Story:
The story of ToraDora is a pretty standard love story. Two seemingly mean and angry high school kids love two of the popular kids and they work together to find a way to express their love to their crushes. After fighting to show their crushes how much they care for them the unexpected happens and .... well I won't spoil the rest. Even if the story line is somewhat predictable, it does not take away from the viewers enjoyment of this series. I could tell by episode two who was going to end up together in the end. But the story is written in such a way that you can still make a case for multiple plot twists and finishes. I found myself rooting for one couple and then a few episodes later hoping they would not end up together because I was rooting for one of them to date another character. This was due in large part to the way characters developed throughout the series. I can say the more I watch this show the more I learn about each individual character. You miss some of the small lines and clues the first time through. You can really get attached to some of the other characters after multiple viewing of this series. In the end, I was very happy with the way the story ended and I felt myself being pulled by my heart strings as I watched the last two episodes of the series. There are not many anime shows that I can honestly say made me feel such a strong emotional attachment to the storyline and the characters. All I can say is this show left me wanting more and more. And after watching this all the way through around 6 times I still love it just as much now as I did the first time. And I still feel the emotion every single time I watch it.
Art:
The art in ToraDora was fantastic. I found it hard to believe that this show came out in 2008-2009 because it looks like it could have easily come out this year. I am no expert at picking out details or criticizing art so I was very impressed by how the show looked. They did a great job of using the right colors to fit the different moods of the show. This is a relatively happy and upbeat anime so there were tons of bright and vibrant colors. This was a rather serious and straightforward show and by that I mean there were no exaggerated faces or silly effects. After watching this show multiple times I can add some more information to the art portion of the review. One of the small changes in the show is how the are changes with the characters. In the beginning characters like Taiga have an edge to them. You can see anger in her expressions and actions. By the end of the show, you can see a softness in the way she is drawn. It is really one of the cool but little things that changes as the show progresses.
Sound:
I watched the English version of ToraDora and can say I was very pleased with the sound and voice acting, All the character voices seemed to fit the character's personalities. The two characters that stand out to me were Ryuuji and Aisaka. Ryuuji had a very stern but caring voice which fit his character perfectly. Aisaka was also very well done in the voice category. I feel like her bubbly and goofy personality really came through in the voice acting and it really made the character something special. I can say the same about other characters but I will leave it at just those two for times sake. I will add that the intro and ending songs for the first half of the series could be my favorite anime songs ever! I completely fell in love with the two tracks and they instantly brought a smile to my face and reminded me of just how much I was enjoying the show I was watching. They made my Anime soundtrack list on my IPod I enjoyed them that much! I can also say after giving it some time I fell in love with the two tracks that replaced the intro and exit songs as well! The song choice for the second half of the show was great. The first half of the series was very light and fun as the characters were getting to know one another. As the series went on things got a little tougher and feelings became a focal point and the intro and exit song changing to a more serious tone only made sense. Its the little things that makea great show and this is just one of those little things!
Character:
I think what made this series stand out to me was the character development. They did a great job of giving us a slow burn on the character's personality changes. The characters would slowly open up as the series went on which allowed the viewer to slowly peel back the layers of their personality and really become emotionally attached to the characters. I really liked that the characters motivations were always changing and we could see it happening but they could not. It made the series very interesting to see them struggling to see the obvious when I knew what was happening the whole time. In many situations I found myself yelling at the TV, trying to get Ryuuji to make the obvious choice or for him to stop being so totally oblivious!! Long story short I loved the characters in this show I can honestly say I felt and emotional investment in what happened to each one of the main characters and I can say that is not a normal thing for me. I have to say you need to watch this series a couple of times. The more I watch the series the more different characters stand out. Since the initial story is kind of obvious your whole motivation the first time through is seeing how we get from point A to point B. But if you watch the series over you will notice the small things you might have missed the first time through! You will see that characters like Ami show hints of a love interest and this only adds depth to the characters. Each character in the show has their own little story going on even the pet bird! With each viewing, I find myself-picking up on a different character's motivations and story and it only increases my enjoyment of ToraDora!
Enjoyment/Overall:
I can not recommend this show enough to anyone who likes a good anime. This series has just about everything someone could ask for. There is love, action, character development, comedy, seriousness and everything in between. I know a lot of people are kind of down on the slice of live/love drama anime shows at the moment but this is not one of the shows you want to ignore. I would put ToraDora on top of my anime list and I am so glad I gave it a chance. I will certainly be adding this to the list of anime shows that I will be watching again in the future. As the show ended I just found myself-begging for just a little bit more and I am sure a lot of people will feel the exact same way!! So if you are on the fence about watching ToraDora...... Do it, stop debating and just watch it because it will be well worth your time!!!
Follow Up: It has now been over a year since I watched this show for the first time and I can honestly say I have seen it at least 6 times. It has become one of my go to shows for a lazy day in or when I am stuck in a hotel traveling for work. I can honestly say I like this show more now than when I wrote my original review! This one is a fun time! It's one of only two anime's that I own every single episode on DVD. I also picked up the Manga recently so I am planning on jumping into those soon which will probably lead to another viewing of the show at some point.
