matters. The series is fun. Read it if you like having fun. Ignore it if you're a grumpy old man who yells at kids to get off his lawn or something.
In Summary:
Volume one of Takagi-san has made me realize why everyone loved the animation and why I was such a fool for overlooking it. It takes a premise as simple as "Here are two kids, watch them," and manages to twist it into a hilarious and cute string of nonsensical antics that can rival almost anything of the same genre. It does not excel in artwork and there is nothing special about its story or what it has to say. It's really just a good time. I'd recommend the series to anyone who needs to kill thirty minutes and doesn't inherently hate the idea of fun.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: July 24, 2018
MSRP: $12.99
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