Ranked #58

Toradora!

Toradora! is a wonderfully fresh comedy-romance about two unique people finding an unlikely relationship with one another.

There's a simple storyline: I like your best friend, you like my best friend--hey, why don't we work together and help one another out?? Takasu Ryuuji has a crush on the best friend of Aisaka Taiga. Coincidentally, Taiga has a crush on Ryuuji's best friend. Being two of the most misunderstood people on campus, and having certain related romantic goals, they decide to help one another out.

So the story turns into what is one of the most hilarious, interesting, and involving tales of matchmaking by two of the most unqualified people in anime. Sure, the content for the story is not the most original. Even in Shakespearean times, stories of matchmakers end rather predictably. The difference with Toradora! is that perhaps the destination is known but it took a very different route to get there. And as the story continues to play out, it actually manages to surprise us by ending up somewhere that we did not plan for, but is infinitely so much better.

Each action in this anime is handled well; significant things happen during the most inane of moments only to come back a few episodes later to surprise us. The plotting of Toradora! is linear, but it dishes out details so carefully that by the end of an episode, you're left wondering what has just happened and what it means for the next episode, the next few episodes and for the anime in its entirety. The only downfall is again, the mentioned predictability. If you can come up with at least three different scenarios while watching this anime, there's a chance that at least one of those will actually happen. For purely enjoyment's sake, the storyline is actually rather amazing.

Toradora! has a simple art style. The clean character art lacks detail. The use of colour is actually rather commendable, as it has a robust colouring. The character design is very good, although perhaps at points, some characters' eyes may be too large for them for their own good. The animated sequences however are rather excellent. There is great use of the animation for the intense facial features the characters express during emotional scenes; it shows us best that when we're angry or sad, we don't exactly look the prettiest.

Sound for the anime is not exactly the most memorable aspect. The background music suited the energy of the anime. There are some poppy, catchy OP and ED theme songs, sung by the seiyuu themselves. The voice acting for this anime is pretty tight, and each character certainly gives their seiyuu a run for their money, evoking almost every sort of emotion imaginable without once sounding contrived, forced or uninvolved in their roles.

This was what interested me the most about this anime--the characters. Certainly the protagonist Ryuuji is one of the more unusual I have ever met. Unusual in the sense that he's really just a nice guy. Unfortunately, despite being a gentle, caring and easy-going person, everyone around Takasu thinks he's a ruffian bad boy because of his appearance. He has his quirks that make him endearing, such as his penchant to be a neat freak and his ability to manage a home like a housewife could. Ryuuji's one downfall seems to be his inability to take action in his life, to take charge of anything, though throughout the course of the anime, he very slowly learns that despite thinking he's a grown up (living with an excitable, slightly immature, very young mother made him assume the role of the "adult" in the house), he still needs to grow up.

Then there's Taiga, the series' second protagonist, a pint-sized tsundere with a mouth and mind that's as devious as her punch (and trust me... it's pretty devious). Taiga spends most of the anime being an irrational hothead, getting into scrapes and fights to stand up for her beliefs. On the flip side, she is rather incompetent when it comes to her emotions, becoming an insecure mess whenever she realises that she cannot solve a problem by pushing it away from her.

Alongside two interesting protagonists, Toradora! has an amazing supporting cast.

Kushieda Minori or Minorin, is Taiga's best friend and Ryuuji's love interest for the most part. While she comes across initially as a cheerful, carefree airhead, Kushieda manages to surprise both the audience and other characters by being a lot deeper emotionally than her eccentric behaviour allows us to think. Like most of the characters, who are young, confused and are bursting with feeling, Kushieda surprisingly is the type of person who withdraws within herself, keeping a distance from her problems. Though, as she learns throughout the anime, running away and stepping back might actually be more of a selfish thing to do than selfless. And selfless she is, as everything she does is to make other people, especially Taiga, happy. Minori is possibly the most complicated character out of the lot and is the toughest one to understand; you are left at points wondering exactly WHO her affections are directed at, and who it is motivates her and stirs the cockles of her heart. You are left to wonder if perhaps Taiga means something else to her.

Ami provides some rival-based humour to the anime, being a contending force against Taiga's sovereignty in the school. But she's not just the snarky, bitchy antagonist; Ami is probably the smartest, most perceptive character in the entire cast. Not simply because she's sly that allows Ami to be so adept to people's behaviour or feelings, but because of her cleverness and level of maturity, she has a deep understanding everyone's motives before they even have a clue about it themselves.

And then there's Kitamura, who is Taiga's love interest for the most part, as well as Ryuuji's best friend. Kitamura is rather zany, but is probably the most dependable character of the anime. His reliability makes him a source of emotional and logical strength for the other characters, however, as any teenager may be, he is just as flawed and has his weaknesses as anyone else.

Toradora! has numerous strengths, which makes its weaknesses all the more noticeable, however, the magnificent aspects of this anime overshadow any of its flaws. In the end, it remains simply as one of the most enjoyable, fun, emotionally involving stories about the lives of these high schooled kids on their way to being adults. And that way is certainly laden with confusion, humour and bittersweet pain. But that's how it is to be a teenager. The anime does not play out the way we think it will, and when it does, it still manages to add a twist here and there to keep a viewer on their toes.

With a twist on an old story, amazingly absorbing characters, and lots of humour, drama and romance thrown in, Toradora! manages to be a great addition to the anime world, having one of the most different conclusions than other anime of its type would ever have.

Toradora! is a great anime that should not be passed up. Taiga and Ryuuji are two people you will definitely become attached to. And who doesn't want to see the only two beasts who can compare to one another, a tiger and a dragon, try to figure out their lives? read more

Going into Toradora, I wasn’t really expecting too much from it. I thought it would be your standard school life love story we have all seen so many times before. But low and behold it came out to be surprisingly good, and has quickly become one of my favorite 2008 airing anime series.

Story: 9/10
The story revolves around Ryuuji and Tiaga, two ordinary students that end up working together in order to help one another end up with the ones they love. It stays pretty true to the "love story" formula. What makes this anime really good is the excellent pacing it takes with the story. In many "school life" anime we always end up watching filler style episodes, only to have the end of the series be the only thing good about it. Not so for Toradora however! It manages to keep the anticipation between the potential couples high, all along weaving together a pretty good in depth story that really shows the heart of the characters. A lot of times we have scenes that show the characters trying to get the words out to express their feelings, and others offer more side story scenarios-- which usually end up going in conjunction with a certain character’s inner turmoil and struggle. Each episode flows nicely into the next, and you get some pretty clever comedy along the way. Now that is not to say that Toradora's story is without fault; not every episode is particularity interesting as others, towards the end the story tends to drag on a bit and feel somewhat rushed, and the characters start to get in a sort of "pity party" mood with their situations, which can get to be a bit of a downer at times. Still though, haven’t all of us been there at one point in our lives, where we really want to say what is in our hearts, but end up holding back for risk of getting hurt? Or even worse, hurting another? Overall the story is filled with enough drama and guess work to keep the audience into it! Though it should be said that hardcore romance fans may be able to predict some of the twists and turns the plot takes. It does come close to becoming a bit of a harem anime, but just never quite reaches that category. The anticipation of "who will end up with who?" --is the stories strongest feature, and the ending doesn't disappoint!!

Art: 7/10
The art really isn’t anything too special. You get a nice mixture of bright colorful characters and environments. The characters are sharp and well animated with their facial expressions, but the backgrounds can look a bit washed out at times. And some of the action scenarios can be a bit on the stiff side. Again, the character’s faces are what stood out for me the most with the art, you really feel like you can read them at times.

Sound: 8/10
Like the visuals, I wouldn’t go on par to say that the music can be anything more than "appropriate." You do get some pretty nifty opening and closing songs, and they change mid way through the series. The BG music was nothing--if not forgettable. Even while writing this I can’t really think of a piece that stood out for me. What does make the soundtrack so good however, are the character voices! All of them were matched perfectly to a "T, " and I could not find a single voice actor to be out of place with their role. I especially enjoyed Taiga’s voice. She has this tough girl tone and attitude, yet you can tell that deep down inside she really does care about those around her. Something that the viewer will indeed discover while making their way through the anime.

Characters: 9/10
Definitely the heart of Toradora! While going through this anime I really felt that I started a "virtual" style bond with them. I actually cared about the problems they had, and wanted them to end up happy in the end. Towards the beginning, viewers may find a character or two that they either dislike or even despise. But trust me when I say this: "stick with it!" They end up evolving and have many twits to their persona! Taiga is really the one who stole the show for me, she has so many layers to her personality that it can be hard to figure out just what is going through her head at times. A character named Minorin can be drop dead funny when she wants to be, and Ryuuji is a great guy that is always there for his friends. The best compliment I can say about the cast? They act very human (ie: realistic), maybe a bit exaggerated at times, but mix the two together very well! Which can be hard to do in an anime. My only real knock against the characters was, since there are multiple romance skits going on, at times it felt like some of them were a bit too discreet with confessing to one another; which in turn can make the story slow paced at times. I almost felt like I wanted to jump inside my computer screen and yell: "Oh just say it already!!!" That aside, there really isn't much to complain about, great cast!

Enjoyment: 10/10
Despite some of the glitches in the storyline, I still never the less found myself totally drawn into the world of Toradora! It had more than enough to offer to keep me wanting more! The mixture of comedy, romance, suspense and tender moments--really drew me in!

Overall: 9/10
Toradora makes us contemplate what is more important in life; love or friendship? This anime really turned out to be a great surprise for me. Sure its got some flaws and all. But this series has it where it really counts; character chemistry and development! If you are a fan of romance anime, complimented with a great cast of characters and funny anecdotes. Then I highly recommend giving Toradora a try! It may not do anything new with its romance formula, but it does indeed do it right! read more