During my ‘anime-infancy’ I played it safe by watching a lot of shows that I knew I would enjoy. That meant sticking to a very familiar genre that would typically ensure some form of enjoyment. For me, that genre was action and adventure. You can never go wrong with those.
Sometimes that would include giant mechs, monsters, fantasy isekai’s (being transported to another world), magic, ghouls, titans, and even the reincarnation of legendary heroes from history. However, it wasn’t too long before I started branching off to other genres. I started looking at romance, comedy and shows that involved school-life.
One that caught my attention was called Toradora!
The show follows a group of friends: Ryuji, Taiga, Minori, Yusaku and Ami. To begin with, Ryuji is misunderstood. Due to his threatening appearance the school deems him as a troublesome delinquent and ultimately fear him. But he is content on having his friend Yusaku around and his school crush Minori. When he runs into the most feared person at school, Taiga Aisaka, they soon realise that they both have a common goal. They both have a crush. Ryuji has a crush on Taiga’s friend Minori and Taiga has a crush on Ryuji’s friend Yusaku.
Throughout the series Ryuji and Taiga become close friends while simultaneously trying to help each other which, unfortunately, backfires frequently. There are hardships, arguments, laughs, tears, and crazy adventures that unite the group.
What I love about this show is that it is very focused on the group. In fact, it hardly deviates away from the group. Of course, you have supporting characters that add to the conflict but the show’s primary focus is building these characters.
Toradora! is a show about love triangles. To make it feasible, you need to believe that these characters are in love. You have to understand their feelings, why feelings change, and why these feelings aren’t always reciprocated. In order to do so, you have to know the characters.
The gang:
Toradora! does a brilliant job at allowing each character to flourish. While the primary focus is on the relationship between Taiga and Ryuji, you get to know the other characters in the same amount of detail. They all play a vital role.
I also believe that this show is very relatable. We’ve all had crushes and I’m sure many of us have tried to help a friend with their crush. I’m also certain that we’ve argued with our friends before. These characters may go on some bizarre adventures and it may escalate very rapidly, but they all share feelings that we are familiar with.
It may sound like a show that is full of arguments and heartbreak. It’s not. I promise. It is incredibly funny and very heartwarming. The group get themselves in all sorts of wacky scenarios and their different personalities help create some very memorable moments. More often than not, the humor is a result of the efforts of Ryuji and Taiga. Their plans typically tend to backfire and boy do they come up with some extravagant ideas.
Seeing these characters interact and grow is such a fulfilling experience. I’ve watched it three times and I’m even tempted to watch it again. It can be a tough watch, to a certain degree. Lets face it, no one enjoys watching friends argue and no one likes it when a character they are heavily invested in is hurt. However, despite the hardships, the show makes up for it with plenty of laughs and a conclusion that pays off in a very unusual way. You’d expect most shows to end on a happy note, this one does… but it isn’t what you’d expect.
Toradora! takes your expectations and messes with them ever so slightly so that the ending isn’t quite how you’d want it. That’s a brave thing to do but it also lends to Toradora!‘s status as great slice of life anime.
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