Toradora! - Episode 4 Discussion / Poll

[frubam]

Originally Posted by tzia_n

wait is this a speculation or an actual spoiler?

It's just a random guess, though I've already moved it to the "first time spoilers & spec" thread, so i'll just delete it since it really does sound like a spoiler

EDIT: Eh... I should have just used a spoiler tag and labeled it "speculation" <,<

[Toffeerollx]

I think Taiga was really cute in this ep. Having all these mood swings. And it was sad when she was talking on the rooftop.

[Darknemo2000]

I dont see any cuteness in the way she treats Ryuuji. And her constant drooling over the Goof is certainly more annoying than cute.

[Vexx]

I dont see any cuteness in the way she treats Ryuuji. And her constant drooling over the Goof is certainly more annoying than cute.

aye, I think we've gotten that view now. But not everyone sees it that way. ;P

Another point of view would be that she's pathetically cute in episode 4. For what amounts to the entire episode her heart is beating so wildly she's nearly incoherent and the way she melts when Ryuuji offers to take the photos for her -- its like watching a small child that can't reach that box on the high shelf, he can't stop himself from helping her. I suppose one might take bets on how many episodes she's going to be reaching for the wrong goal --- but since it sounds like we're going to get a double batch (2-12 ep packs) it's going to be a while.

[Dop]

So many series have had some parody of 'Starbucks', that when Ryuuji is in 'Sudoh-bucks' and says "How is this place not getting sued?" was brilliant.

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

What a shocker who would've thought that kitamura love Taiga. Doesn't it mean that Taiga and Kitamura still have a chance to be together.

[Darknemo2000]

No it doensn't. If you would watch it carefully you would see taht he has another love interest now - Taiga is in the past.

[Sorrow-K]

Originally Posted by pparker

Every time I watch an episode of this show, I think "meh", then I come here and read the comments and sort of wonder. What is it about this show that makes so many people rate it above average, when it only really stands out for the art and occasional new twist on an old situation? The characters are somewhat unique, though still expansions/variations on stock personalities (except Taiga, who is a pure-blood, two-note tsundere).

Well, what appeals to me is exactly that. This show is clearly about its characters, and while those characters are based on pretty standard archetypes, they've really put a lot of effort into adding the slight "variations" and idiosyncrasies into them in the first four episodes. In other words, they may not be new, but they're still different and just unique enough to be interesting.

The character interactions are another boon for this show as well. I wouldn't call them "fantastic" as I would other shows (Kannagi could possibly approach that territory, but I still think it's too early to call), but they're still interesting and fairly amusing. Yes, we could probably do with a few less instances of Taiga poking Ryuuji in the eyes or other such violence, but it hasn't quite gotten repetitive enough to annoy me yet. As for the comedy, well, comedy is the most subjective thing in anime. When it comes to comedy in anime, it's almost always a case of "YMMV". I wouldn't call the comedy in this "ROFL" funny, but every episode has had its moments so far.

[Haesslich]

I'm glad they put the revelation of Kitamura's confession back in, even if it would've been better used in Episode 2 when SHE confessed to Kitamura. With that to provide context, it would've been easier to explain why Kitamura turned her down as he did in wanting to keep things at a friend-level while showing why SHE wanted him at all. Basically, she was tsundere enough to atomatically refuse him... but that's when she noticed him, and noticed the qualities she liked in him which she really doesn't find in herself - but at the sme time, which she admires in others like Kitamura. Ryuuji shares some of these traits, which is why she isn't automatically chasing Ryuuji off with her shinai, and at the same time she appreciates the acceptance she gets from Ryuuji's family - the sort of thing she doesn't get at home, which was why she moved out. That's pretty much the reason why she gets funny faces around Kitamura and Ryuuji, when everyone else gets the glare of doom.

Now let's see how things develop with Ami - she really gets Taiga going, and in the 'I want to make her hurt' sort of way... the way that she's doing to Ryuuji right now, but really shouldn't be to avoid a full-on 'violent tsundere' cliche.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Darknemo2000

No it doensn't. If you would watch it carefully you would see taht he has another love interest now - Taiga is in the past.

There is no indication that he has nor has had another love interest other than Taiga. I also disagree that Taiga is "in the past", esp since he asked her to become friends.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by frubam

There is no indication that he has nor has had another love interest other than Taiga.

Well, it's more Kitamura doesn't appear interested in Taiga as a lover as of her confession to him. Not that the somewhat bungled, in my books, confession that they did here (instead of having her start with 'I love you!') helps that impression. Of course, the way she reveals here that Kitamura did confess to her and was interested in her at one point - as every boy in the school was, and how she developed her Palmtop Tiger reputation - explains why she noticed him at all and liked him, since everything we've seen of Kitamura up to this episode makes him look rather plain and uninteresting.

[Anh_Minh]

I agree with Ryuji. If Kitamura still likes her enough to carry a picture around, why doesn't he just go out with her so we can move on to Ryuji's efforts? I find it much easier to cheer for him.

[Clarste]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

I agree with Ryuji. If Kitamura still likes her enough to carry a picture around, why doesn't he just go out with her so we can move on to Ryuji's efforts? I find it much easier to cheer for him.

Didn't Kitamura say that he had forgotten that he had the picture? There's no indication that he still likes her.

[pparker]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Ah well interests do fade some time. I was once an addict of MMORPGs and Strategy gaming, but now, I have taken an interest in something else, anime.

Maybe you should switch to another anime, there are so many out there if this doesn't suit your taste. I watched ef - tales of memories for 2-3 eps and gave up, the storyline is so boring.

LOL, that's a series I really like (though I don't consider it a comedy at all)

Originally Posted by Vexx

I find the humor derived from the collision of such dysfunctional personalities to be one of the stronger points of the series.

Yeah, the characters are what keeps me watching despite my doubts. That's the odd part, there being some attraction I can't quite identify, and it must be the writing is better and more subtle than I imagine, in addition to the occasional LOL character reaction.

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

This show is clearly about its characters...

The character interactions are another boon for this show as well. I wouldn't call them "fantastic" as I would other shows (Kannagi could possibly approach that territory, but I still think it's too early to call)...

Kannagi. Now there's clearly my top comedy. Up through ep 3 was awesome, ep 4 a bit of a slump, I felt, but I haven't lost faith.

[margafred]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Well, we'd certainly like to think so.... Ryuuji certainly scored with that rather erotic photo of Minorin happily covered in pudding o.O

Spoiler for lol its indeed erotic:

[Sinestra]

God Tagia's mood swings are so damn funny you just dont know what the Palm Top Tiger is going to pull next. Like that flying jump kick that came out of no where. She went from cute and girly to angry and violent in like 2 seconds and he didnt even do anything lmao. Shes reminds me of sweet and sour sauce.

Cant wait to see where the romance factor is going to head too.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by margafred

Spoiler for lol its indeed erotic:

<----See my avatar for my response.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by margafred

Spoiler for lol its indeed erotic:

LOL did you make that or did you find it somewhere ?

[Samatarou]

Originally Posted by Haesslich

I'm glad they put the revelation of Kitamura's confession back in, even if it would've been better used in Episode 2 when SHE confessed to Kitamura. With that to provide context, it would've been easier to explain why Kitamura turned her down as he did

In the post-Haruhi world I have come to expect events to be revealed in a jumbled up order, and although it doesn't always work I think in this case it does help add a certain mysterious quality to the story.

[Haesslich]

Originally Posted by Samatarou

In the post-Haruhi world I have come to expect events to be revealed in a jumbled up order, and although it doesn't always work I think in this case it does help add a certain mysterious quality to the story.

They could've put it into Episode 3 too... but here? It just felt a bit out of place, even if it explains WHY Taiga likes Kitamura at all. Cause, y'know, he's not exactly the most attractive or visibly 'nice guy' out there since we're following Ryuuji all the time. At least with this explanation put back in, we've been given some context to why things worked out the way they did.

And of course, to show that tsundere responses don't necessarily get the guys. Sometimes... they just don't work, as appears to be the case with Kitamura and Taiga. Now she's dere-dere for him, but he's not apparently interested.