Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro might just be my new high school anime obsession, even if Senpai and Nagatoro haven’t gone on a proper date yet. Look, I’m a sucker for cute rom-coms, I have made that no secret. But the thing is, while there are plenty of entertaining high school rom-com out there in anime, rarely do the new ones tickle my fancy. My standard for clever but quirky high school anime is ToraDora! But Miss Nagataro has me invested!

However, the main question on everyone’s mind is whether Senpai and Nagatoro Hayase will date anytime soon. And the answer to that is yes, of course! It might be a slow burn, but clearly, Senpai aka Naoto Hachiouji is very in love with Nagatoro. And for all her teasing, it looks like Nagatoro returns that affection! So really, it’s just a matter of time before the two end up actually going out. Well, if Naoto Senpai can get over his introverted behavior and maybe ask Nagatoro out, instead of getting flustered by her mischievous ways.

But can I just say how much I appreciate the dynamic here? Like, we rarely get anime where the female takes the reigns of being the more forward half of a ship. And I don’t mean that she’s assertive in the Tsundere way either. Nagatoro Hayase is a genuine breath of fresh air. She’s popular, fun, and knows what she wants. And nothing makes her shy away from teasing someone older than her, like in the case of Senpai. Which, again, it’s a nice role reversal and something we haven’t seen in anime as much as just your typical romances.

Yeah, you might get an angry female character that rejects romance, or a quiet one that secretly wants a relationship. But it’s rare to see a female character in anime that rejects propriety. And how does Senpai deal with it? Well, that’s half of the fun in Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro! So, will this ship between Shy Boy x Sadistic Femme sail? Let’s discuss whether Senpai and Nagatoro will date in another segment of Lore Analysis!

Senpai And Nagatoro: Sadistic Cutie After the Quiet Boy’s Heart?

By now, we all know who Nagatoro is. She starts as pretty grating for someone like Naoto Senpai, who prefers the calm around him. I mean, to make matters worse, she was kind of a bully to him. Imagine making your senior cry because you’re that overbearing.

So, it was nice to see Nagatoro mellow out after apologizing to Senpai for her behavior. At first, she was confused because she didn’t understand how introverted he is, but eventually, you see that she does try making a change. Her teasing becomes more flirtatious than actively malicious, and we learn that girl is honestly just a Sadodere, at worst. Because aside from that, she’s pretty sweet.

And honestly, the sadistic tendencies aren’t all that bad here. Senpai has been drawn out of his shells thanks to Nagatoro’s consistent jibes. Like, this is the first time he’s actively made a friend, even if it’s unorthodox. Like, Nagatoro actually gets defensive if someone tries messing with him. She actively supports his hobbies and gets angry when he belittles himself.

I’m not saying that it’s a perfect friendship. Because the two do need to set boundaries for what is okay and what isn’t. They also need to openly communicate, because Nagatoro has a severe issue with hiding her own growing feelings for Senpai. But it’s one of the few times we’ve seen the female character take such an active role in a pairing. So, I expect a payoff soon.

Why It’s Taking Those Senpai And Nagatoro So Long To Date:

I mean, they have shared a kiss in the manga, at the very least. But the thing is, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro is a slow burn. As it will take time to build the relationship between Nagatoro and Senpai before they can date.

And that’s okay because that’s how a real relationship works. Senpai needs to step out of his comfort zone of being a hermit and be more open to Nagatoro’s jabs. While Nagatoro needs to stop going back on her feelings and covering them with sarcastic comments just because she ends up feeling shy.

It’s an effort from both parties, but maybe Senpai and Nagatoro will go on that date yet!