At this point, I think it’s worth noting that Shin-Ei Animation is very good at making this sort of adaptation.  And when I say “this sort of adaptation” I’m pretty much talking about Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san and Tonari no Seki-kun, because – different as they are – they bring along a similar set of challenges in the adapting, and not many other series fit the same bill.  There are a lot of quirks about this series – the narrative flow, the nature of the comedy, the way the “Doyoubi” trio tends to interrupt the rhythm at times – and Shin-Ei and director Akagi Hiroaki (the esteemed Yokote Michiko’s contribution is not to be overlooked, either) have managed to mesh it all together in a way that really works in anime form.  And full-length, to boot.

What’s really striking at this stage of Karakai Jouzu to me is that, while it would be easy to be lulled into thinking these chapters are repetitive, there’s a very distinct progression going on here.  One could almost call this show “Oshieru Jouzu no Takagi-san” because make no mistake, she’s training Nishikata-kun as much as teasing him (I think the teasing is, for her, the bonus).  And as with any training regimen, the teacher raises the difficulty level as the student progresses.  Nishikiata still seems to have no idea about any of this, of course – but there are moments when he betrays that a suspicion is growing inside him.

The timeless rituals of childhood are the canvas on which this training arc is painted.  That whole “walking into the pole” situation made me wince, because I have very distinct memories of drifting off when I was Nishikata’s age, only to do something embarrassing and have to pray no one saw me (Takagi being an alien, of course, she’s always present for one of those Nishikata embarrassing moments).  And then there’s the height thing – for boys this age, height for whatever reason takes on an almost fetishistic urgency.  And puberty being the capricious bitch it is, this is one arena in which the game is not played fairly.

But again – look beneath the teasing on the surface and see what’s really going on here.  Takagi-san is conditioning Nishikata-kun (among other things) to be comfortable engaging in physical intimacy with her (not sexually at this point, just spatially).  Back-to-back is a significant enough start – there’s a lot of real estate in direct contact in that position.  But did you ever have any doubt that she’d (literally) flip the situation around, and have the two of them try the experiment face to face?  Poor Nishikata can’t even really savor his victory, because it’s not until after he’s proved to be taller (which Takagi obviously had already noticed) that she plays her trump card of having witnessed his pole dance.

What’s the underlying theme of the “cold hands” thing?  Why, touching of course – and her “you can do it to me, too” is all part of training program.  Meanwhile both Nishikata and Takagi’s friends have pretty much figured that the two of them are going out, but Takagi being the sharp knife she is, this is an opportunity she can’t possibly let pass by.  This gives her a chance to broach the taboo subject of dating with Nishikata without directly addressing it – it’s just about what their friends are saying.  To boot, she manages to pop a cherry on top of the whipped cream by using this pretext to manoeuver Nishikata-kun into asking her to walk home for the first time.

Completing the lessons for the week, Takagi-san flips Nishikata’s latest plan (the more he plans, the deeper he’s buried) for teasing her into yet more conditioning.  “Would you rather” is another timeless childhood ritual, but in the hands of Takagi-sensei it’s more desensitization training.  First, it’s about kissing – of course Nishikata is going to choose that option.  Then it’s about not wanting Takagi to go away – which she immediately flips to “So you do want to be with me.”  Even if Nishikata denies it in the moment (which he does, of course) the seed is now planted – the notion is now plausible, even if he can’t possibly admit it yet.  Oh, you’re good Takagi-san – and poor Nishikata just doesn’t have a chance in Hell (or Heaven).