Teasing Master Takagi-san (2019)

[からかい上手の高木さん]

Volume 10

Author/Artist: Soichiro Yamamoto
Publisher: Gessan Shounen Sunday Comics Special

Synopsis:
The next generation of Nishikata tries to carry on the family tradition.

Story/Characters:
We open on a bit of a bait-and-switch with a Chi chapter. Of course, it doesn't take long to tell it's Chi rather than her mom.

Back in the present, we have Nishikata's latest genius idea involving hidden messages in notes passed between him and Takagi. Next we have Nishikata taking a side trip to play with a neighbor's dog and when Takagi shows up, he thinks she's scared of it and uses that as the basis for his latest challenge. After that, we have cookies made in home ec being exchanged and Nishikata becoming self-conscious after trading with Takagi. We then have April Fool's (set just prior to them starting their second year), a prime time for Nishikata to finally take the advantage... or so he thinks. The next contest involves the physical fitness evaluation. Now, this might seem lopsided even with different scaling between males and females, but I'm sure you can imagine that Takagi would have a trick or two up her sleeve. We've then got a fishing contest. Too bad for Nishikata that Takagi isn't squeamish about handling either the bait or the fish. There is a nice little happening in the midst of the contest. Next we have a guessing game with something hidden in a box. Can you guess who's better at the game? After that, Nishikata thinks he can rattle Takagi by dropping the honorifics when he speaks to her. He really needs to learn not to tread on ground he's not prepared to stand upon.

Art:
If you want to effectively see Takagi flustered outside Nishikata's imagination, Chi's the girl for job. The two-page cover for the April Fool chapter is rather nice. As usual, the range of expressions from our leads is one of the main charm points of the series.

Other:
We get another Valentine's bonus comic. I think at this point it's pretty clear that these aren't supposed to be seen as canonical.

Conclusion:
It's nice to see the next generation in action. Other than that, it's more of the sort of antics you're here for. I can see how people from the outside might think the formula is wearing thin, but if you've been charmed by this series, you'll continue to be so. As I can count myself among that number, I'll be recommending this for a place in your collection.

Rating:
Own It