Toradora! - Episode 5 Discussion / Poll [Archive]

xris

2008-10-29, 12:14

Welcome to the discussion thread for Toradora!, Episode 5.

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Kaoru Chujo

2008-10-29, 13:20

I really enjoyed this episode. Taiga's character/personality is so interesting. Kugimiya Rie is doing a great job with this subtler tsundere. And it's nice to hear Kitamura Eri in the role of the model.

Ryuuji and his relationship with Taiga continue to be very satisfying. I'm actually loving Majima Junji's voice, and the way he's giving us the personality. Kitamura is also a satisfying personality. I do wonder that everyone, including the transfer student, seems to have forgotten the idea that Ryuuji's look is scary.

And I continue to enjoy the Horrible Raws versions of things, especially now that they are giving us 640x480 instead of smaller. Seeing all those ads from the TV broadcasts is always a trip.

Vexx

2008-10-29, 14:15

aye, I've often wished the fansubbers would leave the ads in.... they're hilarious in their own right.

Sounds like I'm going to enjoy ep 5 as well, but got some classes to deal with first.

musume_no_hoshi

2008-10-29, 15:40

^ For some medicore animes, I prefer the adverts to the anime itself. Anyone seen people dressing up as fanta bottles advert? ^_^''

Anyway, on with the episode.

I haven't read the novels, and I don't think the manga scanlations are at this part of the story yet. But from what I have seen, I really enjoyed Ami -cute-on-the-outside-but-evil-inside-. I'm quite surprised Taiga can stay quiet about her all the time.

THANK YOU for a tsundere loli who worries about her height then her bra size. For me, who is also short, worry more about height then bra size really ^_^;;

Generally I haven't got too much to comment on. The comedy was good, characters was good, animation was nice enough, seiyuus sounds all good. Ami-chan's voice was perfect, Kugimiya Rie is getting good at being Taiga, now I have stopped thinking about louise when she did say inu, so Taiga is now an established character as herself instead of being a clone of Louise.

Deathscyther

2008-10-29, 15:59

Great episode, they've stayed pretty true to the novels and I liked the animation and the voice acting. They got a lot done in this episode as well. Taiga's personality was very well conveyed this episode.

I gave the episode a 9.

typhonsentra

2008-10-29, 16:01

Well, Ami behaves and speaks almost exactly how I imagined she would, the VA captured the feel perfectly.

Kikuchi

2008-10-29, 16:13

I was waiting for that scene with Minori doing the cross sign. I wasn't disappointed >D

stormy001_M1A2

2008-10-29, 16:27

Good ep, I enjoy it. Consistency is well maintained.
http://imagechan.wakarimasenlol.com/b/src/1225315538884.png
I liked this scene the most. Hehehehe.

Ami is a vicious 2 faced bitchy chihuahua and Taiga is no less bitchy either. Battle of the Bitches is on.

http://imagechan.wakarimasenlol.com/b/src/1225315973759.png

MILF is hot. Yeah baby.

Shiroth

2008-10-29, 16:50

MILF is hot. Yeah baby.
We need to see more foot action like we did in the first episode.

Ami is all kinds of wonderful, and i hope they can keep the rivalry between the two as fresh as it came across in this episode.

Haesslich

2008-10-29, 17:15

Nice to see they've kept Ami the way she was - a total two-faced bitch to start. I just hope they keep the torture in... since that'll be... interesting. Or the ending of Vol 2 for that matter.

And does anyone else see Yasuko as the older, more MILFy version of Haruhi's Mikuru, but with more childishness?

typhonsentra

2008-10-29, 17:22

Mikuru was prety childish herself. Yasuko's just a more self-centered child-type.

Cat Megex

2008-10-29, 19:04

I just hope they keep the torture in... since that'll be... interesting.

The karaoke thing? I hope so, too.

Arabesque

2008-10-29, 19:12

msuwildog80

2008-10-29, 20:06

I am completely biased, but novel inspired episodes are just plain wonderful.

Since this is the episode made to describe her bad qualities, I am hoping next one will show some of the vulnerability and charm of Ami. She is pretty much how I pictured her to be from reading the novel. Which really makes me excited for the upcoming events. In many ways I perfer her with Ryuji, but definately some good points for Taiga this episode (in terms of shipping for Ryuji i suppose ;p)

Still cant stand Kitamura, the character just doesnt seem genuine. And for some reason.. Minori is drawn really ugly this episode. Maybe its just me thinking this, but at least her character was funny.

Overall, I definately loved this episode... and really high hope for next 2 (since it seems to be all novel inspired).

golthin

2008-10-29, 20:09

http://randomc.maximum7.net/image/Toradora!/Toradora!%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2030.jpg

I really liked how Ami turned out to have a gentle face that she shows to everyone and an ''evil'' side which she used to give Taiga that ''killer'' hit:heh:.

I am very curious about what was so interesting about what Taiga saw. I have a theory that

Ami is living alone thus why she was being so much junk food. It is probably the same thing Taiga was doing before she was saved by Ryuji.

I also want to say that Yuusaku is not a good childhoodfriend and it seems that he values the friendship with ryuji more than Ami. I know he wants to warn Ryuji about the dangers of ami, but still with friends like Yuusaku, Ami doesn't need enemies.

He could try to help her change her ways instead of unmasking her like he did.

JMvS

2008-10-29, 20:53

A very enjoyable episode:

The pacing was very nice and I liked how they adaptated most of the novel material.

Taiga and Ami were wonderfully fleshed, but I felt there was a little overkill regarding Minori, and some lost potential for Ryuji.

Need more Ami-chan!!

Cat Megex

2008-10-29, 21:33

...I actually didn't say anything about that because I did indeed draw that same conclusion from the preview, and had assumed you would have as well. >_>

JediNight

2008-10-30, 00:35

Ami FAILS! =X

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7659/minoriscaryhs0.jpg

arkxkra

2008-10-30, 02:22

Ami FAILS! =X

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7659/minoriscaryhs0.jpg

i lol at this part, I was wondering what she going to do after stand up... :heh:

JediNight

2008-10-30, 02:24

I loved the fake-out of it where she motions "yes" then suddenly switches to "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" mode ;D

PS: Why do people always Spoiler code comments about the episode in it's episode thread? Shouldn't one assume the Ep5 discussion thread has discussion about Ep5 in it? ;p

monir

2008-10-30, 02:33

PS: Why do people always Spoiler code comments about the episode in it's episode thread? Shouldn't one assume the Ep5 discussion thread has discussion about Ep5 in it? ;p
It's more of a courtesy shown toward the viewers who are waiting for a sub. Sensible posters at their best. :)

JediNight

2008-10-30, 02:45

monir

2008-10-30, 02:57

I guess I'm more practical in the sense that I won't go into an episode discussion thread until I've watched the episode, because I know discussion of it will be going on. Why else would you be in the thread? ;D
Absolutely. I hear you! :) I still appreciate any posters who is willing to show such courtesy.

JediNight

2008-10-30, 03:12

When it comes down to it I'm just lazy and hate having to type in spoiler code and click on spoiler buttons constantly in the discussion thread haha =X

Mandrake

2008-10-30, 06:37

just keep the spoilers till the subs are out, then it's free for all! XD

Eczema

2008-10-30, 07:19

Gave it an 8. This episode has greatly redeemed the series in my eyes after a couple of average episodes. Ami is a vastly interesting character, and her interactions with Taiga also rejuvenate her character as well. Plenty of humour, but the dog comments are seriously stale now.

mehmeh1068

2008-10-30, 08:48

Gave it a 10. Ami is just the type of evil character that the show needs. And I like the fried pork XD
Gave it an 8. This episode has greatly redeemed the series in my eyes after a couple of average episodes. Ami is a vastly interesting character, and her interactions with Taiga also rejuvenate her character as well. Plenty of humour, but the dog comments are seriously stale now.
Are the dog comments supposed to be funny anymore? I think it's just to show that Taiga still treats Ryuuji like she always does. If she didn't call him a dog, then we know that something is going on.

btw episode 5 has already been subbed.

Sin Ansem

2008-10-30, 09:36

This episode really put on the amusement factor. Considering scans aren't out up to this point, it's nice having a new experience.

Ami is a truly interesting character, so evil, and yet sooo awesome DAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

ayu

2008-10-30, 09:47

Minori's expression when she used the minori-detector was hilarious

Kinny Riddle

2008-10-30, 10:34

Kitamura Eri has played Ami exactly how she has been described, with both her cute klutzy side, and her obnoxious side well played out. She's supposed to be Taiga's "enemy", yet for some reason, I don't dislike her at all. Must be because she's the element that gets the gears moving. It's a joy to see her switch from her cute side to her evil side, I tell you.

frubam

2008-10-30, 14:48

Great ep :D! I guess Kitamura's ideals are all holy :rolleyes:. Does he have a fetish for people unaccepted by others?

Ami was a pretty good character. I'm glad they didn't make us suffer with 10 eps of Ryuuji not knowing her true personality. It was kinda funny when they were getting the drinks from the vending machine. Even though he knew her true personality, he was still taken aback at how emotional she was getting. Should be interesting to see her and Taiga duke it out(with at some point, a Ryuuji moment smacking her down as well).

Still, the funniest moment was Minorin's shocked face. That just had me ballin' :heh:, she really knows how to make me laugh.

Tiran86

2008-10-30, 15:33

FlareKnight

2008-10-30, 16:04

Excellent episode. Ami's a fun character and I'm glad she's finally gotten her introduction. Minori's reaction to Ryuuji's question was hysterical (it caught me totally off guard, I forgot that scene was coming).Even knowing that was coming it was something else to see it in action :heh:. Love the class being completely shocked with Minorin having already returned to normal.

Ami is a pretty interesting character so far. Definitely pulls off the dual personality pretty well. Though you knew Taiga was going to snap and hit her at some point. Will see how things go with her. Good at least that Ryuugi knows what kind of personality she really has. Though even still you can get caught up in the outer Ami.

Not a bad episode for Ryuugi really. Only got icecream to the eyes, magazine being pushed forcefully into his face and getting hit by a pillow :heh:.

germanturkey

2008-10-30, 16:05

rather interesting ep. i actually liked Taiga's maturity in this ep.

Vexx

2008-10-30, 16:32

Gave it a 10. Ami is just the type of evil character that the show needs. And I like the fried pork XD

Are the dog comments supposed to be funny anymore? I think it's just to show that Taiga still treats Ryuuji like she always does. If she didn't call him a dog, then we know that something is going on.

btw episode 5 has already been subbed.

Taiga's use of "inu" (dog) sounds more like old habit now, there's no energy in it. If she dropped it completely, it would be some sort of admission.

Freya

2008-10-30, 17:52

Hey so apparently gg had to drop Toradora? Not sure. What subs are you guys gonna use now?

Cat Megex

2008-10-30, 18:05

Hey so apparently gg had to drop Toradora? Not sure. What subs are you guys gonna use now?

Not "had to". "Chose to". (The whole C&D thing is a troll, as you'll see if you go to Koda's blog. [the "Serious Business" one].) Apparently nobody except for the translator thinks it's a good show or likes it (I don't really get why, but whatever), so GG's dropped it and the TLer, ilifin, has apparently taken his work on it to a different group (not CoalGuys, apparently, but some other currently-unknown group).

frubam

2008-10-30, 18:12

Hey so apparently gg had to drop Toradora? Not sure. What subs are you guys gonna use now?

I normally been dl'ing Aero's fansub. My pc is old, and I'm guessing the way gg encodes it is a bit too much for my pc to handle, since the audio seems to lag at times. I know CoalGuy released Toradora 5 before anyone else, but I still waited for Aero's. Their translation feels better anyway. Never understood why multiple fansub groups waste their time doing a show thats being done by someone else.

Also want to add that Kitamura is doing a poor job at showing everyone Ami's true nature >.>. Or was he, in fact, showing Ryuuji so that Ryuuji will accept Ami for who she is, with the hope that Ryuuji will gravitate toward Ami so he[Kitamura] can steal Ryuuji's role as a good friend of Taiga?

And Taiga waiting for Ryuuji after school?!? Is it to show a smidge of [friendly] affection? Or was it simply a plot device to have Ami and Taiga meet?

Cat Megex

2008-10-30, 18:15

Also want to add that Kitamura is doing a poor job at showing everyone Ami's true nature >.>. Or was he, in fact, showing Ryuuji so that Ryuuji will accept Ami for who she is, with the hope that Ryuuji will gravitate toward Ami so he[Kitamura] can steal Ryuuji's role as a good friend of Taiga?

No, no, he's just making Ryuuji and Taiga do the dirty work of getting her to reveal her inner self to people.

Vexx

2008-10-30, 18:26

I normally been dl'ing Aero's fansub. My pc is old, and I'm guessing the way gg encodes it is a bit too much for my pc to handle, since the audio seems to lag at times. I know CoalGuy released Toradora 5 before anyone else, but I still waited for Aero's. Their translation feels better anyway. Never understood why multiple fansub groups waste their time doing a show thats being done by someone else.

Also want to add that Kitamura is doing a poor job at showing everyone Ami's true nature >.>. Or was he, in fact, showing Ryuuji so that Ryuuji will accept Ami for who she is, with the hope that Ryuuji will gravitate toward Ami so he[Kitamura] can steal Ryuuji's role as a good friend of Taiga?

And Taiga waiting for Ryuuji after school?!? Is it to show a smidge of [friendly] affection? Or was it simply a plot device to have Ami and Taiga meet?

Its good to have several groups doing a show, particularly if the translators are using different principles in translating.

Aye, after reading the comments on the gg site, I'm not surprised they dropped it. Better to take the noble exit rather than being asshats with the subtitles.

I'm currently using Aero for now but plan on reviewing the other groups (Paradym?) as well. So far, Aero has been fairly literal without sounding too awkward in the phrasing. Seems like they've missed a pun/reference or two though.

Freya

2008-10-30, 18:36

Hmm any idea if CoalGuys is good?

Vexx

2008-10-30, 18:46

Its rare I'll say a group is *bad* since they're supposedly doing it for the joy of it all (some clearly aren't though).

When I review subs, I'll generally focus on just describing the translation style and perhaps the fonts and colors chosen. Then people can make their own choices. Its rare anymore to see bad timing or other problems. I'll download everyone who's subbing it tonight during "capless happy hour" and try to review them tomorrow.

UPDATE: the only ones even remotely keeping up with the airings are Paradym and Aero. The others are behind so deferring on their work for now. Aero keeps playing around with their release formats in terms of containers, encodes, and default size --- they are OTOH offering nice compact MP4 files. Paradym's files are a bit large but consistent. I have these two on queue for download and I'll do a comparison of fonts & translations tomorrow since it looks like I'm too sick (bleh, cold virus) to go to class.

Sides

2008-10-30, 18:47

Hmm any idea if CoalGuys is good?

They are alright, imo. (don't quote me on it, but i think there was one mistake in their sub, but cannot remember what it was, probably something so minor, that i already forgot what it was)
Kushieda small scene in this episode is just priceless ^^.

FlareKnight

2008-10-30, 18:58

No, no, he's just making Ryuuji and Taiga do the dirty work of getting her to reveal her inner self to people.Pretty much how it looked to me. Feels like he's dumping the job of dealing with Ami on Ryuugi especially.

Though maybe he knows Ryuugi and Taiga are the main characters and thus feels he should leave it to them :heh:.

Vexx

2008-10-30, 19:23

Finally decided to give ep 5 a "9" (for the crime of being too short). Nice episode, the relationship webs are growing in a quite interesting mesh.

Minorin's note seemed a bit odd given she's supposedly been cleared up on Taiga's and Ryuuji's relationship but then ... that's Minorin.

Shiroth

2008-10-30, 19:25

Minorin's note seemed a bit odd given she's supposedly been cleared up on Taiga's and Ryuuji's relationship but then ... that's Minorin.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what Minorin does --- we all just have to remember, that's Minorin.

She is amazing, one of a kind.

Min Min Minorin, yay yay yay!

Vexx

2008-10-30, 19:40

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what Minorin does --- we all just have to remember, that's Minorin.

She is amazing, one of a kind.

Min Min Minorin, yay yay yay!

I feel a filk coming on to the tune of "That's Amore" --> "That's Minorin"

But not sure I want to torture people...

"When her eyes meet your glance, and you realize you're entranced - that's Minorin!"

oh, ick..... I'll stop now. If I'm further assaulted by the voices in my head, I'll post it in the Minorin thread.

Deathkillz

2008-10-30, 20:06

I must say, this is the best episode from this series so far and I can't believe how much I am enjoying "watching" Taiga's character right now. I think it fits her all the way and whats more, she doesn't come across as annoying anymore! One thing that was off putting about watching this series at the start was that this might as well have ended up like a clone relationship of Saito x Louise.

Lets just thank god that it didn't happen and instead we are given some delightful stories. Heck, it doesn't even seem like Taiga and Ryu are developing any feelings for each other yet which is already out of prediction. I thought they might have gotten together as an unofficial couple quite early, but it is a good thing that this isn't the case. The attention is still more focused on their first loves which is something I want to see happening.

The introduction of Ami was just as expected...she is an annoying, two face girl but nothing pleases me more than watching Taiga own Ami with her usual character (one which I usually hate watching). Bravo Taiga, I like you just that bit more now :D

Darknemo2000

2008-10-30, 20:54

By saying Saito x Louise you are not saying bad thing to novel readers you know. It is pretty good pairing actually. Now anime is a totally different matter...

And I hope Ami will start doing what she likes to do - pick up on Taiga, so that that bitch would feel what does it feel when people are mean to you.

Though next episode looks like it will be Taiga's time.

Freya

2008-10-30, 20:58

What did Minori do after reading Ryuuji's note?

ShadowSongx

2008-10-30, 21:11

What did Minori do after reading Ryuuji's note?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/BKey/Anime/Toradora/toradora0501.gif

Freya

2008-10-30, 21:20

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/BKey/Anime/Toradora/toradora0501.gif

Lol yeah but what does that mean? Like screw you?

JediNight

2008-10-30, 21:37

It means "Yeah.... NOT!"

In Japanese correct answers are circled "O" and incorrect are crossed out "X" so she motions a circle (maru) then switches to cross (peke).

It takes a bit of getting used to since at least in my school, they would always circle correct answers and put an X through wrong answers.

Master Chibi

2008-10-30, 22:11

Minorin defintely stole the show this time. Her reply after being asked about being called an airhead had me on the fucking floor. Holy shit.

Peanutbutter

2008-10-30, 22:46

Minorin defintely stole the show this time. Her reply after being asked about being called an airhead had me on the fucking floor. Holy shit.

I still dun get what her answer meant...

Can someone out there clarify this airhead here? ;)

Samanosuke

2008-10-30, 23:08

I still dun get what her answer meant...

Can someone out there clarify this airhead here? ;)
in short , Ami is no good.

Peanutbutter

2008-10-30, 23:11

in short , Ami is no good.

Love to see how Minorin reacts to Ami in the coming episodes.

Everything in this episode is great, cept there's no Inko-chan! :heh:

Thelastguardian

2008-10-30, 23:11

I still dun get what her answer meant...

Can someone out there clarify this airhead here? ;)

In the novel Ryuji's notes is composed of two parts.

"There is nothing between Ami and [Ryuji] and there is nothing between Taiga and [Ryuji]."
Same as anime, Ryuji asked what does Minori thinks of people who claim themselves as "airhead".

I believe the Minori's 1st posture answers the first question- "I believe you". The 2nd pposture is obvious that she thinks those people are lying, or hiding their true natures.

In the anime part of the note is missing compared to the Novel.

Ryuji asked what does Minori thinks of people who claim themselves as "airhead".

The 1st posture probably means "people who claim/act as if they are angel..". The 2nd part is obvious that she thinks those people are lying, or hiding their true natures.

Pick whichever one you like.

Back to the episode-
I am glad JCStaff decided to keep the Taiga's crying scene. Taiga is crying because she is feeling inferior towards Ami.

Ami is the polar opposite of Taiga- Ami is thin, tall, popular with everyone, is a friend with Kitamura, even has a name close to Mercury from Sailor Moon (ie cute)- things that Taiga are not.
This is why Taiga asked Ryuji all those questions. Why does Ami possesses such a horrible personality, yet has all the things Taiga lacks.

JCStaff made this sub context very subtle in the anime, but it is there, and man am I glad.

BTW here is a breakdown of the characters

Ryuji- Fearsome on the outside, kind on the inside
Taiga- Beautiful and wicked on the outside, kind on the inside
Ami- Beautiful and kind on the outside, wicked on the inside (but not evil)

One will notice that personality wise, Taiga and Ami are again polar opposite (there are many cases of character foils in this author;s stories).

Taiga does not try to control her feelings. The feelings that do make it out are neurotic behaviors that frighten everyone. Of course this is more like a habit of her to hide her inner self so that she wouldn't be hurt by others again (spoiler censor).
Ami also has trouble expressing her feelings. But inside of letting her emotions run wide, Ami chooses to hide all her real emotions behind a "natural airhead" front so that people will accept her- an act that Taiga can never brings herself to do.

Which is why when Taiga hears Ami the first time, she instinctively dislike her- Ami is against everything Taiga believes in.

Ryuji is an even stranger case compared to those 2 girls. Ryuji is not beautiful, nor does he needs it; he is very kind and understanding. Something that those 2 lack. Naturally, the 2 girls are drawn to him as such. Maybe, just maybe that they too can become something similar to Ryuji's personality. Then they would not need to put on such acts (whether it's running wild or hiding true emotions) and people will accept them as who they are.

Kitamura probably understands Ryuji's influence as well, so he tries to get Ryuji to know Ami in hopes of such possibility. Kitamura has ran out of ideas.

These three characters make a great character study, I am telling you.

1/Most of the stuff above are just my deductions. They may or may not be true. It is hard to tell.
2/I hope I am not spoiling too much stuff.

Vexx

2008-10-30, 23:39

No, it just strengthens what I suspected is so fascinating about this story.

rose-wisteria

2008-10-31, 00:11

I always like the study of character foils and such so I love your post, Thelastguardian. :)

tzia_n

2008-10-31, 00:23

ayu

2008-10-31, 00:46

I would say that I prefer Coalguys' sub to Aero's

Vexx

2008-10-31, 00:57

you're aged 51 and you still go to class? :twitch::heh:

seriously though tell me the results of your fansub investigation. i like to follow a single fansubber for a series so GG dropping it means i have to redownload everything with a new group...

heh, welcome to the 21st century? I'm working on career #3 (having been an engineer, then IT design/support, and now getting another degree and teacher's cert for high school math/physics).

Aye, will post it in the generic thread. It'll highlight the differences and I may say which one *I* prefer.

@Ayu: has Coalguys' done the first 4 eps? I generally don't go with groups that just pick up from the latest episode unless everyone else has dropped out. They don't seem to have a web presence nor IRC presence I can find.

Haesslich

2008-10-31, 01:54

Thelastguardian: Indeed. That's the sort of stuff I was afraid J.C. Staff would be taking out of the adaptation after seeing Episode 3 and the extra violence in the first two eps (as well as some of the introspection during the lamppost scene)... so the way they handled Episodes 4 and now 5 are a definite plus. As you've put it, the real 'rivals' aren't Ryuuji and Taiga (as the school saw at first), but rather Taiga and Ami due to the way Ami's real personality is... well, not all that good.

Kitamura's handing Ami off to Taiga and Ryuuji, two total strangers to the girl, because he's failed to make any progress with her as a friend regarding her behavior... and now she shuts him out too with the same mask, so he's warned the pair to be careful of her Janus-like nature. And of course, with that scene at the end and Taiga's evil grin, Taiga has a plan in mind to deal with 'the Bitch'. And the preview promises to show at least some of that revenge, which should make for fascinating viewing... since it'll show Taiga's nasty side - and give viewers a contrast to how she treats Ryuuji. Basically, if they thought her calling him 'dog' and making the odd impossible demand was bad...

Vexx: CoalGuy did Episode 1 and 4 as far as I can tell. They started with Ep 4 and then did Ep 1 before releasing Ep 5.

Bonta Kun

2008-10-31, 03:12

hohohoho I just love Ami!

at first tho I thought Kaname Chidori walked into the wrong show:heh:

wish we had more leads like Ryuuji, hes cool:cool:

fallenangelash

2008-10-31, 03:20

what sailor moon character was taiga refering to?

great episode! 9/10.

stormy001_M1A2

2008-10-31, 03:30

what sailor moon character was taiga refering to?

great episode! 9/10.

Sailor Mercury.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Mercury)

fallenangelash

2008-10-31, 04:32

Sailor Mercury.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Mercury)

lol. its so painfully obvious now. i thought she was talking about herself. my bad.:p

Loc

2008-10-31, 06:22

Good episode. Ami is a good addition to the cast. I wonder who she ends up liking.

SaintessHeart

2008-10-31, 06:25

Aero's keep crashing on my comp after I turn on the subs on VLC. I am trying Coalguys.

Ami kinda reminded me of a number of girls throughout my secondary and high school days. Unfortunately there isn't a cute tsunloli to stand up to them.

Anyway I am guessing that Ami has the same problem as Taiga, a tussle with her parents or something, but due to her superstar status she has to constantly hide from public and such.

Nice anime though, we have a tsunloli, now a yandere + Tarento to be (Yantaren).

P.S Her character looks and acts ALOT like Ryoko Asakura from TMHS. Not surprising that a flatchested loli is the solution to such a problem. xD

OT : There is nothing wrong with going to class at the age of 51. But some people are too image-concious to do so at that age and come up with reasons like "no time" and "need time with family", etc.

Nukerjsr

2008-10-31, 06:30

A pretty good episode for the most part. I loved all the interaction between Taiga, Ryuuji and Yusaku. Funny actually, and quite believeable. I liked that revelation at the end with Ryuuji finding Taiga in her bed. That was really a good scene.

I don't really like Ami too much just because there's a real lack of her reason to be an ice princess. There's probably more to it into the novels, but I just don't see it for now. And I didn't really care for that Minori scene either. A bit too random and awkward. It might of been better if she did that while sitting down, but it makes me question more if Ryuuji actually wants to be with her.

Sinestra

2008-10-31, 06:59

Great episode i think i was laughing my ass off the whole time. Taiga's personanlity is just so out there its like watching a train wreck you know you should look away but you cant. When she gave Ami that SHE BITCH FALCON PIMP SLAP i thought i was going to lose it. I was waiting for a bitch who do you think i am lol i dont think i would have been able to hold it in.

I love how both Ryuuji and Kitamura are intelligent males not like we usually get and the fact that they got Ami's real personality out there was comfort because i didnt want to see it carried out for several episodes with her trying to fool the main characters. But Ami found our Palm top tiger's weakness seeing her all covered in her bed was funny yet sad yet Ryuuji once again saves the day only to have Taiga go into a rant about being short, having a weird name and Ami have Sailor Mercury's name lol. I had almost forgotten about Ryuuji excentric yet very amusing mother when she slid the door and asked "did you right my name on it?" on her Rice Omelet LMAO is she really a mother? lol

I am wholeheartedly loving Toradora so much in fact its getting harder and harder to wait for the next episode.

I had to give this episode a 10 because of

1.She bitch falcon pimp slap beautifully executed by Taiga
2.Minorin giant X in the middle of class floored me :heh:

Eczema

2008-10-31, 07:21

Sinestra's excessive enthusiasm makes me appreciate the ep even more. :D

tzia_n

2008-10-31, 10:53

heh, welcome to the 21st century? I'm working on career #3 (having been an engineer, then IT design/support, and now getting another degree and teacher's cert for high school math/physics).

Aye, will post it in the generic thread. It'll highlight the differences and I may say which one *I* prefer.

@Ayu: has Coalguys' done the first 4 eps? I generally don't go with groups that just pick up from the latest episode unless everyone else has dropped out. They don't seem to have a web presence nor IRC presence I can find.

well i applaud you for having been able and still being able to do all those ;) plus im amazed you still have time to follow anime :heh:

here's to hoping fansub of toradora settles down :heh:

Cat Megex

2008-10-31, 12:09

On a side note...

Taiga SERIOUSLY looks like Chiaki Minami at the end of the restaurant scene. Just...that expression...XD

(Not saying it's a bad thing, though. ^^; )

Samatarou

2008-10-31, 16:53

In the novel Ryuji's notes is composed of two parts.
...

Thankyou for that explanation, I must admit that though I admired Minori's boldness (she clearly knows exactly what she can get away whilst the teacher's back is turned, and has no qualms about getting the whole class's attention for her histrionics!) I was unable to fathom what her outburst actually meant.

Regarding J.C.Staff, thinking of other series they have done (Karin and Kimikiss spring to mind) I think they know what they are doing when it comes to making an anime adaptation even though their departures from canon can be controversial. For instance I actually stopped reading the Karin manga as I felt they had captured the essence so well (even though their Winner Sinclair insertion was unpopular with some people). I'm not going to say they are the best anime studio ever, but I think in general they are a safe pair of hands.

SkoolRumble4Ya

2008-10-31, 17:03

On a side note...

Taiga SERIOUSLY looks like Chiaki Minami at the end of the restaurant scene. Just...that expression...XD

(Not saying it's a bad thing, though. ^^; )

Come to think of it she does :heh:

Aceywacey

2008-10-31, 17:18

[spoiler=Novel-version spoiler]

BTW here is a breakdown of the characters

Ryuji- Fearsome on the outside, kind on the inside
Taiga- Beautiful and wicked on the outside, kind on the inside
Ami- Beautiful and kind on the outside, wicked on the inside (but not evil)

**Snip**
1/Most of the stuff above are just my deductions. They may or may not be true. It is hard to tell.
2/I hope I am not spoiling too much stuff.

Nice breakdown!

But then ... what is the breakdown of Minorin?

Airhead on the outside, airhead on the inside? ;-)

Samatarou

2008-10-31, 17:38

But then ... what is the breakdown of Minorin?

Minori is an artiste.

Cat Megex

2008-10-31, 18:35

Nice breakdown!

But then ... what is the breakdown of Minorin?

Airhead on the outside, airhead on the inside? ;-)

But is Minori actually an "airhead", per se? She's very genki-girlish, but she hasn't been shown to be clumsy or anything like that (at least, not in the anime). Yes, she's weird, and she seems to draw conclusions about things quickly, but she hasn't been shown to be airheaded.

Ashlotte

2008-10-31, 19:34

Oh hell I had to completely pause the show Minorin's expression made me crack up that bad...Just wth WAS that. :heh:

Aha putting that aside great episode overall...Some nice RyuxTaiga subtle moments and a fun new character thrown into the mix.

Falkor

2008-10-31, 20:05

The episode went by a bit too fast, but the pacing felt just about right. I must say that this is probably the best effort to portray a character from the novel (the manga is not quite there yet), considering, in my opinion, the different traits that make Ami’s personality so special—her strange, yet subtly conceited pattern of speech and her true, slightly obnoxious character.

So, they’ve started to adapt the second volume of the novel—which I had the opportunity to read—and to be sincere, I’m not really sure whether they’ve skipped some important stuff in the first half, though I noticed some changes here and there. Hopefully, they won’t do something similar to what they did to episode 02, but I’m not sure of that either. They can cut some character development here, compress some scenes there, and fit the rest of the second volume into the next episode.

Vexx

2008-10-31, 20:35

seriously though tell me the results of your fansub investigation. i like to follow a single fansubber for a series so GG dropping it means i have to redownload everything with a new group...

I posted a review of the fansubs that appear to be seriously doing the entire series in the generic thread. If the others catch up or backfill, I'll add some opinions on them as well.

frubam

2008-10-31, 20:57

So... why does Taiga have nunchucks in her locker? Are weapons allowed in school?

Vexx

2008-10-31, 21:31

So... why does Taiga have nunchucks in her locker? Are weapons allowed in school?

We'll call that "artistic license" :) Since some japanese schools have kendo, archery, judo, etc --- yeah there are practice weapons about (though in reality probably kept locked in their club rooms).

Ya know, until about the late 70s... it wasn't unusual for high school kids to have their rifles and shotguns in their cars and trucks on school property in the US. They were either for heading to the target range, riflery, skeet, or just plain going hunting after class.

SaintessHeart

2008-10-31, 22:54

She must been a real violent girl to own weapons like these.

I bet she must be a relation of Sagat from the Street Fighter series.

Haesslich

2008-11-01, 00:33

She must been a real violent girl to own weapons like these.

I bet she must be a relation of Sagat from the Street Fighter series.

Sagat? No. Betcha her father's M. Bison though, and she's only doing the flying kicks in the anime because she can't do his move yet... although this doesn't explain the Drago--Taiga UPPERCUT from earlier episodes. That, and she pulled a Blanka move with that TAIGA SLAPPU. Because, y'know, it sure wasn't a Brightslap.

tzia_n

2008-11-01, 02:04

She must been a real violent girl to own weapons like these.

I bet she must be a relation of Sagat from the Street Fighter series.

well i'm not really violent (never even attempted to punch someone) but i own a nunchuk, a souvenir wakizashi (meaning it's dull), a small kris, a boomerang, a slingshot and a dagger. having weapons != violent behavior. you can call me sick or insane but i'm not violent :heh:

frubam

2008-11-01, 05:05

well i'm not really violent (never even attempted to punch someone) but i own a nunchuk, a souvenir wakizashi (meaning it's dull), a small kris, a boomerang, a slingshot and a dagger. having weapons != violent behavior. you can call me sick or insane but i'm not violent :heh:

Now all you need is a princess and a fairy, and you'll be able to go on your adventure :heh:.

risingstar3110

2008-11-01, 05:14

Ami character is as interesting as i expected :heh: (even when i hasn't read the manga or novel yet)

But i thought she and the school student president are one, they looks so alike. :)

Now I really want to see how things going to turn out in Ep 6. *Sigh* How long do we have to wait till then.....

tzia_n

2008-11-01, 06:07

Now all you need is a princess and a fairy, and you'll be able to go on your adventure :heh:.

you wouldn't believe if i told you how much i actually want to go on an adventure :heh: but i'm only a level 0 adventurer (i don't know how to use any of my weapons :heh:)

on topic though, i kinda like ami, she's cute :heh: and she strikes me as "cute and kind on the outside, bitchy in the inside, but actually just lost further inside"

risingstar3110

2008-11-01, 06:55

you wouldn't believe if i told you how much i actually want to go on an adventure :heh: but i'm only a level 0 adventurer (i don't know how to use any of my weapons :heh:)

on topic though, i kinda like ami, she's cute :heh: and she strikes me as "cute and kind on the outside, bitchy in the inside, but actually just lost further inside"
When you got to lv 1, found a fairy and a princess, invite me into your party, ok? :D

I also like to watch Ami most among 3 females character atm. Hard to predict what gonna happen when she's around (she's quite a unique character also) :)

noobita

2008-11-01, 07:18

I wonder why Ami got suspended from her career...That is the biggest thing that bugging me today.

Samatarou

2008-11-01, 09:28

I wonder why Ami got suspended from her career...That is the biggest thing that bugging me today.
My impression was that the notice meant she was taking a break from her modelling to concentrate on her education.

However that might not be what's really going on of course, especially as she's enrolled at a new school and is evidently living alone.

At this rate Toradora and Kannagi are going to end up with the same plot, with rival stroppy and pseudo-nice girls moving in with a boy that they expect to look after them.

tzia_n

2008-11-01, 10:07

My impression was that the notice meant she was taking a break from her modelling to concentrate on her education.

However that might not be what's really going on of course, especially as she's enrolled at a new school and is evidently living alone.

At this rate Toradora and Kannagi are going to end up with the same plot, with rival stroppy and pseudo-nice girls moving in with a boy that they expect to look after them.

first of all, let me get this off my chest... i love your sig :heh:

on a serious note though, i think that the charm of toradora and kannagi is not really so much as to what they their plots were but more of how they executed them. and i suppose toradora has 2 guys compared to kannagi's jin :heh: plus ryuji doesn't have jin's mad fighting skillz lol

2008-11-01, 13:29

I gave this episode a 10! I think I enjoyed this episode the most so far. I can't wait to see more of Ami's character.

wtfftw

2008-11-01, 18:40

omg Taiga is freaking annoying. Are there actually people who can take so much shit like someone calling you dog all day.

minori Kushieda is freaking hilarious. They should do a spin off about her.

JMvS

2008-11-01, 18:43

omg Taiga is freaking annoying. Are there actually people who can take so much shit like someone calling you dog all day.

minori Kushieda is freaking hilarious. They should do a spin off about her.

Actually there is a novel spinoff centered on Minori IIRC :heh:

wtfftw

2008-11-01, 19:03

Actually there is a novel spinoff centered on Minori IIRC :heh:for real where lol i need to seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Vexx

2008-11-01, 20:15

Well.. its a light novel (not a manga) and its written in Japanese. I'm not aware that anyone has translated it yet.

Haruyasha

2008-11-01, 20:40

I would say that I prefer Coalguys' sub to Aero's

Agreed.

It's a shame gg dropped the series. They might be trollish, but they do a hell of a good job.

Cat Megex

2008-11-01, 22:57

Actually there is a novel spinoff centered on Minori IIRC :heh:

There is a spinoff, but it's not centered on Minori.

Haesslich

2008-11-02, 00:14

There is a spinoff, but it's not centered on Minori.

Wasn't the spinoff centered around Sumire and another guy?

SaintessHeart

2008-11-02, 02:26

Sagat? No. Betcha her father's M. Bison though, and she's only doing the flying kicks in the anime because she can't do his move yet... although this doesn't explain the Drago--Taiga UPPERCUT from earlier episodes. That, and she pulled a Blanka move with that TAIGA SLAPPU. Because, y'know, it sure wasn't a Brightslap.

I want to see her do a Shoryuken then. xD

Ashlotte

2008-11-02, 15:52

Well.. its a light novel (not a manga) and its written in Japanese. I'm not aware that anyone has translated it yet.

Vexx needs to hang around Baka-Tsuki more. :p

http://www.baka-tsuki.net/project/index.php?title=Toradora! (Toradora! english translation project)

Novels aren't liscened so I think its safe to post that...If not mod feel free to take it down and kick my ass or something... :heh:

I hope we get some nice slower moments between Aisaka and Ryuugi like the ones they threw in this episode...One of the only things I was really sad to see get burned off by the fast pace.

Vexx

2008-11-02, 17:58

I knew the main series Toradora! was being translated by the same folks that are bringing Ookami to Koushinryou to us. I didn't know if they were working on the spinoff novel as well.

The post I was responding to was asking about the spinoff novel.

In other news, the anirena trackers have been down most of the weekend (someone asleep at the switch or the "annual anirena DNS goes belly up syndrome"), so any of the sub groups using them for torrents (Paradym) are temporarily toast. If anyone knows anyone at anirena, a gentle thump on the head might be in order.

Darknemo2000

2008-11-02, 19:03

Well there are many series like ZnT or Kaze No Stigma that are done by them, so it is not just about these two series really.

But not Toradora spinoff (so far). The main volumes are the center.

Haruyasha

2008-11-02, 20:11

Looks like ilif is back with his translations... though I wish they'd spend a little bit more time with the encode as the episode looks watered down and blurred.

Haesslich

2008-11-02, 20:19

Cute. 'qq'.

And yeah, I noticed that too. But again, the file size is awful small... so I guess we know where the 'savings' went.

iceyfw

2008-11-02, 21:15

mmm!! let the ami goodness begin :cool:

but i really really do hope they will follow the novel after ami's arc is done and not another mindless fanservice anime every episode (-.-)

BlueDo

2008-11-02, 21:27

Just started watching Toradora yesterday.
Loved this episode, just like all the others.

At first, I thought Taiga reacted to Ami saying that Ryuuji won't think of her as a human anymore...
But, that would be too fast of a development anyways.

stormy001_M1A2

2008-11-02, 22:32

mmm!! let the ami goodness begin :cool:

but i really really do hope they will follow the novel after ami's arc is done and not another mindless fanservice anime every episode (-.-)

I don't think Toradora! have any fanservice which is why I am watching this.

nanafan

2008-11-02, 22:58

that was a funny episode i loved when the battle was on between taiga and ami, minorin and her radar was cute too. it was randomly funny when she answered ryuuji's ? in class.

Avacado Burger

2008-11-03, 00:34

But i thought she and the school student president are one, they looks so alike. :)

Yeah, chalk me up on this one too. They do look too similar, as I was wondering "How come Taiga doesn't know her? She was mouthing off to her last episode..."

Sylphic

2008-11-03, 00:34

Is Ami going to be joining Ryuuji's harem?

tzia_n

2008-11-03, 00:41

I don't think Toradora! have any fanservice which is why I am watching this.

ryuji's mom is like fanservice imho :heh:

iceyfw

2008-11-03, 00:46

Is Ami going to be joining Ryuuji's harem?

your guess is as good as ours. we'll just have to see as they keep airing more episodes. not going to compare anything from the novel on this subject either.

Freya

2008-11-03, 01:11

So which is the sub you guys prefer for Toradora? As of right now theres ilif (qq), Aero, and CoalGuys. Which do you prefer?

stormy001_M1A2

2008-11-03, 01:14

ryuji's mom is like fanservice imho :heh:

Shit, you are right. But I can live with it because it went thru relatively fast and not much for wish fulfillment aspect.

Perhaps I should say relatively lack of fan service.

Vexx

2008-11-03, 01:23

So which is the sub you guys prefer for Toradora? As of right now theres ilif (qq), Aero, and CoalGuys. Which do you prefer?

Actually there's also Paradym and AnimeYoshi.

So far I slightly prefer Paradym's style of translation and their technical work. That's who I am using so far.
ilif's translation is also very good but haven't had a chance to see his new group's work yet.
Aero certainly has a lot of choices in formats (especially if you like softsub) but I can't recommend them until they start subtitling all the voices when people talk in background or over each other.
No comment on CoalGuys until they backfill episodes (have they released anything besides ep 5 yet?)
Animyoshi I've been told is beautiful but also haven't reviewed myself yet.

typhonsentra

2008-11-03, 08:43

I like that "Naruhodo" is Ryuuji's catchphrase. :cool:

molitar

2008-11-03, 12:44

teachopvutru

2008-11-03, 12:56

Sides

2008-11-03, 13:22

I think gg's translator is now in qq.

Yep, that is pretty much confirmed. Check http://blog.ilif.in/

Vexx

2008-11-03, 13:35

Ok who has the best subbing at this time? I been using aero's with gg's subs. The best of both worlds aero video looks way better than gg's. But now that gg is not subbing it anymore I have to find good subtitles to substitute aero's with. One thing aero does really good is their video encoding ;)

You can either check my recent review in the Generic thread or go back a page or two for a discussion on fansubs.

Aero's encoding choices are outstanding but they need to go back and provide subtitles for all the voices in each scene not just one voice.

I'm currently using Paradym's (I like their translation style) but the startup group qq is where the translator from the dropped gg_fansubs series took his work.

typhonsentra

2008-11-04, 07:38

So what happened to the other group? What was the reason they stopped?

Vexx

2008-11-04, 13:08

Its talked about elsewhere but in short, most of the group just lost interest in Toradora - only translator wanted to keep going.

I heartily agree that fansubbers shouldn't waste their time on series they don't like. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, not a drudge.

ilifin

2008-11-04, 16:02

This kinda explains why we dropped it (http://blog.ilif.in/2008/10/29/gg-dropped-toradora/). Which is also why we made qq, since gg was crying so much over Toradora. Every. Goddamn. Week.

And I bet koda isn't reading this so ffffffff stop forgetting to include fonts and fix styles, koda.

typhonsentra

2008-11-04, 16:21

stormy001_M1A2

2008-11-04, 21:03

Of all the series to lose interest in though, I'm surprised it's Toradora. I don't trust JC Staff either but they haven't screwed it up enough for me to lose interest yet.

Ah well, keep fighting the good fight Ilifin.

Perhaps because it is not tsundere enough or GAR enough for 'em.

And for your knowledge, the screenwriter of ToraDora! is the same person who wrote for Rozen Maiden series. So I don't think the anime adaptation will screw up.

Haesslich

2008-11-04, 21:09

Perhaps because it is not tsundere enough or GAR enough for 'em.

And for your knowledge, the screenwriter of ToraDora! is the same person who wrote for Rozen Maiden series. So I don't think the anime adaptation will screw up.

Well, that's not exactly GOOD news for people who are fans of the manga or novels - Rozen Maiden's manga was almost completely different from the anime series that was supposed to be based on it, and Traumend was... well, so-so, and tried very hard to merge the anime-original direction that the series had gone in with the storyline of the source with mixed results. Oueberture was kinda disappointing as well.

Now, if they can keep up the entertaining aspects without inserting fillers like episode 3, we'll be fine, I think. If it goes the ZnT route...

typhonsentra

2008-11-04, 21:56

Perhaps because it is not tsundere enough or GAR enough for 'em.

And for your knowledge, the screenwriter of ToraDora! is the same person who wrote for Rozen Maiden series. So I don't think the anime adaptation will screw up.

That's reassuring as I've heard it's good but... I haven't gotten around to that series so I can't say for sure.

And Toradora, doesn't need that GAR or Tsundere stuff anyway. Why people clamor for overused archetypes like that I'll never know.

rg4619

2008-11-04, 23:21

How did the Kodomo no Jikan and Vampire Knight adaptations turn out? Those would be better examples of Mari Okada's work (handled Series Composition, just as with Toradora! and Kuroshitsuji) than Rozen Maiden.

stormy001_M1A2

2008-11-05, 09:32

Well, that's not exactly GOOD news for people who are fans of the manga or novels - Rozen Maiden's manga was almost completely different from the anime series that was supposed to be based on it, and Traumend was... well, so-so, and tried very hard to merge the anime-original direction that the series had gone in with the storyline of the source with mixed results. Oueberture was kinda disappointing as well.

Not really, I actually enjoyed Rozen Maiden series a lot despite the appearance; I enjoyed the manga too. To me, she did a very good job in capturing the spirit of the manga story and make it anime usable in a way. However, this is strictly personal taste.

To me, the filler material is pretty okay in fact it did advance the plot IMHO.

Heck see it this way, at least GONZO is not doing the adaptation of this story.

Cheers.

Haesslich

2008-11-05, 20:10

Not really, I actually enjoyed Rozen Maiden series a lot despite the appearance; I enjoyed the manga too. To me, she did a very good job in capturing the spirit of the manga story and make it anime usable in a way. However, this is strictly personal taste.

To me, the filler material is pretty okay in fact it did advance the plot IMHO.

Heck see it this way, at least GONZO is not doing the adaptation of this story.

Cheers.

Episode 3 didn't do much to advance the plot, and as noted, your mileage may vary. However, pointing to Rozen Maiden as an example of 'not screw up' isn't exactly the most heartening choice you could've made.... since it did screw up spectacularly in Traumend with some of the filler stuff. And heaven knows that the manga is far, far different from the anime adaptation, so if your definition of not screwing up is 'sticks to the spirit of the story'... then it kinda failed there too, on top of being a not-very-faithful adaptation.

stormy001_M1A2

2008-11-05, 20:22

Darknemo2000

2008-11-05, 21:04

Heck see it this way, at least GONZO is not doing the adaptation of this story.

Cheers.

But JC Staff is doing it. And it's not particularly good news either (ZnT 2, ZnT 3, SnS2 etc.)

Haesslich

2008-11-05, 22:25

Well, I think it is tough to adapt in progress manga story into workable anime format and the anime scenario writer did very well to present a coherent, interesting anime. That is not small feat.

Traumend actually quite interesting series for me and the characters do progress.

Being faithful will not work 100 percent from one medium to another, like it or not. Even Peter Jackson have to make a lot of concessions in directing epic LOTR trilogy. What is important is essence and spirit of the feel. That is critically crucial in adaptation work.

Adaptations try to keep what they can of the original source material that made it entertaining (as, presumably, if it wasn't entertaining it wouldn't have been licensed)... and much of Traumend didn't work for me as a result, as it wasn't entertaining. ToraDora episode 3 was almost all filler, and the way they wrote Taiga seemed more like a lazy-ass writer's attempt to adapt a script for another show for ToraDora because it felt so out of place, characterization-wise. And THAT is my problem - Ep 3 lost the feel of the original source material and screwed up the characters. Traumend lost the feel of the source, but at least kept enough elements in that made it recognizably similar and the last bit was entertaining to watch even if the fillers were yawntastic.

Episodes four and five seem to have returned to the feel of the original story, even if the events have been swapped around and certain things did or didn't happen. Episode 3, on the other hand, didn't... and stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm hoping Episode 7, which looks like it might be covering the trip (or might be just filler) keeps up the trend of the past few episodes.

Vexx

2008-11-05, 22:53

Often episodes are assigned to a rotating staff of sub-directors and subset writer teams to permit simultaneous development of multiple episodes.

Has anyone figured out whether that was the case here? That whomever directed episode 3 is one of a group and not of the same caliber?

I'm saying this having watched ep 3 with no clue whatever about what was 'canon' and what was anime-only at the time and noting a severe drift from what ep 1 and ep 2 established and then ep 4 and 5 returned to.

rg4619

2008-11-06, 00:58

Often episodes are assigned to a rotating staff of sub-directors and subset writer teams to permit simultaneous development of multiple episodes.

Has anyone figured out whether that was the case here? That whomever directed episode 3 is one of a group and not of the same caliber?

So far, every Toradora! episode has been directed and storyboarded by a different person, so it's hard to say. The guy who directed Ep. 3 (Eiichi Kuboyama) seems less experienced than some of the other staff (mostly J.C. Staff regulars), but we can't really assume that he's at fault.

As for screenplay, Mari Okada wrote every script so far, aside from Ep. 5. She's been doing loads of stuff lately.

Kagami~n

2008-11-07, 13:00

Ami FAILS! =X

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7659/minoriscaryhs0.jpg

This part made me burst out laughing and made my liking for Minori skyrocket, all at once.

Poor Taiga. She acts so tough but she's so naive, believing what that lousy girl told her right off the bat. I'm personally glad that Ami's stupid attitude isn't going to be tolerated by the rest of the main cast. I wonder how she'll develop.

This episode was really funny, and a lot of fun for me.

destiny4everlove

2008-11-12, 12:53

All I’m going to say for episode 5 is “Minori ftw!!!” I love her!! She is so cute and funny!!! http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j276/tina_0205/monkey%20emoticon/khi00.gif
It’s so easy to understand why Ryuuji likes her so much. ;)

Kaioshin Sama

2008-11-25, 15:22

Up until this point it seems like the show has been relying on the strength of Rie Kugimiya's (aka the noise maker for her constant ad-libbing, heavy breathing, general cutesy noises) voice acting, but now with the addition of a rival who is just as much of a social invalid as Taiga things are starting to get a little more interesting.

I also liked the bizarre reference to Ami Mizuno from Sailor Moon, another famous closet psycho with blue hair and major social issues that comes across as a snob to those who don't know her. Again I have to wonder just how many of Taiga's lines are ad-libbed by Kugimiya or are actually in the script.

Samatarou

2008-11-25, 19:10

I also liked the bizarre reference to Ami Mizuno from Sailor Moon, another famous closet psycho with blue hair and major social issues that comes across as a snob to those who don't know her.
Although she is a bit shy, esp. to begin with, I would say Ami-chan is the least psychotic of the sailor senshi. Ami Kawashima is pretty much the antithesis of her I think, sharing only beauty, blue hair, and the name.

Mind you there was that episode where Ami threatened to steal Mamoru off Usagi, so if we cast Taiga as Usagi and Ryuuji as Mamoru then maybe there is some correspondence. I'm not sure which of the senshi Minori would be though. Rei maybe? Actually Taiga is more like Chibiusa than Usagi, and her relationship with Mamoru is not unlike how Taiga is with Ryuuji, basically more parent/child than lover.

TinyRedLeaf

2009-02-13, 01:24

Ami kinda reminded me of a number of girls throughout my secondary and high school days. Unfortunately there isn't a cute tsunloli to stand up to them.

While Ami is a common archetype that frequently appears in drama programmes, live-action or otherwise, I never expected that I would meet such a person in real life. But, amazingly enough, I did. And she's not even a school girl — she's a full-grown adult.

I had the extreme misfortune to work with such a woman for the past nine months or so, a bitch of a pampered princess who honestly believes she can get away with anything by putting on a pretty face (she is good looking and has no qualms boasting about it; she likes dropping names of important people, too, just to show off how "well-connected" she is), especially when dealing with older, male colleagues (who tend to be somewhat lecherous...an occupational hazard in our line of work. :heh:).

She claims to be very good at her work (copyediting), but after supervising her for about a week (I was the acting deputy for my boss), I realised that she's nowhere near as good as she thinks she is.

Thank goodness, she's just been transferred to another department. She failed to pass her one-year probation and has now been fobbed to other people for a second chance (I hope she fails). Heh, there is justice in the world after all. Morale in the office has improved perceptibly since she's been gone.

It's her own stupidity for trying to backstab my boss by reporting him to our editor-in-chief over false allegations of "harsh treatment" — without proof, mind you; she thought that her word would be accepted as "truth" because her uncle is a "big shot" in the company. By doing so, she pretty much poisoned the working atmosphere in the newsroom.

Kitamura Eri has played Ami exactly how she has been described, with both her cute klutzy side, and her obnoxious side well played out. She's supposed to be Taiga's "enemy", yet for some reason, I don't dislike her at all. Must be because she's the element that gets the gears moving. It's a joy to see her switch from her cute side to her evil side, I tell you.

For your sake, I hope you never have to deal such a person in real life. There is nothing to "like" about such people at all.

/off-rant

Back to topic: So, as you can see, I've come around to clearing some series in my backlog. Seeing as I've come as far as Ep5, it probably means I'll be sticking with Toradora! for the long haul. :)