Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro (イジらないで、長瀞さん) is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Nanashi, also known as 774, about a high-schooler and art club member who is frequently annoyed by his junior Nagatoro, unaware of her real feelings for him.[1][2] The web manga ran in Magazine Pocket, an online and app-based web manga magazine published by Kodansha,[3][4] from November 2017 to July 2024.[1] An anime television series adaptation produced by Telecom Animation Film aired from April to June 2021. A second season produced by OLM aired from January to March 2023.

Plot

Naoto Hachiouji, an introverted second-year student at Kazehaya High School, prefers to avoid social interactions and draw manga in his spare time. However, first-year girl Hayase Nagatoro inadvertently discovers the manga, calls him her "Senpai", and teases him to the point of crying. She starts frequenting the art club room where he hangs out, and continues to bully him for his timid personality and otaku interests, sometimes in a sexually suggestive fashion. Initially, Senpai does not like Nagatoro at all, and desperately tries to stay as far away from her antics as possible. As she continues to push him to become more assertive, he slowly realizes he is falling in love with her, and gradually comes out of his shell and involves himself in her life.

Senpai meets Nagatoro's friends — Gamo, Yoshi and Sakura — who at first appear to be cruel and shallow high school girls who only seek to torment Senpai, but they catch on to Senpai and Nagatoro's obvious mutual crush and become supportive friends who scheme to bring the two closer together. The art club's semi-retired president Sana Sunomiya appears and tries to shut down the club, but after a contest between her and Senpai during the culture festival, she allows it to continue. During the next school year, the president's younger cousin Hana Sunomiya joins the art club, whereas Nagatoro joins the judo club. Hana understands what is happening between Senpai and Nagatoro, and makes it her mission to help them.

Nagatoro takes part in a judo tournament and makes Senpai promise that if she defeats her rival, Orihara, he will give her a kiss. Senpai thinks she is teasing him, but she insists she is being serious. So, Senpai makes a promise of his own: if he scores first at his mock university entrance exam, he will confess to Nagatoro. In the cram school, Senpai's schoolmate, Machida, is jealous of Senpai and Nagatoro's relationship and makes a bet with him: whoever scores lower at the exam will have to pose nude for the other. Sometime later, Senpai undertakes his exam and goes to the tournament to cheer for Nagatoro, who manages to defeat Orihara. Despite failing to score first at the exam, Senpai confesses to Nagatoro anyway, and they officially become a couple. Not long after, they share their promised kiss.

However, Machida, having lost her bet with Senpai, poses nude for him in his art class. Nagatoro later asks Senpai what he drew, and he lies that it was nothing important. Suspicious, Nagatoro takes a look at his drawing of Machida, and Senpai scolds her for looking without permission. The next day, Nagatoro starts avoiding Senpai and breaks down crying while telling her friends what happened. Senpai rushes to her home to apologize, and after he promises to never lie to her again, the two reconcile.

After the rest of the year goes without problems, Senpai graduates from the school and moves to Tokyo, though he returns to celebrate Nagatoro's birthday. After learning of her plans to move to Tokyo once she graduates, Senpai proposes she move in with him, which she accepts.

Characters

• Hayase Nagatoro (長瀞 早瀬) / Miss Nagatoro (長瀞さん)
• A first-year high school girl who enjoys teasing Senpai. Although it initially appears that she just wants to torture him, she later develops genuine feelings for him, and becomes very hostile toward anyone else who tries to bully Senpai. Her friends call her Hayacchi (ハヤっち), and her given name is not revealed until chapter 62. She is a supporting member of the swimming club, and supports other school sports clubs on request. She enjoys performing mixed martial arts moves, and joins the judo club in her second year. Eventually, Senpai confesses to her, and they officially become a couple. Her surname comes from Nagatoro Station. Her dark skin color is due to a tan.
• Naoto Hachiouji (八王子 直人) / Senpai (センパイ)
• A timid introvert who likes to draw and tries to avoid social interaction. Initially, he does not like Nagatoro at all, and tries in vain to avoid her. But once he starts to spend time with her and her friends, he progressively gains self-confidence and starts to fall in love with her. His first name was revealed in Side Story 5, although a few of his male friends call him Nao-kun (直くん),. His last name "Hachiouji" (八王子) was not revealed until the next school year when Sunomiya joins the art club. Despite this, Nagatoro continues to call Naoto "Senpai". Later on, he realizes that he has developed feelings for Nagatoro. Eventually, he confesses to Nagatoro, and they officially become a couple. His surname comes from Hachiōji Station.
• Gamo (ガモちゃん)
• One of Nagatoro's friends. She has orange hair in the anime series. She is the most mature among her peers and, despite her tough appearance, often acts as a big sister toward them. She likes to call Senpai "Paisen" (パイセン) but when she teases him, Nagatoro gets jealous and tells her to stop. Her family runs a mixed martial arts gym. The Volume 10 extra shows a fighting game profile with her English name as Maki Gamou. Her surname comes from Gamō Station.
• Yosshii (ヨッシー)
• One of Nagatoro's friends with light hair styled in twin tails and an ahoge. She typically follows Gamo around and goes along with whatever schemes she has in mind. She is described as "a bit of an airhead". Much of her speech is repeating what Gamo says.
• Sakura (桜)
• One of Nagatoro's friends with a tan complexion and short blonde hair, showing up briefly at the start of the series; she is more prominent in chapter 27 onward. Her personality on the surface is sweet and quite relaxed, but she enjoys sowing jealousy in groups of boys to compete for her attention, often speaking about stringing along several guys at once for amusement.[11]
• Sana Sunomiya (須ノ宮 さな) / President (部長)
• A third-year student who heads the art club. She has long hair that frames her face with crimson eyes, and a busty chest. She has a stern and serious personality, but also has no inhibitions with exposing her body for the sake of her art, which has won prizes. She also bears a resemblance to a female character in one of Senpai's manga. She dislikes that the club has become a hangout for Nagatoro and her friends, and threatens to shut it down with a challenge at the school festival. However, when her painting is disqualified, she concedes the challenge, withdraws her request, and dresses up as a bunny girl as a punishment by Nagatoro's friends. She later supports Senpai to get along with Nagatoro. A running gag in later chapters is that she often shows up at random locations naked or going commando. She is accepted to the Tokyo University of the Arts. Her given name is not mentioned until chapter 84 when her younger cousin calls her Sana-nēsan (さな姉さん), and her surname is confirmed to be Sunomiya in Chapter 118.
• Misaki Nagatoro (長瀞 岬)
• Affectionately referred to as "Big Sis-toro" (姉瀞), she is Nagatoro's older sister and a university student who greatly cares for and loves to spoil her little sister, but also likes to tease her, and often embarrasses her. She was shown to be a sort of role model and confidant to Nagatoro. Her given name is not mentioned until chapter 118 where she meets Nagatoro and her friends at a judo training camp.
• Orihara (折原)
• An Olympic-level judoka who competes at school with Nagatoro and Senpai's friends. When the two were children, she and Nagatoro practiced judo with each other, with Nagatoro's natural ability lets her win every single time, but as Orihara put in constant hard work and became much stronger over time, Nagatoro began losing her passion, ultimately quitting after being overwhelmed by her in a match. She seemed unaware of the strained relationship with Nagatoro, treating her in a friendly and enthusiastic way, and since Nagatoro resumed judo practice, she has been friendly, supported and sometimes teased her about the relationship with Senpai, along with Gamo.
• Hana Sunomiya (須ノ宮 花)
• A first-year who joins the art club at the beginning of the new term. She is the younger cousin of the club president and was previously in the same art club as Senpai in middle school. She supports Senpai's relationship with Nagatoro, although Nagatoro is suspicious of her and worries Senpai will become interested in Sunomiya. Her given name is not mentioned until volume 11, where it is dropped in an extra sketch between chapters, and is mentioned in the proper story in chapter 88.

Media

Reception

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro has received overall positive reviews. The first few chapters have been criticized for Nagatoro's teasing, with reviewers comparing it to bullying. However, the art and character development has been well received, with Nagatoro showing a softer side as the series progresses.[91][92][93]

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro has also been compared to other works in the "teasing" genre, such as Teasing Master Takagi-san and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out![91][92]

In November 2019, the manga had over one million copies in circulation in Japan, and surpassed 1.2 million in mid-July 2020.[94][95] As of October 2022, the manga had over 3.3 million copies in circulation.[96]

The series' protagonists were featured in a cameo in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War - Dōjin Edition.[97] Nanashi has also drawn a collaboration manga with Azu's Magical Sempai.[98]

Works cited

• "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro manga.
• "Ep." is shortened form for episode and refers to an episode number of the Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro anime series.

External links

• Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san on the official Magazine Pocket website
• Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san on Kodansha's online store
• Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro on Kodansha US's online store
• Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san anime website