YMMV / Teasing Master Takagi-san

• Alternative Character Interpretation: There is frequent reader debate over whether Takagi's antics tread into abuser territory. She sometimes engages in mild gaslighting to confuse Nishikata, as well as putting him in positions where she has power over him, then "letting him off the hook." These are tactics often used by abusers to "ease in" a victim toward more serious domestic abuse. Although all scenes from her point of view indicate she's benign, some of her interactions would ring alarm bells to an abuse counselor.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment:
  • Sanae, Mina, and Yukari's segments in the anime rarely if ever impact the main plot of the episode and shift the genre of the anime into a Schoolgirl Series. This is because the characters are actually from another manga, Ashita wa Doyōbi (Tomorrow is Saturday) by the same author set in the same universe, which the anime merged into this series plot. The segments feel like a completely different story because they actually are.
  • Takagi tutoring Nishikata on material that won't come up on the test they're studying for in Chapter 11 seems out of place compared to the rest of the series. Normally, any trolling of Nishikata from Takagi is self-inflicted from his own challenges to her. Here, Takagi has no reason to show him the wrong material and even flies in the face of her attempts to get him to like her.
• Cliché Storm: Mostly due to the series being Strictly Formula: Nishikata has a plan against Takagi -> tries to exact it -> Takagi outsmarts Nishikata somehow -> Nishikata blushes. Those who dislike the format accuse it of not trying anything new, save for the rare moments he catches her off guard. This sentiment carries over to (Moto) Takagi-san.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Kimura secured this position for himself following the airing of episode 12 of Season 2, when he helps a separated Nishikata meet up with Takagi. Comments about the episode are dominated by lines like, "Kimura...you're one heck of a guy!" or "Today's MVP is Kimura for sure!"
  • There's a portion of the fandom who're more invested in Hojo and Hamaguchi, because compared to Nishikata and Takagi, their dynamic (being childhood friends and neighbours, Hojo having a complex over appearing mature due to not liking how childish she looks in ordinary clothes, Hamaguchi wanting to improve himself to impress her) feels more interesting.
• Fandom Rivalry:
  • With Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, a manga with a similar premise, but with a Loving Bully instead of a mere teaser. Fans of this series will often say that Nagatoro goes too far with how she teases the male lead, while fans of the latter will claim that Takagi's coyness is more dishonest than Nagatoro's approach.
  • Also with Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, where the girl enjoys teasing the boy (except with the girl being a kōhai and the boy her senpai). Like with Nagatoro, there are some fans who say Uzaki is much more honest and upfront than Takagi, while others retort Uzaki is much more obnoxious than Takagi is at her worst.
• Fan Nickname: Takagi-san, In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? are Sōichirō Yamamoto's first three works that have anime adaptations and, due to his particular Forehead of Doom art style, they're collectively known as the "Forehead Trilogy".
• Harsher in Hindsight: At least for Takao. The fact that Sanae remains single and uninvolved as an adult in the Sequel Series implies that Takao either never got up the nerve to talk to Sanae, tried and got shot down, or tried and it didn’t work out.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • When Will Ayumu Make His Move?, made by the same author, features two characters that act just like Chi and her crush but in a senpai-kōhai relationship.
  • Yūki Kaji, Nishikata's Japanese voice actor, and Rie Takahashi, Takagi's Japanese voice actress, seem to have the reverse dynamic of the characters they voice in real life. Kaji actually notes that Takahashi is really bad at teasing. At one point, he even points out how her face is bright red from embarrassment.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Takagi's Forehead of Doom is something people really like to make fun of. It has also lead to comparisons with Jack Douglass, whose forehead is also the subject of many a joke.
  • Takagi-san, Queen of Smug.
  • Since the "Typhoon" segment in Episode 8, it became popular to depict Takagi as Megumin from KonoSuba due to having similar mannerisms when "controlling" the wind and both characters being voiced by Rie Takahashi.
  • "Your overconfidence is your weakness". Regarding to Nishikata being too stubborn with himself which always leads to his loss.
• Memetic Troll: Takagi is one of the most famous anime trolls in The New '10s alongside Raphiel.
• Moe: Both main characters are adorable. This even carries over to the Time Skip, especially Takagi, who retains her tiny build even as an adult.
• Never Live It Down: For detractors of Takagi's pranks on Nishikata, the time she intentionally tutors him on material unnecessary for an upcoming test. The fact that she did this knowing full in well that Nishikata had told her he'd get in trouble with his parents if he failed, made this particular prank rather mean-spirited. As such, detractors believe that whenever Takagi pranks Nishikata, she does it so she can toy with him.
• Ron the Death Eater: There's a running joke on /a/ among some fans that Takagi really doesn't love Nishikata and is just toying around with him. Even the Time Skip isn't safe from this, with the theory going that Takagi made him raise another man's child and never told him the kid isn't his, given that her daughter shared an overwhelming resemblance to her (and that being just as unlucky and making the same expressions are the closest things that indicates Nishikata as being the father after all).
• Sweet Dreams Fuel: As a whole, the series' slow build-up of Nishikata and Takagi's relationship, combined with the relaxed atmosphere, makes for a very comfy read.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Netflix's decision to replace the Funimation English dub cast with a Los Angeles-based cast for Season 2 was met with backlash by those who watched Season 1. This is averted with Season 3 since most of the Funimation cast reprised their roles.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Some Western readers have expressed disappointment that Takagi became a housewife by (Moto) Takagi-san as she was a great student when she was younger. Not helping matters is that (Moto) Takagi-san reveals that Nishikata ultimately became a PE teacher thanks to the regimen he went through in the main series.