"Since ancient times, the dragon has been the only beast to equal the tiger. Even if you're not by my side right now, I will leap through space and time and always be by your side. These feelings will never change." - Ryuuji Takasu.
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Alright. First off, the show is absolutely amazing. No doubt about it.
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I enjoyed almost every bit of it. I would recommend it to everyone.
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Synopsis : -
"Despite Ryuji Takasu's gentle personality, his eyes make him look like an intimidating delinquent. Class rearrangements on his second high school year put him together with his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, and his hidden crush, Minori Kushieda. Along with these two comes Kushieda's best friend, Taiga Aisaka. Her delicate appearance contrasts with her brutal personality. Secretly in love with Kitamura, Taiga agrees to help Ryuji with his love interest as long as he helps her get closer to hers.
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Story : - The story in Toradora isn't the most important aspect, as it heavily relies on the characters rather than the actual story. Think of the story as a 'base foundation', and the characters - the glue that are holding it all together. Of course, there's a background, there's a beginning, middle and end, but again - not all that important. I do like how the story unfolds, peeling off layer by layer of all the characters. Diving deeper into their personalities. More on this later. But overall, Tordaora's story does not have any major plot twists, (except the ending. More on this later.) it is simple as it should be. And it works, very, very well.
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Art / Animation : - Toradora's visual style is decent. There are moments when it deviates from the way they've been animating things, there are a few intense scenes that essentially require the deviation, but all in all, it's solid. Good to look at. Characters seem believable, environments are pretty nice.
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Sound : - For the most part, Toradora's soundtrack is very generic. There's nothing special about it. Sure, it suits the mood for the most part. The up-beat 'comic' scenes are complemented nicely thanks to the well-fitting OST. But that's all. HOWEVER. There's one track that I absolutely adore. It is played at the best moments possible and I might even go as far as to say it's one of the best I've ever heard. "Lost My Pieces". I must also mention the EXCELLENT voice-acting for Taiga in the subbed version. The voice-actress must be really talented. I consider Taiga the epitome of Tsundere. Because till now, I haven't seen a more perfect version of the Tsundere definition I had in my mind. And the actress pulls it off brilliantly. That being said, the English dub is also quite amazing. I had the dual audio version so I was able to hear them both. Oh also, amazing OP1. Decent OP2. ( I was sad when they changed it and it wasn't as good as OP1 ;_; ) and ABSOLUTELY FAKIN BEAUTIFUL ED2.
ORENJIIIIIIIIIIIII
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Characters : - Ah, yes. The BEST part of Toradora. The characters. Takasu Ryuuji, imo, is a very basic 'template' character. Yes, he's interesting enough for me to care about him, but the real star of the show is Taiga. No two ways about it. Taiga simply steals the stage. She's the main focus almost all the time. It's because of her that most of the scenes are hilarious / and / or ( at times ) worth watching. Her personality is that of a typical ( but imo, the BEST ) Tsundere. Taiga's at her best by end of the first half. That is basically the definition of the Palmtop Tiger. ( her nickname. ) But this also means that people who heavily dislike Taiga might not enjoy the show. Because it mostly revolves around her. That being said, the side characters are also seen undergoing a LOT, and I mean a LOT of character development. Well. It's more of *learning* about these characters rather than them actually 'developing', but it's extremely entertaining nonetheless. Entertaining. Enjoyable. That's what Toradora is. Mostly because of its characters. Trust me, if you like the characters in this anime, ( say, after watching the first few episodes or so. ) you will absolutely love it. From Yuusaku Kitamura, Kushieda Minori, Kawashima Ami, to, heck, even Haruta and Noto and the teacher with the unmarried-face, everyone has at least one aspect to them that makes them unique and just a joy to..well, watch.
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Romance : - The romance between the two doesn't develop early. It builds up till the 3/4th section of the anime and then finally explodes. Trust me, the journey is FUN. The small teases / hints of them inevitably getting together also helps. The way they help each other and over time fall for each other, is really entertaining to watch. Overall, just an amazing romance.
I definitely recommend Toradora to EVERYONE. Despite its somewhat disappointing ending, ( varies from person to person ), in the end, you'll be glad you watched it. Trust me.
OVERALL :
8/10, a very good anime.
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.... The 3/4th section and beyond : - *SPOILERS!!!!!!!*
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This section changed almost everything. The characters were now showing their true sides or their true colors, or simply developing due to being in certain scenarios. I.E Minori, she was supposed to be the 'good' or the 'cheerful' girl of the bunch. But she ended up being a rather intense and somewhat angry, lonely girl by the end. The drama. Yes. I know a lot of people here DISLIKED the drama, but for me, I didn't dislike it. I didn't LOVE it either. I was okay with whatever direction the show was taking, because it was still interesting and entertaining. It didn't "wow" me. It didn't make me cry. In fact, there are very few moments by the end that actually made me 'feel', because of the fact that they overdid themselves in the -drama- area.
The ending wasn't necessarily bad, but it was just something I wasn't expecting. I was confused. I didn't like the ending much at all. But that's not to say I hate the entire show for it. If anything, the previously mentioned "different direction of the characters" made me lower the score even further rather than the ending itself. It's all personal preference I guess. The ending was weird af, true. But I'm glad I watched this show.
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Jul 26, 2015
"Since ancient times, the dragon has been the only beast to equal the tiger. Even if you're not by my side right now, I will leap through space and time and always be by your side. These feelings will never change." - Ryuuji Takasu.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Alright. First off, the show is absolutely amazing. No doubt about it. ... |
