Toradora! - Character Discussion - Aisaka Taiga

[Vexx]

aye, I need to review the credits and see if episode 3 was a different director than eps 1, 2, or 4 (which seem to mesh better in many ways).

[Spring_sakura111]

Shana + Loiuse = Taiga

[Vexx]

Wellllllll, actually we hope that (Shana + Louise) < Taiga in the anime adaptation. The character as written in the source material is fairly complex from what I've read of the light novels so far -- not *just* a loli-tsuntsun (dere).

[Haru~]

Yup I agree with you Vexx. She's showing a lot of her emotions. But digging to her background, you'll know why she's acting Tsun tsun. Unlike the first two loli-tsundere which Louise and Shana, her behavior is a little realistic.
I can say her being as Tsun tsun is "nurture" part while Louise in "nature". Don't know Shana's part.
So far, we can see a lot of her Tsundereness balanced which is better.

[Darknemo2000]

Well, Louise is actually more complex character than many believes her to be. As her character does follow her real life original Louise Francoise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere (1644~1710) who was King's Louis mistress, yet because she had beauty defects she was considered not beautiful and due to that had a rather big complex about her beauty. And had kind of obsession about the king.

Louise follows this pattern and has the same massive complex of inferiority to others (thinks all girls are better than her, has no confidence and thinks the only way Saito can be interested in her only if she would force him to... Saito himself doesnt do much to her confidence (specially anime counterpart) though... Louise like her real life original has an obsession over Saito, and even tried to kill herself once learned that Saito was 'dead'. If Saito would really die there is no doubt that Louise would kill herself...

Thats were the mority of these tsuntsun moments come from. I would not call it her nature, rather an defect which can be treated - since once she started gaining confidence in herself and her looks she became much nicer to Saito... Though still kept part of her infamous temper...

Yet again, this all part of the novels... In anime it is different as those scenes were never included or explained in the anime, making Louise look like the most simplistic and plain tsundere ever...

Taiga, is not that deep in anime as well. Yes she has a solid background in novels but in anime they still have lots of things to do to make her deeper than your usual tsundere (specially because they do tend to skip those little details now and then)...

I dont conisder her behavour that realistic though...Just because she shows her dere side and is drolling doesn't make her realistic. At least I do not think that trying to stab friend's eyes is very realistic just because he looks at the one he loves... Given it is anime only episode and such scene was not part of the original but again so far from what we know from the 8 episodes that we do know at least something 3 look to be fillers... So the danger of 'JC Staff screw up' is still there.

[Spring_sakura111]

Lol. I was talking about Shana with a sword and Louise's hairstyle equals to Taiga. But yeah, she is a bit different from these two. But still, every time Aisaka says "Urusai Urusai", I get this Shana vibe from her.

[Vexx]

Same voice actress ..... no unnatural vibe necessary

@darknemo: The eyestabs are "Three Stooges" slapstick -- totally surreal and in episode 3 (an anime-only-mostly episode which makes me worry about all the other upcoming anime-only episodes).

[karasuma]

Man, another chibi loli role for Kugimiya Rie? She can just bring her Shana persona over... She even have to say "shut up" at the end of eps 1...

[Tiran86]

Taiga's an interesting character, but she's definitely not one I would want to hang out with, let alone date.

So far I like the way she's been adapted. Its not perfect, but its good enough and honestly, I prefer at least some changes in an adaption, otherwise why follow both? Besides, I mostly started this hoping it would get past the where I've read up to.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by karasuma

Man, another chibi loli role for Kugimiya Rie? She can just bring her Shana persona over... She even have to say "shut up" at the end of eps 1...

No, actually that would be the wrong thing to do... Taiga has quite a few different motivators and inner moods. Taiga's character is a chance for Kugimiya to stretch her toolkit quite a bit.

[karasuma]

Originally Posted by Vexx

No, actually that would be the wrong thing to do... Taiga has quite a few different motivators and inner moods. Taiga's character is a chance for Kugimiya to stretch her toolkit quite a bit.

I dunno. That blushing act definitely look like Shanna, and the top of the lung yelling remind me of Kagura in Gintama...:P

I am never into loli and there are more and more of them..

Miharu in "Naburi no Ou" is a stretch for Rei. Her voice is too cutesy to play a young boy.

[Mushi]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Taiga's character is a chance for Kugimiya to stretch her toolkit quite a bit.

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.

[JediNight]

Loli used to mean pre-puberty characters for the most part. But seems like the last 5 years or so it's become more widespread to refer to anyone whose short and/or flat-chested. Or even just any girl under the age of 18, or looks younger.

Ex: Komoe-sensei from Majutsu no Index would be considered a "loli" even though she's presumably in her 20s.

[Mushi]

Hmmm... guess I haven't been paying enough attention then. That doesn't seem fitting, but whatever.

Komoe-sensei strikes me as "child-like" but not loli. I guess I've got the more literal description from the book "Lolita" too firmly fixed in my mind. That being ages 9-14 and carrying the overtones of precocious girls who could be seen as having forbidden desirable qualities.

I think I'll just be stubborn, mumble something about the absurdity of pouring new meaning into established words, and say that Taiga is not loli.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Tiran86

Taiga's an interesting character, but she's definitely not one I would want to hang out with, let alone date.

Good girls like her are hard to come by. Grab your chance if you can. xD

To me she is still loli because of her looks. Anyway her character is seriously adorable.

[Vexx]

yeah, I get into a "definition" fight everytime the word "loli" comes up because people have such vastly different definitions and sling them everywhere -- often just to label a show so they can make fun of it and safely hide in their "manly gar" boxes

The incessant need to pigeonhole characters and series seems endemic to "not having to think about it further"

[Cat Megex]

Originally Posted by Vexx

The incessant need to pidgeonhole characters and series seems endemic to "not having to think about it further"

...That's human nature, actually. By default, the human brain will group things into categories, even if those categories are not necessarily appropriate.

[Vexx]

Aye, but that is the lazy least energy way --- human brains are quite capable of more nuance with training. After all, I don't think any of the posters here still call all four-footed animals "doggie".

[Cat Megex]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Aye, but that is the lazy least energy way --- human brains are quite capable of more nuance with training. After all, I don't think any of the posters here still call all four-footed animals "doggie".

No. But could you ask them to differentiate between all different dog breeds, and name them? (And I'm not talking the simple examples, like differentiating between a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard.)

[Vexx]

That'd be nice but I'd be just as happy if they could tell a dog from a llama.