Episode 12 – “Has Spring Come Even for You, the Unpopular Loner Louse Senpai? / Did You Hear Her Talk About Love, Senpai?”
Hmm.
Nagatoro-san gave us a fun plot element for using Nagatoro’s main character features. The first was the cat theme, which we’ve seen as screen wipes for scene changes throughout the season. The second was making Nagatoro use the things she devised to get reactions from Senpai for commercial purposes. She’s been whacking Senpai and calling him “gross,” which is her personal way of expressing affection for him. It was great to see how Nagatoro didn’t enjoy it at first, but she became better at faking it. It was even better to see Senpai show jealousy because that behavior had been their personal thing. Senpai confirmed that Nagatoro awakened a new kink for him to enjoy.
The Nagatoro-san series finale showed us the usual end to a romantic comedy where the love interests dodge the open question of love. That’s okay. Senpai made tremendous leaps in coming out of his shell. He even became friends with Nagatoro’s friends, so it’s satisfying to see him constructively develop his social skills. The cute epilogue scene showed relationship progress also, as the unusual couple became more comfortable with each other. The proof of that was how Senpai had no issues drawing Nagatoro’s short skirt and toned thighs. Good for them!
Heh.
Cute! Look at all the paintings Senpai made of Nagatoro! Crazy eyes, big smile. Or is it big eyes, crazy smile? Nagatoro-san has both kinds. My favorite moment of Nagatoro mimicking Senpai’s gesture of “putting that aside” is here too. Nagatoro’s friends like the lovely aura. Nagatoro looks pleased with how the first four turned out. Gamo-chan nails it. Nagatoro’s paintings capture her cuteness from a boyfriend’s perspective. It’s shocking to hear it aloud! Nagatoro expresses her satisfaction with Senpai in her usual way.
Ha! The girls want to look at Miss President’s painting. Nagatoro gives Senpai encouragement before she looks at it. Miss President is the Queen of Lewds! Oh no. Total demoralization! Is that painting sexier than last year? Nagatoro flops on the couch as she did in the last Nagatoro-san episode. “Breast violence,” she mutters. Gamo-chan says it’s twice as insane as last year’s. The evolved form is Demon Queen of Lewds! Gamo-chan suggests Nagatoro bare her breasts too. Sakura has a more blessed idea. Oh. It’s a more wicked idea. Attack Miss President’s weaknesses to win. Look! Miss President has a Nekotoro bag strap. What did Sakura and Nagatoro Family devise?
The day of reckoning. Miss President explains the theme of her painting as oppression and liberty. Such fancy and flowery language makes us expect erotica. What the what? The Nagatoro Family has yuru-charas! Torocat One, Two, and Three! They made a whole marketing campaign with mascots, cosplay, and merchandise. Nagatoro isn’t fully on board. Torocat One has a catchphrase – “I’mma toy with you.” There’s a subtle reference to the Nagatoro-san anime title. Senpai had no idea. The Toying with You Dance is already pop culture within the school. Many boys hope Torocat One toys with them! Senpai’s paintings of Torocat One completes the circle. Oh no. Senpai doesn’t like Nagatoro “toying” with anyone but him.
Cultural festival montage. And bladam! Miss President painted pinup art. Nagatoro-san gives us pure cheesecake! Senpai grows more jealous of Nagatoro “toying” with other guys. Oh ho! Girls ask Senpai to teach them how to draw. Senpai has entered the springtime of youth! Now Nagatoro gets jealous. Senpai and Nagatoro are adorable. Huh? If Sakura is out there, who’s in the Torocat Two? Ohohohoho! She turned her stalker into an asset!
Oh good. Senpai and Nagatoro have some quiet time to check in with each other. Nagatoro finds it tough to keep up with her “toying” attitude with all the genuine feelings of gratitude and care between her and Senpai. Nice. She gave Senpai a genuine slap of “creepy!” that he’d been missing. It’s the Nagatoro-san cultural festival date montage!
No eye catches for the final episode. Time for the drama! Ah. The epilogue cliffhanger from last week was Miss President's meeting with the Discipline Committee. The Demon Queen of Lewds went too far! The Discipline Committee Chair sounds like she’s on a power trip. Please, no salutes like that in Nagatoro-san! Senpai doesn’t like this. He wants to beat Miss President fairly. Yoshi has video proof that Miss President’s artwork inspired both lustful and artistically appreciative gazes. Decision time. Miss President can continue the art exhibit if she reports lecherous looks. However, she will not be eligible for voting which display is best. Senpai wins! By default. This feels like the plot of Revenge of the Nerds.
Penalty game time too. Aha! Miss President Bunny Girl becomes a sign girl for the art club. Ho! Miss President flipped her switch for public humiliation play. I can’t wait to see her next art piece! Let’s hope for Nagatoro-san season two. Miss President recognizes the love in Senpai’s portraits of Nagatoro. Such innocent blushing. There we go. Senpai invites Nagatoro to the closing concert. Then her hair goes into hyper-detailed mode.
Epilogue time. Senpai had no trouble drawing Nagatoro’s upper thighs this time. Smooch! The end. Nice end card from Nanashi, the manga artist.
Final Thoughts.
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san was a fun comedy riffing on fetish ideas like humiliation and sadism. At its heart, Nagatoro-san is a cute love story between incompatible types of social awkwardness. In the beginning, Senpai’s need to withdraw like a turtle clashed with Nagatoro’s aggression to hide her need to show affection. That made a spiraling negative feedback loop that resulted in Nagatoro making Senpai cry. Twice! Starting from that low point made Nagatoro-san entertaining to watch as relationships progressed between Senpai, Nagatoro, and Nagatoro’s friends.
I appreciated the artistic highlights of Nagatoro-san about a young man in the art club. We saw different art styles in the opening and closing credits, so it was fun to see the producers have fun with the show’s visuals. Nagatoro-san made sure the audience knew when Senpai connected to Nagatoro emotionally when we saw her in a romantic, detailed style. The golden and purple skies set the mood for Senpai and Nagatoro’s little moments that drew them closer together.
The bullying premise stirred controversy in comments on social media. Two main themes developed between those who couldn’t stand the show from the first episode and those who gave it a chance up to the third episode. In the first theme, the common refrain was how the viewer’s personal bullying experiences turned them off Nagatoro-san. The other common thread was how people were glad they stuck with the show because of how Nagatoro mellowed as she spent more time with Senpai.
A big part of viewers’ responses to any story comes from their life experiences. Many people who enjoy sports anime and manga have backgrounds in athletics or are fans of the gear the characters use. This works negatively too, as other people will avoid certain genres of fiction because of traumatic experiences. Stories can evoke many emotions, which connect to memories, so a viewer’s appreciation, or not, is not separate from those feelings. How you feel about a show matters to you, but I ask those who hated Nagatoro-san to follow the wise words of Uzaki from Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
“You can hate whatever you want, but don’t diss what someone else likes.”
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