Ah, Toradora. What a cute anime. This show is one of the most common, life anime shows that focus on high school students are their daily adventures. Except anime does something a little different. Right away, we can tell that the two leads are going to end up falling in love with each other, that’s just the typical rom-com plot, but the way it happens is what makes this show interesting.
Our main character is Ryuuji Takasu. She is really a kind person who enjoys doing housework, like cleaning and cooking; in fact, every time you see a dirty room, you can’t help but clean it. His appearance is very opposite to his personality; looks like a criminal. Those who don’t know him look at him and run away in fear of being hit, which is pretty sad when you think about it. The other main character is the opposite; Taiga is a little girl who looks cute, but is not afraid to speak her mind, which includes throwing a few fists. I guess it’s true what they say, opposites attract.
In their first meeting, and after a few encounters, they both realize that they are in love with each other’s best friend. By forming an alliance, both of you agree to do everything possible to help the other, and thus a mutual friendship is born. The funny thing about this situation is that we find out later that Takasu’s best friend already likes Taiga, and Taiga’s best friend likes Takasu. So in a sense, all it would take is for someone to speak up front, but then we wouldn’t have a story, would we?
As the story progresses, each character does their best to help the other and put them in a situation that is pointed out by classmates later in the show, where they can earn a few points. This is difficult as neither Takasu nor Taiga are good at talking to their lovers. To add to that, they never really realize that they are slowly getting closer to each other. In fact, they are almost always together, a
As stated above, it’s a rom-com, so we already know how it ends and who ends up with whom, right? Yes, there is no twist. Taiga and Takasu end up meeting at the end, in a rather strange way. First, they both resent telling each other how they feel, and second, they do it in a terrible way. Their plan, due to some family problems with Taiga and others, is to run away and get married. Your typical high school girlfriend dream, right?
Of course, in the end, they decide together that it would be better not to go through with it. Once they get back to town, however, we get a curve ball when Taiga suddenly leaves without telling anyone. She leaves Takasu a note explaining the situation, but it’s still sudden and leaves you wondering what the hell happened. She leaves to try to fix things with her family and herself. Although surprised, Takasu understands, much more than his friends, in fact. We have a little closure at the end, after graduation, Takasu sees Taiga in the classroom window, to which he runs and finds her standing there, where he can finally tell her that he loves her. A pretty nice ending. Definitely rushed, but cute.
So that’s the basis of the show, but is it worth it? Yes and no. It is interesting, but typical. I, for one, would love for a romantic comedy to end the way it started, in a way. I mean, I really feel like Taiga and Takasu are better friends than lovers. It would have been an amazing sight if they remained friends and ended their respective crushes. As a bonus, it would have been different, which is even more amazing.
I guess I’m the only one who thinks like that. In the end, it is still a good anime that has a lot of laughs and unexpected feelings. It was good so I suggest you go check it out.
