Summary
In a sweet but exciting episode that highlights how close Senpai and Nagatoro have become, the subtle romance plot shines by the episode’s end.
There’s still plenty of romance to explore as we reach Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Season 2, Episode 9. After taking Gamo (Mikako Komatsu) up on an invitation to her family gym, Senpai learned quite a bit about Nagatoro (voiced by Sumire Uesaka) and her old days as a fighter.
Although it’s been a while since she’s competed, she still has the skills to teach him some Judo moves for the upcoming tournament. Whether or not she will participate remains to be seen, but like Senpai, viewers know she would give the other contestants a run for their money if she did.
The episode opens with Senpai stretching and hoping to win at least one match in the upcoming judo tournament to pay back the effort Nagatoro put into training him. At the same time, Nagatoro looks at the tournament bracket, in which she competes in the first round.
The tournament begins with Nagatoro and her friends all competing. Gamo congratulates Nagatoro on winning her first round and hopes she can too.
As they stretch, Senpai and his friends notice a girl from Class B named Orihara will also be competing. They comment on how tough it will be to beat her, as she is a candidate to represent Japan on the Olympic team. She is also Gamo’s first opponent, beating her easily.
After fighting Gamo, Orihara approaches Nagatoro, addressing her by her first name. She seems excited to fight against Nagatoro again, saying she will not let Nagatoro beat her. In response, Nagatoro is cold and even considers forfeiting.
When Senpai comments that Orihara “looks strong,” Nagatoro replies that Orihara “wasn’t before.” She then tells him that she and Orihara used to practice at the same dojo as children. While Nagatoro had a knack for Judo, winning several competitions, Orihaha wasn’t so gifted. Nagatoro easily won whenever they first fought, but then Orihara got better over time, eventually “destroying” her.
After getting beaten by Orihara as badly as she did, Nagatoro says she came to feel like “she couldn’t win anymore.” She eventually lost interest in the sport and quit Judo altogether.
When Nagatoro jokes that she is just going to lose it, Senpai says that this “doesn’t sound like her.” She gets upset with him, but Senpai stands his ground, assuring her that she is also strong and won’t know the outcome of the fight unless she tries first. Although she accuses him of condescension, she still promises to try her best.
In exchange for trying her best, Nagatoro tells Senpai he must win at least one match. If he does, she also offers to kiss him.
Despite being taken down twice initially, Senpai pinned his opponent after remembering several techniques Nagatoro taught him. In the end, though, he loses by the referee’s discretion as time passes.
Nagatoro and Orihara start their match, with almost the entire gym cheering on Orihara. Nagatoro finds herself down half a point after getting taken down, but an embarrassingly loud Senpai cheer helps her regain control and slam Orihara. In the end, however, Nagatoro loses the match to the referee’s decision, as she ends up being out of bounds.
As they walk home together, Nagatoro tells Senpai that even though she lost, she plans on getting Orihara back next time. She asks if he will reward her with a kiss if she wins, but Senpai assumes he is being messed with. However, Nagatoro tells him she is not kidding before running off, blushing.
In an episode about Judo, I was pleasantly surprised to find I got far more romance than I expected. It offered a nice balance against the more serious and sentimental storyline in the background without detracting from it.
Usually, Nagatoro gives Senpai confidence, so seeing the roles reversed for once was cute. So much of the series has focused on his growth, but with Nagatoro teasing Senpai less, we’ve been seeing more sides to her personality. The more we learn about them, the more invested I am in their friendship and budding romance. While I am excited to see where this new romantic development goes, I hope the series doesn’t rush into it and continues to develop their friendship.
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