Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx
Taiga's character is a chance for Kugimiya to stretch her toolkit quite a bit.
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I agree. My first impression of Taiga was Shana + Louise, but I quickly began to feel that there was something more there. I already get the impression that Kugimiya is putting some extra heart and soul into this character. But then, the only other character of hers, of that type, that I'm familiar with is Nagi.
I don't quite understand all the intricacies of what really makes a girl tsundere, and what level of relationship is required for that to occur. I just look for the shifting behaviors of "indifferent and bitchy" to "sincere and vulnerable" as basic requirements... varying degrees of both taken into account, of course.
I was kind of surprised at getting a glimpse of her softer side as early as episode two. I thought the scene where she came back with the broken cookies, and admitted to being so clumsy, followed by her reaction to Ryuuji's encouragement, was a very tender one. She was actually demonstrating some humility there and I think it was an important moment for the two of them. There was some bonding going on there.
I'm only looking at her from the anime perspective, as I haven't read the novels. Personally, I think it's better that way. From what I've read, years and years go by with people expressing disappointment in manga/novel to anime adaptations. You'd think it would be understood that the anime format is rarely going to allow the depth that the written mediums will. And yet, I keep seeing the same lamentations of "The manga/novel gives them so much more development."
I'll just keep enjoying the anime and see what they manage to deliver without the preconceptions and prejudice the manga/novels seem to lead to.
I don't understand why some of you are referring to Taiga as "loli." Is it because of her petite size? To me loli has more to do with age than stature. They are in their second year of high school. That, in my mind, makes her a young woman. Shana I can see being called loli, because there's the implication that her age froze when she became a Flame Haze at somewhere around 12-14 years old.