Toradora! - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[Peanutbutter]

Wonderful.

What this anime needs is a Hare Hare Yukai and this will go down in anime history as a potential classic of its genre.

Spoiler for Thoughts:

Actually, I thought that after Ryuuji gave Minorin his thoughts, Minorin actually started to realise that peharps Ryuuji may be the one she's looking/waiting for all this while. Maybe she needs some time to really settle into this. A potential Minorin going for Ryuuji, even though she's helping to pair up Ryuuji and Taiga? Will be interesting.

It's cliche but sometimes people take things for granted and do not realise the importance of the people closest to them. Family, Friends etc. When I think about it, you can almost link this with all the possible relationships in this...Ryuuji/Taiga, Ryuuji/Minorin, Taiga/Kitamura (which has the opposite effect) etc. It's just an inkling that this may go in that direction.

That Taiga feet rubbing on Ryuuji was definitely very heartwarming. They may not realise it, or at least Ryuuji dun, but they're really acting like a couple deep in love to the extent that they are really so comfortable with each other, chatting with the other without any inhibitions. Even real life couples seldom reach that stage, I think.

The end was a bit freaky to me, with that human shadow and that hair. Most likely it's a plot by Kitamura/Minorin to bring them closer together, just as Ryuuji/Taiga tries to support the other.

That's pretty obvious enough, but the rest is really deep, interesting and thought-provoking.

[KeitaroNagato]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I'm not going to use spoiler tags, so beware.

Really wonderful episode. I like this show more and more as we go on.

I saw more and more development between Ryuuji and Taiga. I think they did have similar dreams, and at the end they both realized they enjoy each other's company much more than the tension of being with the people they think they love. Taiga with her feet playing on Ryuuji's back gave a wonderful intimate feeling. The dog business is no problem for me, since it isn't really the essence of their relationship, just a surface thing.

I didn't catch everything she said, but my sense was that Minorin was letting Ryuuji down easy in their talk on the deck. They got closer in a way, but also further from being a couple. He asked if she had someone she loved, and she talked about whether or not they had seen a ghost. She said she believed in ghosts but hadn't seen one. That is, she didn't have someone she loved, but she kept waiting for her fated person to come along, and he hadn't. I'm sure I got some of that wrong, but I think that's the feeling.

Taiga is fast becoming one of my favorite anime characters ever. And Horie Yui is doing a great job with Minorin -- as great as her job with Yuuki in Vampire Knight isn't.

Originally Posted by Deathscyther

A bit fast-paced, but still a very nice episode

Some nice Ryuuji x Minorin moments and one nice Ryuuji x Taiga moment

They didn't explain the badminton match very well though..

Originally Posted by Vexx

Quite a lot of metaphor from Minorin..... I got a bit lost in the lengthier moments but quite a lot of absolutely Taiga and Ryuuji moments.
More pending til Thanksgiving subsides...

1) Love Taiga's little hat and dress....
2) Did I say I liked Taiga's dress and sun hat?

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

.... ever since I first read Volume 4 Chapter 1 I've been waiting for Taiga's fight with the dog and they cut it? They even took out Ami's "Do Not Want". What the hell?

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

There is only so much a 24 min episode can put in.

Furthermore what is significance of full badminton scene supposed to contribute to the story, seriously?

Excellent episode, there is a metaphor theme here, I could be wrong... but. Even though Ryuuji and Minorin was talking about that ghost topic, I was thinking about a poem that I did when I was in High School:

Love is like a ghost
People always talk about it
Only a few that actually seen it.

Ghost topic with Ryuuji was very interesting with the character development of Minorin, I have this feeling that she knows what Ryuuji is implying to her. Yet, she know that "his" real ghost (love) is actually Taiga, and she it letting him down easy. Well that the jest I got from that episode. Mirorin real ghost (love) is actually someone out there.

That one intimate moment where Taiga and Ryuuji spend time together before they went off to bed. It shows how far their relationship as gone to, unfortunately they still don't understand that subconsciously that they are acting more like a "married couple". I wonder it has to do with that dream. I got to read Vol4 to find out.

Overall 10/10

[typhonsentra]

Originally Posted by stormy001_M1A2

There is only so much a 24 min episode can put in.

Furthermore what is significance of full badminton scene supposed to contribute to the story, seriously?

It was really really funny.

[KeitaroNagato]

Originally Posted by Peanutbutter003

Wonderful.



That Taiga feet rubbing on Ryuuji was definitely very heartwarming. They may not realise it, or at least Ryuuji dun, but they're really acting like a couple deep in love to the extent that they are really so comfortable with each other, chatting with the other without any inhibitions. Even real life couples seldom reach that stage, I think.

[/spoiler]

When a couple reach a stage that they are truly comfortable, and they are themselves without any worries and criticism, they act/behave/react more intimate then the average boy/girlfriend relationship. In his episode, Ryuuji and Taiga are behaving more then a boy/girlfriend relation, its more deeper, the way married couples behaves. Its funny though, because it seems they are not aware of it.

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

It was really really funny.

Gosh... I really need to read Vol4 ^^
I still don't get how Ryuuji lost to Taiga, but I guess it's a perk to get readers to read the Lightnovels, which I think its very sneaky but sweet

[Deathkillz]

Spoiler:

I've always known that Minori isn't all fun and games...she actually a lot smarter and deeper than you think but it was still shocking to see her "mature" side in this episode as opposed to her usual overactive self. I wonder if she does have any feelings for Ryuji but would rather keep it hidden from him seen as she knows that Taiga and Ryuji are slowly falling for each other.

Minori at least in my eyes have some hint of romantic interest when it came to this scene unlike how Kitamura blew Taiga off.

Though based on being the best match, Minori and Kitamura has it way up there

Lots of funny moments in this episode for me so it's rather hard to choose which scene is my favorite. But if I had to say it would be Taiga seeing Ami's "naked body down there"

Minori getting a glimpse of Kitamura's body after his towel fell also ranks way up there in comedy XD

[Kinny Riddle]

Excellent episode, if even Darknemo likes it, then it has to be very good. I never knew volume 4 can be adapted so well, I think I enjoyed watching this animated more than reading the original.

Anime using real-life locations as backgrounds is common, but this episode's use of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo gives me a particularly special feeling mainly because I happen to be there many times just a few weeks ago - my hotel was located in Shinjuku, so I had to use that station often.

+ points:

- Kept the wrestling match between Taiga and the big doggy, albeit only for a while, but enough to convey that Taiga lost the badminton match.

- Kitamura and Minorin's show their combined eccentricity skill: Thousand-Hand Buddha greeting. They even dragged poor Ryuji and Taiga into it. Ami was right to pretend not to know them. lol

- As everyone can't wait to play on the beach, Ryuji's obsession with cleanliness got the better of him. xD

- Ami fooling around with Ryuji's innocence in the shower. (For some reason, Ami grabbing Ryuji's hand reminded me of that scene of Kallen grabbing Lelouche's hand in Code Geass. ) Man, he looks so hilariously pathetic when he went sobbing to Taiga about it.

- And when Taiga tries to expose her, she ends up getting shocked at Ami's well-endowed assets instead.

- Kitamura reveals the shameless exhibitionist that he really is. And Minorin revealing herself to be a perverted voyeur. (LOL at Ryuji saying what Minori thought was "black feathers" was actually the spirit of "seaweeds")

- Taiga looked gorgeous in her ponytail

- The all important ghosts-romance comparison dialogue in its entirety, the first of many Ryuji and Minorin moments, followed by Taiga and Ryuji cuddled comfortably together, and wondering why they're so nervous with their crushes, but so relaxed with each other.

Hocchan is brilliant as Minorin, casting her was definitely a great decision on the producers' part.

[frubam]

Not much to say(busy T_T), I loved the naked Kitamura scene, and the development was really good all around.

[Tiran86]

Great episode. My only disapointment is that they couldn't fit in Taiga vs the dog and they left out Kitamura walking in on Taiga and Ryuuji planning to scare Minori some more. Both minor complaints, the episode was still as great as the series usually is, and the two most important scenes were done well.

9/10. Now the anime is caught up to the novel translations and B-T hasn't updated in the past few days, so whatever happens next week may be a total surprise for me. I'm looking forward to it.

[Deathscyther]

Originally Posted by Kinny Riddle

- Taiga looked gorgeous in her ponytail

Have to agree with you here, she looks great with her hair in a ponytail =D

I like Shana best with her hair in a ponytail as well...maybe I just like girls best with their hair in a ponytail

[frivolity]

Spoiler for Ryuuji's speech:

Ryuuji's speech was extremely deep as well.

Minori: Takasu-kun, what about you? Can you see ghosts?

Ryuuji: I think I can see them.

(cut to the view from behind Ryuuji's head, with Minori in plain sight)

Ryuuji: That's why I go to places like supernatural spots and watch horror movies. I think like this:

(cut to a bird's eye view of Kitamura's dimly-lit room, where Kitamura is reading and Taiga is lying down in bed facing away from him)

Ryuuji: When someone who believes in ghosts sees a ghost, they'll get shocked, too.

(cut to the side view with Taiga facing us, and we see Taiga is awake, with Kitamura flipping through the book behind her)

Ryuuji: There are some who will continue to think they don't exist even if they see it,

(cut to Ami's room, where she is putting on make-up)

Ryuuji: but there are also some who will see it because they try their best.

(cut to a close-up of Ryuuji's face)

Ryuuji: That's why you can't be sure that you'll never see it.
------------

Each line seems to refer to a specific character.

"That's why I go to places like supernatural spots and watch horror movies"

Ryuuji takes an active approach, watching horror movies and the like, just as how he wrote letters and burnt CDs for Minori, but stepped up his actions after meeting Taiga, which corresponds to visiting supernatural spots.

"When someone who believes in ghosts sees a ghost, they'll get shocked, too."

Taiga believes in ghosts but gets shocked when she sees one. This line has multiple interpretations. First, Taiga gets "shocked" every time Kitamura speaks to her. It can also be interpreted as in the next scene, where she is shocked that the ghost was nothing like she thought it would be, in other words, spending time with Kitamura was not as fun as she thought.

"There are some who will continue to think they don't exist even if they see it,"

I'm not sure about the significance of the third line, but it could be referring to Taiga as well, since she had found love in the form of Ryuuji, but refused to believe in its existence.

"but there are also some who will see it because they try their best."

The last line seems to refer to Ami, but I haven't read the light novels far enough to make an interpretation.

[Shiroth]

What scares me more about the whole 'Yuusaku naked' scene was his reason for actually walking out naked.

[Darknemo2000]

Originally Posted by Deathscyther

maybe I just like girls best with their hair in a ponytail

Kyon, is that you? Lol.

Anyways, I do agree - Taiga looked really good in that.

[Master Chibi]

Man the part where Taiga puts her feet on the back of Ryuji's head and then down to his back and starts rubbing him absolutely destroyed me. That type of body language is a giant checkered flag and it had me reeling that she was totally just talking him and doing it without even thinking about it. God I love the chemistry between them sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much.

God this show is fantastic.

[DragoonKain3]

One point Minorin, three points Taiga. Despite the episode seemingly for Minorin's cause, they really just have to drop clues the size of anvils in Taiga's case. I mean, the dream scene (wow, Freud would've have a field day with that), the scene where Taiga understood Ryuuji's explanation of the bath incident (to humorous effect to boot), and the late night talk? There really should be no wonder where they're heading with this stuff in the end. It might not be this season, but eventually.

And wow, I aboslutely loved the scene in the beach with Yuusaku and Ami; that slow smile in the end there was just the perfect touch. I mean, Ami is a lot of things good and bad, but being perceptive is one of them. She figured out who Taiga and Ryuuji were pursuing rather easily, so it should be no wonder if she'd figure out Yuusaku's (of which before it's been implied it's the student council prez). Maybe the reason why she's so outgoing with Ryuuji is because she knows she can't get Yuusaku as of right now? That instead of being the lovelorn childhood friend, she turns the cliche on its ear and tries to seek other guys in the meantime? Really does make her a very interesting character, if that is the case.

All in all, best episode of Toradora this entire season. Personally, the usual comedy is just minorly amusing, and so development in the romance front is something I've been waiting for. And I got it this episode, and hopefully they do the same for the rest of the cour.

[Semantics]

This episode was awesome. I really can't pick a favorite character out of the five of them now, probably because of the surprisingly large amounts of chemistry present within the whole group in addition to the nuanced character development for almost all of them, with the exception of Kitamura of course. Though, I have a feeling he won't be quite left out.. or at least that's what I'm hoping for. (Haven't read the novels yet! :X)

It's progressed to a stage where the relationships and characters get more complex. There's something interesting about every one of them that draws me back to the show, and I guess contributes to the wonderful group dynamics. I'm soooo lovin' this anime right now. It's a bit early to say but I have high hopes for it being the shining beacon of light of its genre.

Anyway, this episode's my favorite one so far. I love how everyone made significant/crucial progress/character development, and yet at the same time managed to be one of the funniest episode in the series. Random Minorin + Taiga's shower encounter ("HEY! BAKA CHI!") + Kitamura naked + Ami-chan = HILARITY = lots of LOLs.

The metaphoric conversation between Minorin and Ryuuji was pure gold as well. It hints at so many relationships and to me at least, throws the field wide open for everyone. Although it's obvious that Taiga and Ryuuji are destined to be together (and most probably will be at the end of the anime), how they get there is what makes it interesting. Suddenly, it's not just about the two of them anymore -- it's about 5 (weird.. or 'out of the norm') people and what happens between them, ie. friendship, love, camaraderie, etc.

In short, definitely 10/10. Anxiously anticipating the next episode! It's been consistent so far and I hope it stays that way.

[Reaper-flora]

omg i laught so hard with this ep, most funny yet cant wait till next week

[Traece]

This was truly the funniest episode of any anime I've seen in a very long time. There was just such randomness and such comedy it's hard not to love it.

The series, as a whole, is really one of the best I've ever seen altogether.

Plus, there's an increasing amount of romantic occurrences with this most recent episode being at the top of the chart easily. Especially between Ryuuji and Taiga. There's really not much room for doubting that they'll end up as a pair.

That is unless the Manga somehow did a BS-180 and slapped everybody in the face for being smart enough to know that's how it should work out.

[yjs]

Toradora, show of the season! An excellent episode.

[velkito]

To me, that was the best episode so far. I kept laughing out loud for the first 15 minutes.

Spoiler for fun stuff in this ep:

Only someone as petite in gesture as Taiga can blame a sports match loss to a dog and get credibility The many-handed indian goddess gig was pure win. The small fight Ami and Taiga had in the train was fun..Ami tricking Ryuuji in the bath, in the style of ecchi animes I better stop here, there's too much to list =P

Best of all, all the comedy was deftly mixed with character development, leaving the best part of it for the end, to give the episode a slighly more serious feeling than that of a silly random comedy show!

In his episode, Ryuuji and Taiga are behaving more then a boy/girlfriend relation, its more deeper, the way married couples behaves

Sometimes such couples remain friends, the type of friends everyone would wnat to have at least one of.

I think Ami will keep teasing and trying to gain Ryuuji for her, just to prove how good her charms are.

[kittybear]

Man takasu's face while cleaning was priceless lol