English Dub Review: Teasing Master Takagi-san 3: “March 14th”

Overview: Nishikata (Bryson Baugus) begins to realize how Takagi (Sarah Wiedenheft) truly feels about him and how he feels about her as she is away on vacation.  

Our Take: This episode finally gives what most people have been wanting for a long time from Nishikata: some goddamn common sense. It is the best kind of wish fulfillment in Nishikata finally realizing his feeling for his Takagi and vice versa as he tries to focus on pranking Takagi, while she is away on vacation, trying not to focus on the mutual love confession Hamaguchi put him up to. Hamaguchi’s attempt at confessing to Houjou is a funny display as he chickens out, showing he isn’t quite brave enough to do it. 

It’s well written in regards to what pushes him to that point, in him missing her playful teasing/jabs she throws at him and being with her, as Nishikata puts together all their moments she pretty blatantly reveals her feelings. The only aspect that gnaws at me is how hilariously lazy the situation is constructed in Nishikata having an epiphanic realization, especially with the vast amounts of tender moments he and Takagi have shared throughout the series.  

However, issues aside, it still makes for a heartwarming, dramatic reunion  as Mina, Sanae and Yukari traverse the game he made for Takagi, “Nishikata Quest,” as well as figure out his feelings for her. That along with Nishikata dramatically rushing to meet Takagi to meet from her trip work together to make for a beautiful moving finale that has a honesty to it that we don’t often see from Nishikata in regards to how he feels and a real turning point that inches us closer to the “L” word. The only complaint is it didn’t go far enough and was slightly underwhelming as Nishikata did not openly admit that he loves her. Nonetheless, it was a colossal step, one that gets him within striking distance of confessing in the future, one that can’t be understated and is a strong closing to the season and this phase of the lovebirds’ relationship, one that is sweetly bookended with Takagi playing his game.