To say that I was looking ahead to the premiere of Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san with mixed emotions is a bit of an understatement. I do dearly love Yamamoto Soichirou’s manga (though even that’s a bit complicated, which I’ll get to shortly). But when it was announced that Kaji Yuuki would be playing Nishikata – the key vocal role in the series, really – my heart fell. Kaji is the Shaft of seiyuu for me – any time I see his involvement with a show I’m anticipating my heart sinks. I’m sure he’s a very nice man, but I just find him an incredibly grating actor – at his worst when he tries to be emotional or funny (the latter of which is highly relevant with this show).
So what’s the verdict? I guess I’d have to say “it could be worse”. Kaji is Kaji, but he’s not so much in hyper-Kaji mode here that it makes the show unwatchable for me, so I’ll count my blessings. I would say that both Kaji and Takahashi Rie in the titular role of Takagi-san sound too old and neither really captures the personality of the character I had in my head, but neither is so far off that it’s an ongoing distraction (though Kaji comes close a couple of times). It’s still Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, and for that I’m thankful.
The other thing I’d say is that, at least on paper (as manga are, after all) I feel like I kinda should dislike this series. After all it’s centered around a girl relentlessly trolling a boy, and that’s certainly an overplayed hand in modern anime if ever there was one. And in fact, for the first few chapters of the manga I did kind of feel put off by that – but still, there was something about this series that struck a chord with me. The premise is what it is, but somehow or another Yamamoto manages to strike a tone that transcends the tropey nature of the material (and I think this becomes clearer as the series progresses a bit). If I could offer a manga analogy, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is a mediocre premise executed flawlessly, and Yakusoku no Neverland is a great premise executed somewhat indifferently. And the end result is a good series in both cases.
The other thing that I think is immediately apparent is that Takagi-san is quite reminiscent of Tonari no Seki-kun. In fact I often describe this series as “gender-swapped Tonari no Seki-kun if Seki talked, and the undertones were more obvious”. Therefore it’s probably fitting that Shin-Ei Animation produced both shows, though it’s interesting that they chose to make Seki-kun a short and Takagi-san a full-length series. I would say this show is a bit more “substantial”, in a sense – less dependent on the gag and more on the plot and character – but honestly I would have offered no criticism if this had been half-length (ironically Seki-kun really should have been, rather than a mere 7 minutes per episode).
As far as that premise, it’s pretty much WYSIWYG here – basically the title tells the plot of every chapter, “Takagi-san is good at teasing”. And poor Nishikata-kun is always the victim, though he continuously hoists himself by his own petard. But as with Seki-kun, the writing is very sharp here when it comes to the gender politics of kids this age, and ultimately (even more so than with Seki and Yokoi) it’s the dynamic between Nishikata and Takagi that really drives the narrative. What should be grating somehow winds up being fucking adorable, and that’s the real magic of this series. I don’t know how it does it, exactly, but somehow it always does.
The best thing I can say if you’re not wild about the premiere, honestly, is that more so than with most series you really need to stick with Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san for a bit before you can appreciate its charms. It has a way of wearing down your resistance and boring into your brain, and honestly, it’s always great to see a little innocent romance between middle-schoolers who actually act their age. It’s fun and very sweet, even if it doesn’t play that way at first. As for the reported “adaptation” of the spinoff manga Ashita wa Doyoubi, chronicling the antics of Takagi’s three oddball friends, Shin-Ei seem to have chosen to use it as the omake. That’s a good call I think, and it’s well-suited to that role.
“100 Yen”
Yuuki
January 8, 2018 at 11:56 pmSpeaking of Kaji what did you of his role as Todoroki in MHA? At first I thought he was an awful fit when they announced him but after hearing him for awhile I think he makes a good Todoroki.
Guardian Enzo
January 9, 2018 at 5:33 amI think he is an awful fit, but it’s one of his less awful roles. If he’d been Bakugo, for example, it would have been intolerable. Todoroki is pretty flatline most of the time, which limits Kaji’s more obnoxious tendencies.
Molly
January 10, 2018 at 2:49 pmSpot on, Enzo… Ugh, poor Todoroki #justice4shoto
Matti
January 9, 2018 at 7:27 amNot as invested in anime as you to know about voice actors, but this Kaji chap’s performance wasn’t terrible to my ‘untrained’ ear. Sure, I’d have preferred Tom Hardy grunting like Mad Max as a schoolboy protag (would be a nice change from the usual), but this is anime, and unless there’s Netflix money involved, beggars can’t be choosers.
My main reservation with this series is the same one I had with the manga – how long can they drag this same gag? The locals obviously love it judging from the length of the manga (plus the fact that it got an anime), but I personally prefer that other work by the same mangaka about the three girls doing wacky stuff.
Guardian Enzo
January 9, 2018 at 12:55 pmI felt that way too, but it kind of grew on me. And I think the tone of Takagi and Nishikata’s interactions does change over time.
Kamui leo
January 10, 2018 at 4:04 amoh god, these kind of romantic animes hurt my feelings lmao
btw here is Basilisk: Ouka Ninpouchou – Episode 1 [The Cherry Blossoms Have Fallen] [First Impressions]
i try hard to write it good but idk i did it better or not.
i hope someone will like this.
Molly
January 10, 2018 at 3:21 pmI still haven’t watched the premiere of Basilisk. Thanks for reminding me. Will check out your review.
Molly
January 10, 2018 at 2:54 pmLiked the episode even though the pranking antics got a bit annoying. Just because they come from a place of youthful and immature love doesn’t make them less malicious. Hopefully the conceit will not last indefinitely. Right, Enzo?
sonicsenryaku
January 10, 2018 at 9:34 pmNot to disparage other ppl’s opinions, but i dont see how anyone could watch this and think that Takagi’s behavior comes off as mean-spirited and vile or that the relationship between these two leads is anything but precious; oh well. I just thought id say that because ive noticed some people being put off by the series because they find Takagi’s teasing to be slightly cruel. I am a strong believer that the meaning behind a person’s actions, especially when it concerns behavior, is dependent on context i.e our actions arent defined by their supposed inherent connotation . Context is what changes our scope and perception of a person’s behavior; it’s what essentially differentiates our reaction to someone who makes fun of us in a loving way vs someone who makes fun of you for the intentional purpose of preying on your insecurities and seeking to make you feel less than yourself. I assume that as the series goes on, the two characters start to communicate and build a genuine friendship between each other beyond trying to prank one another. The pranks seem to be a vehicle/gimmick used by the writing to build-up the obvious intimacy brewing between these two kids’ at least that’s the vibe I’m getting. If that’s the case, then I’m sold on what’s looking to be a very comfortable romance story between two kids crushing so hard on each other.
Guardian Enzo
January 10, 2018 at 9:49 pmI get you, believe me. But I must confess, I was kind of in that boat myself when I first started reading this series. My opinion of it evolved over time though, that’s for certain.
JJ
February 19, 2018 at 3:39 pmAnd I don’t mean to disparage your opinion or experience SSR, but as someone who has been through a similar situation, context may be important but the end result is what counts – particularly to the victim. They do not always have the luxury of reading or watching the situation as a dispassionate observer.
Having finally brought myself to watch the first episode, I am definitely in the uncomfortable camp at the moment (not as much as Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-San it has to be said – I’ll be avoiding that like the plague should it ever be animated) But Tonari no Seki-kun won me over, so it’s only fair to stick with this.
Again, I apologise if I come across as brusque, but the dissenting opinion shouldn’t automatically be dismissed. It isn’t inherently wrong to criticise someone who cannot express their feelings without resorting to pranks, in the real world that is not conducive to a healthy relationship.
Rui Carvalho
January 11, 2018 at 7:29 amThis was adorable, even though I thought to myself “I’m with you, bro” whenever Nishikata got owned by Takagi’s trolling.
But the show made it very clear how much Takagi is into Nishikata, so the jokes never come across as cruel. One of my favourite jokes was when the strange face gag even worked on the teacher, just not Takagi.
Oh, and that brick joke about the token was very well played. I had completely forgot about that.
elianthos80
January 12, 2018 at 1:38 pmSo.Much.Mutual.Blushing. Awww. I do wonder if each segment would benefit a slightly shorter duration for humour landing ratio so to speak though. Ad their occasionally minuscule hands are a tad distracting. But it’s cute. Let’s see next week…
Guardian Enzo
January 12, 2018 at 1:57 pmLOL, I never noticed the hand thing – now I have to rewatch for that, dammit.
elianthos80
January 12, 2018 at 2:15 pmTheir ‘[blushing] appleheads on a stick’ chara design charm notwithstanding I think the first eraser prank screenshot you took was part of one such instance, especially in Nishikata’s case. He sported teeeeny tiny hands here and there XD.
Guardian Enzo
January 12, 2018 at 2:23 pmWell, don’t tell Trump.