Aug 13, 2016
Having watched this series, in full, two times over. I felt the need to write a review. Now, let me first say, I don't particularly gravitate toward any one genre. I've watched, say, everything from the Sailor Moon series to the Dragon Ball series and in-between. My purpose here, is for you, the reader, to watch this series and recommend it to others.
Based off a video-game of the same title, Toradora! stands out among other titles in its genre(s). To be brief, it is an anime I am willing to share with anyone I know in real life, regardless
...
if the person likes anime. My review, below, contains no spoilers so feel free to read.
Story:
Without giving away anything, the story was great. Some subplots could have been developed further but, alas, I can say that not knowing all subplots is part of life. In that sense, I can forgive some minor subplots not being developed fully. All, however, are concluded with none left "hanging" incomplete. At the moment of this review, Toradora! is listed as Comedy, Romance, School, and Slice of Life. It fits all those very well. I would have to say it could easily be considered a Drama and it also has Action in it. (Although, I would not call it an Action in of itself.) The story is fairly realistic, being anime, and isn't too predictable.
Art:
The weakest area of the anime would be its artwork which could simply be considered decent for its age. That said, I generally prefer modern anime art and have still thoroughly enjoyed Toradora!. The art directs its audience to feel a certain way to a scene or character (or to suggest the audience ought to hold off on forming any conclusion). That being said, the art is hardly lazy. Characters and scenes are fully developed and look nice. Moreover, emotion is conveyed to an amazing depth. It is worth noting, I would highly suggest anyone to pay very close attention to the camera angles and the non-verbal (communication), in addition to the word choices of characters.
Sound:
Off the top of my head, I cannot recall any other anime I've watched where I've enjoyed, every--and I mean "every"--song to it. Toradora's openings and ending songs have all been enjoyable, to the point I don't skip them to get to the episode (which I find myself doing for plenty of other anime). Sound within the episodes are reasonable and do not particularly stand out as a positive or negative in my memory. It's the opening songs and credits that really been burned in to my mind.
Character:
At the forefront, I would have to say that character development is probably the strongest point of this anime (with exception of a couple minor characters that were not vital to the plot and were left undeveloped). Pretty much every character was painted with a brush of realism. Characters had real motivations behind their personality and their acts (not just some quick flash-back showing a traumatic event to justify how a character has acted throughout a whole series). This kind of character development is something devoid in most anime and is very subtlety intertwined. At its worst, characters will be understood through verbal communication with other characters or another character's epiphany about that character; however, the audience is given time to analyze a character's motivations through plenty of clues before that happens. (I'm not saying everything is explained either. Some things will be left up to audience interpretation, as it should be) Consequently, Toradora!, steers away from stereotypical tropes. The closest component of a stereotypical aspect to anime you will find in character development is some slapstick violence (not too over-the-top) and, even then, characters will still get sick or hurt.
Enjoyment:
Obviously if you're read my review up to this point, I don't really need to delve in to the category of enjoyment. I clearly have enjoyed it and feel you clearly will also. Be forewarned though, the pull toward binge-watching it is fairly strong.
Overall:
All components of this anime really make it special. I just wish it was rated higher or would be more popular. I hope you enjoyed my review. Thank you for reading and considering my thoughts.
(P.S. Please Internet Trolls: Be kind to me.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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