Toradora! Generic discussion thread

[Kaze]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

I'm no novel reader but being a manga reader?...

ep 2

Spoiler:

This episode was definitely rushed...they pretty much blown through so many chapters all a once. Well, I suppose this might not be a bad thing if there are more important events to go through in the future BUT by doing so, we have lost so much character development...and even if Taiga doesn't sound annoying like Louise, her character is not much better than Louise ie still shallow.

I was really looking forward to the comedy scenes from the manga like the gym one but the impact we have here was nonexistant.

Even emotional scenes that should have been emotional like the lamp post one...was completely under presented and lacked all meaning we had from the manga.

I have feared that something like this would be happening but this was rather soon. The first ep had great pacing but for some reason, they decided to speed that up for original (?) material.

Well...on the bright side, I don't hate any of the characters so this is still a guilty pleasure series for me.

Totally agree with this post, word for word.

many missed chances this time round'

[typhonsentra]

Yeash, this thread turned into a graveyard rather quickly, I feel for Nemo.

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

I sensing some fans looking for "Shanasque/Louiseque" treatment of Taiga which is ain't going to happen. I actually find Taiga as more believable than other 2. I suspect the anime studio decided to cover entire 8 volumes quick and get rid of minor scenes which is good, IMHO. After all, the main conflict is Ami-Ryuji-Taiga-Kitamura dynamics so I think anime production team decided to speed up the introduction scenes and get on with the relationship dynamics in more detail.

Despite the crazy pace, I can't imagine them going beyond four (Full) books of material for this season. They'll mix up the timeline a bunch but no way they'll cover the entire series up until this point that quickly, especially in a 12 to 13 episode season with filler episodes among those. One weird thing is that they are rushing things to introduce all the characters but then..... episode 3 is filler?

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

Despite the crazy pace, I can't imagine them going beyond four (Full) books of material for this season. They'll mix up the timeline a bunch but no way they'll cover the entire series up until this point that quickly, especially in a 12 to 13 episode season with filler episodes among those. One weird thing is that they are rushing things to introduce all the characters but then..... episode 3 is filler?

I don't suggest underestimating JC Staff. Zero no Tsukaima 3rd season took out 5 volumes.
Though Zero no Tsukaima didn't really have any filler episodes...

2 episodes=1 volume... + filler episodes. It's possible they won't go past 4, but the chance isn't zero...

[Darknemo2000]

ZnT didnt have any original episodes (except 3rd episode of season 1) yet they took the most useless (to the plot and character development) points of novel increased them to the max and focused their attention on that while rushing/skipping the actual plot and character development parts. so in sense it was full with fillers, or heavily filler polluted episodes...

Hope same doesn't happen with Toradora. They rushed through episode 2 and 3 ep look like filler, but it could not be a filler if they bring missed points of the novels somehow in. But the cannot advance with the actual plot unless they introduce a certain character and it doesn't look like that certain character will be introduced in the next ep, which makes that ep very likely to be a spoiler.

[Vexx]

I've decided I'm just going to watch the series as a stand-alone and hold off on the source material til after.

I'm actually liking the anime Taiga (and I didn't care for Shana/Louise)... that's a combination of the setting and the characters surrounding them as much as anything. It might be a similar personality but the dynamics are different.

Second episode .... even without a source to look at it seems like a rifle bullet. Either they're assuming the majority of watchers already know this stuff and lets move ahead... or they have some fairly interesting middle-point relationship stuff to convey. Too early for me to assume they've just totally screwed up their own internal storyline.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

I sensing some fans looking for "Shanasque/Louiseque" treatment of Taiga which is ain't going to happen. I actually find Taiga as more believable than other 2. I suspect the anime studio decided to cover entire 8 volumes quick and get rid of minor scenes which is good, IMHO. After all, the main conflict is Ami-Ryuji-Taiga-Kitamura dynamics so I think anime production team decided to speed up the introduction scenes and get on with the relationship dynamics in more detail.

Just because VA is Rie did not mean automatically she has scream and blush behind her stern personality all the time. I find that way overused.

True, that's because VAs are supposed to be pros and thus, there is no reason why Taiga will be acting like Shana or Louise of two other animes.

Even so, I think J.C. Staff + Kugi = win. Thus, Toradora is a good anime.

[stormy001_M1A2]

The novel is more introspective....character driven narrative , manga is more tsundere in traditional pop culture manner that most of us very familiar with...emphasizing the cuteness of Taiga , anime is stuck between 2. This is what I feel from 3 mediums of Tora Dora.

I think fans who wanted more tsundere will be more comfortable with the manga, IMHO.

[Luminisk]

Yeah, the anime is moving at a fast pace.
They are rearranging the time line quite a bit, but as long as they don't delve into the muddy waters of fillers. I think I'm okay with it.

Still too early to pass judgement.

[Vexx]

The reviewer over at Random Curiosity kind of hits it square ... basically one is watching this to revel in the chemistry between Taiga and Takasu rather than a play-by-play of the novels or manga. That's probably the best way (for me at least) to approach. I'm even putting off reading the novels or manga til series end.

Having struggled grimly at times during runs of anime that seemed to chop up and lose chunks of the source material, I can certainly empathize.

Okay, THIS moment

Spoiler for screenshot from ep 2; tiny spoilage but not unexpected:

smashed all my 'moe' buttons with a hammer. My wife and I are about the same differential in size and she's sort of her own version of a palmtop tiger so we'll sit like that sometimes, what can I say?

[Deadwings]

You can say you're really lucky for having your own palmtop tiger for you and only you

... I want the subs now! It's becoming hard to ingnore the spoilers

[typhonsentra]

Sounds like the Randomc blogger didn't like the episode too much, says he might drop the series if it doesn't get better.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Vexx

]
Okay, THIS moment

Spoiler for screenshot from ep 2; tiny spoilage but not unexpected:

smashed all my 'moe' buttons with a hammer. My wife and I are about the same differential in size and she's sort of her own version of a palmtop tiger so we'll sit like that sometimes, what can I say?

That you're a pervert?

[Vexx]

... sitting with my own wife? o.0 um, okay, whatever - not sure how a "moe" moment translates to that.

[Luminisk]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Okay, THIS moment

Spoiler for screenshot from ep 2; tiny spoilage but not unexpected:

smashed all my 'moe' buttons with a hammer. My wife and I are about the same differential in size and she's sort of her own version of a palmtop tiger so we'll sit like that sometimes, what can I say?

You liked that scene also? heh heh I was working on it.

[tzia_n]

Originally Posted by Luminisk

You liked that scene also? heh heh I was working on it.

Spoiler for Vexx:

You got an hour before I run off with it XD
V2

that looks so much like a sleeper hold

[Vexx]

heh, nice work but you can have it for someone else -- last time I changed my avatar I think the entire forum wanted to hang me.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Vexx

... sitting with my own wife? o.0 um, okay, whatever - not sure how a "moe" moment translates to that.

Sorry if I offended you, it was a bad joke that I couldn't resist. My perverted mind was thinking more like tall guy + little girl in lap =... well, y'know .

They really blew by ep 2

Spoiler for ep 2:

I didn't think they'd go through, what, 8[manga] chaps of material, so it definitely felt rushed. Actually, I kinda have mixed feelings about it: I don't like the fact that some of the love-love Kitamura operations and Ryutora development was cut down, but I do like the fact that it speeded to after the events of [manga] chap 11 so I can see what happens next in the story, since the latest manga chap is 12.

I also felt that Taiga really showed some emotion and her insults were kept to a mininum. Minori felt more goofier than in the manga. Her facial and physical expressions are priceless . They still didn't really delve into why Ryuuji still wants to help her, or at least I got more of an impression from the manga probably because of things like

Spoiler for manga:

the look on his face when he saw all the scars on Taiga's legs

had more impact on me.

I like the OP animation, but the music sucks. I really dislike that kind of fruity music.

[Eczema]

Originally Posted by Vexx

My wife and I are about the same differential in size and she's sort of her own version of a palmtop tiger so we'll sit like that sometimes, what can I say?

*jealous, envious*

I liked the second ep. Basketball scene was funny, and lamppost scene made me respect Ryuuji more. I haven't read the novels or manga so I can't find anything to fault at this point.

[rg4619]

I was really looking forward to the comedy scenes from the manga like the gym one but the impact we have here was nonexistant.

Even emotional scenes that should have been emotional like the lamp post one...was completely under presented and lacked all meaning we had from the manga.

I'm inclined to agree.

Since I've never read the manga, the pacing feels natural enough to me. I liked the gym scene, and as far as timing is concerned, transitions are never jarring. My sole gripe would be the sudden change in Taiga's character, so I'll have to assume that the leads gained some understanding of each other during the time between Ep. 1 and 2, even if they never expressed it.

However, impact is definitely lacking (I wouldn't say it's non-existent.....it's just superficial in a cute, somewhat sweet kind of way), and it's obviously a conscious choice on the part of the producers/director. Instead, we get the cute, exaggerated kind of drama that lends well to presenting a brisk, unadulterated comedy never bogged down by intense emotion or a lot of details. I'd say that the producers know what kind of show they're looking for, although the success of this direction remains up in the air. If new content becomes necessary, the writing team must absolutely meet the challenge of delivering fun scenarios.

On another note, I was worried that the feel and style might shift as a result of rushed story developments, but everything's consistent with Ep. 1. This is well assembled work.

I expect the producers have the final say in how long a series is, and even in the general pacing, so J.C. Staff can change writers or directors and still do similar things.

We also have the other production partners to consider. Both Zero no Tsukaima and Toradora are produced by GENCO, so the collaborating parties could well have decided on a similar developmental plan.

They will rush through the main story and main character development just for the sake of a few fillers...

This is the first time I've seen a J.C. Staff light novel adaptation (their dramas are great though, and the other works I've watched have been reasonably enjoyable), so I can't comment on past projects. However, the question is whether they're rushing to clear the way for fillers, or whether the fillers are a result of gaps produced by the content adjustment process.

If emotion and character development have been scaled back, it's safe to say that it was intentional. However, this leaves time that must be filled with original content (I'm assuming that GENCO/J.C. Staff producers still want to stop at a specific point for convenience or to save material for a potential sequel). Ultimately, it's okay if the writing team creates something worth watching (standalones/fillers can still be fun), but they could just throw garbage together if they aren't motivated.

[Scavenger]

Pick up the gun, aim at the head and PULL the TRIGGER.

That's how I feel about episode 2. I should really change my anime watching habbit. I watch every season 1 or 2 series of which I know the quality is going to be good and 1 bad series for the lulz. How can they get away with such a horrible anime? The jokes were bad (Worst of all was the "Dragon" part), the opening theme hurt my ears and the story is pretty bad.