AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Toradora! - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

KitsuneNineTails · 2009-07-02, 12:19

9/10

Quite simply an amazing series, I thought. Touching, thoughtful, funny, and honest. There were no world shaking events. Nations weren't threatened, lives were never really on the line. But for these characters, the small drama WAS the world to them, like our small section of life is to all of us.

Character development was terrific. These characters were all very tenuous and timid about displaying their emotions, but they danced around their true feelings like teenagers often do. Watching Taiga and Ryuuji play out with each other was frustrating (in a good, edge-of-the-seat way), with an amazing payoff at the end (quite possibly the most clumsy, awkward, genuine, honest, and downright heartwarming kiss scene I've watched). The other characters were given very quirky, yet still believable personalities. Ami's mature insight trying to break out of the "silly, cute idol" exterior, and her hidden affection for her friends. Minorin's oddball fantasies hiding her true fears. Kitamura's natural leadership rebelling against his desire to make his unique self known.

I figured Taiga and Ryuuji had to end up together from the start. They just got along so well together straight off. The ability to be honest with each other, to tease, even to pick on the other, all came down to the ability for each of them to be themselves when together, and that's probably the most important thing. They saw each other's true selves, without the masks and walls they put up with the others. The class's show of support and friendship when Taiga left summed up the development of the show. Would they have done that in the beginning?

The music is some of my favorite. I love both OPs and both EDs, most of them with touching lyrics that match so well with the series (especially 'silky heart', which, though sung by Horie Yui, could equally apply to Minorin or Taiga).

The plot was standard romance fare with very few twists, but so well executed with tension and character device that it was refreshing and genuinely enjoyable at a very human level.

All in all, that's probably the best term to describe Toradora: genuinely human.

Ciao!

2009-07-02, 12:19	Link #154
KitsuneNineTails 赤い狐 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Colorful Colorado Age: 46	9/10 Quite simply an amazing series, I thought. Touching, thoughtful, funny, and honest. There were no world shaking events. Nations weren't threatened, lives were never really on the line. But for these characters, the small drama WAS the world to them, like our small section of life is to all of us. Character development was terrific. These characters were all very tenuous and timid about displaying their emotions, but they danced around their true feelings like teenagers often do. Watching Taiga and Ryuuji play out with each other was frustrating (in a good, edge-of-the-seat way), with an amazing payoff at the end (quite possibly the most clumsy, awkward, genuine, honest, and downright heartwarming kiss scene I've watched). The other characters were given very quirky, yet still believable personalities. Ami's mature insight trying to break out of the "silly, cute idol" exterior, and her hidden affection for her friends. Minorin's oddball fantasies hiding her true fears. Kitamura's natural leadership rebelling against his desire to make his unique self known. I figured Taiga and Ryuuji had to end up together from the start. They just got along so well together straight off. The ability to be honest with each other, to tease, even to pick on the other, all came down to the ability for each of them to be themselves when together, and that's probably the most important thing. They saw each other's true selves, without the masks and walls they put up with the others. The class's show of support and friendship when Taiga left summed up the development of the show. Would they have done that in the beginning? The music is some of my favorite. I love both OPs and both EDs, most of them with touching lyrics that match so well with the series (especially 'silky heart', which, though sung by Horie Yui, could equally apply to Minorin or Taiga). The plot was standard romance fare with very few twists, but so well executed with tension and character device that it was refreshing and genuinely enjoyable at a very human level. All in all, that's probably the best term to describe Toradora: genuinely human. Ciao!