Teasing Master Takagi-san (2016)

[からかい上手の高木さん]

Volume 4

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

Synopsis:
When Nishikata is out on an errand, he sees Takagi and thinks he can sneak up on her.

Story/Characters:
We start with Nishikata once again thinking he can get one over on Takagi, but we all know how that's going to turn out for him. He even gets thwarted when he makes an effort to be valiant and catch her when something that's not him actually succeeds in startling her. Next we have Takagi ask to come over to Nishikata's to do homework together. Naturally, awkwardness ensues having her in his room. After that, we have Nishikata try to set the rules for a challenge so he can win. Surprise, it doesn't work, though I guess one of those challenges was left open-ended and if you know about the spinoff series, I guess he did eventually win. By the by, we went from summer vacation to the fall based on the uniforms, then back to summer in the next chapter, which tells us the story isn't being told chronologically. This is a clever way to have plenty of room to work in without entirely being subject to comic book time. Speaking of that next chapter, we have Takagi fluster Nishikata about fortune-telling, particularly of the romantic variety. This leads nicely into the next chapter, where Nishikata is confronted about always leaving school with Takagi, with him denying they're dating yet stumped because he really wants to go home with her to launch his latest attack. After that we have Nishikata challenge Takagi to poker, thinking he's mastered the perfect cheat. He really should know his opponent better by now. We then have Nishikata trying to pet a neighborhood cat, only to have to try to play it off because he thinks liking cats would be embarrassing or something (not realizing his clumsy efforts at denial are way more embarrassing, but at least it's something to amuse Takagi). We then have Nishikata get a smartphone, which he intends to use to tease Takagi at a distance, only this would mean he has to ask her for her address and because he gets so embarrassed about every little thing, I think you know how it plays out. His plan to tease Takagi by phone may not have panned out, but we then see him participating in a game with the boys to get the most interesting photo. Takagi then decides to "help" him.

Art:
The art is cute and consistent as ever. There's nothing that really stands out, but slice-of-life series rarely do anything that's too visually striking. Once you've set a decent bar for quality and maintain it, it contributes to the sort of comfy feel you want to give the audience.

Other:
We have a bonus comic where Nishikata doesn't have enough money to get a drink for himself after treating Takagi (after losing yet another bet), so she offers to share, with the usual indirect kiss fretting.

Conclusion:
Even though the formula is pretty well set, it never gets old, at least not for me. Like a comfy pair of slippers, this series can be relied on to make you feel good. If you've started collecting the series, you're not going to want to stop here.

Rating:
Own It