Seduce/romanticize... no manipulation... really? People are so eager so see incoherences everywhere
It's totally manipulation from the beginning to the end.
- You said he "blackmailed her into a photoshoot". The way he drags her into the bath session isn't that different.
- If he rejects Marie/Christine, he still says he has a potential girlfriend to get his kissing training. A total lie (and it's not a bug). Even in the 2 other situations, we saw with Marie that he's not that shy/insecure.
- When he removes his trunks to force things ("Eh Mom, look at my dick! Everyone naked!" ... how romantic

)
- When he uses her old photoshoot to get more...
That's what you call a romantic evening? From Sophia's POV maybe but from Dylan's, there is manipulation all the way. That doesn't mean he don't want to have some romantic time with her but he tells her what he thinks she needs to hear to get what he wants.