Takamine San is an ongoing romantic comedy manga that features a coming of age high school romance. Created by Hiiragi Yuuichi, also known for other work "Kakegurui Midari" after working with Kawamoto Homura, author of the popular series "Kakegurui" which is an ecchi anime about gambling.
Plot
Shirota accidentally sees the president Takamine's bare breasts while changing clothes without her noticing. He was at the wrong place and time. It should've been an incident he can keep to himself. But this incident only led him to discover Takamine's other secret. This prompted Takamine to orchestrate a scenario where she could frame Shirota for rape which he fell into the trap. Now Shirota has to choose between prison or become the president's private servant with the main task of putting her panties on her whenever and wherever she wants.
I skipped an important detail there but that's going to be a huge spoiler if this post is your introduction to the story. I know the plot begs for more questions but this a romantic ecchi comedy laced with the supernatural type of story.
Spoiler Warning: If you're already interested in the plot, better to leave this post now and find out.
The first few chapters is a bit controversial due how quickly things can go to a dark. I know skirting through issues like false accusations of rape, narcissism, and blackmail as the beginning of the journey may not sit well with a lot of people. On a first impression basis, I'd probably dropped the story if it continued the female domination themes. Takamine's character intro already sets a dark tone that she's someone that knows what's she's doing, holds herself in high regard, and would not hesitate to play dirty.
But there is a gradual shift in direction as the chapters progressed because the slow pacing and character development come at a later chapters.
One of the best parts about this manga is the art style suitable for an ecchi manga. The illustrator knows exactly what they're doing when rendering Takamine's assets right. Since ecchi is about playing around with visual suspense, you'll find some of the panels an eye treat.
And this detail further cements Takamine's character in the story because her reputation as the campus queen is built around exemplifying perfection in everything she does. She has no problems ordering the pushover Shirota on the most trivial matters.
The story plays around the common trope of popular girl meets unremarkable boy. While there is a supernatural element to the story regarding Takamine's ability, I think this detail being used as a catalyst for them to interact in the first place then downplayed later was the right choice. This is a romantic comedy and less about emphasizing supernatural powers and more about playing with their chemistry.
It can be frustrating to read about Shirota's character development from a pushover to someone growing a spine but the slow pace makes their relationship feel more natural than abruptly forced. It can have its moments where it's frustrating to read and wishing the boy should've just grown a clue by now instead of missing his shots.
Once you get passed the parts that make this story ecchi and focus on the coming of age romance, it's not that bad.
Thanks for your time.