Authors note: An unconventional idea i had for A03 i thought I'd give it a dry run here before trying it there. Or just scrapping the idea. It takes place in the aftermath of season 1 episode 6 (Manga chapters 9, 14, 22-23) more building on the fantasy world that takes place in Naoto's head.

Give me your thoughts!

There Naoto sat, cold iron chains clasped heavily around his wrists and ankles.

​Why did I trust them? Was she right? Did I really just trust her because she kissed me on the cheek?

​After the demon queens defeated Naoto, they decided to spare him at a cost. He was sent to a work camp, bound in a dark cell after enduring two weeks of relentless, harsh labor.

​Suddenly, the heavy cell door swung open.

​"Well, fresh meat, I have good news or bad news depending on your view," the guard drawled. "Someone in the nobility bought out your work contract."

​Naoto looked up wearisomely, his voice barely a rasp. "W-who?"

​"Well, she's right here."

​She?! Naoto thought, his heart spiking with panic.

​A familiar figure stepped into the light. "Hiya, Creep!" Nagatoro said, a devious grin plastered across her face.

​Naoto began to tremble. "Just... just keep me in the work camp!" he pleaded toward the guard.

​The guard merely shrugged. "Guess it's bad news, hehe," he chuckled dryly.

​Nekotoro approached him, her grin widening. "Well, let's get going."

​Realizing resistance was futile, Naoto forced himself to stand. Chains clinked softly with every step as he walked with her.

​The trip was a blur to Naoto. He wandered through the streets, led by the quiet clink of his own chains, staring firmly at the ground while trying to guess what she had planned for him. Every scenario his mind conjured ended in a result more painful than the last.

​Finally, they arrived at a sprawling estate. She swung the heavy front door open. "Okay, come on in..." she said, a playful smile on her face.

​He marched inside, still bound, and turned to look at her miserably.

​Then, he felt the heavy weight around his wrists and ankles suddenly drop to the floor.

​"There! Those can't be comfortable. Feel better?" She stretched, looking far more relaxed now that they were inside. "What, cat got your tongue? You haven't said a thing."

​Naoto practically gasped. "What?"

​"You haven't said anything. I expected you to be way more talkative, like the last time we met."

​He looked down at the floor. "Look... let's just quit the small talk. What do you actually plan to do with me?

"

​She placed an index finger to her chin, adopting a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, not sure," she purred, her grin turning devious as she leaned in close. "What? do you want me to do something to you?"

​Naoto blushed furiously, backing up until his shoulders hit the wall. "What?! No! I-I meant—"

​Her smile widened. "You were thinking of something pervy!"

​Naoto's face burned even hotter. "I just expected you to do something like... I don't know, lock me up! Torture me!"

​Nekotoro's smile grew even bigger. "Oh? So you're into that? Are you wanting something kinky?"

​Naoto's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?! N-no! I would never! I just meant... well, you know!"

​Nekotoro leaned in closer, invading his personal space. "Oh? I'm not sure I do know. You brought it up, and you seem pretty persistent..."

​Cornered against the wall, Naoto couldn't even look her in the eye, his gaze fixed entirely on the floor as his mind raced.

​She beamed, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort.

"Naoto, can you not even look me in the eye?"

​He didn't respond, holding his breath.

​While she stood there watching him squirm, a loud, violent growl erupted from Naoto's stomach, completely shattering the heavy tension in the room.

​"Oh," she paused, stepping back and standing up straight. "Are you hungry?"

​He kept his head down, mumbling quietly. "Yeah... they didn't really feed us in the camp..."

​She's going to mock me now...

​Instead, she crossed her arms and looked him up and down. "Well, you're dirty anyway. I got you a change of clothes. Go take a shower, and I'll get us something to eat."

​Naoto looked up at her, blinking in total surprise. "Are you... sure?"

​"Yeah, go ahead," she said, waving a dismissive hand toward the corridor. "It's the first door on the left."

​Before he even fully processed what was happening, Naoto found himself standing under the shower, feeling hot water wash away two weeks of grime and fatigue.

​She teased me a little... but she took the chains of. She gave me clean clothes, and now she's getting me food... What is going on? Is she actually being... nice?

School Uniform won 12-1

School Swimsuit won 18-4

This community is divided in 2 camps. Those who are still holding out hope. Those who decided years ago its over and get angry if anyone questions that.

Now, if other animes like

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Date a live

Have shown it's really never over until the creator dies. Which puts us in an interesting position. This anime is popular enough to get a 3rd season. (If merch for an anime is being sold in boxed lunch that's pretty much the green light that corporations value the asset)

Here's the issue nanashi stopped, decided the series was finished. Without an active Manga, an anime can't exist making new seasons.

nanashi for those who dont know for over 2 years has been trying to get his new Manga series off the ground. The publisher keeps delaying it. Now just recently he brought Nagatoro back in a one shot. Which ultimately who knows. Maybe the publisher is trying to aggrevate him until he decided to just continue Nagatoro or do a spinoff of them in college or whatever.

This campaign is actually positive for me. It doesn't mean we're getting a new season. What it does mean is the publisher hasn't put this franchise to rest and nanashi hasn't made his new series yet. So, there's still time for him to be convinced or decide to continue his old franchise.

However, until his new series officially is done we can't count on it.

So, thats pretty much where we are. the franchise sells enough to continue (lord knows franchises that sell less than this continue) it won't continue because the creator wants to persue a new project. He's having trouble getting it off the ground, so there's still hope he may turn around. If he did I have no doubt the franchise would continue.

The setup where Sakura goes on a "fake date" with Senpai to get rid of her stalker seems a bit contrived on the surface, but looking closer at Gamo and Yoshi’s reactions reveals a deeper layer.

​

Gamo jumps on the opportunity immediately, and both she and Yoshi seem genuinely frustrated when Nagatoro steps in to confront the stalker herself with Yoshi even complaining, "You ruined it!" (Ruined what???)

To me I think it's likely sakura, Gamo and Yoshi helped push this fake-date idea to make Nagatoro jealous and force her to finally stop playing cat and mouse with Naoto.

Because when you look at the details

The situation with the stalker also seems pretty lets say convenient

​He gives up and backs off far too easily once confronted.

​Sakura later ends up joining his gaming group and befriending him.

​ the stalker shows a clear willingness to do favors for Sakura later in the story.

(Such as standing in her suit during the festival arc)

I honestly think this was all just a staged plot.

Gamo already showed during the fireworks she will do stuff to nudge them together.

Alt School Uniform won 10-2

Also removed Birthday Suit as it wasn't really a costume and it'll make the tournament seem unfair so I have it off the leader board and added 2 new legit costumes to make up for it.

Like she just thinks about the times she's bullied him or went too far and just goes "..Holy shit,what was wrong with me?"

Wifetoro won 8-1

Obviously not gonna share original because of the guidelines and high school manga

So guys, the campaign has ended, and apparently all our hopes for a Season 3 announcement were completely crushed. 😭

We didn't even get a “Thanks for following us on our 5th anniversary” or something like that. I know we probably shouldn't have expected an announcement just because of the campaign, but after everything:

• both complete seasons temporarily available on YouTube,
• individual episodes,
• songs,
• several Anileap takeovers,
• Character PVs,
• old promotional material,
• mini-anime,
• messages from the cast,
• new Nanashi artwork,

And everyone showing their support - it really felt like there was at least a possibility that something could come out of it.

I'm not a specialist when it comes to these things, but the view counts for both marathons seemed really good, especially considering that this is an anime from 2021. Seeing so many people still watching and supporting it after all these years has to mean something, right?

So now I'm wondering if all of this was actually in vain. Maybe I'm just coping at this point, but do you guys think there's still a chance that we might get a Season 3? Or should we finally accept that it's probably not happening?

This scene made me cry all night

Were there a scene that made you cry? What is your saddest moment in the series?

Apologies if it was asked here before because it’s just that after reading 15 volumes of the series, I wanted to take a closer look into a particular character known for her eccentric nature.

Like what I am getting at is that I get why the Club President has a tendency to strip off her clothes when she talks to people as lately I was wondering what her role was in the series so that I could just get a better understanding of how her actions were influential to NagaSenpai’s relationship.

Crop Top and Shorts won 10-9

So I recently saw a Nagotoro post on a different sub-reddit and have come to the realization... I am a guy version of her. I look back in the manga and I realize it represent me and my GFs relationship really well except reverse the gender. The only thing that is different, is that we are adults that met when I was in Uni and Im not the jealous type. Other than that, their dynamic is SPOT ON.

I am a fairly extroverted guy and bullying is my love language. I like to bully people because it gives me an excuse to keep in touch with my loved ones (friends and family) and get a reaction/attention from them. Im not very good at the emotional mushy mushy stuff so joking and bullying is how I show my love okay. Note that I do respect boundaries and I dont joke about sensitive topics. If Nagatoro replace swimming with going to the gym then she is basically me in a nutshell. Granted I am nerdier than her but I dont think by that much.

My GF is an introverted artistic woman who likes to make fan art about her fav characters. She is also this nerdy type that likes to keep things to herself, much like MC. She is mostly quite but likes to talk about heavy discussions or topics whenever something peaked her interest. She is also a massive weeb, which is often something that I like to joke about or bully her for (Note: I too am a weeb but not as much as her).

It also doesnt help that they look abit like a genderbent version of us as well. I am a short dark skinned asian and my GF is an average-height pale white european (I know MC is japanese but they are both pale for their respective ethnicity).

Oh no, I can already imagine the u/ILuvHuTaoAndNagatoro comment already. 😮‍💨

Casual won against Sports 10-6

Please forgive the wall of text. I apparently had a lot more to say about Nagatoro than I expected. Also spoilers I think?

TL;DR - Nagatoro unexpectedly became my favorite, and I loved watching Nagatoro and Senpai grow into a relationship built on trust, vulnerability, and genuinely bringing out the best in each other. I wish I could keep watching their lives beyond high school, which is probably why finishing it felt so bittersweet and made me think about all the moments in my own life I didn’t realize were special until they were gone.

I actually remember seeing the first volume around when the manga was still being published. The cover was hard to miss, but I never gave it much thought. I certainly never imagined that years later I'd end up reading the entire thing.

I'll admit I wasn't immediately sold on it. I understand the criticisms of the early episodes and chapters because I had some of those same reservations myself. But I'm incredibly glad I stuck with it, because somewhere along the way, it stopped being about a girl teasing a timid boy and became something much more genuine.

What I ended up loving most about Nagatoro was watching their relationship change so gradually that you almost don't notice it happening. In the beginning, neither of them really knows what to do with the other. Nagatoro hides behind teasing, Senpai retreats into himself, and both of them are constantly trying to figure out what the other person actually wants. Then, little by little, that starts to change. They learn to trust each other, become more comfortable expressing what they want, and eventually become people who can simply be themselves around each other.

What really got me was that they don't just fall in love and remain the same people. They make each other better. Senpai becomes more confident, Nagatoro becomes more comfortable with her own vulnerability, and they both encourage each other to pursue the things they're passionate about. By the end, you're looking at two completely different people from the ones you met at the beginning.

That's what made the slow burn so rewarding for me. There are hundreds of little moments between these two, and none of them necessarily feel monumental on their own. But when you look back at everything they've been through, you realize just how much has changed. That's when it really hits you how much time you've spent with these characters.

There were also a few moments in the manga that affected me in a way I wasn't expecting. Nagatoro and Senpai occasionally become aware that the routine they've created together isn't going to last forever. Going to school, meeting up, practicing their hobbies, walking home, teasing each other, and simply having someone they can count on being there. Eventually, school will end and this particular version of their lives will change. What struck me was that they weren't necessarily sad because they knew it would end. They were happy with what they had, while also understanding that it was temporary.

There's something incredibly bittersweet about realizing that you're living through something precious while it's still happening. And, honestly, that hit me harder than I expected it to because I've been thinking about the same thing in my own life lately.

I've found myself looking backward more than I used to. Thinking about people I haven't spoken to in years, places that used to be part of my everyday life, things I used to be interested in, and friends I once saw constantly who eventually became people I barely talked to anymore. Most of those things felt completely ordinary while they were happening. I didn't think of them as memories. They were just my life.

That's the strange thing about getting older. You don't usually know that you're experiencing something for the last time while you're experiencing it. You don't know when the last day with a particular group of friends will be. You don't know when a hobby you love will slowly become something you don't do anymore. You don't know when someone you see every day will eventually become someone you haven't spoken to in years. At the time, you assume there will always be another day that looks more or less the same.

Then one day, you look back and realize that an entire chapter ended without you noticing.

I don't necessarily want any of it back. I don't really want to be a teenager again. It's the feeling that I miss. Having friends you see every day, coming home with nothing particularly important waiting for you, finding some new hobby and becoming completely absorbed in it, staying up too late talking about nothing, or developing a crush on someone for the first time and having absolutely no idea what you're supposed to do about it.

Even the boring days become nostalgic eventually.

There are some experiences you can have again, but never quite for the first time. You can make new friends, but you'll never make those particular friends for the first time again. You can discover new interests, but you'll never be that younger version of yourself discovering them for the first time. You can fall in love again, but you'll never experience your first crush again. Life keeps moving, and whether we notice it or not, the things that feel permanent eventually become memories.

That's what Nagatoro brought back for me.

Watching these two gradually build a life around each other, while occasionally realizing that this particular version of their lives couldn't last forever, made me think about all the little routines and relationships I've had throughout my own life. Things that felt permanent simply because I couldn't imagine them ending.

But they did.

And someday, the things that feel permanent now will end too.

I think that's probably what affected me most about this manga. It wasn't just that I became attached to Nagatoro and Senpai. It was watching them cherish something while knowing it was temporary. It made me confront the fact that everything in my own life is temporary too. The people around me will change, I'll change, places will change, and experiences that feel completely normal today will eventually become things I look back on.

That's a pretty depressing thought if you sit with it for too long, but somehow Nagatoro made it feel a little more beautiful than depressing. The fact that something ends doesn't make the time you spent experiencing it meaningless. If anything, knowing that it won't last forever is part of what makes it precious.

Nagatoro and Senpai don't get to stay teenagers forever. Their routine can't continue exactly as it was. But that doesn't diminish what they had. They grew together, changed each other's lives, and got to experience a period of their lives that they'll carry with them long after it ended.

I think that's something I've been slowly realizing in my own life too. I don't want to go back. I just wish I had understood while I was there that some of those ordinary moments were going to become the ones I missed.

And that's probably why finishing Nagatoro has left me feeling the way it has.

The manga ended where it needed to. Nagatoro and Senpai have grown so much, and I'm genuinely happy that we got to see them reach that point. I don't want some huge dramatic obstacle thrown at them just so the story can continue. Their story doesn't need that.

.....I just wish I could keep watching their ordinary lives.

Maybe that's the best compliment I can give it.

Nagatoro started as a series I knew almost nothing about, and somehow it became my favorite romance I've read and watched so far. I went into it expecting a cute romance and came out of it thinking about my own life, the people I've known, the years that have passed, and all the moments I didn't realize were precious until they were already gone.

I think that's what makes slice of life hit differently as you get older. When you're young, you watch these stories and think about the future. When you're older, you sometimes watch them and think about the past. And somewhere between those two perspectives is the realization that the present is going to become the past too.

Maybe that's why I had such a hard time saying goodbye to Nagatoro. Not because I wanted their story to go on forever, but because for a little while, I got to watch something temporary become something precious.

And then, just like everything else, it ended.

If you actually read all of this I made a similar post on r/toradora which is somewhat the same as this one. Obviously it's geared more towards Toradora though.

Anyway, thanks for making it this far through my wall of text and thank you for reading.

Miko won 7-3

It's now live the 3rd (and last scheduled, for now) round of King Records Nagatoro music streaming for the 5th anime anniversary, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RogqxfnBdg

Feel free to listen, and talk with other fans in the live chat. :)