Best Anime Like Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

Key Takeaways

• Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro is a standout rom-com with playful teasing and a strong core relationship between the main characters.
• The anime adaptation has impressive animation, humor, and a focus on romance that fans of the genre will appreciate.
• Even without an official season 3 announcement, fans can enjoy similar anime like Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Toradora while waiting.

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro made its anime debut during the Spring 2021 season, although the manga had been a popular property for several years by that point. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san centers on the dynamic between the confident Hayase Nagatoro and the nervous Naoto Hachiouji, with the former poking fun at the latter in a (mostly) playful manner.

The anime has great animation, is hilarious, and develops the core relationship between the two main characters. A slice of life comedy that leans heavily into romance, Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro was one of the standouts of the Spring 2021 season, and the sequel season was arguably even better. Fans seeking something similar can turn to some other slice of life or romance anime like Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san.

Updated October 14, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The Summer 2024 season included a couple of anime that fans of Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro will want to check out, especially if they are more interested in slice of life and romance over comedy. That said, both recommended series have their share of laughs.

22 Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Sharp Teasing & Relentless Support

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian shares a surprising number of things in common with Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, while still being an overall very different experience. Similar to Hayase, Alya masks her feelings by presenting a cold and distant demeanor at school, particularly when interacting with Masachika. However, she reveals her true emotions in Russian due to mistakenly believing that her crush (Masachika) cannot speak the language.

While using very different vehicles, both girls are hesitant to overtly express their interest, instead opting to hide behind a language barrier or teasing. As the main duo grows closer, they become more directly supportive of each other. Masachika regularly steps in to help Alya when she feels overwhelmed, and these scenes are usually accompanied by cute and witty banter.

21 Pseudo Harem

An Overload Of Cuteness

A Summer 2024 anime that built momentum nicely throughout the season, Pseudo Harem is just pleasant, nothing more and nothing less. Rin and Eiji are both in the drama club, and they are obviously interested in each other but are not quite ready to directly verbalize it. Consequently, Rin uses her acting chops to create a one-girl harem for Eiji, who appreciates the gesture and is more than willing to play along. As they spend more time together, Rin gradually starts to depend less on her harem personalities.

Along with a slow-burn romance, Pseudo Harem also works well as a slice of life comedy. Most episodes consist of skits based on the duo’s adorable interactions, most of which are mundane when viewed in a vacuum. The anime simply follows two people as they gradually become closer and more comfortable with each other.

20 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

Battle Of Romantic Wits

An extremely successful romance anime, Kaguya-sama: Love is War revolves around the antics of Shuchiin Academy’s student council, particularly the unorthodox rivalry between Miyuki and Kaguya. Despite sharing a mutual attraction, both characters fear that verbalizing their interest would cause an irreparable shift in power if the other person does not reciprocate it. Consequently, the attraction goes undeclared.

In the anime’s early stages, Miyuki and Kaguya are constantly trying to trick each other into confessing their love. As the show progresses, Kaguya-sama: Love is War shifts away from this humor-centric premise and starts focusing more on its romance.

19 Toradora!

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover

The definitive slice of life turned romance anime about two polar opposite students who embark on a tumultuous friendship, Toradora! popularized many of this anime genre’s tropes. While Ryuuji might look like a delinquent, he is generally a respectable and mild-mannered teenager; conversely, Taiga’s unassuming physique masks an explosive personality and a tendency to get violent.

Ryuuji and Taiga opt to work together to impress each of their love interests, a union fueled by arguments, flying fists, and character growth.

18 The Duke Of Death And His Maid

Finding Humor In Tragedy

The Duke of Death and His Maid centers around the unorthodox relationship between the eponymous characters. Bocchan suffers from a curse that kills anyone he touches, forcing him to live a secluded and lonely life. His closest companion is his maid, Alice, who clearly has feelings for the Duke. Unfortunately, their predicament forbids them from getting too close to each other. Consequently, Alice shows her affection for Bocchan by teasing him from a distance.

The Duke of Death and His Maid blends a grim premise with a light-hearted tone courtesy of its charming leads. Alice and Bocchan’s dynamic never comes across as one-sided or mean-spirited since they are just trying to make the best of a bad situation.

17 Grandpa And Grandma Turn Young Again

Decades Of Experience

Even though they are just starting to get to know each other, Nagatoro and Naoto have already developed a strong rapport that suggests they could make for a very cute duo once they fully embrace their (obvious) interest in each other. Even if the story does not spend too much time with them as an official couple, it is not hard to imagine how their relationship might develop over the decades, eventually reaching a point of such intimacy and familiarity that they are completely comfortable.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again centers around a long-together couple who have been married for decades, a rare situation in anime. Even with the whole “Turn Young Again” twist, Shozo and Ine very much act their genuine ages, including engaging in sweet banter that can occasionally slip into loving teasing territory. Ultimately, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again is simply a cute romance with an easy-to-adore central couple.

16 A Destructive God Sits Next To Me

Playful Banter

In the days of legend, two knights, Sturmhurt and Gestöber, came together to seal the God of Destruction, and the former hero served as the deity’s prison. Across the ages, Sturmhurt and Gestöber have constantly reincarnated to make sure that the destructive god remains in chains, with Kabuto Hanadori and Seri Koyuki acting as the two current versions respectively.

This grand tale exists solely in the mind of Kabuto, and it mostly succeeds in annoying Seri to no end. Similar to Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, A Destructive God Sits Next to Me features a relationship defined by frustration but also affection.

15 More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers

Playing House

A Fall 2022 anime, More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers has a strange central premise. In this universe, high schools run a program that pairs students so they can pretend to be married. They are ranked by their performances, and the top couples are rewarded with an opportunity to get a divorce and pretend-marry someone else.

The shy Jirou is matched with the popular Akari, a girl he has barely ever interacted with. As both students wish to be married to other people, they decide to play their roles effectively; however, they eventually start to grow closer. More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers does not focus on teasing humor as much as Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, although Akari does occasionally (and usually accidentally) cause Jirou to turn redder than a cherry.

14 Tonari No Seki-kun: The Master Of Killing Time

No Romance, All Frustration

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro uses its comedy as a setup for the eventual romance between its titular character and Senpai. While Tonari no Seki-kun also centers around two characters who do not get along, the anime has no time for romance. Rumi Yokoi simply wants to pay attention in class, something made considerably harder than it should be thanks to her neighbor, Toshinari Seki.

Seki spends every episode exploring new ways to kill time in class, with each method being weirder than the last. Seki might not intentionally annoy Yokoi, but he is an expert at it.

13 Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Light Teasing

A decent 2024 romance anime that will probably not be remembered for too long, Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! is a cute and harmless show with a memorable setting. As Hokkaido does not get all that much mileage in anime, Kitami feels like a breath of fresh (cold) air compared to Tokyo, and its snowy landscape can be quite picturesque, giving the series an almost iyashikei vibe at times. However, the anime is primarily a rom-com with harem elements sprinkled in, and it is a decent option for people who enjoy the flirty teasing that dominates Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro‘s second season.

Tsubasa has just moved to Kitami, and he almost immediately meets a gal named Minami. The two have instant chemistry, with the latter helping to ease the former into his new life; meanwhile, Tsubasa tells Minami all about Tokyo, a place she is fascinated by. While their relationship is very wholesome, Minami does enjoy teasing Tsubasa, who tends to get flustered at even the slightest hint of contact. Their playful banter is similar to Hayase and Naoto’s dynamic after they get over the initial bullying phase.

12 Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible

Wholesome Teasing & Flirting

Except for the first episode, Nagatoro’s teasing of Naoto is generally harmless, even if the girl has a fairly aggressive sense of humor. After a while, her antics become obvious smokescreens to mask her interest in Senpai, and the same can be said for the latter to an extent. Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible features essentially the same core dynamic, with Kubo playfully teasing the quiet Shiraishi in an obvious attempt to convey her romantic interest. For the most part, the anime is a slice of life comedy that follows an almost sketch-like structure; that said, the main relationship develops a bit throughout the season.

If there is one thing that hurts Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible in contrast with Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, it is that Shiraishi is not especially interesting. That is partially by design since he is meant to be so unspectacular that he turns invisible, with Kubo being the only one to notice him. However, that results in a character who does not have much of a presence, and he comes across as a self-insert at times. Nevertheless, the anime is still cute.

11 My Little Monster

Volatile Dynamic

Flipping Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san‘s script around, My Little Monster sees Haru Yoshida insert himself into Shizuku Mizutani’s life, giving birth to a beautiful but strange friendship. Although they have very different personalities, Haru and Shizuku are both outcasts in their own ways. Haru happens to be a violent person who struggles to control himself, while Shizuku has little time for people or social situations.

Haru and Shizuku bring the best out of each other, even if that development comes with a lot of growing pains.

10 Tsuredure Children

The Many Shades Of Romance

A skit show that follows a few different relationships, Tsuredure Children is all about teen love and how painfully awkward it can be. Whether still in the courting face or trying to take their relationship to the next level, almost all of these couples struggle to communicate in one way or another, leading to plenty of hilarious moments.

Yuki Minigawa and Jun Furuya’s relationship is the most similar to Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san‘s main pairing, with the former teasing the latter as often as possible.

9 Lovely Complex

Funny & Adorable

Love can take a while to bloom, and sometimes it requires a lot of shenanigans to transpire. Lovely Complex is about Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani, two students who, despite their physical differences, complement each other shockingly well.

Koizumi and Ootani’s relationship is explored thoroughly by Lovely Complex, launching from their rough beginnings, moving into the formation of a genuine friendship, and its eventual transition into something more. This anime is funny, endearing, and easy to watch.

8 Aho-Girl

Aggressively Annoying

If stupidity is an art form, then Aho-Girl is the Mona Lisa. Ijiranaide Nagatoro-san‘s first few episodes lean into Hayase Nagatoro’s aggressive mockery of her Senpai, an element that lessens as the anime progresses. Aho-Girl never moves past that phase, and it’s all the better for it.

Yoshiko Hanabatake is impressively dumb and impulsive, two traits that combine to create a never-ending barrage of annoyances for Akuru Akutsu. Yoshiko also has quite an imagination.

7 Himouto! Umaru-chan

Two Face

Himouto! Umaru-chan tends to be a rather polarizing anime, but it can be pretty hilarious on occasion. At school, Umaru Doma is the ultimate idol; she is the girl everyone aspires to be like or with. At home, Umaru turns into an otaku who is the exact opposite of her perfect persona. Unfortunately for her brother, he deals almost exclusively with the latter version.

Whether intentional or not, Umaru has a natural talent for getting under her sibling’s skin, sort of similar to Nagatoro’s teasing of Senpai in Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san.

6 Uzaki-chan Wants To Hang Out!

Teasing Leads To Friendship

Putting aside any discussion of quality, if someone is seeking an anime like Nagatoro, they should start with Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Set in college, Hana Uzaki reunites with her Senpai, Shinichi Sakurai, from high school; however, she realizes that he has changed considerably over the years, becoming far more isolated and withdrawn.

Uzaki takes it upon herself to pull Shinichi out of his shell, a goal that mainly succeeds in annoying the latter. Romance, comedy, and a reluctant guy, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! and Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san are cut from the same cloth.

5 Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

Finding Common Ground

Yuuta Togashi wants nothing more than to leave behind his middle school years, as he spent that era pretending to have superpowers. In high school, Yuuta wants to just be normal; unfortunately, he attracts Rikka Takanashi’s eye, a girl who is still fully immersed in the chuunibyou life.

Rikka’s delusions threaten to drag Yuuta back into a world of embarrassing poses and flights of fantasy, something he has no intention of ever returning to. By spending time together, Yuuta and Rikka gradually form a touching friendship.

4 Magical Sempai

The Art Of Magic

A high school freshman finds himself playing the part of the assistant to a wannabe magician. Unlike Nagatoro, Magical Senpai‘s titular teenager does not specifically set out to tease or mock her younger schoolmate, however, she does end up embarrassing him in more ways than one.

Magical Senpai is purely a sketch show, and a romance does not form between the two leads. For those seeking an easy-to-watch slice of life comedy series, this is a solid pick. It does have quite a bit of ecchi, more so than Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san.

3 Maid Sama!

Strong Personalities

A tough student council president who has no time for guys in any shape or form, Misaki Ayuzawa has earned a reputation for being somewhat unapproachable. At the other end of the spectrum rests Takumi Usui, the “perfect” guy who is loved by all. After taking a liking to the student council president, Usui decides to become a part of Misaki’s life, an ambition that meets quite a bit of resistance from the latter.

Misaki is a strong and direct character, making her the ideal counter to Usui’s mysterious and effortless nature.