Summary
In this week’s episode, viewers get a deeper look into Nagatoro’s character, shedding some light on her past while bringing all the same hilarious antics that make this show entertaining.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Season 2 Episode 8, “Why Don’t You Try Bulking Up a Little, Paisen?,” which contains spoilers.
The best foundation for romance is often friendship. For as close as Senpai and Nagatoro (voiced by Sumire Uesaka) have gotten over the last year, that doesn’t mean they know everything about one another. After realizing he knows nothing about Nagatoro’s future goals, Senpai seemed a bit down. Although before, he may have just let it go, too shy to act on his interest in Nagatoro’s life, here’s hoping his newfound confidence gives him the strength he needs to be bold and take the initiative this week.
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Season 2 Episode 8 recap
Senpai struggles to find inspiration in the still life he’s working on, thinking he would prefer to draw something else. His eyes shift to Nagatoro on the couch, who notices and begins to make fun of him for staring.
After realizing he hasn’t worked on portraits for a while, Senpai asks if Nagatoro will model for him. She initially gives him a hard time but ultimately agrees to help, asking what pose he would like her in. When Senpai tells her to pose in whatever feels most natural, Nagatoro offers several athletic options before choosing a ready stance common in her “original martial art.” However, she refuses to tell him what that sport is.
Senpai and his friends attend Judo practice, where Senpai loses in a match. From a nearby window, Nagatoro watches and comments on how poorly he performed as Senpai agrees. The coach then hands the students flyers for the school’s upcoming Judo tournament, where they will all compete. Senpai attempts to give the paper to Nagatoro, thinking it is something she would be good at, but she is already gone.
Where does Gamo invite Senpai?
Gamo and Yoshi come to the art room hoping to tell Nagatoro about a flyer they saw, only to find she is already gone. Senpai asks if Nagatoro used to do Judo. Gamo responds by handing him a flyer for her family gym in which Nagatoro is posing and telling him to come.
Why does Gamo punch Nagatoro?
As Gamo asked, Senpai showed up at the gym that Saturday. From the window, he can see a boxing match between Gamo and Nagatoro. As he notices her from outside, Nagatoro notices him watching and finds herself distracted enough for Gamo to punch her.
Although Senpai realizes he’s not very good, he asks Nagatoro to teach him Judo so that he’ll perform better in this year’s tournament.
While the others head out for lunch, Senpai and Nagatoro stick around to practice. Nagatoro attempts to dive right in, but Senpai finds himself flustered the first time she grabs him and allows him to be pinned immediately.
READ: Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Season 2 Episode 7 Recap
Nagatoro encourages Senpai to try and break free, but he realizes this is harder than any other time he has been pinned. When he comments that he cannot break free because Nagatoro’s body is “too heavy,” she yells at him and pins him harder. However, he only finds himself more impressed by her, especially when he later watches Nagatoro flip Gamo.
What was Nagatoro’s original martial art?
On their walk, Senpai asks if Nagatoro initially used to do Judo, and she tells him she did once. She seems almost regretful, though, saying she doesn’t exactly hate it, as she tells him that she stopped practicing after finding there were people she couldn’t beat and feeling stuck. Although Senpai thinks she’d have a good chance of winning the school tournament, Nagatoro declines.
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Season 2 Episode 8 Ending Explained
After hearing from Nagatoro’s friends that Senpai has been training for a recent judo tournament, Sunomiya returns to school to help him. They then inform Nagatoro of what is happening, prompting her to see for herself.
Just like before, Senpai finds himself flustered and flipped onto the mat. Nagatoro walks in just in time to see Senpai pinned in a compromising position underneath Sunomiya and demands to know what she thinks she is doing. Sunomiya replies that she would gladly help Senpai train up until his tournament, but he respectfully declines, saying Nagatoro is handling it instead. As they continue to play fight, the episode ends with Sunomiya fondly looking on before meeting up with another student who looks very similar to her.
While, as viewers, we know a good amount about who Senpai and Nagatoro are now, we don’t know much about their pasts. Getting to see another side of Nagatoro was interesting. She’s usually so self-assured and confident, but in this episode, we saw her expressing feelings we don’t often get a chance to experience. It highlighted how the show handles its pacing and decides when to peel back specific layers because it makes episodes like this stand out regarding character development. I like seeing the characters progress and change without sacrificing other significant elements of the show, like the jokes.
