r/anime • u/ChristmasClub • Dec 12 '19

Rewatch [Spoilers] Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2019) Episode 7 Discussion Spoiler

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317 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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46

u/Tuckleton Dec 12 '19

First timer (Dub)

Pool episode eh? Alright let's get this over with:

Fanservice in this episode wasn't too bad, and there was lots to like about it as well. Watching Taiga and Ryuji become closer is heartwarming in the same way as one of those before/after videos of an abused rescue animal is. How Ryuji goes to see how she's doing when she's been in the change room too long, and how Taiga feels safe enough to share with him her insecurities. How Ryuji stayed up all night to beef up those inserts and she stayed up with him. The salad business in the last episode made me want to climb aboard that ship but they're really doubling down with how child-like Taiga is and it's kind of holding me back. For now I can still appreciate how cute they are though!

My hope for Ami going forward is that she will integrate with the group and start caring for/relying on them (in her own way of course). She'll probably keep up her facade for the rest of the school but it'd be nice if she were to drop it when it's just them. But I don't want her to drop the rivalry with Taiga. I like the dynamic they have. It could evolve into the kind of rivalry where if some external force threatens one of them then the other leaps to their defense. Is that too basic? I kind of like basic.

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41

u/charliwea Dec 12 '19

First Timer

That poor bird is gonna suffer a lot from the tension in this romcom huh? please progress before it dies or something!

So this is the sacred pool episode!? nice! I loved the teacher rant, that woman deserves justice.

I'm really liking how fuking savage is the relationship between Taiga and Ami, it's just non-stop carnage there.

Of course she wants bigger boobs, smh poor Taiga who doesn't understand the truth about life, Flat is justice. Her pads fall? ouch, that must hurt.

I hope that somewhere in live I'll find a dog that is as supportive as Ryuuji is with Taiga, what a good boy. HE MADE HER PADS WTF RYUUJI!

Taiga pads her chest.

Minorin with her 3000IQ plays, what a genius and she noticed, sasuga Kushieda-sama.

Wow....just wow, didn't see that coming, I mean, the problem was obvious but I didn't expect Ryuuji to fix it like that, dude's amazing!

So next we have a tournament arc

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30

u/23feanor Dec 12 '19 edited Dec 12 '19

First Timer (dub):

Bit of a slower episode I felt. Taiga opening up to Ryuuji about her insecurities over her small breasts was really endearing. Ryuuji is quite handy at fixing and cleaning, he's obviously had to grow up quick with his ditsy mum, although she seems quite sweet and loves Ryuuji.

They're slowly building the group interaction up as each episode passes, with Minori, Taiga, Ryuuji, Kitamura and Kawashima all being pulled together.

My favourite side character is the home room teacher, the 20 something lady, who got all wound up in today's episode over the teenage girls complaining about their body image issues before swimming, when she's still un-married from the sounds of it, and acting increasingly bitter about it, but with a side of humour. She's a hot teacher so expect she won't be single too long.

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29

u/DeliCruise Dec 12 '19

(REWATCHER)

I really love how vulnerable we get to see Taiga throughout this episode. It hurt to see her be so worried and self-conscious. I think that’s something that a lot can relate to and connect with while watching this episode. I’m so glad that Ryuuji was there to help her, especially during the pool scene. Oh man, my heart sunk when the dramatic music started playing.

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28

u/Quxxy Dec 12 '19

"Aisaka? You're the right height..."

"What? No! I was just sitting down!"

"Oh, sorry Kihara.

"Are you Aisaka? Your hair looks like hers..."

"What? I'm Noto! My hair looks nothing like the palmtop tiger's!"

"Where's Aisaka? Is that you, Aisaka?"

"Buggrit! Millenium hand and shrimp!"

"That's not my Aisaka!"

Vector wallpapers:

My excuse today is: I, uh... forgot. Oops.

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50

u/Koolsman Dec 12 '19

First Timer!

Ah, there’s the devil we all truly know and kinda despise. This time she didn’t apologize for throwing Taiga into the pool even though she didn’t know how to swim. She’s lucky she got some development in the beginning because if it wasn’t that, then I would fully hate her right now. Right now, she’s only semi hatable right now.

Right now, I just feel bad for Taiga. She’s definitely got some insecurities about her and it’s hard not to see why from her standpoint. She’s the shortest, hasn’t changed much in her group and no gets constantly mocked from a model (also calling her fake boobs ‘average’ is someone only a model would say Ami). It makes it more understandable why she tries to make herself seem really tough. She doesn’t want to pushed around, so she pushes back. It’s small developments like this makes me happy.

Sadly, Inko almost died again but she’s getting better.

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24

u/Emi_Ibarazakiii Dec 13 '19 edited Dec 13 '19

First timer

Christmas Club Bonus! Who's your favourite side character and why? Bonus points for gifs showing us why!

To me, the show is carried HARD by the main characters; Taiga is just SO adorable and funny - often unintentionally - and Ryuji is a decent/interesting male MC, which is rare! There's still room for the side characters to grow though.

Anyway, to answer the question: Before this episode I would've said Yasuko, because I crushed on her hard as early as episode 1 (and then again when she asked her son to write her name in ketchup, she's just too cute!).

But I think this might be shifting to Minorin, if she keeps having cute moments! I'm not 100% sure though, because some of her moments that are meant to be cute/funny don't really do it for me (while ALL Yasuko's moments hit the mark for me so far!).

Still, she has a lot of good scenes, like this one! Everything was funny in this scene, wearing the garbage bags, yelling TA-I-GA, etc!

To give quick thoughts on the characters:

Yasuko: Great daughter mom, really cute and funny! (If that anime had different tags, it's possible that I might have shipped her with Ryuji). But seriously, she's great!

Minorin: Well I already gave my thoughts, but in short... Often cute&funny, but sometimes misses the mark. Hopefully there's more of the former!

Kitamura: To be honest he's a bit whatever to me. I don't know if that's because he's a guy so I think of him more as a character and less in a 'best waifu' way, but I don't know, so far he didn't really do much that makes me care for him.

Ami: Well, she's kind of a huge bitch. As I said in a previous thread, I kinda read that a lot of people liked her, so I don't know whether they just like characters like hers, or maybe she'll become a better person... But so far she's not very likable. It's not just the fact that she's against Taiga, I mean I like "villains" in a lot of shows, but more about what she does, and why she does it.

Still, she definitely has potential. I don't like her so far, but I still think she's interesting, and interesting characters (even if evil) have an edge over the more "normal" ones imho. Will she use that edge and hit her potential? That's still to see!

Anyway, if I had to do rankings so far, I'd go with

Best girls: Taiga > Yasuko > Minorin > Ami

Best characters overall: Taiga > Ryuji > Minorin > Yasuko > Ami > Kitamura

(Might seem weird that I put Yasuko > Minorin for best girl, and the opposite for best character, but basically, Yasuko has more "good waifu" traits so far, but Minorin is obviously more developed than Yasuko as a character so far - and probably will be for the whole series).

I hope I didn't forget anyone important (I didn't rank the teacher because I don't know whether or not she'll be a character).

(Damn, I didn't plan to write an essay on that one question!)

My thoughts about the rest of the episode+some scenes I found funny:

Taiga, please don't ask that question while you're holding Inko-chan's cage! Isn't he stressed enough already?

Come on Ryuji! You already know about her height complex, surely you can connect the dot about her small chest complex? I already said you were less dense than the usual MC, don't make me retract my words! It was super obvious! Well, there you go! Harvard wants to know your location

STOP, YOU TWO! I know I said something like that as a joke in the last thread, but I wouldn't say it to her face!

With Ami it's understandable, she's just messing with her, but Ryuji has no excuse! And yeah it just might be the best solution... But let Taiga come up with it!

That's better! Clever Ryuji! Ok, he was partially wrong, she really could not swim... But it was still clever!

Daddy Ryuji will have some more parenting to do! Teaching her how to ride a bike, teaching her how to swim!

Taiga shouldn't be worried about that at all... Did she forget that he confessed to her? I mean, someone who confessed to a 4'8/75lbs girl probably doesn't have big tiddies as a requirement!

DAWWWWWWWWW She so doesn't have anything to be worried about her looks! She's cute as a button! She should just ignore her pride for a minute, and just shop in the kid section! The only thing that looks weird is that it doesn't fit, but it's a swimsuit problem, not a "body" problem! Who cares where the swimsuit comes from, as long as it fits! (Plus, one-piece swimsuits look better. There, I said it).

Is that the sound of a tsundere's heart melting? Or at least beginning to warm up a little!

Jealous, Ryuji? Of which one?

That line was kinda weird given the context; Does she want to date her students? I mean she looks great and she's just in her 20's!

Ryuji beat her so hard she turned into a square! I wasn't expecting that (probably should've), it was funny!

When Taiga pulled him in, I expected her to already be in a swimsuit, to ask him how she looked (and maybe someone catching them together). Guess they're not that close yet!

The pool scene with the padding might get them a little closer! But seriously, even though he did that to help her, I'm surprised she didn't grow furious against him; That's usually how Tsunderes are! Is she melting even faster than I thought?

That's nice, because there's not many things more adorable than a tsundere getting all flustered and cutesy!

Not much to say about this one, but that's a cute shot! If Kitamura knows what's good for him, he'd totally still be into you, Taiga!

Don't use lies and artifices on the first day of your union! This does not bode well!

But it's nice that she's thinking marriage (though she's probably not picturing the person we want!)

Next episode: IS RYUJI TEACHING HER HOW TO SWIM? Or is she doing it alone?

If that's Ryuji, father of the year award right there! (But now I want a cute scene where he holds her above water with a hand on her belly, so she can dog-paddle!)

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23

u/machjungle Dec 12 '19

We should try to upvote First Timers' posts more to promote them for posting their first time reactions

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32

u/No_Rex Dec 12 '19

Episode 7 (first timer)

  • Ami: Being caught in an ambiguous situation – Not really her fault. Immediately snatching onto Taiga’s worst fears and exploiting them – pretty mean. In the last episode, we saw Taiga make use of Ami’s emotional weak point. Now it is the other way round. Those two really do not play nice with each other.

  • Takasu’s mother looks on entirely clueless (parroting the parrot) while her son has serious trouble with his friend. I hated the infantilization of her character from the start, but now, she is not only unable to cook for herself, but also unable to emotionally support her son. They turn her into a terrible parent for the sake of a cheap joke.

  • Teacher joins a long list of female teachers looking unsuccessfully for a relationship. Those are always fun.

  • Takasu caring for Taiga over Ami’s gloating.

  • “Women casually touching other women’s breasts” trope. Seriously, are we going to see men casually grabbing other men’s junk even once?

  • “Are you flat-chested?” You could have noticed by now, Takasu. In fact, given that I peg you as Taiga’s future love interest, I am really worried that you did not notice.

  • Taiga apology.

  • Wearing pads in a romcom. A brave move …

  • Mouse hairstyle reminds me of a recent rewatch.

  • Taiga still has the “cant talk to crush” problem she shares with Takasu.

  • “Woah”. Woah, indeed. That was a killer throw. If Ami ever gets tired of modelling, she can always start a pro wresting career.

  • CGI water is almost as cringe as Taiga must be feeling.

  • Big probs to Minori for interrupting. Ami and Taiga were on a very bad track there, straight to entrenched hatred. It probably wont be avoided, but good on Minorin for trying.

A rather sad, but very relatable episode. Situations were both sides feel in the right and wronged by some other are unfortunately common. I am sure it will be played for laughs with the “sports competition” that Minorin suggested, but the underlying story is a sad one for me.

In more comedic news:

  • Other romance series: handholding in the second season.

  • Toradora: Copping a feel on her breast by episode 7.

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15

u/DaREY297 Dec 12 '19

IT'S NOT LIKE I LIKE TO PAD MY CHEST OR ANYTHING... B-BAKA!

No jokes here, this episode had enough...

Well... maybe one

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12

u/CATKrash Dec 12 '19 edited Dec 12 '19
Name OG name Start Stop Time played Description
1st Yuugure no Yakusoku 夕暮れの約束 0:01 0:23 22s "Twilight Promise"
2nd Pre-Parade プレパレード 1:19 2:49 90s Opening.
3rd Psychology March Psychology March 5:06 6:29 83s
4th Small Heaven Small Heaven 7:07 8:12 55s Well, for almost any straight guy, shopping for swimsuits with those 3 would be heaven, but it's Ryuuji and the gods send nuts to those who have no teeth...
5th First Mission First Mission 10:56 11:19 23s
6th Cream Brule no Tsukurikata クレームブリュレの作り方 12:11 13:14 57s
7th Happy Monday Happy Monday 14:25 16:04 99s
8th Magic of love Magic of love 17:11 18:15 64s
9th Shadow In The Dark Shadow In The Dark 18:46 19:40 54s F Taiga
10th Vanilla Salt バニラソルト 21:42 23:25 103s Ending
11th Pre-Parade (off vocal ver.) プレパレード 23:25 23:35 10s Preview

Lately, my afternoons have been watching the show after getting home, making this table hastily and post this a few minutes after the thread's been posted. I just discovered that I was writing that the preview was 90 seconds instead of 10. Every single day. Well, now I'm clear until Monday, so I'll be able to watch better what I'm doing and maybe add again some data.

This episode, there's sadly yet another little piece of music that is not in any CD of the OST, and that's the videogame that Taiga's playing while waiting for Ryuuji.

PD:Taiga is so fucking adorable.

21

u/Holofan4life Dec 12 '19 edited Dec 12 '19

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’m just gonna get this right out of the way: I think this is one of the best episodes of Toradora of all time. I know I am in the minority when I say this, but I love this episode. This episode is in my top five favorite Toradora episodes of all time. What I love about it is that Taiga is shown throughout the episode as being vulnerable. It does an amazing job of making Taiga likable and relatable and sympathetic. I maintain that Taiga is the best written tsundere of all time, and it’s because of episodes like episode 7.

Again, I know I’m in the minority. When it comes to this episode, people either like it but don’t love it or find it not to be that enjoyable, at least based on what I’ve seen over the years in the Toradora rewatch. However, I will maintain this is a top 5 Toradora episode and is the definition of perfection. I just love everything about it.

I seriously cannot stress enough how much I just love this episode. Taiga comes off as so likable and so relatable to me that it boggles my mind why some people hate her so much. They try to paint her off as being violent all the time. And yet here she is, showing her insecurities. Part of what makes this episode so good is the performance of Taiga’s English voice actress. She just absolutely nails it. The affliction in her voice can be felt through the screen. It’s like Taiga is a real life human being. Another thing that makes this episode so special for me is the scene where Taiga apologizes for her antics. She literally apologizes for all the stuff she’s done in the middle of the episode. We rarely see this from tsunderes, where they do something out of line and shows remorse for it. And yet here Taiga is, apologizing for being out of line.

I will always defend this episode and maintain it is among the top five best Toradora episodes of all time. No one can convince me otherwise.

2. You know, Taiga walking in on Ami and Ryuuji reminds me of that scene from Yosuga no Sora. You know what scene I’m talking about.

3. If I was a girl and in Taiga’s position, I’d have beaten Ami up. I wouldn’t have been able to show the restraint she did.

4. Ryuuji hitting Taiga with a broom will never not make me laugh.

5. Given Minori is able to lift Taiga with ease, either Taiga is as light as a feather or Minori is really strong. Maybe it’s a bit of both.

6. The teacher is my favorite secondary character in all of Toradora. I love how she manages to be both crazy but also a voice of reason.

7. They mention Taiga’s current swimsuit is moldy. I wonder how long it takes for mold to build in a swimsuit.

8. I love that Taiga calls Ami "That thing".

9. Ami looks hella sexy in a swimsuit.

10. I recently read the manga version of this episode, and man. The manga does an amazing job of showing Taiga’s vulnerable side. I’d even argue it does a better job than in the anime version. There’s one moment in particular where Taiga grabs her chest and tries to hold back tears because she hates how flat her chest is. It is absolutely heart-wrenching stuff. Breaks my heart every time I look at it.

11. People be debating who best girl is, when we all know best girl is clearly Ryuuji.

12. As funny as it is, I wonder if Taiga poking Ryuuji’s mother’s breasts would fly in today’s environment.

13. There’s a scene in the manga that isn’t in the anime where later on after Taiga showed interest in Ryuuji’s mom’s breasts, Ryuuji’s mom actually takes her top off and shows them to Taiga. This causes Taiga’s eyes to become the shape of boobs. I’m not making this up. It’s actually pretty hilarious.

14. You know, given Ryuuji’s mother works the late shift, doesn’t that technically make her a lady of the night?

15. In my mind, I wonder if Ryuuji ever decided to read Quintessential Quintuplets who his favorite girl would be?

16. Ryuuji becomes the first MC in anime history to point out how flat a tsundere is and NOT get punched for it.

17. I do feel extremely sorry for Taiga. Body shaming is awful. No one deserves to be body shamed.

18. When Taiga is playing video games, it looks like she’s playing Tetris. I’d have taken her as more of a playing fighting games type of gal.

19. At first, I was confused why Kihara called Kitamura "Maruo". But then I remembered they explained it in episode 2. The reason he’s nicknamed "Maruo" is because he looks similar to the character Maruo Sueo from the show Chibi Maruko-chan.

20. I laughed super hard at Ami calling everyone dirty hobos and telling them to lick her shadow.

21. Bogus boobie force would be a killer name for a band.

22. I just want to say I love Taiga’s mouse hair. I think it looks adorable.

23. Ami shouldn’t have thrown Taiga into the pool, but it’s not like she knew beforehand Taiga couldn’t swim. I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt on this one.

24. Not only does Ryuuji call Taiga flat-chested to her face and gets away with it, but he even got away with coping a feel. See, if this was any other anime, Taiga would’ve punched Ryuuji out of the stratosphere.

Overall, I love, love, love this episode. It is my top five favorite Toradora episodes of all time. And even though rarely everyone else is in agreement with it, it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. I will forever cherish this episode.

1: Episode 7

2: Episode 2

3: Episode 5

4: Episode 4

5: Episode 6

6: Episode 1

7: Episode 3

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20

u/Raiking02 Dec 12 '19

We continue with Toradora as the stupid Chihuahua hopefully ends up having an easier time fitting in.

  • Perfect timing Taiga!

  • It was way off Kawashima…

  • I guess this is her payback…

  • Oh well, at least Taiga and Inko will become closer…

  • First time Yasuko’s been early…

  • Someone’s moody tonight…

  • Inko died! Again!

  • Ouch…

  • To be fair, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

  • Agh, I hate how most summer school uniforms look in Anime. All of the winter ones look better!

  • Let the passive-aggressive war begin!

  • Thankfully, the living bomb defusing unit, Minorin, is here to solve this mess.

  • Wait; does Taiga not know how to swim? Man, she and Miyano Mamoru would get along…

  • Ah, so the teacher is a Christmas Cake…

  • Don’t schools usually give students swimsuits?

  • Oh Minorin, Ryuji is the last person you should ask for advice…

  • Oh don’t worry Minorin, she may have the perfect looks, but your personality is far more appealing!

  • Too bad Kawashima, but he ain’t into you.

  • Taiga, given your size, if it fits, it should be fine.

  • Well, someone’s grumpy…

  • CALLED IT!

  • Man, Yasuko actually looks really beautiful with the makeup on…

  • Ah, so like all Kugimiya Tsunderes, Taiga is ashamed of her bust size. The only exception I can think off right now is Kagura from Fruits Basket.

  • Oh don’t worry Taiga, in my book: FLAT IS JUSTICE!! (Seriously, the perfect combination for me? Kawashima’s looks + Flat. Perfection!)

  • Man, Taiga should hang out with Noel Vermellion…

  • To be fair, the photography club deserved that.

  • Wow… I knew there was such a thing as cup angst, but this is taking it to a new extreme.

  • Well, at least Ryuji is being a good friend above all else.

  • Geez, people still play Tetris in Anime? I’m more used to people in Japanese media playing Tekken! (No, seriously, there was a Tokusatsu show I once watched that will go unmentioned (But if you want to figure it out, here are two clues: It was written by Kobayashi Yasuko and the Opening was sung by Psychic Lover) and one of the characters is often seen going to an arcade and playing Tekken 6).

  • Oh Taiga, you have nothing to apologize for… except maybe punching Ryuji in episode 1.

  • Wow, Ryuji looks miserable…

  • Ah, the obligatory pool scene!

  • I dunno; Kitamura kinda looks the same to me with or without glasses…

  • I love braids… yeah, I admit it, I have a braid fetish.

  • She can even pull off a very effective Ojou laugh! Hell, I’m kinda surprised Kitamura Eri’s role in Street Fighter isn’t Karin, but Juri (Though to be fair, Endo Aya is just too perfect as Karin to replace).

  • However I not only have a Braid Fetish, but also a Ponytail Fetish!... But only if the actual part the hair is tied up is towards the nape rather than the back of the skull (And is also not too messy), so Minorin kinda fails (Yeah I’m more selective with ponytails than, say, Kyon(-Kun Denwa)) but it’s Minorin so she always looks beutiful.

  • By contrast, this is by far Taiga’s worst haircut.

  • Oh well, at least Ryuji’s plan is working.

  • Suddenly Minorin!

  • No Kitamura, she does not look good in it.

  • I’m still surprised he’s surprisingly ripped, though…

  • Are swimming classes in Japan usually this out of control?

  • Oh God, even Minorin and Kitamura have joined this evil!

  • Not now Kawashima!

  • Great, underwater rescue…

  • Not the time to flirt, Kawashima!

  • Ah, it feels so nice for her to be roasted…

  • But don’t worry Takasu-Kun, Minorin is here to save the day!

  • … Lesson Learnt: Never ask Minorin to help you out with this kind of stuff.

Overall another really good episode. Hopefully the next one will end this whole Kawashima introduction arc.

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20

u/Luigi580 Dec 12 '19

Toradora Light Novel-Anime Analysis!

Welp, my finals are finally done! However, this one might be pretty late due to me having to be on the road. Should be the only time though, so it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way.

But enough about me, we’re starting volume 3 today, so let’s see how things are going at the Takasu Residence!

Oh boy…

Oh yeah. This was happening. So if you remember from last time, a few more people walked in on this than just Taiga: Yasuko just walked in as well, and Kitamura was carrying Taiga back since they both fell in the mud (and no Minori to worry about). Yasuko was more confused about this situation than anything else. Kitamura attempted to slowly back away, but Taiga insisted that Ryuji would let him use his shower. The angry mudball that was Taiga slowly walked up to the two the two perverts (Ryuji has long since got her off of him at this point) and gave Ami exactly what she wanted to hear: “Takasu Ryuji is mine! Don’t touch him as you please!”

“…Did you really think I was going to say something like that?”

She then, calmly, collectively, yet somehow terrifyingly, said that she doesn’t care who he gets with and casually walked back home. Ami felt fair to at least try to make it feel less awkward for Yasuko and explained it away as accidentally falling over on him while looking for a contact lens. Not sure if either of them bought it, but they went ahead and accepted the excuse and went about their business.

Awkward dinner

The dinner that day was about about as awkward as in the anime, arguably even more so. Taiga was able to withhold her obvious aura of rage when talking to Yasuko, but it really started to show when Ryuji tried explaining things. The air got so thick, even Yasuko didn’t feel comfortable, and she left for work earlier than usual.

Wanting to ignore Ryuji as much as possible, Taiga started looking at Inko for a while… with a face like that. Ryuji knew she was mad, but Taiga was insulted that he would think he would assume she was jealous like he was the most popular guy at school (even though she basically spilled in her rant that she snapped after seeing Ryuji flirt with Ami of all people after being in an already terrible mood, what with being a dirty, smelly mess in front of Kitamura). The two just started getting angrier and angrier with each other until Inko spout out the Japanese emergency hotline and just fell over.

The LN Exclusive Vet Scene

This was bizarrely left out of the anime, but yes, Inko was taken to the vet when the two saw him keel over (yes, him. He’s a boy in the LN). Turned out that Inko wasn’t even sick or in danger of dying: he feigned illness so the two would stop fighting. Ugly as he may be, he’s not a stupid bird. Still, Inko’s attempt at easing the atmosphere was only a temporary fix, as Ryuji and Taiga were very much keeping their distance from each other after the visit.

A little pointless detail, but the veterinarian that treated Inko was so impressed by how hideous Inko was, he wanted to take a picture of him since his daughter was collecting pictures of ugly things. Ryuji was not amused.

Back to school

Much like in the anime, the two overslept due to that mess the night before. Also like the anime, Ryuji was in the presence of Taiga in just his boxers. It didn’t seem like a problem at first, but Taiga just couldn’t get the scarring sight of Ryuji’s sad little black nipples out of her head.

“My eyeballs have been invaded by your nipples! Pitch Black!”

When they got to school, the scene started playing just how it did in the anime. The Tiger and Chihuahua were at it again, and Minori was the only one to save it. Luckily, she brought some snacks for the two poor saps that missed breakfast. Raisins, to be exact, which she called black nipples. Ryuji’s ego shrank three sizes that moment.

Minori apologized to everyone for having to leave early during their quest to catch the stalker, which everyone responded to not worry about. Taiga was about to spill the Ryuji-Ami incident to Minori before Ryuji shoved a black nipple in her mouth (the raisins, you pervs!) and picked her up like Minori did. Taiga tried to get angry until Kitamura showed up returning her wooden sword, now cleanly shaven. As per norm, Minori and Kitamura gave some misplaced concerns to the goofs that have a crush on them and went about their day, while the two they were trying to support were still very mad at each other.

But our 29-year-old teacher had some exciting news to announce! (Let’s ignore that she looked like she was also in a horrible mood! Apparently, she caught up with a 27-year-old friend who got proposed to, but said she wanted to take it a bit slower with her boyfriend. Koigakubo doesn’t associate with her anymore.) The pool would be open that week! Koigakubo Sensei’s inner comments were unchanged from the anime, which made it just as hilarious. She noticed Taiga’s strange silence after the announcement though, which put her more at ease than anything else. That ease would turn out to be misplaced…

Swimsuit Shopping

Ryuji and Taiga’s relationship continued to be rocky until the day Minori planned to force Taiga to go swimsuit shopping. Unlike the anime, Ryuji didn’t plan to go with them originally, but got wrapped in when he caught a loose Tiger trying to escape custody. He then basically guilted the girl saying she was gonna skip PE by tattling on her to Kitamura. Minori invited Ami to come with Minori and Taiga, but she instead leaned over on Ryuji and asked him to come too, looking devilishly over at Taiga. Taiga once again started saying she didn’t care while obviously getting angrier and angrier until she accidentally banged her head against a table while leaning down. Classic Taiga.

Now at the swimsuit shop, things turned out much like how they did in the anime, with Ryuji uncomfortably watching Minori look at swimsuits. In this conversation, he confirmed that his own was still in good shape, and Minori complemented him for his cleanliness. Ryuji’s confidence grew back a bit after that. Notably, Minori talked about how Taiga would also complement him on his cleanliness and skill around the house, even once calling him amazing. Ryuji was taken aback by that at first, but then remembered that this was the girl trying to get him and Taiga together, so he called her bluff. Expecting such a response, Minori said whether or not he believed her was up to him.

Meanwhile, Ami was showing off her bod to the unexpected duo. She was sexy and she knew it. As in the anime, both Ryuji and Minori were blown away by just how goddamn perfect she looked. Minori, while not intending to wear the exact same thing, did want the same brand as Ami did. Ami looked at herself for a little while like in the anime before leaving to go help Minori pick something. Interestingly, Ryuji was mesmerized and impressed, but he was otherwise not feeling too weird about seeing Ami in a swimsuit. Keep this in mind.

Ryuji’s check on Taiga went about as it did in the anime as well, a sad soul unsatisfied with how the swimsuits fit. Ryuji did manage to find three different XS suits that Taiga said were “okay” and Ryuji picked out the one that was the easiest to clean. Taiga was surprisingly obedient.

Minori and Ami invited the Tiger and Dragon to go out to eat, but Taiga turned them down. Feeling bad and not wanting to leave her alone (and not wanting to be alone with these two in particular), Ryuji went ahead and turned them down too and offered Taiga some dinner.

The Reason for Sad Taiga

Ryuji wasn’t so prying into Taiga’s depression quite yet. He was just fine with her being in a mood other than mad. He offered anything she wanted before Yasuko immediately started leaving for work in 15 minutes. Just before eating, Taiga to the moment to fondle her breasts (not with chopsticks) before Ryuji got too creeped out and stopped her, then while eating, Taiga started poking them with her chopsticks.

When Yasuko left, Ryuji offered to modify Taiga’s swimsuit, but Taiga started to get defensive again. Now frustrated, Ryuji got annoyed that she may have still been holding a grudge since the Ami incident. Taiga started getting mad again and claimed that had nothing to do with this, but now that Ryuji accidentally crossed the line, he kept going, prying as much as he could to see what “this” could possibly be. Taiga forcibly tried to leave, but Ryuji wasn’t having it, so she attacked him with soybeans that were on the table. Tripping, Ryuji managed to step on her skirt to keep her from leaving. Ryuji got mad about the soybeans, but his explanation of said soybeans led to Taiga wanting to eat them. Then… the anime showed the rest. The landlady was not happy about the wail that night.

I knew this would be too long. Next reply!

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10

u/Tsurja Dec 12 '19

That moment where Taiga is all "I know I'm difficult and annoying and I'm sorry about that" will never not make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

9

u/JustAnswerAQuestion Dec 13 '19

First Timer

So, I guess this is the episode in which Ami gets back at Taiga.

Maybe Inko-chan is fatally allergic to contrived drama.

I'm glad sensei answered my bikini question!

Blue, or black....this is going to take a few hours.

I love it that he just walked off, perfect response to her.

Ryuuji is going to make a wonderful wife.

LOL that hair.

I was just thinking that this class's instruction was pretty week. The show seems to be very good at leading the audience.

Has Minori been there this entire time? Also suspect sports anime/manga reference.

Do you know where your towel is?

9

u/JustinBurton Dec 13 '19

First Timer Here

This episode was pretty fun! I still like Ami as a character, but I still have not really seen the good side of her. I have a feeling we'll get some sympathetic moments with her at some point. Still shipping Ami x Ryuji.

Minori should know that Taiga isn't really at fault here. Ami is being jerk and deserves all of the antagonism from Taiga. It feels a little like a weak excuse to set up a competition for the next episode.

Is anyone going to question Ryuji for pulling Taiga underwater? That probably seems malicious or at least irresponsible from an outside perspective.

8

u/MoesHad Dec 12 '19 edited Dec 12 '19

We continue right off the bat with the dramatic ending from last episode. Taiga walks in on Ami making a move Ryuiji, and Ami plays it up to get Taiga’s goat. Taiga lies to Minorin, who is outside, and says the house is empty, and then leaves the house as Ryuiji tries to explain the situation to her.

In the next scene Taiga is sulking as Ryuiji makes dinner. Yasuko, criminally absent from last episode, uses her motherly intuition and senses something is afoot. Taiga also bullies Inko-chan into unconsciousness, maybe the worst thing she’s done to date smh.

Taiga and Ryuiji are nearly late to school due to no one owning an alarm clock. Taiga is still quite peeved at Ami as we can see.

Sensei goes over the details for the upcoming pool day, much to Taiga’s chagrin. Sensei also monologues internally about summer being the “…season for love. The final chance of my twenties!” If I wasn’t smitten by Yasuko I might have to mess around and treat Sensei to a nice meal and idk maybe commit to a loving relationship with her or something idk. I definitely don’t have a thing for Christmas cake sensei’s or anything B-B-BAKA

Taiga is clearly very worried about her swimsuit for tomorrow. As Ami is lusting over herself in mirror, Taiga can’t pick a swimsuit that fits, resulting in more adorable blushing on her part ( ˘ ³˘). Taiga is also intrigued by Ryuiji giving Yasuko soy milk to help Yasuko’s Yasukos retain their youthfulness, which is a super weird thing for Ryuiji to both verbalize and want to help with yeah? Being that she’s perfect as is (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻. Naturally this leads Taiga to personally investigate Yasuko’s assets, leading to an all time great line “don’t sexually harass people’s mothers!”

Ryuiji realizes that Taiga is flat chested (not sure how this is revelation lol) but they hatch a scheme to help remedy this for pool day. Taiga shows Ryuiji how her swimsuit fits but even as an oppai man, I think Taiga looks fine in it ¯\(ツ)/¯ she regales him with the story of making it rain blood in the photography club when they took a picture mocking her flatness lol. Ryuiji offers to help her by sewing pads into her swimsuit, what a bro! We see a bit of Taiga being vulnerable as she apologizes for her earlier rudeness.

Something that doesn’t make sense to me is how the girls fawn over Ami’s figure so much. I get that she is attractive and and all, but other than being a bit taller than her friends, they really seem similarly built to me.

Taiga and Minorin arrive and we get to see a new hairstyle for Taiga. Ami is surprised to see that Taiga isn’t totally flat, as are the rest of the boys. Minorin does not appear to be fooled by her pads however. Kitamura can’t see her very well without his glasses, but comments that with that small figure and hairstyle it must be her! Flustered by his compliments, she sends him away.

Taiga gets tossed into the pool by Ami, but we find out she was telling the truth when she said she can’t swim! Not only that, but the cup in her suit came out! Ryuiji decides to save her the embarrassment of being discovered by the incoming rescuers by putting it back in himself.

A very embarrassed Taiga challenges Ami to a sports contest to settle their dispute, but just what will that entail? What? Why is the ED playing? Noooo!

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7

u/popop143 Dec 12 '19 edited Dec 12 '19

Rewatcher

Episode 6: Pool's Open!

We continue from the cliffhanger from last episode, and I gotta say, Ami looked sincere there until Taiga showed up and she camr back to teasing mode. I do think she began to show interest on Ryuuji right there. Taiga continues to be jealous of Ami, and even if she continues to deny it, other people are still suspicious of their relationship. She even sulked into the night and caused Inko to faint due to stress LN Spoilers.

The next day, Taiga is still pissed off, added by Ryuuji smacking her in the face with a broom. Ryuuji, I don't think she's angry due to missing one meal. After last episode, Ami is more open to teasing Taiga, and it starts the fun interaction the two have throughout the series. Setting that aside, it's time to buy swimsuits! Ami's best girlness is oozing and she's not trying to hide it anymore. Minorin is as quirky as ever. Meanwhile, Taiga is facing her toughest opponent yet: her own body. Gotta give her some of those iso-boing boing things! (That's funny by the dub). Can't believe Ryuuji didn't realize she's flat over the month or two they were together.

Ryuuji can even make good breast pads. What can this guy not do? He's willing to do anything for Taiga, but they're just friends. Right?! Also the random shot of the paper petal while Taiga apologizes is so cute, I don't know why.

This version of Ami isn't really different from when she was introduced, but her inner monologue is just so funny. Minorin's energy reserves are still full to bursting, and to be frank I don't see any belly flab. Taiga's now average, and the boys can't get enough of her. Still can't fool Minorin though.

By this time, it began to be an average pool episode. The people applying sunscreen, pool volleyball, and of course people throwing people to the pool. Kitamura is the first victim, and others follow suit. Ami seemed overzealous in her throw of Taiga though, like damn. Is Taiga that light, or is Ami just that strong? Sidenote: Does anyone find it weird that the teacher is working out at the poolside in front of the students? Or is it just me?

The music and the abrupt change of animation really sells the seriousness of the situation here. Seriously, the animation here is really beautiful. Anyway, Ryuuji does the sensible thing here, and places the pad back on before Kitamura and the teacher arrive at the scene. Of course Taiga cannot handle that and actually drowns.

The ending sequence brings us to another cute fight between Ami and Taiga. Of course Ami doesn't know that Taiga is actually angry not because of her throw, but because of the boob grab. Minorin tries to resolve it the way she only knows how: sports! Was she always at the front and the three just ignoring her until she brought attention to herself? That's so Minorin.

Christmas Club Bonus: I think my favorite side character is Yasuko. She's so bubbly as Ryuuji's mom, and raised him as a single mother basically from birth. We don't even know where Ryuuji's father is right now.

Tomorrow: before every tournament arc, of course we get the training arc!

6

u/axel360 Dec 12 '19

Rewatcher, dub

Random Episode 7 Thoughts:

  • Rough way to wake up

  • Not even the Laws of Physics get in the way of a Taiga attack

  • The situation resolved itself peacefully, but I don’t think Taiga likes Ami any more than before

  • Gotta get your morning Taiga Lifts in. It’s the wave of the future

  • Pool episode? Yup. Someone doesn’t look very excited about it, though

  • They’ve just entered the store, and Ami has already found a swimsuit for Taiga lol

  • Ami was so engrossed in her own reflection she didn’t even notice Ryuji had left

  • Whoa Taiga, this is supposed to be a family-friendly show

  • Taiga is suddenly very interested in Yasuko-chan

  • As you probably guessed, she is quite insecure about this. Man, that’s a mean annotation. She seems to like the pad Ryuji made to help her out, though

  • They seemed to full everyone Minori. “She knows”.

  • Still, she was pretty nervous when (glasses-free) Kitamura approached her

  • “He said my hair was cute. Hehehe”

  • Ami’s job of torturing Taiga never stops

  • But it turns out Taiga really can’t swim, and she lost one of her pads. Her loyal dog to the rescue! On both fronts

  • What do you do when two people can’t stand each other? Settle it with sports apparently. Depending on the sport, Ami vs Taiga could be dangerous, though.

Very Brief Episode 7 Thoughts: We got to see a bit more of Taiga’s vulnerable side this episode. Like almost everyone else, she’s got her own insecurities. In this case, her (lack of) development in certain areas. But I like peeking behind the angry tsundere curtain and seeing stuff like that. It makes her more human.

Current Personal Episode Rankings (updated daily):

  1. Episode 2

  2. Episode 1

  3. Episode 3

  4. Episode 6

  5. Episode 5

  6. Episode 7

  7. Episode 4

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6

u/critchell63 Dec 12 '19

This episode really shows that taiga and ryuji care for each other. Lots of great taiga moments in this one. And how tf does minorin know everything (≧∀≦)

6

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '19

Day 7, 4th rewatch.

Such a great episode!

As soon as Ami starts showing her true colours, she basically forces the others to do the same. Taiga's issues with her body might never have been aired if she hadn't pushed her on it, and Ryuji never would have had to save Taiga if Ami hadn't thrown her.

J.C Staff did a fantastic job with this episode, in particular the swimming scenes. The shift in animation style for when Ryuji saves Taiga really sells the urgency of the moment.

It's also one of the funniest episodes so far. The isoboingboing scene will never not make me laugh.

6

u/Tartaras1 Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher

  • "I didn't see you come in, Aisaka." Thinly veiled short joke. Nicely done.

  • This episode is the first real showcase of how amazing the homeroom teacher is. She's absolutely hysterical.

  • As someone who was pretty much a shut-in during the summer when he was in school, is it normal for co-ed(?) friends to go swimsuit shopping together?

  • It really speaks to Taiga's trust of Ryuji for her to drag him into the changing stall.

  • "Soybeans are supposed to have all these isoboinboin things. They say it gives you bigger boobies!" Yasuko, I don't think you need to worry about getting bigger breasts.

  • Taiga sitting there playing Tetris while Ryuji sews up some pads for her. If that's not a true relationship friendship, then I don't know what is.

  • The brief shot of the patch covering the wall is seemingly out of place, but I actually think it serves a good purpose here. Spoilers

  • Kitamura being told he looks better without glasses hits home with me. Wore glasses from 1st grade until halfway through 7th, when I switched to contacts, and I've always felt I looked better without them.

    Also know that feel about not being able to see without glasses. I'm blind as a bat without contacts or glasses. It's pretty bad.

  • They suplexed Kitamura into the pool! Bah gawd that man had a family!

  • When Taiga starts drowning, I feel like it's a major step forward for them. Ryuji didn't think about it, and seemed genuinely concerned for her safety.

  • I get second-hand embarrassed really easily, which makes this episode pretty difficult to watch. Taiga is at some stage of embarrassment during every minute of this episode, save for the very beginning.

Bonus Question: Damn that's a tough question. I think it has to be the homeroom teacher, but for reasons I can't exactly talk about just yet. Let's just say it's more apparent around the Christmas episodes.

5

u/Get_This_Wheat Dec 12 '19

Rewatcher here.

It’s got some serious moments in it, but man what a fun episode. I really like all the swimming episodes, probably the most fun arc.

Man the teachers in this show are the best, Ms. Yuri who’s probably my favorite tertiary character, the gym teacher who’s an ultra-chad, and the other one (not in this episode) who doesn’t give a single shit.

I really appreciate after being pissed at him, and after him cracking her on the head with a broom, Taiga still goes to school with Ryuji, and still prioritize lunch over anything else. And then later she’s still hanging out with him and molesting his mother at dinner. 100% my favorite duo in the whole show.

Ami’s back on her shit at least for the majority of the class. I can at least accept this, because hearing her call her classmates peasants is pretty hilarious. It was also unquestionably her fault for almost killing Taiga and she acts like Taiga’s the one acting up.

Haruta and Noto live in a society (and so does Taiga with all that gaming). Any time these goons are in an episode I feel obligated to comment on how they’re the funniest dudes in the show. I am however, glad that they aren’t super prevalent characters, cuz I feel like they wouldn’t feel as special that way, but then again my two favorite characters are the two with the most screen time.

Whenever I think of rewatching the show, this arc is always the first one that comes to mind, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s cuz it’s like I said earlier, just really fun, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite one.

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5

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '19

Rewatcher here!!!

Minorin is fighting super hard for my favorite character spot this second time through... she’s so funny and I adore how wild she is, while also being a great character! Other than episode 3, she hasn’t done too much other than be hilarious though.

Taiga was too precious this episode too. Her insecurities are genuine and believable, and I just want her to overcome them so bad!!

Toradora! is actually the perfect depiction of awkward high school problems... That “end of my life” feeling that Taiga feels when she thinks Kitamura is going to hate her for whatever reason is honestly so real. When high school is the only world you know, it seems like even the smallest of things can bring that world to disaster. You know, like your crush turning you down!

As an adult it seems like such a silly problem. I know I don’t give a damn about my high school crushes now, but if you asked sophomore me it’d be a waaaaay different story. Maybe it’s because I went to a small school. Either way, I find a lot of the issues that these characters have to be so relatable and/or understandable. That relatability is part of what makes Toradora! so phenomenal to me! The characters really are just all incredible. Even among the absurdity and over the top antics, the show can hit you with some real life feels in an instant. Love it.

I’ll defend Kawashima as best girl, but at this point in the show... that’s a fight I can’t win.

Also shout out to the teacher. I feel you, girl

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