The course of true love never did run smooth, but that’s especially true when you have a gaggle of idiots surrounding you. It’s training camp time and Senpai and Nagatoro are about to be separated! For three whole seconds, of course.
Congratulations to this volume for winning the prestigious‘I would never be caught dead reading a physical copy of this in public’ award. Cough.
Anyway, that’s merely a prelude to the nude, as the presence of a fortuitously placed mixed gender hot spring and the ready to bare it at any moment Bunny sisters (the ex-Art Club prez and her little sister) means this volume has a more robust skins game than the PGA Tour.
The slow evolution of this series has finally grown to the slow ‘waiting for the confession’ phase where it’s treading some water but can coast rather successfully on all that residual goodwill from earlier.
Nagatoro is almost totally de-fanged around this point, character design notwithstanding, and while I would like to chalk that up to something haughty like Senpai’s feelings for her, it probably has a more commercial origin than that.
Still, these two are becoming terribly cute together and it’s actually Senpai who impresses this time around. He absolutely makes his intentions as clear as they can be without actually saying the required ‘I like you’ and it’s clear Nagatoro is pretty okay with that.
Smartly, the mangaka has them both striving towards goals that they want to achieve before confessing, so it’s not like they’re just waiting around. Yeah, it’s padding, but it’s smart padding and I can handle that. I especially appreciated Senpai not letting Nagatoro give up on her dream for the easy way out.
Elsewhere, things are just as silly as usual. Baby Bunny falling in with the very bad crowd that is Nagatoro’s friends is a good chuckle and Regular Bunny’s tendency to throw her clothes off in a heartbeat is the usual laugh. The one omake gag after the most salacious moment in the book is also one for the ages.
Probably the funniest bit comes at the start, when it turns out that Nagatoro’s training camp is in, of all places, Nagatoro. And her brother and sister are leading the camp. And then Sakura and Yoshi show up as assistant managers for no good reason. Then Senpai rolls up.
This is the type of comedy that I tend to love most, nonsense that just keeps escalating over and over, and the two club members who are commenting on all this as Nagatoro slowly builds up an empire are hilarious (they start off super obnoxious and watching them deflate is just perfect).
Between fast nudity, a big old hot spring, rumbling hormones, and a breast touching you’re not going to see coming (it’s really not what you think), it’s a fair warning that this one is definitely high on the ecchi factor.
It’s all much less awful than the shower sequence from a couple books back, that might be the nadir of the series for me, and Senpai is mostly keeping himself in check, but it’s just a reminder that it hasn’t shed all of its original form yet.
As we coast through to the ending, whenever that might be, it’s a pretty decent continuation. Having two characters I like a lot, who have both been good for one another, certainly helps keep me interested.
3.5 stars - solid, but nothing new, which keeps it from getting the round up. Decent funny, usual nonsense, no complaints this far along.
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro (Vol. 16) - (My Kindle Review)
Senpai and Nagatoro have made clear goals on their futures, and they unexpectedly get help from Nagatoro’s older siblings and the Sunomiya sisters who combine their help together. Of course the two’s romantic future is what’s on everyone’s mind and after the two spend time together in a mixed hot springs, it only fuels their determination and for Senpai to finally confess to her if he succeeds first.
Another funny bonus chapter where one of Nagatoro’s judo buddies embrace the nudist art form. A (100%/Outstanding)
The gangs all here. This volume pulled absolutely no punches with its cast, jokes and scenarios. Seeing both of our protagonists realize they have the same feelings for each other but both are so dedicated to their goals that they are willing to wait even longer for the big moment. The jokes were nonstop and the tension at an all time high, a very good volume.
The series really has evolved into something interesting.
Hayase, who initially appeared as a bully towards Senpai, has slowly revealed a more complex as the story unfolds. It becomes evident that she has feelings for Senpai.
Senpai, on the other hand, remains a somewhat frustrating character. He possesses the talent and ambition to pursue his dreams in art school, but he seems to lack the self-motivation to take the necessary steps. He often requires external encouragement to move forward in the direction he aspires to go.
Senpai takes a significant step by telling Nagatoro that if he wins first place in his entrance exam competition, he will deserve to share something important with her. This implies that he may have genuine feelings for Nagatoro. However, his true intentions and what he intends to convey to her remain uncertain. Senpai's character seems to have a complex inner world that is difficult to decipher.
I truly hope that Senpai will grow as a man and become more capable of expressing his feelings.
There are a lot of good moments between Nagataro and Senpei in this book. At the same time there is also a lot of fanservice here but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, a pretty entertaining volume overall.
I can see why this manga series was starting to lose its appeal. The main couple, still good and their goals are admirable. But the jokes land pretty flat. Especially in this volume where it was mainly naked joke after naked joke. It's starting to become dull.
I forgot to keep track of the chapters as it aligns to the volumes (as there are no more English translated volumes and I've been reading them online) and god I cry for these babies so pure so cute
The slow burn of love is still burning bright with our leads, with the hot springs chapters especially stellar. The extra chapter at the end is hilarious
Another sweet volume where more progress is made. Our MCs end up combining their training camps and it culminates in a really nice discussion between them.