Michael is Low on Hit Points
Toradora, I can't get you out of my mind
- Posted March 20th, 2009 at 8:25 PM ET
- Subjects Toradora
- Tags impressions, final look
- Image sources
1- Toradora [unknown] - Video searches
none
I don't want to jinx Toradora with one episode still yet to air. I nearly called another anime this season "perfect," until the final episode brought that thought to a screeching halt. But at the least, Toradora truly has turned out to be something amazing.
I think the measure of a great show is that you -- no matter how hard you try -- simply can't move on directly afterwards. I've written about this before, and here those same feeling are coming up again. It's hard to pin exactly when it started happening. But before I knew it, each episode dominated my thoughts hours -- even up to a day or so -- after watching them.
When a new episode of Toradora comes out, it's only natural that I want to watch it before anything else that night. Normally, I watch the newest episode of anime X, and then after a few minutes taking it all in, I move onto anime Y. Toradora brings my whole anime viewing spree to a halt. Emotionally, I become stuck and can't jump right into the next series.
What's truly amazing is just how far the series has come. I mean, just take a look at my initial impressions:
"As a passable anime Toradora has it's moments, for now at least"
"While it may have been foolish of me to expect anything else out of a Kugimiya Rie tsundere-led show, one can always hope. I guess just not this time..."
"I'm not exactly waiting on baited breath for the next episode"
Ha ha ha. What a fool! By about the half way point of the series, I was only just starting to catch on:
"Taiga is moving beyond the typical abusive tsundere... let's hope it sticks."
"And then every so often, it shows a deeper side with a well written, and understated, conversation"
Finally, a few weeks back I started to get it through my thick skull:
"This show has no business being as good as it's been lately."
"Toradora is my surprise anime of the current crop. Who ever thought it'd turn out to be this good?"
Screw whatever I said about the show previously. When I look back on things, Toradora will be the best show that aired over Fall '08 and Winter '09. So while we all await the final episode, here's some Toradora OP Kinetic Typography to fanboy all over.
1 Nazarielle
Well, similar to you, I started off just ambivalent about the series. Maybe I gave it a bit more leniency, since Fall was my first (full) season of ever watching anime as it progressed (I came in near the end of Geass R2). Perhaps that leniency allowed me to be more accepting of it sooner. I started really looking forward to it well before the halfway mark. Probably around episode 9 or 10 I felt that this series really had 'it,' whatever 'it' is that makes a series awesome.
2 kadian1364
I'd say those were fair assessments of Toradora at the time, or at least that's similar to how I felt about the series. It really did take a while for the story to unfold, for us to reach the "payoff", if you will. Only in retrospect do we see how our patience was to be rewarded. There was no telling midway through the episodes things would get this much better this fast. You advanced with guarded optimism, not buying empty hype or letting crowds of fools dictate your opinion, and now you've made up your own thoughts guided by your own observations. There's no need to feel like you need to correct your old opinions. At least not this time.
3 Kairu Ishimaru
Totally different on those Anons had said http://kielmaru07.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/toradora-is-and-is-not/
4 ghostlightning
Of late the show has taken refuge in audacity, and I can sympathize with those who'd hold this agains it.
However, despite wall the contrivance and over-the-top histrionics is a wealth of nuance and character. For this alone I find Toradora easy to love.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Nazarielle
I think the majority of my cynicism came from having seen JCStaff's previous adaptations of Shakugan no Shana and Zero no Tsukaima. Zero season 1 was great, but I felt the rest of Zero and all of Shana were mediocre at best. Going in to Toradora, I wasn't expecting much. That probably colored my early perception of the show more than anything else.
Around the half way point, looking back I thought that it certainly had its moments. It wasn't until later in the second half when all of my preconceptions crumbled and it finally clicked. Toradora was simply too good to brush aside by then.
@ kadian1364
I wonder, knowing now what we know, if the early parts of Toradora will suddenly feel better upon rewatch? I'm just wondering how much perception going into the series affected my enjoyment of it early on. I mean, I always liked the show. I just never imagined it would rise to these levels.
Though, if someone could have predicted that -- without prior knowledge of the light novels -- that person can comment here and let me know what to watch next season!
@ Kairu Ishimaru
Those anonymous comments are all over the place. But that's to be expected. Opinions vary wildly on even the most well regarded of things.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ ghostlightning
I love all the drama. Truth be told, this is even the way I like my drama presented. But it's interesting to know that people are enjoying the show, even if they don't like all of the theatrics. When style offends, substance saves the day.
5 Glo the Legend
I randomly decided to watch Toradora, without ever hearing about it before or knowing who was in it. I just scrolled quickly down a list of currently airing shows on ZOMG Anime, and clicked, and Toradora came up. That was one of the best random choices I made.
Toradora is awesome. Not only because Rie Kugimiya is my favorite voice actress, but because this anime is so well written, and has so many moments that get you pumped up and/or proclaim loudly, "Oh my God!" (These are known as BAM moments). Honestly, anyone who doesn't put everything else on hold to watch a new season of Toradora.....well......I just don't understand them. I expected this show to be pretty good when I started it, and it has greatly surpassed my expectations.
Also, that kinetic typography was pretty cool.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Glo the Legend
Damn. That's one hell of a way to pick what anime to watch. What an unbelievable amount of random luck, too.
Thinking back on things, I think that Taiga may now be my favorite Kugimiya Rie tsundere role. While Shana has a stunning visual design, I think Taiga beats out Shana, Louise, and Nagi in character depth and development. Easily.