English Dub Review: Teasing Master Takagi-san 3 “Christmas”

Overview: Takagi (Sarah Wiedenheft) and Nishikata (Aaron Dismuke) spend their Christmas together.

Our Take: It is an 100% Unrequited Love filled Christmas for Nishikata and Takagi as they go to see the movie on the big screen. The various promotions and amenities centered around the movie is a great touch in bringing alive the Japanese zeitgeist that occurs around popular anime films. The crane game is yet another enjoyable testament to how Takagi can read Nishikata like a book. Granted, he has his feelings written all over his face most of the time but that is what makes him so damn endearing. 

Nishikata’s attempts at not being awkward, talking about mature topics like couples, are fun in showing how childish and awkward he truly is. Even more perfect is when mere moments after he proves the opposite in being shy sitting next to Takagi and brushing hands with her in the popcorn bucket, which is a stupidly fun and cliché little date moment. Takagi, acting like one of Unrequited Love’s main leads, Kyunko, is enjoyable in seeing her adorably feminine side in trying to make Nishikata think she is cute. 

The big Christmas tree highlights the waves of love/hate for Nishikata that come and go in his naivety, always neglecting the blatant truth bombs Takagi drops in her true feelings for him, misconceiving it as teasing. But that’s what happens with these series, right? Or else there wouldn’t be much drama to mine from. Their gift giving is sweet in illustrating how much they pay attention to one another in Nishikata giving gloves because her hands are always cold. In regards to Takagi’s gift, it is a nice callback to the “cat’s” scarf she was knitting which was indeed for him (like I had originally predicted) in a nice, wholesome moment. They return home having read the others’ kind Christmas cards with a nice Japanese vocalized version of, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” making for a beautiful tree topper of a finishing piece.