AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSAAAAAAAAAAKKKAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
You're going to hear this at some point in the series, at least once.
Story: 6
The story leads off with a couple of "misfits" in high school, Ryūji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, both struggling to fit in while at the same time must live in the shadow of their respective crushes. As luck (...or perhaps fate) would have it, Taiga's crush happens to be Ryuji's best friend, Yūsaku Kitamura, and Ryuji's crush happens to be Taiga's best friend Minori Kushieda. A perfect storm for brewing an unexpected romance. For those of you sensitive to spoilers, I will say no more. However, I will make no secret that in my opinion, the plot is mediocre at best, relying on a flurry of convenient plot devices and occasional plot twists to drive the story along...at least, in the first half of the series.
The story however, does pick up in the second half of the series (somewhere after episode 13 or so), with a combination of strong character developments from previously 1-dimensional characters and organically grown relationships between characters previously left unexplored in the 1st half of the series. While the narrative itself remained fairly simple, these developments in character and their relationships definitely made the series more enjoyable. I have more comments about the characters later in this review
Art (and Animation): 7
Character designs were fairly simple, nothing over the top or overly detailed, but easily remembered. whether it is Ryuji's blue hair and small sanpaku, or the fact that Taiga is 2 feet tall.
I'm also not too big a stickler for frame rates when it comes to non-theatrical release anime, so I would say the animation was fairly good as well, and drops in frame rates (if any) are hardly noticeable once the viewer becomes immersed in the story. For those of you who don't pay too much attention to animation details, I can give a few examples.
Studio Ghibli typically puts a lot of budget into their feature length films, thus making character movement seem incredibly fluid and organic, whereas the studio that created Toradora cannot afford to put as many resources into each episode since there are simply too many, and thus have to cut back on animation. While I contend that you won't notice much issue with frames just by watching Toradora, if you compared it to a ghibli film, the discrepancy is quite pronounced.
Sound: 7
There are 2 opening themes and 2 ending themes. Even after having watched this anime 2 years ago, I can still remember them exactly from beginning to end (minus the lyrics, as I do not know japanese). To some that may seem weird and obsessive, but I would argue that the music in this series are actually quite catchy, and more importantly, fit the nature of the show ( very girly as well as cute and endearing). That being said, while the theme songs were memorable, they weren't quite my cup of tea as far as music preferences go, so I could not bring myself to give it an outstanding score. Feel free to add 1 or 2 points on your personal scale if your music tastes fit this niche.
As far as sound effects go, I have very few comments. Nothing sounded particularly out of place. However, I tend not to pay too much to sounds affects as so much the story itself. If my you notice any sound issues which are out of sync with my apparently lenient comments, feel free 2 give me feedback on my profile page.....and yes, puns absolutely intended.
Character: 8
While I always look to enjoy a good story, I place an even higher value on the characters that drive the narrative. I also feel that Toradora provides excellent examples of both good and bad character development. Allow me to list a few examples without spoiling too much.
The good:
- Unique main male protagonist with unique lifestyle and idiosyncrasies that really break the mold regarding male characters in Shonen anime.
- Many of the supporting characters introduced throughout the 1st half of the series end up playing major roles in the 2nd half, and thus makes the series a lot more interesting and vibrant.
- The 2nd half has a lot of drama...however, much of that drama is evenly paced (not blown up all at once in a few minutes), believable, and does a good job of drawing sympathy from the viewers.
- The payoff at the end is quite fulfilling for those who make it through all 25 episodes (resist urge to look up plot synopsis please!!!)
The bad:
- Inconsistent character development in the 1st few episodes. The series introduces our 2 main characters as outcasts in some shape or form, but those aspects of their characters seem to get tossed by the wayside without ever being revisited. Not a crippling issue for me, but it may bother and confuse some who seek to sympathize with the characters.
- 1 dimensional supporting cast whose traits may be fun and interesting to watch for the first few episodes, but may also start to annoy and irk you halfway through the series from their repetitiveness.
Can be Good or Bad (depending on your taste)
-The main female protagonist is a Tsundere voiced by Rie Kugumiya, the queen voice actress for other famous Tsundere's like Shana from "Shakugan no Shana" and Louise from "Zero no Tsukaima". I will note that she also performs vocals for the 1st opening theme in Toradora. Due to the polarizing nature of this character archetype, I will leave it up to you all to decide whether or not you enjoy the main female lead of Toradora.
While I did spend a lot of time bashing the 1st half while praising the 2nd half of the series, looking at the show as whole, the character development was actually quite solid in my opinion. In a lot of ways, the 2nd half helped to reaffirm a lot of the weaker points early on in the series, in both a plotwise and thematic sense.
Enjoyment: 7
Despite my quips and concerns with certain aspects of the show, I would like to say once again that the payoff towards the end of the show is definitely worth whatever frustrations and tribulations you may have to endure at the beginning. And for those of you who are looking for a cute show with cute characters doing cute things, I might enjoy the 1st half (certainly more than I did).
J.C.Staff, the production studio also known for producing the "Toaru Majutsu no Index" series and "Toaru Kagaku no Railgun" spinoff, isn't quite on par with Sunrise and Madhouse just yet, but they definitely showed a lot of potential with Toradora, and I look forward to writing more reviews about their work in future.
ONE LAST NOTE
I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD MARK THIS AS HELPFUL/UNHELPFUL
I've only recently started writing reviews and would like to improve my craft, so constructive criticisms on my profile page would be much appreciated !
Hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you will enjoy this series!!
