MANGA REVIEW | "Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" - Vol. 20 [FINALE]
So here we are. At long last, Nagatoro and Naoto are a couple. The writing has been on the wall since the Kyoto story arc, and it was clear that our two Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro leads would get together. But man, how Nanashi presented it was beyond anything us readers could have imagined. And with that, this rom-com has come to an end, with its twentieth and final volume delivering everything we could ask for in a conclusion!
However, that doesn’t mean everything is sunshine and rainbows in this manga. There are still a couple of hurdles Nagatoro and Naoto need to overcome. For starters, they haven’t even kissed yet! The usual cheerleaders on both of the teams push the two to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. But that means finding the right spot to do it. A place with very few people, nice scenery, and that has some sentimental value.
Perhaps this is why the art club room was the perfect location for that very special first kiss. After all, Nagatoro and Naoto have made many great memories in there, so it should be the right spot to lock those lips for the first time. How Nanashi frames this special moment is some of his most beautiful works, as he captures young love in its most purest form. No teasing, no perverted jokes, just two lips embracing with all of the love in the world.
But then, a big obstacle pops up: their first fight. Naoto lies about what his art class draws, and when Nagatoro snoops around and finds the artwork, Senpai lashes out. While he’s not screaming at her, how he does it is still cold nonetheless. It puts a barrier between the two, and Naota wants to find a way to break it as soon as possible.
That’s when Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro brings in a final boss: older brother Taiga. Instead of using words, he and Naoto use judo to settle things properly. As Nagatoro watches, Naoto uses his strength to overcome Taiga, as he spouts the ultimate promise that he’ll make for his girlfriend. It’s a moment that shows how much Naoto has grown as a person, as he’s gone from spineless shrimp to a man who’ll fight for his woman!
How people evolve is what this final volume showcases the best. No longer is Naoto the quiet-minded art kid, nor is Nagatoro the wild teaser. They’ve both become better people for each other, as well as because of each other. While we’ve seen many other manga rom-coms show character evolution throughout a series, Nanashi thankfully went with a smarter route and kept every part of these characters’ changes in place as soon as they blossomed.
All of this is summed up in the graduation ceremony, with both Nagatoro and Naoto giving speeches at the school. What’s great about the speeches is how they complement one another, something that Naoto was trying his darndest to do. Where Nagatoro focused on dreams and the next stage of life in her speech, Naoto talked more about how school and friends prepared him for what happens next. (Of course, these speeches might as well have been written for one another rather than the entire student body.)
What more can I say about Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro? The years I’ve spent reading the manga and watching the anime have allowed me to witness what true rom-com peak is. Yes, there are your Teasing Master Takagi-san’s, your Kaguya-sama: Love is War’s, and even the classics like Love Hina and Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You. But there was something about Nanashi’s work that truly brought out that right balance of romance and comedy. On top of that, Nagatoro and Naoto were both characters that were very easy to root for, even when the former's jabs at the latter got a little harsh here and there.
It’s always sad when a fantastic series comes to an end. However, I’m happy Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro found a conclusion that fit perfectly with its main characters and the world they traverse in. As Nanashi said in the afterword, this might not be the last time we see Nagatoro and Naoto, as any spark of inspiration could bring them back in a one-off comic. But for now, let’s leave the lovebirds be, as I’m certain the two of them have plenty of happy times to look forward to.
We should all be glad and thankful Miss Nagatoro toyed with all of us.
VOL. 20 RATING:
FINAL GRADE (series):
Special thanks to Tomo Tran and the rest of the Kodansha Manga team for giving us the opportunity to review this series these last 6+ years!
