English Dub Review: Teasing Master Takagi-san 3: “On a Walk / Left at School / Santa Claus? / Knitting”

Overview: Takagi (Sarah Wiedenheft) and Nishikata (Aaron Dismuke) have a teasingly good time walking a dog, returning to their school to retrieve some homework and on library duty.  

Our Take: Takagi understanding Nishikata’s love of dogs makes for some sweet scenes to kick off the episode, especially when he loves to play coy and wants to walk the dog but can not find the courage to ask her out of fear of her quintessential teasing. Takagi’s subtle ways of letting him run wild with it are a joy, even more so when she takes pleasure in it and rubs it in his face later. 

Going back to school to retrieve his homework, the after school environment is filled to the brim with new couples from the Culture Fest.  It is an ideal environment to show how more emotionally immature Nishikata is compared to seemingly all of his peers with his fear of being confused as a couple with Takagi. Seeing the ridiculously childish way Nishikata avoids being seen by Takao and Kimura or awkwardness when Mano and Nakai misunderstand that he is involved with her, is part of the fun in him confronting how he feels. Another aspect that always makes it enjoyable is Takagi always pushing Nishikata, this time in teasingly wanting to stay and enjoy each other’s company, similar to the other couples, because of “homework.”

Mina, Sanae and Yukari’s discussion on Santa Claus and how celebration of Christmas from each household is another sweet conversation. It reminds me of the kinds of discussion most would have in the schoolyard about random, arbitrary topics funnily enough. 

With Takagi and Nishikata scheduled for library duty once again, it focuses on their increased closeness. Takagi teaching Nishikata how to knit, guiding his hands gives us some nice touchy feely intimacy to get the ol’ heart racing, especially in Nishkata’s case. Nishikata trying to understand his jealousy when Takagi tells him that the scarf she’s making is meant for a boy she knows is yet another endearing aspect of him deciphering his feelings for her. The scarf being for an old neighborhood dog was a twist that honestly shocked me as I believed it was for Nishikata and he would just never realize it for a nice surprise showing how well Takagi continues to pull one over on her lover boy as well as all of us in the end.