The clash between Taiga Aisaka, known as palm-top tiger and the angry-looking Ryuji Takasu, in the hallway of the school is not something ordinary. But, contrary to their image as rough and dangerous in the school, they are not actually ordinary high school kids, having ordinary problems just like any other high schoolers. Taiga’s life is problematic due to the absentee of her parents as she has to live on her own, while Ryuji has pretty bad reputation just because of his dangerous appearance that he got from his father due to which he does not have friends in school except for Yusaku Kitamura and a few outside the school and apart of that he lives with his mother and an irritating pet parrot. The first time they met, ended up in a big quarrel after Ryuji finds out a love letter in his bag for Yusaku from Taiga when the girl break in from the window to attempt a murder. Taiga tells about his crush on her friend Minori Kushiede and they two make a pact to help each other in winning over their respective crush.
Despite of immense popularity and tons of recommendation it never occurred to me to actually watch the show until now and I’m happy that I watch it as it was joyful experience watching such a great slice of life rom-com anime that actually took me to a decade back as I have been missing some really great shows of that time like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
The anime series can be divided into two parts where the first part build up the story with the character development and hilarious moments before indulging the viewers into the dramatic part when the series inclines towards the romantic side of the story. Although I would say the second part is great with all the dramatic part but comparatively I like the first comedic part as it is more character centric and focused on the development of those characters. The chemistry between the main characters is very interesting who are completely different from each other with being stern and the other utterly aggressive. Their interactions and scenes together are hilarious. For instance, I couldn’t hold my self from laughing out loud when Taiga tried to catch Ryuiji’s attention in PE class until she is distracted by a ball on her face or when they try to get Yukasa photos for Taiga. Every interaction between these characters is meaningful that helps develops their relation which makes it very intriguing.
It’s not just with the main characters but the supporting characters are also very interesting with their problems in life and romance. Even the characters like Ami Kawashima who despite of exhibiting negative traits in the beginning turns out to be as interesting and well-written as the main characters that you will eventually end up liking them.
The best thing about the slice of life show is that it is not shown from just one perspective and Toradora has done that in a great way with every character having their own arc as it could be boring to watch the story about the two main characters throughout the series. This makes it more realistic where you get to know the relationship of all characters with each other more closely and deeply. As you get involved with these characters the dramatic part become more interesting where things get more intense. There are some touching scenes in the dramatic part that could actually make you cry these for these characters.
I like that there is no pointless scenes or filler episodes and every thing episode is for a reason with the fast pacing that never make you feel bored. Every scene count and I could hardly find any scene to skip. There are some moments that seem like filler episodes like Christmas episode or beach episode but even those episodes contributes to the story in a significant way.
Considering the fact that the show is more than a decade old, the animation is really good with vibrant colors and lively visuals. There was some clear roughness in some shots but it can be ignored.
The sound track of the series is great which is composed Yukari Hashimoto. The music is lively and up beat where the scenes are energetic, while it become soft with piano and guitar in the dramatic moments. The OP and ED are top notch and enjoyable. The song Holy Night was also very fascinating.
The series is can be watched in both English dub and Japanes audio with English subtitles thanks to MVM Entertainment. Both audio has great voice actors. All voice actors have done a great job in portraying their respective characters in a great way but Junji Majia and Riekugimiya stands out in the Japanese audio as Ryuji and Taiga. I also liked Hirofumi Najima and Johnny Yong Bosch as Yusaku in Japanese and dubbed version respectively.
There is a reason why Toradora is one of the greatest romantic anime of all time and even after watching it after a decade of its release, the seems ahead of its time with the drama, characters, story, jokes and heart-warming moments. I would love to watch it again and I’m sure who have already watched it can feel the same way but for those who still haven’t watched it should definitely watch this classic masterpiece.
I honestly went into this anime very sleepily one night, didn’t expect to like it and just thought I’d watch something on Netflix as I dozed off. I watched the entire season the next day because I loved the first episode so much, and let me tell you it was an emotional rollercoaster.
I absolutely loved the entire anime, but I seriously hated the whole love quadrilateral thing. Like, I know Taiga and Ryuuji are going to end up together, so why make them flirt and “love” other people?(neither Taiga nor Ryuuji loved Kitamure or Minori, they were both childish crushes tbh)
It really just made me feel weird, like I was watching a Netorare or something.