Teasing Master Takagi-san (2018)

[からかい上手の高木さん]

Volume 9

Author/Artist: Soichiro Yamamoto
Publisher: Gessan Shounen Sunday Comics Special

Synopsis:
Nishikata only has enough money for one drink, but can he share one with Takagi even if it means the dreaded indirect kiss?

Story/Characters:
Takagi always has fun with Nishikata, but she seemed to be especially enjoying the first chapter with the whole prospect of an indirect kiss. Credit to Nishikata for coming up with a creative solution, but as always, even that doesn't go entirely his way. Next we play on the Japanese idea of sneezing being caused by someone gossiping about you to run through pretty much the whole cast in a chain of gossip and sneezing. Next we have Nishikata and Takagi play hide-and-seek, only they end up unwittingly eavesdropping on Hamaguchi and Houjou and Nishikata is trapped between not wanting to eavesdrop and not wanting to be misunderstood for being huddled in a secluded spot with Takagi. We then have a two-parter with Nishikata desperate to get at least one win in before the winter break, so he challenges Takagi to see who can get the other the better Christmas present. Next we have contest conveyed via texts which has one of the cutest endings thus far. We then have Nishikata set an ambush for Takagi to execute a sure-win strategy that... surely didn't win. ^o^ For the next challenge, Nishikata makes a subtle change to his appearance, thinking Takagi won't be able to figure it out. What he didn't count on was her opting to observe him very, very closely. We close on a one-on-one game of dodgeball. Nishikata is counting on his quick reflexes and athletic ability, but he wasn't factoring in the psychological factor. There's also a lot of fun double entendres in the dialog (clean ones, mind you; this is a wholesome series after all).

Art:
As always, Nishikata's reactions are a treat to see. You can see why Takagi goes to the lengths she does (other than her main reason, of course). Santa Takagi from Nishikata's dream is rather cute and speaking of cute, the ending for "Mail" is near the top of the list for the series.

Other:
We get another Valentine's chocolate omake. As mentioned the previous time, I don't know if these are meant to be canonical or not.

Conclusion:
Another delightful entry in a series that's never once slacked on the charm. The chapter "Mail" is one of my favorites and it alone makes this one worth a purchase, but you get eight whole other chapters of goodness to go with it. Don't you feel lucky?

Rating:
Own It