MANGA REVIEW | "Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" - Vol. 15
For a romantic relationship to progress, both parties must take big steps in the right direction. For the duo of Nagatoro and Senpai, their progression towards being a legit item has picked up steam. From a “practice” date at an aquarium to a vow in Kyoto, the teasing master and her art club target have made some big strides. But in the fifteenth volume of Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, the countdown towards a confession draws near, and it takes a little skin to light the pathway of love.
However, Senpai’s got a problem: he doesn’t quite have the guts to fully confess to Nagatoro just yet. It’s when Sunomiya uses her “love knowledge” to show Senpai the ropes on what he should do next. And it’s the most scandalous thing you could do in a rom-com: holding hands! What follows is a moment that delivers a surprising amount of quiet, as Senpai and Nagatoro let their emotions sink in, as their hands are clutched together.
It dives right back into the zaniness that we’ve come to expect from Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, with Senpai hitting a wall in his drawing talents. Nagatoro soon finds herself begging the Class President to give Senpai some help. But she didn’t expect Class President to literally strip down to aid in Senpai’s quest to draw better. That’s when Nagatoro steps up to the plate, and asks Senpai who he’d rather draw naked: her or the Class President.
Posing nude isn’t something anyone can just outright jump into, nor is it something an artist should force upon a model. It’s a mutual arrangement, one where comfort levels come solely into play. At first, Nagatoro doesn’t have the courage to bare herself to Senpai, with the artist trying his best to not feel embarrassed asking her to commit. However, when she sees that there might be a competitive element to this between her and the Class President, the fire to go all in rages in Nagatoro’s heart. Surprisingly, it’s Gamo that awakens that realization, with a reminder that competition is what makes Nagatoro feel most alive.
Author Nanashi goes the more artistic route for the big moment. Perhaps it’s his way to show his readers the difference between nudity as an art form and nudity as fan service. Class President’s exhibitionist ways certainly fall into the fan service category, as her moments are more played for laughs. When Nagatoro strips nude, Nanashi presents his creation with the utmost respect. In a way, this moment winds up being a beautiful bonding moment for Nagatoro and Senpai thanks to how it’s all framed.
Again, the clock is ticking down for one of these two to confess their feelings. Fortunately, both Nagatoro and Senpai have events that could push them to finally spill their hearts. For Nagatoro, it’s a judo training camp; for Senpai, it’s a mock art exam. The question now is, who’ll reach their goal first? And will they go for the gold when the time comes?
There’s a lot of progress made in the fifteenth volume of Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro. From hand holding and nude drawing to big life goals, Senpai and Nagatoro make some big strides in their path towards a bonafide relationship. It’s bound to happen sooner or later, as these two can’t really hide their feelings anymore. Nevertheless, as the countdown towards confession time reaches zero, one hopes that Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro won’t chicken out and give the readers what they want. Thankfully, as the latest volume shows, both our main leads want that extra push to say what’s been in their hearts since the very beginning.
