English Dub Series Review: Karakai Jozu No Takagi-san

A charmingly-sweet comedy about two middle-schoolers who can’t stop teasing each other.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Karakai Jozu No Takagi-san (which translates to ‘Skilled Teaser Takagi-san’) revolves around Nishikata, a pretty normal middle-school boy who just wants to pass his classes, have fun with friends, and read his favorite manga (100% Unrequited Love) in peace. His whole world is flipped upside-down when he takes a seat next to Takagi during his first class of the school year. From the moment she sees how awkward he gets when embarrassed, Takagi knows she’s found an easy mark.

As time goes on, Takagi takes every chance she has to tease Nishikata. Whether it’s challenging him to a test of courage inside a pitch-black tunnel, or threatening to broadcast his love of 100% Unrequited Love to the world, there’s nothing she won’t do if it means getting to see Nishikata blush. The two of them spend more and more time together, to the point where their classmates just assume they’re dating. Of course, Nishikata can’t just admit to himself that he likes her… he is a tweenage boy, after all. But whatever the future holds for them, it’s plain to see that they’ll be teasing each other down the line for years to come.

Our Take:

As a comedy show that jumps between multiple gag segments in every episode, Karakai is a fun show to enjoy whenever you feel like laughing. Even when there is a scene that falls flat, there’s always another comedy set-up soon after that hooks you. Most of the gags involve Takagi trying to embrassas Nishikata into blushing, which can feel old at times. However, the show throws in some new wrinkles now and then to keep things feeling fresh.

And even when the situations themselves fail to entertain, the characters provide plenty of enjoyment. Despite the non-stop teasing, it’s pretty clear from the first episode that Takagi and Nishikata aren’t enemies. In fact, they obviously care about each other quite a lot. This keeps things from ever getting too mean-spirited when it comes to their pranks. Nishikata is a tad bit bland, but he’s got just enough quirks to be relatable, whether it’s his daily pushup routine or his secret obsession with shojo manga. Takagi is less developed as a character, since we barely get access to what’s going on inside her head, but she’s still tons of fun to watch, as she cleverly dupes Nishikata into spending more and more time with her. (I’m a little sad that we never get to see Takagi’s legendary funny face, especially when Nishikata gets so many great gag faces.) The supporting cast is small, but they’ve got plenty of personality to go around. Mina, Sanae, and Yukari fill out a decent amount of subplots in the show, and their friendly dynamic is just as entertaining as Nishikata and Takagi’s.

When it comes to the visuals, there’s not a whole lot to talk about. Karakai is consistently a fairly good-looking show. The character designs are very blob-y and cute. The backgrounds are colorful without being distracting. There’s not much ‘animation’ to speak of, but then again, this isn’t an action series. Basically, viewers probably won’t find anything to complain or compliment about when it comes to how the show looks. Music-wise, it’s decent. There’s absolutely no memorable pieces from the OST that I can recall, but the soundtrack does a fair job of supporting the comedy beats in each episode.

Thankfully, the dub is very, very good. Aaron Dismuke steals the show as Nishikata, making even the most minute of inner monologues come across as sounding natural, believable, and even interesting. Nishikata gets plenty of funny noises and reactions, and Dismuke pulls them all off perfectly. Sarah Wiedenheft’s performance as Takagi is less memorable, but still a good match for the character. I also want to highlight Leah Clark, who does a fantastic job as Mina, making her enthusiastically over-the-top without crossing into the realm of being too annoying. The English script is consistently clever, adapting the jokes for an international audience without diminishing their humor. This is a show I’d recommend watching in English, for sure.

Karakai Jozu No Takagi-san succeeds in delivering an often funny and occasionally sweet series with engagingly likable characters. It doesn’t quite achieve the level of ingenuity necessary for me to call it a ‘must-watch’ series, but if you’re interested in a silly comedy with a slight bit of youthful romance, I think you’ll find it to be a very fulfilling view. If this review teased your anime taste buds, then what are you waiting for? (Also – the manga is still on-going, so there’s always a slim chance for another season down the road!)

Score: 8.5/10