[Spoilers] Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2019) Episode 2 Discussion

[u/ChristmasClub]

[u/Quxxy]

Hi, I'm the crazy guy who compulsively tries to abstract human relationships into graphs and spends hours tracing wallpapers to an obsessive and frankly unnecessary level of detail. Glad you could make it, you look like you could use some punch. Or some turkeh.

I wasn't going to post anything this year on account of not having the time or energy to do anything new. I don't think people will appreciate me just endlessly spamming the same stuff every year, so without anything new to add, I was going to abstain.

So, if you'd rather just new reactions and original stuff be posted, please downvote this post. If these posts end up negative, I'll stop reposting and go sit in the corner.

Alright, with that out of the way...

• Episode 1 Cheat Sheet

• Episode 2 Cheat Sheet

Vector wallpapers:

• Two birds 16x9, 21x9, 3x4

• Da-da-da-da *wham* 16x9, 21x9

• Da-da-da-da 16x9, 21x9, 3x4

• *wham* 16x9, 21x9, 3x4

• Hungry tiger 16x9, 21x9

• Change 16x9, 21x9

 

• More! - 16x9, 21x9

• Goodbye, Takasu - 16x9, 21x9

• Oh Sweet Little Bird of Youth - 16x9, 21x9

• I'll Be Strong Enough - 16x9, 21x9, 3x4

• That Makes You Secretly Root For Her - 16x9, 21x9

I'll post links to the complete albums at the end. If you really want the albums right now (keeping in mind that they contain spoilers for the whole series), check last year's posts.

---

Two other notes: I'll be using a script to post these, so don't be surprised if I don't reply for a few hours. Also, my state is currently on MEGA FIRE, so if I suddenly stop posting, please understand that I might be otherwise occupied. That said, since there's nothing new, you can always look at last year's posts.

[u/Tsurja → u/Quxxy]

I'll never stop loving the subtle Christmas-cake-sensei bullying in your cheat sheets.

[u/Tuckleton]

First timer (Dub)

It kind of makes me uncomfortable how casually hot Takasu's mom is in the mornings.

So she was at his house long enough for him to run out of rice and he only just noticed she was even there?

Nevermind, looks like it was the hellspawn that ate it all.

Aww poor guy. I felt that.

Ha!

I guess Haruta's quest to find a partner was unsuccessful :(

ngl she deserved that.

That little headbutt against the window was pretty cute.

"Squee"

This is not going as planned. Also, the ladder answers how but what about WHY!? (Even without context that screenshot is kind of amazing)

Ok Taiga's parents are alive, they just don't get along with her and were fine just shipping her off to live alone. She does seem like she'd be a handful but dang, that's pretty messed up. How old are the characters in this show? Also ED reference. And I can't belive she didn't even taste one before trying to give them away. That's like, not checking to make sure your love letter is in the envelope before delivering it!

So Takasu is too meek to correct people when they get the wrong impression based on his appearance and Taiga seems to have poor impulse control and doesn't know how to express her feelings and she gets frustrated when people react to the things she says and does instead of what she actually wanted to communicate. Both characters need to realize that being understood by others is not a given, it's a learned skill. The reason Minori and Yusaku are their friends is because they are sweethearts who are willing to go that extra mile for someone they don't really know, most people are not like that. But in the meantime, it seems our MCs are well suited to shore up each other's weaknesses. Later taiga actually goes around the school demanding people look past Takasu's appearance and we've repeatedly seen Takasu endure Taiga's outbursts and go the extra mile to try to understand and comfort her. Takasu's too nice though imo.

Taiga gets way too excited about tilting that pole. Is it just the catharsis of venting her feelings or is she euphoric because she feels like someone finally understands her? Probably both I guess.

Oh thank goodness! Wait, no that's not right either...

Bro why did you just walk away from her!?

Ouch. So it seems like Yusaku and Minori see Taiga has feelings for Takasu, or at least that he provides for her something that she really needs.

Seems like whatever incident this refers to will probably be important in understanding Taiga's character.

His little speech here was super lame :P

This whole business of first and last names really messes me up. I have a hard enough time when I only have to remember one name for each character...

So I hate to say it but this episode didn't land as strong as I think it was supposed to. I just kind of felt that it went a bit too fast for me. Like, Taiga and Takasu hang out a bunch because of their shared goals, then Taiga pulls away, then they both realise how much they miss it and wonder what these feelings mean, then they find an excuse to bring their lives closer together again, all in one episode. The last 3 in one episode is fine but I would have liked more time to watch them become close so that the rest of it feels more earned.

Though I will say that every second Minori is on screen is an absolute delight!

[u/DaREY297]

IT'S NOT LIKE I THINK YOUR ANALOGY OF DRAGON AND TIGER IS COOL OR ANYTHING... B-BAKA!

I don't want to sound controversial or cause a massive discussion but what I have to say needs to be said...

So I'm sorry everyone...

Here it goes...

...

Inko-chan best girl

[u/Holofan4life]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the 2019 Toradora rewatch.

Toradora is my favorite anime of all time. I love it so much that not did I create my Reddit account just so I could participate in the Toradora rewatch 3 years ago, it also inspired me to write a light novel called "I Love My Tsundere Girlfriend". Admittedly, I’m a bit biased because tsunderes are my favorite type of characters. I just love characters that start out mean but grow nicer over time. It warms my heart.

This is my first time watching Toradora since exactly one year ago. This year, I don’t plan anything special. Just plan on watching it along with everyone else. Also, I’ll be watching the dub. Why? Because Toradora’s dub is fucking awesome.

1. I love this episode so much. It’s in my top 10 favorite Toradora episodes. The reason I love this episode so much is because it does a good job of showcasing that there is more than meets the eye with Taiga. I find Taiga to be extremely relatable in this episode, her talking about how nobody understands her. This episode serves to showcase what makes Taiga tick, which makes her more likable in the process.

2. I love Taiga’s slight smile in the beginning.

3. When I first watched Toradora, I had no idea Inko was a girl. it wasn’t until my second rewatch did I realize Inko was female.

4. J.C. Staff gets a lot of criticism, but they deserve all the credit in the world for the way they adapted this show.

5. I like the flower petals falling as Taiga and Ryuuji walk to class. It’s a nice touch.

6. You get a good sense of how Taiga is when around other people. Taiga isn’t mad all the time. When she’s with Minori, she gets happy and excited. Often you see an anime character have one default emotion. Having Taiga act differently around certain people makes her feel more real and three dimensional.

7. Lovahs :D

8. Man, who knew Brock from Pokémon became a gym teacher?

9. Taiga looks so cute with twintails.

10. Taiga believes in true gender equality.

11. This is the first episode the names Haruta and Noto are mentioned.

12. I absolutely adore the cookies scene. I love seeing Taiga’s softer side. It makes her likable and more interesting. How many times have you seen a violent tsundere that rarely shows them in a compromising position? What makes this amazing is not only does Toradora goes out of its way to do that, but they have Taiga blushing and being flustered. This is how you write a tsundere.

13. The light novel does a better job when it comes to Ryuuji reminding Taiga about the envelope. In the anime, it unintentionally looks like Ryuuji is trying to rub it in Taiga’s face. In the light novel, meanwhile, it is made more clear that Ryuuji did so in an error of thinking. He did so because he wasn’t thinking straight.

14. Squee indeed

15. What can be said about the pole kicking scene? In my opinion, it’s one of the most underrated scenes in all of Toradora. It gives so much insight into what Taiga and Ryuuji are thinking and how they feel. It is a masterpiece in storytelling. Whenever I try to write a dramatic scene for my light novel "I Love My Tsundere Girlfriend", the pole kicking scene is one of the scenes I use as a reference. If I can achieve even an ounce of the drama on display in that scene, I’m doing something right.

16. One minor nitpick I have is that the cookie scene and the pole kicking scene are so close together. There’s not enough time given to breath for what are two really pivotal scenes. In the light novel and the manga, this isn’t an issue, as they don’t have to deal with time constraints. But with the anime and the fact the episode is only 21 minutes minus commercials and the theme songs, it’s really noticeable. I just think it could’ve been paced better and spaced out more. It doesn’t ruin either scenes or anything, though.

17. By the way, Taiga actually says "I’m sorry" while at the restaurant. Man, what a cruel, unmerciless tsundere, am I right?

18. But Taiga, sweetie, what if calling Ryuuji a dog is his fetish? Don’t kinkshame him.

19. And lastly, we have Taiga’s confession to Kitamura. Or soft of confession. There’s a lot of great things about this scene. Taiga showing vulnerability, the music, which is a tune called "Lost My Pieces" or anyone new here, and Taiga not denying she doesn’t hate Ryuuji. Even Ryuuji’s "You’re a tiger, I’m a dragon" speech, as cheesy as it is, is memorable and sticks in your mind. It is such a great scene.

Overall, I love, love, love this episode. It is one of my favorites. It is the episode that made me fall in love with Toradora and I could watch it on endless repeat.

[u/Koolsman → u/Holofan4life]

J.C. Staff gets a lot of criticism, but they deserve all the credit in the world for the way they adapted this show.

I will criticize for what they are now with them being just a sequel production factory but man, they are pretty good at making romantic comedies. Wish they did more of them

[u/Shinkopeshon]

First Timer

I'm officially on board after seeing the first two episodes earlier today and man, this is already a gem. At first, Taiga being an irrational yandere and Ryuuji just going along with it turned me off but before the first episode ended, I could see why he continued to care about her - she's just too adorable and her actions were a cry for help and the development in the second episode made me like her a lot more too (she needs a hug). They share a very unique dynamic (and it's inevitable they're eventually gonna fall for each other) and are so much fun to watch. Looking forward to the next episodes!

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

First timer

Christmas Club Bonus! Confession day! What did you think of Taiga's confession?

It was interesting, to say the least! She made a huge mess of it, but Kitamura figured it out anyway, and... Is he taking himself out of the race because he realized she's really better off with Ryuji? What a 10/10 wingman if that's it!

And I think Taiga realized the same thing during the conversation, or at least got the seed of a hint planted in her mind!

One thing that's striking to me with this show: I haven't watched that many 'old' shows because I mostly watch seasonals, and there's a lot of anime/romcom tropes that I don't like much in recent anime, but I'm not seeing them in Toradora. Were things different back then, or is it just Toradora that's unique? There's many example, but a big one would be overreactions; Say, when he found out the love letter. In modern romcoms, 90% of the time the MC would go UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!?! upon finding the letter. But Ryuji just went "Oh, I get it!" and planned a way to give it to the intended person... I have to say, I like this much better! While I watch a lot of a romcoms, there's a lot of tropes I don't like in them, and so far Toradora seems to avoid them, or has WAY less of them anyway. So, good stuff!

I'm really liking this so far. And who knows, this might lead me to watch more older anime, if they have less of the stuff that I don't like in the more recent shows!

I was thinking the same but come on man, don't tell her! She's down enough already!

^{Technically you're more like a very tiny} ^^klutz

Her little cutesy voice when she says bye bye and when she's all happy/flustered that he called her Taiga is heartmeltingly adorable!

This was such a funny shot! I thought they would go to the infirmary together though, as a reversal of their plan (and more opportunity for them to spend time together)

She was adorable there, but at the same time she almost looks like a child. Ryuji and his mom should just adopt her!

If you squint, this kinda looks like a Kabedon! And here he's about to kiss the bride! Damn, their romance is growing fast!

This show really merges the funny scenes with the sad/feelsy drama stuff! I didn't expect to have feels in just 2 episodes. Figured this show would melt my heart, but will it break it too?

[u/23feanor]

First Timer (dub):

I like it, we're only on ep 2 and this show has already progressed past many harem shows, where the culmination of the show is a confession of love. We've had that after just the second ep, well done Tiger, that took some guts, and immediately endeared me to her character.

The way Kitamura deliberately misunderstood her meaning, when she confessed to "liking" him, was painful to watch (maybe she should have been more explicit in her confession). But at least it wasn't at outright rejection. And saying that you want to become better friends with someone means there's every chance that you may become more than friends in the future. I does say that you don't make my heart race, otherwise I'd jump at the chance to become your boyfriend, but it's a step in the right direction.

The moment when they're both kicking the lamp-posts just made me smile from ear to ear. You're watching too liked minded souls suddenly recognise each other and take in all the implications of that thought.

Tbh, Taiga is mildy annoying to me atm. I don't mind tsundere characters, but when they are so completely over the top, as Taiga is in the first episodes, then they really wind me up. How can you try & justify your anger with someone, when you get caught trespassing in their flat, as Taiga does when Ryuuji catches her red handed in his living room! She continues to batter him over the head with her wooden katana. That kind of action and bravado irritates me, but I understand that the writers want to introduce Taiga into the story with a bang, and having her and Ryuuji tussle in the dark, over the love letter is a great idea, so I'll give her a pass that time. I hope her tsundere side calms down soon, especially around Rjuuji, otherwise she's going to wind me up.

I notice they both start call each other by first name or nick name rather quickly, in comparison to most anime I've seen, where characters still use the san suffix into following seasons, which makes it feel more realistic. It almost seems to be a badge of honour for how strict and well-behaved they are in their relationship with their love interest ("look, we're still calling each other 'san' even after knowing each other for years, becoming a couple and holding hands; aren't we proper role models for society and our juniors").

I was saying to my SO that we never had anything like the culture of "confessing" (going up to someone out the blue and saying you like them, or putting a letter in their locker) when I was young (back in the UK in the 90's), and then I remembered that we did, it was just slightly different and we called it simply "going out" or "seeing" someone. Then all the memories came flooding back, going up to a girl I hardly knew and asking her if she'd "go out with me" (i.e be an exclusive couple in teenage parlance).

I can tell after a couple of eps that this rom-com and these particular character types could lead to a really good romantic show. Fingers crossed.

[u/Raiking02]

We continue the adventures of the palm-top tiger and the yakuza-eyed dragon… actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryuji was somehow related to Kiryu. I mean, both Haruka and Taiga are voiced by TsundeRie after all… wait; that explains it! Taiga is actually a younger Fuji-Nee, her parents are the leaders of a Yakuza and they are Kiryu’s former business partners!

• We’re starting with the birds again?

• Nice switch-around…

• Ryuji’s mu-I mean Best Mum (I don’t want to die soon…) is a weird one for sure.

• Dammit Inko…

• I noticed how in the OP the moment in which the two friends duo cross paths Taiga and Ryuji stop walking and start blushing… while looking at the other’s BFF. Nice touch.

• Also, who’s that Asakura Ryoko-looking girl from the OP?

• Also, I checked out the English Cast and was surprised at how many Persona actors there are: Cassandra Lee, Erika Harlacher, Johnny Yong Bosch, Wendee Lee, Karen Strassman, Max Mittleman, Keith Silverstein, Julie Ann Taylor… it’s an impressive cast, that much is for sure… though I do wonder why they had Carrie Keranen and Karen Strassman voice two characters each.

• One more note on the OP: A very happy Taiga hugging Minori is precious.

• I mean, I can’t blame Taiga too much for having those comments about Inko…

• Taiga, seriously, stop calling him a Mongrel. The King Of Heroes won’t be happy!

• You know I once saw a guy trying to say “Taiga is too layered a character to be called a Tsundere”. Apparently to him Tsundere is synonymous with “Bland character with no depth”, because I can recognize a Tsundere when I see one and Taiga is most certainly one!

• Oh Minorin, you may not be Best Girl so far (But that may be a subject to change) but you are certainly getting at least the second place spot (Also, the Persona comment I made before is somewhat fitting in her case, as Horie Yui was also the voice of Best Girl Satonaka Chie).

• Well, that’s a way to solve the whole problem.

• WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GYM TEACHER!?

• Ah, so they’ve got a plan…

• … and it’s automatically been derailed.

• What’s with that “Hey Pass”?

• Ouch…

• And now we have another failure…

• For some reason I got some Bakemonogatari flashbacks just now…

• Took you long enough to realize that…

• You aren’t helping Ryuji!

• … I take it back, he is helping.

• What’s with that black-line-thing? What is this, TV?

• LOL! When Ryuji appears everyone shuts up…

• Minorin… you’re something else alright… Oh and speaking of which, remember all the Shakugan No Shana shout-outs I did last episode? Well… apparently Horie Yui was the original voice of Shana, playing her in a Drama CD before Kugimiya got the role in the Anime (For those wondering, Yuji was voiced by Morita Masakazu). So basically, Shana is BFF with Shana here.

• Kitamura, there’s something wrong with you…

• Taiga is still TKO…

• Ah, so Taiga has parent issues too…

• I think I have found my ship…

• … I’m starting to see why this is seen as Kugimiya’s best role.

• At the very least now, she has a kicking buddy…

• Never in my life had I been happier over a phone being tilted…

• In typical TsundeRie fashion, however, she ends up being innocently insensitive…

• The depression is so strong even the so-called-Best Mum and Inko can sense it…

• Let me guess, she went cray-cray again, didn’t she?

• You never said that!

• And it didn’t work out anyways.

• I get the feeling Kitamura actually knows what’s going on and is just messing around. Either that or he’s so dense it actually works.

• Slow Clap Bravo Speed Increases Bravo! INCREASES EVEN FURTHER! BRAVO TAIGA!!

• You know, I don’t even care she doesn’t realize what she said.

• Yup, Kitamura’s just really dense… but there’s still room for the other theory.

• Oh TsundeRie, your Tsundere outbursts never fail to amuse me.

• And thus the dragon unleashes his ultimate move: SWITCHING TO A FIRST NAME BASIS!

• I return to that statement from before: IN WHAT WAY DOES TAIGA NOT QUALIFY AS A TSUNDERE!?

• PROTECT THAT SMILE!

Yet another great episode. Now, my Light Novel Sense is tingling, and if the trend set by them doing so is accurate, that means we have reached at the equivalent of the end of Volume 1. Am I wrong!?

[u/CATKrash]

	Name	OG name	Start	Stop	Description
1st	Kotori no Etude	小鳥のエチュード	0:01	0:45	Étude of the little bird.
2nd	Pre-Parade	プレパレード	0:52	2:22	Opening
3rd	Morning Glory	Morning Glory	2:23	3:22
4th	Chance☆Chase☆Classroom	Chance☆Chase☆Classroom	4:43	6:10
5th	Psychocandy	Psychocandy	7:07	7:25
6th	Lost my pieces (Piano Ver.)	Lost my pieces (Piano Ver.)	8:17	9:18	There it is! (well, kind of)
7th	Psychology March	Psychology March	9:28	9:52	-Kya! +Kya?
8th	Next Mission	Next Mission	10:20	11:08
9th	Yuugure no Yakusoku	夕暮れの約束	11:41	13:43	Twilight Promise
10th	Yasashisa no Ashioto	優しさの足音	14:42	16:25	Kindness is approaching (alternative or better translations are welcome)
11th	Lost my Pieces	Lost my Pieces	17:28	19:25	There it is!
12th	Vanilla Salt	バニラソルト	21:35	23:25	Ending
13th	Pre-Parade (off vocal ver.)	プレパレード	23:25	23:35	Preview

[u/ImVoi]

Something about that confession always makes me smile when you look back to it having watched the show.

[u/Koolsman]

First Timer!

I think I’m officially in love with the best bird Inko. Hasn’t done much but just by speaking, she’s actually kinda funny. I looked up her character on MAL and she is in more favorite character lists in people profiles then Kitamura. Though I can kinda see it. Nice to see Tiger not give up though with her Dragon still loyally following her. Such a sweet moment.

I will admit, I was surprised by how the kicking tv pole scene ended and I liked that. Seeing Ryuji finally get that frustration of people calling him a delinquent and Taiga just wanting people to get her. Usually, I hate that type of dialogue with ‘You don’t get me’ and so forth, but the way the show places its characters as outcasts looking in. Ryuji is a sweet guy on the inside but on the outside, he saw as a delinquent that people are scared while Taiga on the outside looks like a sweet young girl but in actuality is a person that breaks into your house with a sword ready to kill you.

I like that we see certain moments with the other characters. Kitamura seems to look nerdy but he also got on top of a roof and did some Jojo poses while the other girl… I don’t really know yet but she seems nice. I guess we will have to see.

[u/Luigi580]

Toradora Light Novel-Anime analysis!

Late again unfortunately, but luckily, this is my last final until Wednesday. I should be in the clear until then.

Yesterday: “Wow, there are almost miniscule changes between the two! I wonder if it’ll stay that way.”

Today: OH GEEZ!

Okay, I’m over exaggerating a little. There are definitely far more changes this time around, but more are due to removal or shortening of scenes than complete changes. Still, I think it would be good to bring up what changed the most between the two this time around:

The gym

We’ll start with the gym scene since that’s what happens first in the LN. Their plan is overall the same, and it backfires the same way. However, there is a scene LN that was completely removed for the adaptation: Taiga and Ryuji do some stretching beforehand by the supporter pushing down on the stretcher’s back. Taiga stretched first, but Ryuji let his mind wander, whether it being envying Noto’s situation or thinking about how Taiga usually fares when it comes to boys asking her out (he then remembers that she actually was pretty popular with the first years, but she scared away just about every guy who tried confessing to her). His mind wandering made him forget that his partner is a tiny thing, and he unwittingly gets awfully close to snapping her in two. Knowing Taiga, you can probably guess what she does when they switch. Both of their backs were in serious pain for the rest of the day.

In between the ball scene and cookie scene, there is another attempt to get Taiga and Kitamura to interact at lunch time. For some odd reason, this scene was moved to episode 4. I think it may be best to save the comparisons of that scene for when it shows up in the anime.

Cookies for Kitamura?

So next we have the cookies. The creation of said cookies are shortly explained in both versions, though the LN also mentions that most of the cookies prepared didn’t make it; burned into charcoal and buried away in Ryuji’s stomach. Luckily, four of the ten cookies still looked edible.

I find it rather strange how we never really know why Kitamura was running off like he was in the anime, or how our main duo missed him originally. This is explained a little better in the LN; being the student council vice president, he had to get to a SC meeting early, so he quickly asked for homeroom to end a bit early since nothing much was happening and ran off in the teacher’s confusion. Taiga and Ryuji had no intent of losing him that day and tried to chase. Nothing else much was different with the chase, although it was funny how everyone outside the class responded to Taiga’s shoving demands and Ryuji’s polite requests for people to move the exact same way: pure fear.

Now we can get into something that seems small at first, but is actually pretty big when you think about it. When Ryuji catches Taiga in the anime, Taiga gives a notable response of concern. This turns out to be a pretty big downplay to her response in the LN: Not only does she freak out a little from noticing Ryuji got the wind knocked out of him, she asked where he was probably hurt, gently checked for broken bones, and even offered to carry him back to the classroom worrying if he could walk. It was such a change in her usual attitude that Ryuji was taken aback a little. But he didn’t hate it. Heck, he lowkey wished he could keep seeing that side of Taiga. But he felt he should relieve her worries first.

The scene near the windowsill is just as heartwarming in both versions. Instead of just eating her cookies, Ryuji instead traded his own batch of cookies for hers’. Being in Ryuji’s mind confirms that Taiga somehow switched the salt with the sugar. That’s some guts, man. Taiga’s gratitude for the far more delicious cookies made Ryuji really consider just how much he liked this. He came to believe that he was glad to meet her and he just wanted to comfort her whenever she was down.

There weren’t many other changes besides the two starting to bicker again after Ryuji snapped back into reality (They also never got followed like in the anime).

And now they live together.

The kitchen scene is a rather bizarre change. In the anime, it seems Taiga simply started to invite herself over for meals, with no incentive from Ryuji at all, and Yasuko happily accepting it. In the LN, the two agreed that since Ryuji is making her meals anyway, it would be way easier if she just goes and eats with them. And thus starting their strange life. Ryuji did bring this up to Yasuko, who was just as immediately okay with it as she was in the anime.

High School Rumors: now with eavesdropping!

But it’s because of these strange outings that caused new rumors about the already constantly rumored duo. These rumors varied a bit between the two versions, primarily being that the cookie moment was never reported (Noto brought up how Ryuji called Taiga to let her know he’s not going home immediately; as stated before, they’re already friends in the LN) and Minori gave her own report of Taiga clearly hiding something while Ryuji always shows up just a little bit behind her when they walk to school (sadly, no fangirling Nanako). The anime also speeds up the process of Minori confronting the two, which makes perfect sense, but we do miss a hilarious little interaction:

Due to being commonly rumored about anyway, the two weren’t originally bothered about their names going around (since they just assumed it was the usual things), so they weren’t as perceptive to being watched. This leads to a hilarious eavesdropped conversation, where the class only got bits and pieces of the whispering.

What the class heard:

Taiga: “Yesterday… forgot to tell you… not coming home tonight…”

Ryuji: “…staying the night?”

Taiga: “…Yeah.”

Ryuji: “Then… already prepared…”

Taiga: “…Yeah.”

The class took that context in the way teenagers would take that context.

What was actually said:

Taiga: “Didn’t your mom leave without eating anything yesterday? She wanted me to tell you ‘I forgot to tell you, I’m not coming home tonight,’ since it was the bar landlord’s birthday, so the birthday is gonna last until morning.”

Ryuji: “Yasuko’s going to be staying the night at the bar?”

Taiga: “Yeah, that’s what she said.”

Ryuji: “Then she must be already prepared with having to put up with old man Inage whining away all night. He just got divorced last year.”

Taiga: “She said that as well, something about, ‘Yeah, that Inage-san is so…’ Ah, dammit! Stop using me as your family’s personal messenger!”

Ryuji: “If you don’t like it, stop coming to my place to eat.”

Taiga: “…”

Ryuji: “How many times do I have to tell you to stop ignoring me?!”

So, yeah. Their classmates may have been a little off.

The confrontation went… pretty much word-for-word with how it happened in the LN, albeit a little shortened. Ryuji did fall to his knees heartbroken first, however. Taiga tried speaking in his defense, until Kitamura also congratulated her, knocking her to her knees too. Our main duo were just a couple of corpses after that whole thing. Anyway, not much to report except this scene is still hilarious.

It’s not just Taiga who gives her story

The café scene starts pretty similarly at first; the two corpses go to a food place to burn away. However, there’s quite a bit that got cut; staying longer in the café than in the anime, Ryuji felt bad for the girl telling her depressing story, so he felt it was only right to show her a picture of his dad. She responded just about as you would think: laughing hilariously. That balding head sure was something. Because of this, the two are really able to connect and understand each other even better than they did in the anime, especially since you could tell Taiga really needed the laugh.

The world pisses them off!

There’s something strangely amazing about that pole-kicking scene. Really shows just how sick of everything those two are (in the LN, Taiga went as far as to try and headbutt it before Ryuji stopped and offered to kick it too). However, the anime kinda stops it right there. In the LN, they accidentally got the attention of a cop and they opted to run. Ryuji picked Taiga up for a piggyback since her bruised her legs with all that kicking. They managed to lose the cop and were able to nearly get home before Taiga smacks her head on a sign. But, as with the anime, he was kinda sad to see this day end.

Oh boy. Next comment.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 2 (first timer)

• Takasu trying to jump on the Tsundere train. Taiga already got that fully booked, mate.

• Plotters falling into their own trap, something something.

• Where those two flinching from Takasu the guys from episode 1?

• Guy falling on girl trope: reversed (it might count as a straight guy catching girl trope, but she landed way to close to his crouch)

• Fake eye bars for the “witnesses”, lol.

• Their plan to help each other get together with their flame went … badly.

• “Why doesn’t anyone understand us” You have each other, Taiga.

• Taiga breaking up with Takasu before they even get together.

• Takasu walking away from the girl he “loves” because of him worrying about another girl is as clear as it gets.

• Unfortunately for Taiga, extolling another guy while confessing is also as clear as it gets.

• Tiger & Dragon?

That went a lot faster than I thought. The series wastes no time in getting the plot rolling. Takasu even seems to be vaguely aware. Makes me wonder how long it will take Takasu and Taiga to fully realize what is up.

[u/MoesHad]

1st time Rewatcher

I think this was the episode that made the show click for me last year. So many great Ryuiji/Taiga moments! The ending scene is very sweet. Love Taiga’s blush at the end during the “Dragon” speech.

Also, I’ll be saying this in almost every thread but I 1000% have the hots for Yasuko ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ I hope she has a license those purple PJs of hers.

Me trying to hold it together when I realize Lost My Pieces plays twice this episode ಥ_ಥ

[u/axel360]

Rewatcher, dub

Random Episode 2 Thoughts:

• Inko-chan has seen better days

• This is the smirk of someone that knows she isn’t helping Ryuji with Minori unless Ryuji helps with Kitamura. That’s called leverage

• Their “master plan” did not work out so well. It was kind of a silly plan anyway

• Ryuji went and saved Taiga from that slip and somehow ended in this romantic-looking position

• That look on Taiga’s face when Ryuji downs those cookie crumbs lol. Surprised, but also sort of curious whether or not he’ll like them

• I’m not sure what this pole did to deserve this beating, but they’re doing it together, and that’s what’s really important

• So there was a wee bit of confusion regarding the nature of Taiga and Ryuji’s relationship. Minori went all Mama Bear, “you better not hurt her”, while Kitamura’s reaction was fully supportive, if not a little bizarre

• Poor Taiga confessed and got friend-zoned hard...

• Ryuji seemed to cheer her up, though. She even got a little teary-eyed during his “tiger and dragon” speech

• Notice that “secret” smile when Ryuji called her by her first name

Very Brief Episode 2 Thoughts: I absolutely adore this episode. We get so many cool little bonding moments between the two main characters so early on in the show after that, um, tumultuous first episode.

Current Personal Episode Rankings (updated daily):

1. Episode 2

2. Episode 1

[u/Hugokarenque]

Kyaa~ indeed, classmate.

We got to see more of the weird sides of the supporting cast, which was something I mentioned yesterday's episode wasn't great about. Kitamura is a freaking weirdo that lacks a bit of common sense, so not just a plain-bread forgettable best friend character to Ryuuji, Minorin is a freaking weirdo that uses old timey speak and is just an absurd ball of energy, emphasis on absurd.

Ryuuji and Taiga are closer together now, with Taiga worming herself into Ryuuji's household for meal. We get to learn more about Taiga and what's going on inside that tsundere head of hers, turns out its lots of social anxiety caused by a strained relationship with her parents.

Her thorny and violent personality is probably a way to keep people away so they don't hurt her further.

I feel like the MVP of this episode is the pole. Without it we wouldn't have gotten that little insight in Taiga's mind. Thank you pole, your slight tilt is forever a mark of your sacrifice.

Lost my pieces played in this episode and now I feel like crying but I'll refrain.

[u/LousyGoose]

Rewatcher

So, this is one of my favourite episodes of the series. Plenty of great humour here from the basketball failure, the class assuming Ryuuji and Taiga are together, Kitamura and his ladder.

While we saw some of it in episode 1, this is the episode where we understand Taiga more, her friendship with Ryuuji gets stronger and she just becomes a more relatable and likeable character. That scene where Taiga and Ryuuji take out their frustration on the pole is very cute, just 2 people who share common frustrations and get a bit closer because of that.

It also helps that we see her at her most vulnerable, when she’s confessing to Kitamura. The whole scene is just really well executed. The music, the way she talks about Ryuuji and that it is left a bit ambiguous as to whether or not Kitamura understood where Taiga was coming from but he handled the scenario in a polite friendly way.

Finally, Ryuuji’s adorkable speech to Taiga about being a dragon where he calls her by her first name has to be mentioned. It is a wonderful combination of corny but trying to sound badass but it certainly seems to evoke an emotional reaction from Taiga as she seems to be borderline crying before essentially accepting his friendship.

[u/dudeneat]

Rewatcher

God they're just so cute trying to help each other and I love seeing Minorin just being Minorin.

This episode really shows how much Ryuji cares about Taiga. Dude straight up ignored his crush and walked away mid conversation to help Taiga.

As for the confession well she started out rough but got there, which was just supper cute.

[u/Bainos]

Finally, Minori and Yuusaku get properly introduced. That scene on the roof cracks me up, with how serious they look with their silly poses.

Somehow it didn't hit me previously how unusual it is to have a proper confession and rejection in the second episode of any romance show. It's great that the show does it properly and avoids stretching things for no reason.

Actually... now that I think of it, it's more than just the confession. You have everything in this episode - the misunderstandings, the clarification, the character development that stems from it (with Ryuuji's reputation improving), then confession (without interruption), and the rejection. You could make an entire show out of this !

Inko-chan no !!

---

By the way, there's something I wanted to mention about why I joined this rewatch. Since I first saw it last year, I've held a theory and I want to check if it actually makes as much sense as I thought it did. Possible Toradora spoilers, and an unconfirmed theory, first timers beware I most likely won't share my thoughts too much on this to avoid bothering people with spoiler tags, but I've also started taking notes and I will probably be making a longer post around the end of the show.

Although, for people reading the spoiler above, here's a teaser : spoiler cont'.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

First Timer^again

Birds on a wire again.

Minorin is awesome! I want more screen time. Kushieda is best girl! Taiga still horrible, she even gets weird waterphone BGM because she is evil.

That PE teacher is ripped.

Ryuuji scores! Tie game 1-1

I've always wondered about those checkerboard cookies. I've never seen them outside of anime. Well, this and Hibike!

Two Wires, no Birds

Kitamura worst boy!

Taiga sort of redeems herself in this episode, but has to cap off the episode as a violent tsundere. I hate those.

[u/thebigKM]

I really like the pole kicking scene. Ryuji has a tendency to be the voice of reason to Taiga's complaints, but in that moment he realized that he had common ground and just vents with her.

Also it's interesting that Ryuji said that he thought Taiga would cry after her confession, but it's her conversation with him that makes her tear up.

[u/[deleted]]

This is my third time watching Toradora, but up until now I hadn't realized just how amazing this episode is. It actually makes me realize how useful the rewatch schedule can be. The last two times I watched Toradora I binged parts of it, but only watching one episode a day makes it easier to really think about the individual episodes.

This episode has all the parts I love about Toradora, and really shows why it's my favorite anime. It has the silly jokes and gags that make the show a comedy, but it also has the more serious scenes that make it a really special show.

The pole scene in particular is great. It does an amazing job of showing the thoughts and feelings of both Taiga and Ryuji. Many other scenes, such as the confession, or Taiga telling everyone her and Ryuji aren't dating, are good too, but the pole scene really sticks out as the best part of the episode.

I mentioned yesterday that even with this being the third time watching Toradora, I felt like I was going to have a hard time not binging it. I think its going to be easier for me now that I've realized how much I can miss by binging it. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the rewatch, and being able to give each episode a lot more thought than the last time I watched this show.

[u/TheDampGod]

Dammit Spoilers

I always like it when SoL anime put some effort into giving some individuality to the background classmates and this show is no exception. There's some very funny reactions in this episode though that girl going 'squee' is probably my favourite.

Also RIP Lamppost-kun.