Episode 12 — “Wanna Do Something to Make It Not a Dry Run?”
Hmm.
The tsundere mindset in action is a chaotic psychology experiment. You never know what a tsundere girl will do or say to keep a small distance between her feelings and her love interest. Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro sprung a surprise on the audience and on Senpai. Nagatoro wasn’t on a date with her man. Oh no. She was grading his “practice date” for when he ever got a girlfriend! Nagatoro, the tsundere, found a novel way of detaching her enjoyment of hanging out with Senpai.
This is playing with fire, though. We know Senpai only has eyes for Nagatoro, but how would the jealous tsundere react if Senpai went on a practice date with someone else? You can check out the ninth episode of Miss Nagatoro’s first season to see how Nagatoro felt about Sakura using Senpai as a fake boyfriend. Not good!
During Sakura and Senpai’s fake date to catch a stalker, we saw the Nagatoro Friends stalking them back. That same dynamic played out again with Gamou and Yosshii tailing them to “protect Paisen’s virginity.” Meanwhile, Hana Sunomiya and Sana-nee-san (ex-art club president) wanted to preserve Senpai’s love, which was how they could protect his art. I enjoyed the climactic scene where Yosshii became Gamou’s conscience. Yosshii acts like a throwaway comedic relief character in Miss Nagatoro, usually aping anything Gamou or Nagatoro says. But we’ve seen small moments where she shows she cares about her friends, and now Senpai.
Gamou cares too, but she lets her competitive rivalry with Nagatoro carry things too far. We also saw that happen in the first season when Gamou put Senpai in a collar at the summer festival to mess with Nagatoro. Back then, Gamou wanted Nagatoro to be honest with her possessiveness of Senpai. Yosshii happily played along. But on Nagatoro’s first date with Senpai, she wanted them to have their tender moments. Gamou did too, but she temporarily lost sight of how much Nagatoro and Senpai care for each other. Yosshii was a good friend to everyone involved.
Unfortunately, the comedy catharsis came when three plot threads came crashing together, so Nagatoro and Senpai did not have their romantic embrace at the beach. I had hoped for handholding to end the second season of Miss Nagatoro, but we got so much more. I thought it was appropriate for the baka couple to honestly hug each other in the narrow streets where they first started hanging out. It was a moment just for themselves.
Heh.
Date mode for Miss Nagatoro! Senpai and Nagatoro are on the train to the aquarium. And so are Gamou and Yosshii! Senpai doesn’t know where to look. It’s okay to give your pretty girlfriend compliments, Senpai! Huh? Nagatoro claims they’re on a “practice date.” Two steps forward, one step back for the baka couple. Nagatoro grades Senpai’s efforts. Not the scoring I had in mind for the pair on their first official date. Gamou and Yosshii are set to defend Paisen’s virginity in peril! Melting laser shot, ew. Hana and Sana are set for “ai protection” (love). No blinding here!
At the aquarium and Sana’s boobs are popping out. Fishy animal exhibits montage in Miss Nagatoro! Jelly arms for the jellyfish. One penguin bullies another. Don’t bully him, penguin-san! Nagatoro is picking up tips for future sessions of calling Senpai “gross.” Senpai accomplished his mission: Nagatoro saw the penguins she wanted. Uh oh. Nagatoro wants handholding! Can she make Senpai read her mind? Doubtful. Look at all the other couples holding hands! Whoops. Senpai noticed the Nagatoro Friends and the art club cousins stalking them! He accidentally gave Nagatoro what she wanted by leading her by the hand. Gamou and Yosshii, good work! Oho. They’re still scared of President Sana!
Ooh. It’s time for a spicy scene! Nagatoro likes wasabi in her ice cream. That’s spicy, all right. Miss Nagatoro gives the audience what we’ve been waiting for. Spicy tongue action! That indirect kiss is too hot for Senpai. Too much innuendo for Paisen’s defenseless virginity. Oops. Nagatoro and Senpai touched their cones together. Naughty! They each got an indirect kiss. The eye-catchers show everyone following the baka couple’s date. The second one has Hana pointing out Gamou’s prison wardrobe.
Next on Senpai’s “practice date” with Nagatoro: the dolphin show! Will they be in the splash zone? Oh, now Senpai notices all the romantic couples at the aquarium. He’s slow on the uptake but gets it eventually. Nice. Senpai shows his manly side by taking the full splash to keep Nagatoro dry. She called him “too cool.” Har. A sea turtle pair has another slap-happy complement.
It’s Golden Hour for Miss Nagatoro. These dusk lighting conditions are when Senpai and Nagatoro have their most romantic moments. Will we see handholding as they look into each other’s eyes? But first, Nagatoro needs to give Senpai his final score. Hahaha! She didn’t want to hurt his feelings! Fifty points out of a thousand! Well, he made up a lot of lost ground from his slouching and fashion choices. Senpai needs more practice, and Nagatoro doesn’t mind more practice sessions. Nagatoro doesn’t need to practice because she already went on a real one with Senpai! A few seconds of intimacy is all you get, Senpai.
Hohoho. Nagatoro made a dirty joke out of 本番 (ほんばん, honban — performance). The word has a sexual slang connotation meaning “dirty deed.” Crunchyroll went a long way to make the pun for “dry run” in the episode title turn into “wet run.” The episode title, 「じゃあ…本番にふさわしいことしちゃいます？」 (“Jaa...honban ni fusawashii koto shichaimasu?”), literally means, “Well, shall we do something appropriate for the show?” But Nagatoro sounds like she asked Senpai if he “wanted to do the real dirty deed?” We know from the first episode of Miss Nagatoro that she has a habit of making sexual innuendos out of wordplay, even with sushi. Nagatoro, don’t make it sound weird!
Innuendo or not, Gamou wants to preserve Paisen’s virginity. Oh? Yosshii noticed something about Senpai and Nagatoro. They’re in the middle of something crucial, so don’t interrupt! No cock blocking! Aw. Gamou quickly relented. It’s a big deal when Yosshii goes against her in Miss Nagatoro. All for naught because the busty Hana and Sana interrupted everyone! There went Nagatoro’s chance at an appropriate hug or kiss. Instead of the real deal, it was practice, after all. Judo practice!
Back at school, Gamou and Yosshii still aren’t back in Nagatoro’s good graces. They’re whining like lonely puppies! It’s that time in Miss Nagatoro. Time to forgive them and bother Senpai at lunch! He needs bugging because Hana force-feeds him her food! Oh. The junior art club member is trying to apologize for her part in the cock blocking. Er. Interrupting an intimate moment. Nagatoro nips that bud: she’ll make lunch for Senpai. Ugh. Senpai doesn’t know when he crossed the line between being too considerate and not accepting a girl’s feelings. All the girls knew, though! Nice. Senpai pulled out of the tailspin by offering to make Nagatoro’s lunch! Chad moves. Trading alternate days for lunch is an acceptable compromise.
One last chance at Golden Hour hugging. Creepily warm. The end.
Final Thoughts.
That was fun! Watching an odd couple fall deeper in love is satisfying. Senpai and Nagatoro’s relationship is healthy for them because we can see how it helps them grow into better people. We saw Senpai become more confident with Nagatoro. And she became more open about sharing her vulnerabilities. Simply put, they’re good for each other. Knowing that the slice-of-life romantic comedy leaves all the tension and stress out of the plot made me look forward to watching “Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro” each week.
The story elements gave me no pauses. I loved the character development, the new characters, and even how we casually learned the names of the lead romantic duo. I felt slightly disappointed at how the second season of Miss Nagatoro had fewer fanservice scenes than the first season. But the second twelve episodes spanned fall through spring. It wasn’t hot enough yet to show skin, but we did get to see Nagatoro model her zettai ryouiki. The change in animation studios also affected the art quality. Telecom Animation Film, which produced the first season, concentrated on adding purple highlights and shading to add depth to Nagatoro’s hyper-detailed portrait scenes. OLM’s art direction felt flatter, and the colors looked washed out, comparatively. These were my only quibbles for the successful second season.
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