Toradora! - Episode 23 Discussion / Poll

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Ryuou

It almost feels that way but that should be impossible. Unless we're supposed to accept that a bunch of stuff happened off screen.

Certainly possible, although slightly more plausible if we were more locked into a single person's perspective.

[Ryuou]

If that were the case then I'd say it's pretty weak story telling.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Ryuou

If that were the case then I'd say it's pretty weak story telling.

So characters aren't allowed to have lives offscreen? Uh...

[Vexx]

If major plot advancement happens offscreen, then one usually gets some verbal reference to it or some sort of explanation. Sometimes the context makes it clear (e.g. Miu does something brainwhackingly stupid; next scene Miu is face down flat out with the sound of retreating sirens -- implication that she's been severely troutslapped during the scene cut).

[Ryuou]

So characters aren't allowed to have lives offscreen? Uh...

Of course not. What do you think we (some of us) pay them for?

But yeah, if it's something of importance and it isn't referenced in some way, then it's the same as it not happening (to us). So then for the story to force an outcome based on that something, then it’s asking us to believe a development based on "nothing" to us. Sometimes this comes out alright, sometimes not so much. In this case it was a little weird. But this is all IF there was really some arrangement there. Which I don't think there was based just off of the context of the scene.

[houkoholic]

Originally Posted by Ryuou

When did those two establish an understanding where one could expect something from the other?

When Ami decided to block the door to trap Taiga thus in turn directly helped Minorin in her goal to get Taiga to be honest.

The problem was then Ami and Kitamura also decided to let Taiga run too soon before they got the answer, in Minorin's view.

So it was trust/distrust all in the same scene.

[Ryuou]

OH hooo, good point. Okay, I can see that, even considering the condition their relationship is currently in.

[arkxkra]

erm, great episode. Never thought that Haruka-kun got girl friend, I was shock o.O". Great moment of this episode is the last part, when all of them block the door, and want Taiga to face reality, Minorin quite scary when she get angry, but a true friend. Taiga that fall down was damn pain. I think Ami was quite pain too , and decide to help them.

next episode is Ryuji and his mom moment, another big "war". Looking forward to next episode. So it has 24 episode or?

[Darknemo2000]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Uh, Toradora is still pretty funny, even now.

Also, you clearly don't know what a "romantic comedy" is if you think this isn't one.

That's is all up to you to believe. But it doesnt mean that others have to share your views.

I know what it is just as much as you do. That the content of our knowledge is different - it may be true, but it doesn't really put you into the position to tell others what romance comedy is as it is, just like with any type of tagging, vague. You simply do not posses the knowledge to tell what is and what is not romance comedy to others.

Romance is in the eye of the beholder, try to remember.

And not romance is in the eye of beholder as well, try to not forget that.

[BetoJR]

Good Lord, someone please get a token reference from the anime's production company or the novel's editors as to the genre this story is in, so we can stop this debate early? Then again, even that will be arbitrary and open to personal interpretation, no?

[wistfulloner]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Maybe they planned that entire confrontation. Somehow.

It definitely wasn't planned.

Minori wouldn't go all emotional before big drama if it was planned. She would just simply confront Ryuji all the way.

Furthermore, if they planned it really well beforehand, they could have found a better way of breaking it instead of using the "pin Taiga to the wall and scream at her hoping she admits she likes Ryuji" way.

So, lets be civil about this please.

Was somewhat disappointed by the lack of Minori in the earlier parts, but this episode should be an Ami-fan's wet dream.

[SageGaiGar]

I think romantic dramedy's a better description of Toradora.

[typhonsentra]

Yeah there's no way it was planned out. It was definitely a heat of the moment decision, regarding Ami/Kitamura I think we're just supposed to accept they understood that they had a task in all of this, or something.

[puppygod]

Well, Kitamura was "in" since closet incident from 21 (and later Ryuuji peculiar request, and Ami got some insight from Minori talk in wending machines corner, so... I can see them improvising like this. "Oh, fercrissake, get a clue Tiger!"

[typhonsentra]

Well with Kitamura he gave his word to Ryuuji he'd play along. If he found it that objectionable he probably should've told him no when he first asked.

[aohige]

Originally Posted by BetoJR

Good Lord, someone please get a token reference from the anime's production company or the novel's editors as to the genre this story is in, so we can stop this debate early? Then again, even that will be arbitrary and open to personal interpretation, no?

Officially, the publishers call Toradora "超弩級ラブコメ" (Chou Dokyuu lovecome)
超弩級 is originally a battleship class "Super Dreadnaught"
But in recent times, it's sometimes used to describe something that's more like "Super duper"
Lovecome is romance comedy, of course.

[Kinny Riddle]

These stunning bombshells just keep coming out of nowhere, don't they? Just when you thought we'll get a break from them at the end of episodes 19 and 20 with a transition episode last week. And there's still two more episodes.

Ryuji had thought he defused the situation in advance with Kitamura, but he totally forgot to defuse the other trigger - Minori, a living bombshell ready to explode anytime, and explode she did.

Kitamura, despite being relegated to "sidekick" status lately, manages to read the situation very, very well and perhaps makes a very right decision in forcing Taiga to confront the reality. I now see him in a different light altogether.

Ami, despite her often harsh words, actually ends up caring for Taiga a lot that she's willing to go this far to team up with Kitamura.

Ryuji, while still sorting his feelings out, still manages to be a very likable and believable main character, which really makes him distinctive from the other indecisive main characters within this genre. You can almost feel all the mental strain he's had to go through upon having to put up with his mother falling ill as well. Though from the look of his eyes just before the credit, I'm confident he'll do the right thing.

Finally, Taiga, it seems like she's stuck in limbo, not even knowing where to go. Which could explain why even Kitamura had to be cruel in order to nudge her back in the right direction.

Other tidbits:

Taiga with twin tails FTW.

OMGWTFBBQ, Haruta getting a girlfriend? As Noto aptly puts it: "It's the end of the world."

Also LOL at Taiga hitting the nail in the head about Noto having a crush on Maya. (Which is very ironic considering that she's trying to deny her own feelings in public herself, she too got forced to confront them by her friends. )

Originally Posted by Tezuka Osamu reference

I see a reference to a very old manga, Mitsume ga Tooru, the Tezuka Osamu manga, at the beginning when Taiga is trying to freak Maya out by revealing her "third magical eye".

The said anime features this boy belonging to an ancient three-eyed tribe with mystical powers. With a bandage over his mystical eye, he's goofy and mild-mannered, but whenever the bandage is "accidentally" torn off, he becomes a megalomaniac trying to restore his people to their rightful place as rulers of the rule and enslave the foolish "two-eyed" people, or something like that.

Only Japanese, Chinese and French wikipedia entries available:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%...81%8A%E3%82%8B

[Deathkillz]

I don't know what to think about what just happened...

Spoiler:

Minori really needs to get her personality sorted out as she is just such an emotionally unstable character...especially here where she completely snapped at Ryuji for telling lies but in the end the blame does fall to everyone for not being straight forward with each other. Minori's frustration towards Taiga and Ryuji is understandable but her method of just exploding like that is all wrong.
I think this series really does have an issue with coming up with "forced drama" situations even if it is meant to imply that these characters are a lot complex than what you think, at times it just becomes TOO much to handle.
But I guess this is the process of growing up

Ami has still yet to do anything which is a shame :/

[fish eric]

Why is everyone using spoiler tags? It was decided last week as per the rules that once an episode's RAW has been released there is no longer any need for spoiler tags.

Spoiler for toradora:

Why is everyone using spoiler tags? It was decided last week as per the rules that once an episode's RAW has been released there is no longer any need for spoiler tags.

[Darknemo2000]

Originally Posted by BetoJR

Good Lord, someone please get a token reference from the anime's production company or the novel's editors as to the genre this story is in, so we can stop this debate early? Then again, even that will be arbitrary and open to personal interpretation, no?

Lol just because they produce tags it doesn't mean that those tags are always matching it. Some can question if Toradora is a seinen/shounen to begin with. I saw some arguments that it is shoujo with male as a hero, even if officially it is a seinen, it is quite different from lets say ZnT.

So yeah, tags are to vague to really describe the series. They can give a direction but even that sometimes can be misleading.

Its like saying Nautilius Pompilius and Aria is the same, as they are 'rock' music bands but their rock is just so totally different that this tag fails to actually give any kind of information.