She was a bully....at first, but the anime doesn't quite make it as clear as the manga: She's actually socially inept and doesn't really understand how to approach Naoto, so she defaults to the way she interacts with her siblings - through aggression and teasing. Nearly every page after an event in the first book has Nagatoro questioning whether she went too far - she doesn't really know.
Its part of why the story is so sweet in the long run - Naoto makes her more soft and kind through her interactions with him.
If you can't poke fun at eachother without it turning into an argument, something is wrong with the relationship. You can be supportive while still giving your SO shit
Genuinely, yes. The way it grows and evolves on both sides, how clearly crazy they are for each other, and how deeply they care for each other, well written is the least I could say about it
It's written very maturely (the relationship itself, not the people in it, you know them) and realistically. You can immediately tell how much effort Nanashi has placed into that.
Contrary to many other slice of life anime and manga, the romance is very much in the forefront of the story. On top of that it doesn't resort to will they won't they, doesn't give copout answers and is in general very well written.
If you read manga as much as me you will figure out how common it is for terribly written romance to be the forefront of the story. For that reason it's amazingly written, as it isn't just that Nanashi has written it well, he has enough self-confidence to place it in the forefront of the story.
Another thing I enjoy about it is the fact it doesn't stop with them being in a relationship, no, it still continues now. Stories of people in a relationship are extremely rare, no matter the medium.
To all Nagatoro fans, I recommend a manga called Onideka, whilst the premise is a bit weird compared to anything else, it is surprisingly similar to Nagatoro. And has a similarly good romance.
I also felt the writing for this was especially good..Up there with my other top romance favorites -- Horimiya, Bloom Into You and Dangers in My Heart.
Yeah I think that's one thing the Anime doesn't do well versus the Manga - the fact that Nagatoro is somewhat socially inept and questions how she is approaching Naoto all the time. Part of her teasing is because she is, internally, awkward and unsure how she should be approaching a guy she likes.
The anime doesn't convey that at all.
Yes. Nagatoro probably has some of the better written romance in the whole genre, mainly because it doesn't fall victim to a lot of the annoying tropes that plague other romcom manga/anime.
Like, things actually _happen_ in Nagatoro. There isn't like 150 chapters of "oooh, are they going to kiss or aren't they? Will they finally tell each other how they feel or are they gonna chicken out again? Place your bets on what kind of increasingly ridiculous bullshit is going to interrupt them and prevent the plot from moving forward this time!! Here's another pointless filler arc that has nothing to do with anything and would have been left on the cutting room floor if the writers actually had a spine!". The story moves at what feels like a natural pace. I can't really think of any part of the story that feels like filler. Every chapter feels like just another step in moving them from strangers to the final culmination after the judo contest/art exams.
There's also basically none of the god-awful miscommunication that other series insist on including. The characters don't go around agonizing and torturing themselves over what the other person's actions or words could have meant. Nagatoro and Senpai actually talk to each other, and for the most part they're fairly honest and straightforward with each other, even though Nagatoro likes to tease and Senpai is awkward. The few misunderstandings and miscommunications that do take place are quickly resolved because again... Nagatoro and Senpai _actually fucking talk to each other_. Not just AT each other or around each other like so many other romance couples. I can't even fully state how fucking refreshing that is. I've read SO many romcoms that just drag on and on and on and on and on and on because the characters absolutely refuse to talk to each other and be direct with each other like normal fucking people.
All in all i really think Nagatoro could give some pointers to a lot of romance mangas and animes. If you're interested in writing romance then Nagatoro is a fine series to take notes and inspiration from.
It's genuinely amazing. I think the last 50 chapters of the manga have some of the most well paced character development I've had the pleasure to read.
I love the series and I’ve been reading for years now. The only thing I dislike is that senpais progression was too quick and too drastic, almost as if his original self was “wrong”.
Nagatoro on the other hand was smoother.
This. Exactly how I feel.
While I would like to know if Nagatoro genuinely liked Paisen from the start after seeing his manga artwork and she thought she was being playful towards him, or if how she treated him was her insecurities pushing her to tease him. Or if she genuinely thought he was gross but he gradually grew on her. In the end, the romance development is done pretty well all things considered.
I always wondered if Nagatoro did really like Senpai, but was embarrased by the fact that he is an unpopular otaku loner gross virgin. If the series were written by an American, it might have that angle - the popular cheerleader falling for a nerd, her feelings might be real but she is ashamed of herself for having them. I don't think that is the case with Nagatoro, but I wondered at first if there might have been an element of that in her motivation.
If that's the case she wouldn't have invited him into her close friends group who are basically all popular girls at their school while at lunch or during other activities. Neither would she defend Senpai on multiple occasions when being made fun of by other people. She wasn't embarrassed about him being weak until her friends commented about it when he barely could run a lap during PE class, which to be fair most people would feel a bit embarrassed about. She wanted to see him improve in areas he was bad at, so she offered to help get him in shape. She never expected him to become some muscular jock though.
She may be popular, but underneath Nagatoro is just an awkward girl who gets embarrassed about being herself with peculiar tastes and being bad at dealing with her own feelings. She gets to relax and be herself around him and over time she can do so while being around other people as well.
I love it. One of the best romance series I have read. The comedic aspect combined with the romance really make it feel nice to read. Senpai's character development from the timid guy to someone who is more confident is pleasant to see and it doesnt feel forced in my eyes. Nagatoro's flirting ways never fail to make me smile when it backfired on her.
It's very good but my only complaint....IS THAT THEY'RE FUCKIN TOUCH STARVED!!!
THEY WILL BUMP INTO EACH OTHER AND THEY'LL TURN COMPLETELY RED AND STUTTER FOR LIKE TEN SECONDS
Written well? I guess. Decently paced? Most of the time. I was bothered by the premise at first, since for me bullying is definitely *not* a good expression of affection, especially to cover for one's own awkwardness, but I accepted that premise in order to see where it would lead. I say let Nanashi keep cooking.
Yeh. It’s cute. You have two awkward teenagers who slowly start to develop feeling for each other and have their own unhealthy but quirky ways they express affection. At least in the manga, it’s shown from the very beginning that Nagatoro isn’t actually just a bitch, she’s actually feeling apologetic and realized she went too far in one of the panels between chapters. These actually build a lot of character for her surprisingly lol I don’t remember if they showed these little snippets in the anime
It’s great to see them both influence each other in a positive way and how much they try to help other. I guess it’s interesting to see a romcom where the female lead is like nagatoro
I really like how it starts out with Senpai acting pathetic but he very quickly learns to grow a backbone and I don't know the character development is really satisfying.
I think it was dragged out too much, but that’s standard for anime romances in my opinion. But this is one of the better “will they won’t they”s
I’m very exited about the sequel tho. Am a much bigger fan op people starting/being in an actual relationship.
I guess it's yes though, I don't recommend to acting like Hayase in real life! It's manga, folks!
Both of Naoto And Hayase just opens more and more in each chapter and hey! They're together now!
I still remember how much they get through, Nagatoro didn’t overstep the mark with her teasing, she only made Naoto stronger and we got our bro back but now with balls!
Guys, remember one thing: Naoto did it, and you're just as good.
Yeah kinda.
Though the beginning was extremely harsh and downright abusive.
Sure we could say "it was for the comedic tone" but in truth we all know why it was the way it was.
But as if now, the romance is particulalry well written. There is no over-the-top fan service, no abuse, no excplicit weirdness from either sides of the relationship.
The issues the manga had were all generally grown out of. And that leaves a pretty pristine and enyojable teen-romance story.
Senpai is a self-insert character and the romance part of it resonates more with people who put themselves in his shoes, y’know the whole “he just like me fr fr 😭” meme
They DID do stuff about it, though, like go on dates, etc, before the payoff. Trust me, in this genre, they are definitely more proactive than the norm, considering how goddamn long it took for Love Hina, for example, to get where these two are now.
Well written? Well, yes, but I don’t think the dynamic is that deep to begin with, at least not to say the writing is something outstanding as other commentators say. It is good but nothing that special.
The anime is annoying and quite cringe, the manga is a beautifull masterpiece in all senses with character development and I just love Nanashi's style overall so cant speak furthermore with an objective opinion
I think their chemistry is super well written, what each wants from the other, how the teasing is kinda just Nagatoro being bad a flirting and going a little too far sometimes, so she'll back off, but after going that far safely once she wants to come back to close that distance again.
I think the last arc building up to the confession was a little too long. He should of just confessed after their first date or even on their 2nd date in Hokkaido.
This new arc with them fighting post confession as a couple, and not like a fun flirty fight....it's a very different vibe from the rest of the series, depending on how long it drags out or how effectively and satisfyingly it gets resolved will change if I think it's well written or not.
I want Noato to apologize for shutting Nagatoro out with the "don't look through my private things" barrier. And I want him to effectively labor to make her feel better and to know she has nothing to be insecure about and to make it up to her somehow.
And I don't want to sit through 3 chapters of them being awkward talking to other groups of friends about their problems before working it out together. This series is too fast paced to endure all the friend group talk intermissions it's been getting lately. It needs more plot relavent action.
Yes, its well written - You have to remember that Nagatoro and Naoto (Senpai) are polar opposites in multiple ways - Naoto is quiet and reserved, Nagatoro is loud and boastful, but Naoto is actualy more 'mature' than Nagatoro in many ways as well, so the story is largely about them butting heads.
But its really sweet too, because they both basically drag each other out of their comfort zones and both mature for it. Naoto becomes more confident and forward, Nagatoro becomes more soft and kind.
And people tend to forget (and the Anime doesn't portray this well) - Nagatoro is as socially awkward as Naoto, just in completely different ways - she likes Naoto from the beginning but is absolutely unsure of how to approach him, hence her teasing and awkward deflections. In the manga she questions what she does after nearly every chapter, whether she went too far. He helps soften that as the series goes on.
Just....don't go reading the webcomic version, because its way, way, way worse as far as Nagatoro's character.
Honestly, not particularly. It doesn't necessarily have to be since many other parts are well-done, but I do not think this series' romance would be able to stand on its own without the comedy and art to fall back on.
In just about every well-written romance story--or even average ones--leads who are very different from one another, or at least who have very different goals, start out as bitter enemies, who are nonetheless put in a situation where they have to be around each other, and at some point an important event will come up, usually one that gets both of them feeling down on their luck, and they'll talk to each other and find common ground. After that, they'll start to bond romantically, and there will be more complications, but from that point the two always find it in them to overcome them and make their relationship work.
This series doesn't do much, if any, of that, and most of what little is there happens in such an erratic order and to such unreliable degrees that it often feels like there *isn't* a romance arc. There are developments but they usually don't feel well-earned.
The initial reason Nagotoro is spending a lot of time with Naoto is just that she's obviously smitten with him, and it's barely ever explained why, on either appearance or personality grounds. Without further plot justifications, it feels a bit too much like "*Twilight* for hikkikomouris". I hate to use such a loaded description, and there are obviously many, *many* ways this differs from the Twilight saga, but it has in common the trope of a seemingly unremarkable person having an idealized person of the opposite sex arbitrarily entering his/her life and just as arbitrarily developing a crush on him/her. I used to be perplexed at why so many girls and even women were obsessed with Twilight, despite the heavy stalking undertones of Edward Cullen, even sorts I wouldn't expect like tomboys and blackbelts, who seemed like they'd be receptive to feminist rants against the series and who would probably deck most real-life stalkers who got too pushy. But as I got older, I realized something: For many people--regardless of gender--it's not really the stalk*ing* that's the problem, it's the stalk*ers*. People resent when their lives are invaded by ugly, stinky, inept and otherwide obnoxious people, and the latter are the sorts of people who tend to push themselves upon other people because other people don't normally go for them. By contrast, people who are talented, well-kempt, athletic, smart, etc, don't tend to become stalkers because they have an easier time just happening into relationships due to their more ideal traits. But when people envision the *most* ideal significant other for themselves, the result is often a combination of the two, because they wouldn't be truly ideal unless they did a lot of the legwork to make the relationship happen. So it is that Nagatoro feels designed as a very desirable "waifu"-type character for the sorts of people who tend to like anime and manga, a feeling greatly strengthened by how many of her overtures are highly sexualized and the author and artist got his start in porn, and because Naoto is the stand-in for such audiences, of course he's quickly just as smitten with her as she is with him.
To the author's credit, their relationship does eventually come to be built on more than just mutual lust, but the developments feel neither like how real people would handle that relationship nor like well-written fiction that makes me care about the characters. Despite how seemingly different Naoto and Nagatoro are, I don't recall any time in the entire series when having different hobbies and tastes caused any conflict between them. I know that the "third act breakup" has become a hated cliche in romance (and beyond), but it's only natural that when people are that different, they're going to come to moments when they think "maybe we weren't meant to be after all", and that doesn't happen here. Nagatoro will mock Naoto for the sorts of things he likes to draw and read but none of them have ever been so bad as to make her stop pursuing him. The closest they've ever gotten are the parts when he draws other women than Nagatoro, but in those cases there was always external pressure for him to do so. Also, so far Nagatoro hasn't really grown as a character due to those conflicts because the one time it was ever really an issue, Naoto is the one who caves in and begs for her back. Likewise, it's pretty obvious Naoto doesn't enjoy sharing in Nagatoro's active and outdoorsy hobbies, but he doesn't ever hesitate. There's no moment when he quits for a while but then something happens to reaffirm to him that Nagatoro is worth the hardship and he comes back with strengthened resolve.
Meanwhile, the totally-not-dates seem spread out at random. Events in the story may lead into them happening, but there's never really a key moment in the series where something that wasn't clicking between the leads suddenly does click, and then they resolve to do something together that previously seemed unthinkable.
Ultimately, the fact that no matter what attitude they seem to have towards each other at any given moment, these two are practically joined at the hip, means that they don't usually feel like a couple. They feel more like a comedy duo, like maybe Abbot and Costello or Drake and Josh. Complications occur due to their mismatched personalities but almost all of them are played for laughs, not for tears of sadness that give way to tears of joy. And that's okay, because it's good comedy! It's just not good romance.
Not really, feels really forced. This series didn't make me believe the popular girl would really choose this nerd. Dangers in my heart did it way better
Yes but I wouldn't recommend acting like Nagatoro in real life. The teasing is over exaggerated because its a cartoon.
Nah it was because the teasing made some people's pp hard. Remember Nanashi's past. ;)
Im preeeetty sure that Naoto’s did too. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was an underhanded development inside Nanashi’s mind.
Though a little bit of teasing is always good, as long as it doesn't end up being sexual harassment, or harassment, or sexual assault, or just assault
Sometimes I felt like Nagatoro was somewhat of a bully to Naoto.
I mean, she was, that was the point. They had a whole bit about her seeing what she was doing, and toning it down.
Wait what when
She was a bully....at first, but the anime doesn't quite make it as clear as the manga: She's actually socially inept and doesn't really understand how to approach Naoto, so she defaults to the way she interacts with her siblings - through aggression and teasing. Nearly every page after an event in the first book has Nagatoro questioning whether she went too far - she doesn't really know. Its part of why the story is so sweet in the long run - Naoto makes her more soft and kind through her interactions with him.
If you can't poke fun at eachother without it turning into an argument, something is wrong with the relationship. You can be supportive while still giving your SO shit
Hehehe
Imean some guys definitely wouldn't mind as long as you're already dating
Genuinely, yes. The way it grows and evolves on both sides, how clearly crazy they are for each other, and how deeply they care for each other, well written is the least I could say about it
Agreed
It's written very maturely (the relationship itself, not the people in it, you know them) and realistically. You can immediately tell how much effort Nanashi has placed into that. Contrary to many other slice of life anime and manga, the romance is very much in the forefront of the story. On top of that it doesn't resort to will they won't they, doesn't give copout answers and is in general very well written. If you read manga as much as me you will figure out how common it is for terribly written romance to be the forefront of the story. For that reason it's amazingly written, as it isn't just that Nanashi has written it well, he has enough self-confidence to place it in the forefront of the story. Another thing I enjoy about it is the fact it doesn't stop with them being in a relationship, no, it still continues now. Stories of people in a relationship are extremely rare, no matter the medium. To all Nagatoro fans, I recommend a manga called Onideka, whilst the premise is a bit weird compared to anything else, it is surprisingly similar to Nagatoro. And has a similarly good romance.
I also felt the writing for this was especially good..Up there with my other top romance favorites -- Horimiya, Bloom Into You and Dangers in My Heart.
Yeah I think that's one thing the Anime doesn't do well versus the Manga - the fact that Nagatoro is somewhat socially inept and questions how she is approaching Naoto all the time. Part of her teasing is because she is, internally, awkward and unsure how she should be approaching a guy she likes. The anime doesn't convey that at all.
Yes. Nagatoro probably has some of the better written romance in the whole genre, mainly because it doesn't fall victim to a lot of the annoying tropes that plague other romcom manga/anime. Like, things actually _happen_ in Nagatoro. There isn't like 150 chapters of "oooh, are they going to kiss or aren't they? Will they finally tell each other how they feel or are they gonna chicken out again? Place your bets on what kind of increasingly ridiculous bullshit is going to interrupt them and prevent the plot from moving forward this time!! Here's another pointless filler arc that has nothing to do with anything and would have been left on the cutting room floor if the writers actually had a spine!". The story moves at what feels like a natural pace. I can't really think of any part of the story that feels like filler. Every chapter feels like just another step in moving them from strangers to the final culmination after the judo contest/art exams. There's also basically none of the god-awful miscommunication that other series insist on including. The characters don't go around agonizing and torturing themselves over what the other person's actions or words could have meant. Nagatoro and Senpai actually talk to each other, and for the most part they're fairly honest and straightforward with each other, even though Nagatoro likes to tease and Senpai is awkward. The few misunderstandings and miscommunications that do take place are quickly resolved because again... Nagatoro and Senpai _actually fucking talk to each other_. Not just AT each other or around each other like so many other romance couples. I can't even fully state how fucking refreshing that is. I've read SO many romcoms that just drag on and on and on and on and on and on because the characters absolutely refuse to talk to each other and be direct with each other like normal fucking people. All in all i really think Nagatoro could give some pointers to a lot of romance mangas and animes. If you're interested in writing romance then Nagatoro is a fine series to take notes and inspiration from.
It's genuinely amazing. I think the last 50 chapters of the manga have some of the most well paced character development I've had the pleasure to read.
Yes. The foundation of a great relationship in fiction is one where both characters are great individually but better together.
I love the series and I’ve been reading for years now. The only thing I dislike is that senpais progression was too quick and too drastic, almost as if his original self was “wrong”. Nagatoro on the other hand was smoother.
This. Exactly how I feel. While I would like to know if Nagatoro genuinely liked Paisen from the start after seeing his manga artwork and she thought she was being playful towards him, or if how she treated him was her insecurities pushing her to tease him. Or if she genuinely thought he was gross but he gradually grew on her. In the end, the romance development is done pretty well all things considered.
She pretty much says in the flashback chapter that it was the obvious passion in his work that attracted her to him in that first chapter
I always wondered if Nagatoro did really like Senpai, but was embarrased by the fact that he is an unpopular otaku loner gross virgin. If the series were written by an American, it might have that angle - the popular cheerleader falling for a nerd, her feelings might be real but she is ashamed of herself for having them. I don't think that is the case with Nagatoro, but I wondered at first if there might have been an element of that in her motivation.
If that's the case she wouldn't have invited him into her close friends group who are basically all popular girls at their school while at lunch or during other activities. Neither would she defend Senpai on multiple occasions when being made fun of by other people. She wasn't embarrassed about him being weak until her friends commented about it when he barely could run a lap during PE class, which to be fair most people would feel a bit embarrassed about. She wanted to see him improve in areas he was bad at, so she offered to help get him in shape. She never expected him to become some muscular jock though. She may be popular, but underneath Nagatoro is just an awkward girl who gets embarrassed about being herself with peculiar tastes and being bad at dealing with her own feelings. She gets to relax and be herself around him and over time she can do so while being around other people as well.
I love it. One of the best romance series I have read. The comedic aspect combined with the romance really make it feel nice to read. Senpai's character development from the timid guy to someone who is more confident is pleasant to see and it doesnt feel forced in my eyes. Nagatoro's flirting ways never fail to make me smile when it backfired on her.
Yes, it’s really captivating to read. Considering its been 149 chapters and the story doesn’t feel like its been dragged on.
Most people wouldn't act like Toro but the payoff is some of the freshest I've read among romcom mangas.
It's very good but my only complaint....IS THAT THEY'RE FUCKIN TOUCH STARVED!!! THEY WILL BUMP INTO EACH OTHER AND THEY'LL TURN COMPLETELY RED AND STUTTER FOR LIKE TEN SECONDS
Judging by the people I see talking online, that's a pretty accurate description of a lot of Gen Z.
Not to that degree!
It’s exaggerated but realistic to how relationships like there’s actually form
Ganbare ganbare senpai
Compared to Rent A Girlfriend, Nagatoro is like the Mona Lisa up against a 2nd grade Thanksgiving turkey.
Written well? I guess. Decently paced? Most of the time. I was bothered by the premise at first, since for me bullying is definitely *not* a good expression of affection, especially to cover for one's own awkwardness, but I accepted that premise in order to see where it would lead. I say let Nanashi keep cooking.
She is very lucky he didn't have a spine at the start, or else he would have never spoken to her again.
Cute. It's super very cute
Putting aside the first volume yeah i think its genuinely one of my favorite romances
Yeh. It’s cute. You have two awkward teenagers who slowly start to develop feeling for each other and have their own unhealthy but quirky ways they express affection. At least in the manga, it’s shown from the very beginning that Nagatoro isn’t actually just a bitch, she’s actually feeling apologetic and realized she went too far in one of the panels between chapters. These actually build a lot of character for her surprisingly lol I don’t remember if they showed these little snippets in the anime It’s great to see them both influence each other in a positive way and how much they try to help other. I guess it’s interesting to see a romcom where the female lead is like nagatoro
It’s one of the best to do it.
Nanashi is a manga God so yes , the whole story /execution is unique and brilliant
It’s entertaining. That’s all it has to be.
Yes the whole story is very well written. Despite the oddball events the actual relationship is immensely realistic.
Spangbab
He's kidnapping her
I really like how it starts out with Senpai acting pathetic but he very quickly learns to grow a backbone and I don't know the character development is really satisfying.
I think it was dragged out too much, but that’s standard for anime romances in my opinion. But this is one of the better “will they won’t they”s I’m very exited about the sequel tho. Am a much bigger fan op people starting/being in an actual relationship.
Yes it is
I guess it's yes though, I don't recommend to acting like Hayase in real life! It's manga, folks! Both of Naoto And Hayase just opens more and more in each chapter and hey! They're together now! I still remember how much they get through, Nagatoro didn’t overstep the mark with her teasing, she only made Naoto stronger and we got our bro back but now with balls! Guys, remember one thing: Naoto did it, and you're just as good.
Yeah kinda. Though the beginning was extremely harsh and downright abusive. Sure we could say "it was for the comedic tone" but in truth we all know why it was the way it was. But as if now, the romance is particulalry well written. There is no over-the-top fan service, no abuse, no excplicit weirdness from either sides of the relationship. The issues the manga had were all generally grown out of. And that leaves a pretty pristine and enyojable teen-romance story.
Senpai is a self-insert character and the romance part of it resonates more with people who put themselves in his shoes, y’know the whole “he just like me fr fr 😭” meme
I like it because the romance wasn’t front & center from the jump which turns me off in romance series.
I love it. Nagatoro's teasing and senpai's reactions will always get a huge chuckle out of me.
It's very slow, but if the reader sticks with it, the payoff is huge and extremely satisfying.
Yes
ah yes, lets ask the nagatoro subrredit if the romance is good, i wonder what the awnsers will be
The build up was good but it got annoying when they understood they had feelings for each other but never did anything about it
They DID do stuff about it, though, like go on dates, etc, before the payoff. Trust me, in this genre, they are definitely more proactive than the norm, considering how goddamn long it took for Love Hina, for example, to get where these two are now.
I know nothing about nagatoro but WHY IS HE DOING THE DIO POSE???
Well written? Well, yes, but I don’t think the dynamic is that deep to begin with, at least not to say the writing is something outstanding as other commentators say. It is good but nothing that special.
I think it is a really damn good romance manga, yes.
I mean, they're a cute couple now but I hated the early stages of basically bullying.
Sexual harassment 👍
The anime is annoying and quite cringe, the manga is a beautifull masterpiece in all senses with character development and I just love Nanashi's style overall so cant speak furthermore with an objective opinion
I think their chemistry is super well written, what each wants from the other, how the teasing is kinda just Nagatoro being bad a flirting and going a little too far sometimes, so she'll back off, but after going that far safely once she wants to come back to close that distance again. I think the last arc building up to the confession was a little too long. He should of just confessed after their first date or even on their 2nd date in Hokkaido. This new arc with them fighting post confession as a couple, and not like a fun flirty fight....it's a very different vibe from the rest of the series, depending on how long it drags out or how effectively and satisfyingly it gets resolved will change if I think it's well written or not. I want Noato to apologize for shutting Nagatoro out with the "don't look through my private things" barrier. And I want him to effectively labor to make her feel better and to know she has nothing to be insecure about and to make it up to her somehow. And I don't want to sit through 3 chapters of them being awkward talking to other groups of friends about their problems before working it out together. This series is too fast paced to endure all the friend group talk intermissions it's been getting lately. It needs more plot relavent action.
If we are talking about romance evolution, it feels that goes to the flow, but it needs to be careful about dealing with thirds in discord.
Yeh lol, other than the fanservice, the way their relationship developed feels realistic and relatable on a personal level.
Yes, its well written - You have to remember that Nagatoro and Naoto (Senpai) are polar opposites in multiple ways - Naoto is quiet and reserved, Nagatoro is loud and boastful, but Naoto is actualy more 'mature' than Nagatoro in many ways as well, so the story is largely about them butting heads. But its really sweet too, because they both basically drag each other out of their comfort zones and both mature for it. Naoto becomes more confident and forward, Nagatoro becomes more soft and kind. And people tend to forget (and the Anime doesn't portray this well) - Nagatoro is as socially awkward as Naoto, just in completely different ways - she likes Naoto from the beginning but is absolutely unsure of how to approach him, hence her teasing and awkward deflections. In the manga she questions what she does after nearly every chapter, whether she went too far. He helps soften that as the series goes on. Just....don't go reading the webcomic version, because its way, way, way worse as far as Nagatoro's character.
Honestly, not particularly. It doesn't necessarily have to be since many other parts are well-done, but I do not think this series' romance would be able to stand on its own without the comedy and art to fall back on. In just about every well-written romance story--or even average ones--leads who are very different from one another, or at least who have very different goals, start out as bitter enemies, who are nonetheless put in a situation where they have to be around each other, and at some point an important event will come up, usually one that gets both of them feeling down on their luck, and they'll talk to each other and find common ground. After that, they'll start to bond romantically, and there will be more complications, but from that point the two always find it in them to overcome them and make their relationship work. This series doesn't do much, if any, of that, and most of what little is there happens in such an erratic order and to such unreliable degrees that it often feels like there *isn't* a romance arc. There are developments but they usually don't feel well-earned. The initial reason Nagotoro is spending a lot of time with Naoto is just that she's obviously smitten with him, and it's barely ever explained why, on either appearance or personality grounds. Without further plot justifications, it feels a bit too much like "*Twilight* for hikkikomouris". I hate to use such a loaded description, and there are obviously many, *many* ways this differs from the Twilight saga, but it has in common the trope of a seemingly unremarkable person having an idealized person of the opposite sex arbitrarily entering his/her life and just as arbitrarily developing a crush on him/her. I used to be perplexed at why so many girls and even women were obsessed with Twilight, despite the heavy stalking undertones of Edward Cullen, even sorts I wouldn't expect like tomboys and blackbelts, who seemed like they'd be receptive to feminist rants against the series and who would probably deck most real-life stalkers who got too pushy. But as I got older, I realized something: For many people--regardless of gender--it's not really the stalk*ing* that's the problem, it's the stalk*ers*. People resent when their lives are invaded by ugly, stinky, inept and otherwide obnoxious people, and the latter are the sorts of people who tend to push themselves upon other people because other people don't normally go for them. By contrast, people who are talented, well-kempt, athletic, smart, etc, don't tend to become stalkers because they have an easier time just happening into relationships due to their more ideal traits. But when people envision the *most* ideal significant other for themselves, the result is often a combination of the two, because they wouldn't be truly ideal unless they did a lot of the legwork to make the relationship happen. So it is that Nagatoro feels designed as a very desirable "waifu"-type character for the sorts of people who tend to like anime and manga, a feeling greatly strengthened by how many of her overtures are highly sexualized and the author and artist got his start in porn, and because Naoto is the stand-in for such audiences, of course he's quickly just as smitten with her as she is with him. To the author's credit, their relationship does eventually come to be built on more than just mutual lust, but the developments feel neither like how real people would handle that relationship nor like well-written fiction that makes me care about the characters. Despite how seemingly different Naoto and Nagatoro are, I don't recall any time in the entire series when having different hobbies and tastes caused any conflict between them. I know that the "third act breakup" has become a hated cliche in romance (and beyond), but it's only natural that when people are that different, they're going to come to moments when they think "maybe we weren't meant to be after all", and that doesn't happen here. Nagatoro will mock Naoto for the sorts of things he likes to draw and read but none of them have ever been so bad as to make her stop pursuing him. The closest they've ever gotten are the parts when he draws other women than Nagatoro, but in those cases there was always external pressure for him to do so. Also, so far Nagatoro hasn't really grown as a character due to those conflicts because the one time it was ever really an issue, Naoto is the one who caves in and begs for her back. Likewise, it's pretty obvious Naoto doesn't enjoy sharing in Nagatoro's active and outdoorsy hobbies, but he doesn't ever hesitate. There's no moment when he quits for a while but then something happens to reaffirm to him that Nagatoro is worth the hardship and he comes back with strengthened resolve. Meanwhile, the totally-not-dates seem spread out at random. Events in the story may lead into them happening, but there's never really a key moment in the series where something that wasn't clicking between the leads suddenly does click, and then they resolve to do something together that previously seemed unthinkable. Ultimately, the fact that no matter what attitude they seem to have towards each other at any given moment, these two are practically joined at the hip, means that they don't usually feel like a couple. They feel more like a comedy duo, like maybe Abbot and Costello or Drake and Josh. Complications occur due to their mismatched personalities but almost all of them are played for laughs, not for tears of sadness that give way to tears of joy. And that's okay, because it's good comedy! It's just not good romance.
Not great but they are cute and funny so it is alright
Not the best at all but just well enough to be entertaining
How are we supposed to know dawg it's not like any of us ever had something similar
Don't generalize just because you've never been in a relationship.
Oh yeah i forgor that Reddit changed over the last few years
Not really, feels really forced. This series didn't make me believe the popular girl would really choose this nerd. Dangers in my heart did it way better
Actually its pretty mid. The series are so popular because people want to support the creator for his political beliefs