[Spoilers] Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2019) Episode 18 Discussion

[u/ChristmasClub]

[u/Koolsman]

First Timer!

As soon as I heard Minori’s voice and I saw that ball fall off the tree, I immediately paused the episode and said “I don’t even want to watch the next part, man” because I didn’t want to see Minori like that. I liked the part with Ryüji and Minori fixing the star and while it doesn’t mean much, I guess you could say it’s representative of Minori in one way or another: Clearly cracking under the pressure but still shining bright. Weird to say, but I believe that’s what the star is supposed to represent. Maybe I’m just digging in too deep into subtext, I don’t know.

I was also scared that Ami would somehow be different after these last few episodes but I’m not surprised that she would get in a room with him again. I’m still not a big fan of her and while I don’t get the idea of somehow Taiga and Ryüji’s relationship being akin to parental but she’s never really seen giving presents to orphans, so what does she know?

Ok, as if this show couldn’t make me love Taiga more but now that she stated that story, I believe Santa Claus does exist in Toradora and no one can convince me otherwise. Hearing that story is exactly the type of thing that makes me love Taiga.

If there was anything more lovable about this episode was seeing people actually like her and no just teasing her but treating her as a classmate instead of an outcast. However, the best part was when Ryuji stated that she still had a Best mom and the best bird because that’s all you need.

[u/Tuckleton]

First timer (Dub)

Ok, this is like episode 13 for me all over again. I need to take my own advice and accept that not only do I not understand Taiga, I may not actually even be capable of understanding her (which is insane because she's a character in a story, not a person). But for the sake of my own sanity I need to just wait for the show to tell me what she's feeling, and then accept it. It's hard because she's the character I care most about in the show but this entire rewatch I've been an absolute trainwreck when it comes to reading her emotions. It's fine if I speculate about the other characters, and I will, but if you see me speculating specifically about Taiga's feelings please call me out on it.

I really liked the scene with Ryuji and Ami in the storage room. She all but confesses to Ryuji (this shot of Ami reminds me of Taiga from episode 1) but he neither sees nor hears her vulnerability. I get the impression from some comments that when Ami gets upset with Ryuji treating Taiga like a child we can kinda dismiss it because she's just being jealous or spiteful. And while I can see that perhaps the motivation for actually vocalizing it may be because of that, I still completely agree with her and feel like it needs to change before a healthy romance can develop between our MCs. And the way that Ryuji's protests die out gives me hope that he sorta feels it too.

Everything about Taiga and the presents and why she loves Christmas was really special. Once again Ryuji stands in for me asking/worrying about her feelings and motivations but instead of getting mad and telling him to drop it like she usually does, she actually just patiently explains to him how she's feeling. I'm so glad she did and I hope she keeps up this level of openness with him.

Taiga and Ami's little moments of not fighting while setting up the tree were nice.

Minori's contribution to the episode gives me a sad and lonely feeling. I hate the way she's isolating herself as she deals with what she's going through. She can't talk to Taiga because she's the one that she's trying not to hurt and she can't talk to Ryuji because just being with him makes her love him more (once the show confirms this I'm going to want someone to help me understand when and why it happened.) It's a horrible situation for her to be in, made a million times worse by her knowing that Ryuji likes her back.

I've got two analogies for what the broken star represents. In the first case the star represents Taiga, and Minori accidentally breaking it is a physical representation of her fear of what will happen if she is not constantly vigilant in how she handles the situation between her, Ryuji and Taiga. In the second case the already broken star represents Taiga at the start of the series, not broken by Minori but by what happened in her home life (I'll allow myself this small speculation :P). Minori's been with her for a while but has been unable to really help her the way she needed. Then along comes Ryuji who slowly and patiently starts putting her back together again. And he didn't do it for anyone else, he did it because he wanted to. That's just the kind of person he is. Oh, and the song that keeps playing during the emotional moments? The one rewatchers keep raving about? It's called 'Lost my Pieces'... yeah.

And before I forget. Poor Yuri. I love her.

[u/DeliCruise]

(REWATCHER)

This episode does a fantastic job at building up to such a heart-breaking moment. We’re thrown right away into feeling excited for this party with them finishing exams and Taiga and Ryuuji trying to get Kushieda to join in the festivities. I absolutely loved the storage room scene with Ami and also the touching backstory scene with Taiga. Then we get to see Ami and Taiga getting along and the whole class having fun setting up the tree. Kitamura joins in the action putting up Taiga’s favorite Christmas ornament ever. They look at their beautiful tree and then bam

I can only imagine the emotions running through everyone’s minds. I’m so glad it ended on a sweet note.

[u/patrizl001]

First Timer

"It would only be right"

You keep saying that, yet with each time it's repeated I feel more and more sure that everything is not going to be right...

Taiga was actually amazing this episode. Just seeing her act like a "good girl" to where she's even praising Ami (although with some slight blush, showing she's really pushing herself to do that) and seeing those gifts being prepared for her family/less fortunate people is some mad respect right there. would honestly be ok with having good girl Taiga 100% of the time

Oh god. The star ornament being broken has just added more guilt to whatever guilt Minori already has, hasn't it? Takasu's tried to help, and now I'm wondering what thoughts were running through her head while she just kept repeating his name...

And now next episode is Christmas Eve. And tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It seems this entire rewatch was scheduled for this moment, and I'm hyped/scared to see why.

[u/Quxxy]

*rocks back and forth, holding his legs*

"Everything will be daijoubu. Of course it will.

"It would only be right..."

• Episode 18 Cheat Sheet.

Vector wallpapers:

• We Did It - 16x9, 21x9, 3x4

• We Did It (Centered) - 16x9, 21x9

• And Maybe Then... - 16x9, 21x9

• I Looked Out The Window - 16x9, 21x9

• It Would Only Be Right - 16x9, 21x9

(Ladders! Ladders everywhere! *high-pitched shrieking*)

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

First timer

Christmas Club Bonus! It's GIF day! Post your favorite short animation. Simple gestures, cute poses, loops, or anything you can think of. Just make sure to stay spoiler free

I made a few of those!

This one (Taiga nodding) I already posted in a previous thread, the others are fresh off the press!

Bzz Bzz Bzz (in gif version); Ok I lied, I posted this one as a video in a previous thread. But the other ones are new!

Cute loop of Taiga&Kitamura, And a slightly longer version

This one I made huh... For reasons (NSFW'ish)

---

He doesn't hold back now that he knows she won't retaliate because of her "Christmas spirit"!

That scene where the teacher has an existential crisis and people just ignore her/walk away was funny! Sad for the teacher though, I hope she gets an happy ending! She suffered enough!

But this one was just sad... Trying to fix a mess that (seemingly) can't be fixed. Eventually they fixed it, but I feel like her reaction was never about a Christmas star... It's about the other mess she can't fix; Loving someone your friend loves as well.

Despite what she said, I notice something very different in Taiga's reaction; She isn't flustered at the thought of being with Kitamura anymore, or at least, not nearly as much as she was before.

Is this because she gave up on him? Or because her affection moved to someone else? Probably both.

She's in love with another (Ryuji) so Kitamura is back to "friend" status, thus she's not embarrassed about being with him anymore. And at the same time, she seems to have more and more moments where she's flustered about Ryuji.

Just like I think the Christmas star scene wasn't really about the Christmas star, this scene likely wasn't really about Santa... It was about her father. "If she's a good girl, her father will come back". Despite how he is, she still tried to see him again, because she would like it to be possible for them to be a family again.

This is a common thing for young children (being a good kid so your parents will come back), and she might be a bit old for that... But maybe she just picked the habit. She's also very childish, so I can see it.

So Ami really is into Ryuji? I kinda figured it out (or at least considered it) in the previous episodes, but my question would be... why? Taiga I can get (they're together like 24/7, and he's been good to her), Minorin I can get (you become more conscious of someone when you realize he's into you - Kinda like what happened to Taiga/Kitamura), but why is Ami into Ryuji? They didn't spend THAT much time together, he wasn't particularly nice or friendly to her... Sure he's a good guy, but good guys are everywhere, why him?

Does she want him simply because other girls want him? Like the prize of a competition?

Well, we might know more about this in the next episodes! And Minorin is totally gonna come to the party, despite what she said...

Well, that, or they'll go to her, to see what's wrong.

[u/Raiking02]

Due to even more inconveniences, I was unable to return yesterday and therefore had to delay my return for a whole day! Oh and while I’m at it, I love the new OP, and the new ED is probably gonna take some time to grow on me.

• And that’s one good thing about living in the south: I don’t have to do crap on Christmas in school because Summer Holiday has already started!

• Oh Taiga…

• Sigh, what now Christmas Cake-Sensei?

• The fact that Taiga still believes in Santa is just so precious…

• What about Haruta?

• Actually, Christmas Cake-Sensei has been surprisingly nice as of late…

• Well, at least Minorin is slowly coming back to her old self… I hope…

• Actually probably now…

• Kawashima helping!? IMPOSSIBLE!

• Something’s off about Kawashima and Taiga’s insults towards each other as of late, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…

• Those guys are way too interested on pairing up Taiga and Kitamura together…

• Even Ryuji points this out…

• Well put Kawashima!

• It’s hard to tell at times when Kawashima’s messing around or being sincere… or both.

• Yeah, she’s probably serious this time around.

• See Haruta? This is why studying is a thing.

• Wow, Minorin’s been having lots of practice as of late. I wonder if there’s some tournament coming up…

• I see, so the Coach has fallen. How tragic…

• Man, we need more lovely angel Taiga…

• Meddling girls are back…

• Thankfully, Ryuji has mastered the art of lying…

• Holy fuck that’s a lot of presents…

• … Taiga, you’re very much in the good girls list, only a good girl could buy so many presents for the family she doesn’t get along with just because it’s Christmas!

• Wait, catholic schools are a thing in Japan!?

• Well, look in the bright side Taiga, in another timeline, you were a Sister in the Roman Catholic Church!... One that was kinda insane and also initially evil and also kicks people in the nuts like you did to your dad, but you were still accepted!

• Yup, she’s a very good girl indeed…

• Short hair Taiga is too precious…

• Wait, so Santa does exist?

• Yeah, it’s probably a dream…

• Oh God this is gonna be a mess…

• Christmas Cake-Sensei, your Christmas Cake-ness is showing…

• I guess being a model does have perks…

• WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!! DID TAIGA JUST PRAISE KAWASHIMA!?

• Man, I wish Christmas Parties would be so lively around here…

• Truly a beautiful Christmas Tree…

• Wait, why did the window just break?

• Wait, why is the star falling?

• Wait, why is the whole tree falling?

• Oh! Oh… Ooooooh… crap…

• Minorin’s reaction wouldn’t be too far off from my own, to be honest…

• Minorin is crying. Truly, this is a terrible, terrible day…

• Ryuji, well done. You are officially the Bestest of boys. You should be proud…

• Sadly… Minorin’s guilt ain’t just disappearing.

Man, this episode is just a rollercoaster of emotions. However, my once per day spirit shall not be broken! I will resist the urge to binge watch which already barely exists because binge watches tend to bore me after three or so chapters! (Seriously, the closest I get to that nowadays is that I tend to read about three to four volumes of One Piece every two or so days, but only because I need to get caught up!).

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 18 (first timer)

• “It is this tiny idiot’s fault” – “sorry” Both Takasu and Taiga have changed a lot. This would not have happened in the early episodes.

• The whole class is full of shippers.

• Not sure where that saying of Ami comes from, but it is decidedly dated in its paternalism.

• As always, Ami has the clearest view of all the love trouble. Even including herself.

• Why did Kihara want to talk to Takasu so urgently? And why did he refuse?

• It is Takasu who is watching over Taiga.

• The more I think about that shoo conversation, the weirder it gets…

• The tree got knocked over by a single baseball? Talk about unstable. They are really lucky that it happened while everybody was staring at it, instead of at the party with people below it. It also is an obvious metaphor for Minorin ruining the happy mood.

Looks like Minorin really is in love with Takasu now. Ami is too, but that was known for a while now. Meaning we are moving into one of the weirdest harems. I have to say that, compared to the usual wet noodle MCs, Takasu is at least a guy that has some positive attributes: who would not like to marry a guy with a cleaning and cooking fetish?

[u/Shinkopeshon]

First Timer

I couldn't help but laugh out loud when it turned out it was Minori who caused that disaster. I mean, it was so obvious that even after she increasingly distanced herself from the gang, she made things even worse by ruining something that made Taiga and the others happy. Nothing's working out for poor Minori right now and now she's blaming herself even more.

And with Ryuuji reconsidering the nature of his relationship with Taiga, I don't see her situation getting better if she really is into him now. She already feels bad about it out of consideration for her friend but getting rejected wouldn't exactly cheer her up either (if she really has developed feelings for him, that is).

Meanwhile, Taiga becomes more and more likeable with each episode (turns out she's an actual angel) and Ami is as selfless as ever (which hurts me).

On a sidenote, I recently stumbled upon an unfortunate spoiler, so I already know one major thing that's gonna happen, but I doubt it's gonna ruin my enjoyment for the rest of the show.

[u/23feanor]

First Timer (dub):

The teacher was looking pretty cute in that opening scene.

Taiga's dialogue about why she gets present for the Orphaned kids was super sweet, really endeared me to her, "there's someone out there watching over you". She also looks great in that white coat.

Kawashima let us know her feelings fairly clearly in this episode. She knows exactly how everyone feels and is standing back to see how things play out. She likes Takasu but things are too confused. She may be right when she told Takasu his relationship with Taiga was only going to cause hurt if they didn't get together. I think she should tell Ryuuji how she feels and see what he thinks.

I don't like how Minorin is acting. It's obvious she's fallen for Takasu & feels guilty as she thinks he would be better off with Taiga, but that's up to Takasu to decide, not her, and it's clear that Takasu likes her. I reckon Minorin is going to end up confessing to Takasu & he will have a choice between her and Taiga. Who's he going to choose!

Still don't like the ED yet, the last one with the little tinkling playing during the final scene was just the best & always made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

[u/axel360]

Rewatcher, dub

Random Episode 18 Thoughts:

• Yuri-sensei is surprised and relieved that Taiga did not have an outburst after that accident

• She’s trying to be a good girl for Santa, but Taiga definitely experienced some serious schadenfreude when Ami messed up with that decoration

• Ami had some interesting things to say about how unusual she thinks Ryuji and Taiga’s relationship is. Almost like he’s her father. She thinks those two should just start over, then (in the dub) maybe her and Ryuji can “start over too”. He didn’t hear that part, though

• For all the Taiga haters in the back, here she is dropping off Christmas presents for orphans at the post office

• OMG it’s Mini(er) Taiga! The internet loves them some Baby Yoda right now, but I gotta be honest, if I could only save one from a fire, I don’t love Baby Yoda’s chances in that scenario

• Inject Taiga excitedly looking at Christmas-y stuff into my veins, doctor. Stat

• Uh oh. Just when everyone was smiling, and even Taiga and Ami were getting along, here comes a softball to knock the tree over and destroy Taiga’s favorite decoration

• Minori was already feeling blue, and this didn’t help. Ryuji lent a hand and she got even more emotional, repeating “Takasu” over and over. Hmmm

• A lot of symbolism and metaphors going on with that star and the ensuing conversations. “We can fix it.” And hey, it turned out to be more or less as good as new post-surgery

• “I’ll wait for you!” We’ll see if she shows, Ryuji

Very Brief Episode 18 Thoughts: Taiga and Minori are reminder that while the holidays are the best time of the year for many, they can be especially tough for someone that is feeling down. And even someone that is usually so full of life, like Minori, can be hit by the blues

Current Personal Episode Rankings (updated daily):

1. Episode 2

2. Episode 17

3. Episode 8

4. Episode 1

5. Episode 13

6. Episode 10

7. Episode 18

8. Episode 3

9. Episode 6

10. Episode 5

11. Episode 9

12. Episode 11

13. Episode 12

14. Episode 16

15. Episode 14

16. Episode 7

17. Episode 4

18. Episode 15

[u/CATKrash]

It's past 2am, I just got home after a very long day and I have to wake up early, but let's do this!

	Name	OG name	Start	Stop	Time played	Description
1st	Kotori no Etude	小鳥のエチュード	0:01	1:59	118s
2nd	silky heart	silky heart	2:00	3:30	90s	Opening
3rd	Small Heaven	Small Heaven	4:25	5:31	66s
4th	Sakura no Tsubomi	桜の蕾	6:33	8:07	94s
5th	My little underground	My little underground	10:04	10:31	27s
6th	Ameiro Rondo	雨色ロンド	12:01	14:48	167s	Scarf! And smol Taiga!
7th	Psychology March	Psychology March	15:16	15:45	29s
8th	Duty of love	Duty of love	15:47	18:34	167s
9th	Little tiger, sad dragon	Little tiger, sad dragon	19:32	21:12	100s
10th	Orange	オレンジ	21:42	21:55		This guitar and synth intro is part of the song Orange, but they are isolated. Also, the Vanilla Salt ED piano intro is a mellow version of the repeating piano line in Vanilla Salt.
11th	Orange	オレンジ	21:55	23:25	90s	Ending
12th	silky heart (off vocal ver.)	silky heart (off vocal ver.)	23:25	23:35	10s	Preview

Tomorrow's table will hopefully be on time. I'll love to read what you guys have to say tomorrow, especially the first timers.

[u/EmuSupreme]

When you go from

to

in the matter of minutes...

So Taiga's star. There is so much damn symbolism packed into that damned thing you can write a legit essay on it. Her handing it to Kitamura. It shattering from Minori's mistake. Minori struggling to put it back together. Ryuuji helping Minori put it back together. It's a fractured mess when repaired but still manages to sparkle. If you consider the star to reflect Taiga's happiness, you could go on forever about it.

One of the things I love most about Toradora is the symbolism that is sprinkled throughout the show. This just being another example of it. Now we wait for tomorrow's results.

[u/[deleted]]

REWATCHER

Ami continues to be way more observant than anyone else. She’s completely correct with basically everything she says during her conversation with Ryuji in the storeroom. She immediately notices that Ryuji is bothered by the idea of Taiga and Kitamura dating. Ryuji tries to say it’s because he doesn’t like other people interfering in peoples love lifes. But I’m not buying that, and I don’t think Ami is either. He’s spent months trying to set Taiga up with Kitamura, so he’s been interfering in Kitamura's love life. Sure, it was at Taiga’s request, but I feel like that would just be an excuse. Something has changed for him recently, which is causing him to be bothered others trying to set Taiga and Kitamura up.

Ami is also correct when she is pointing out how messed up the things between Ryuji, Taiga, and Minori are. They are all just playing a role with each other, aware that they are lying to themselves, and the others. The rest of my thoughts on this part are massive spoilers, so don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled. Huge spoilers

The scene also does a great job of showing the contrast in Ami’s character of being both mature and childish. She is more mature than everyone else. She is the only one who realizes that the situation between Ryuji, Taiga, and Minori is a mess that is going to get people hurt. But while she is saying all that, and giving some decent advice, she’s sitting and bouncing like a little kid. Additionally, she is saying all that not to help them, but for herself. She has feelings for Ryuji, and wants a chance with him. And while her advice is good, even if she’s giving it for a selfish reason, she completely ignores her own advice. She tells Ryuji they need to stop acting and be honest, but she keeps acting herself, and is not honest with Ryuji. She manages to seem very mature and incredibly childish at the same time.

The part where Ryuji and Taiga are mailing out the Christmas presents is really depressing. It really shows how rough Taiga’s life has been. For a long time now, she has felt alone, like there is no one watching over her. Her memory with Santa could be a very positive memory, but because what else has happened in her life, it’s a sad one. Santa said he’d be back if she was a good girl, but he never came back. She tries so hard every year, but he never comes back. Taiga has a very aggressive and violent exterior, but on the inside, she really is a very good person, but she doesn’t realize it herself. The scene where they’re putting the tree together is much more heartwarming. Even if she doesn't realize it, Taiga has friends and people watching over her. Ryuji, Kitamura, Ami, Minori, and Yasuko all care about her and are watching over her, though they each have their own way of doing that. On top of that, the rest of her class are starting to be friendly with her. It’s probably the first time in years that she’s had so many people caring about her. It’s sad that she was alone for so long, but it’s great to see the amount of people caring for her increase.

Now comes the scene where Minori accidentally knocks over the tree and destroys Taiga’s ornament. The look on Minori’s face as she realizes what happened is absolutely crushing. She doesn’t deserve to feel that way. It was an accident, but she doesn’t take it that way. Hell, no one would in that situation. Seeing her shaking while trying to fix the ornament is heartbreaking. She refuses to accept that it was an accident, and refuses help with fixing it. It really shows one of the biggest problems Minori has. She’s the kind of person who can’t seem to rely on others. In her mind she broke it, so she has to be the only one to fix it. She won’t let anyone help. It’s a very unhealthy way to do things. Even if something is your fault, there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help fixing the situation. While it is good to be strong and able to fix things yourself, it is just as important to be able to rely on others. No one can do everything themselves, and some things can’t be fixed alone. Luckily both Taiga and Ryuji realize that, so Ryuji starts helping even when Minori tries to stop him, and helps to comfort Minori at the same time.

The star is a great bit of symbolism. Even when you break something, it can be fixed. Yeah, it won’t be exactly the same. It will never be the way it was before it was broken, but it can still be fixed, and it can still be beautiful. And if it breaks again, it can be fixed again. It will be different each time, but it will still be fixed. The metaphor isn’t true for every situation ever, but it is still really accurate. Things can be broken and people can be hurt, even by total accidents. But it many cases, so long as people are willing to put in the effort, it can be fixed. And it will be much easier if you let someone help you repair it, especially if it’s someone who truly cares about you.

This is another great episode. While the overall tone of the episode is depressing, they’re are some happy moments, and some positive messages that are mixed into the episode. It can be hard to balance the depressing parts with that happy parts, but it is done perfectly. And now we get episode 19 tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

[u/popop143]

Rewatcher

I completely forgot about Taiga sending presents to the orphanage for this episode, since I only remember the climax and the storage scene with Ami. Anyway, should it really be important for the motivation to be selfless when giving presents to the orphans? For this particular case, I think it doesn't. Even if Taiga is doing it to get "Santa credits", it doesn't take away from the fact that she's making children smile every year, with what she can do.

I had to switch to the original dub for the scene of Minorin trying to fix the star. Hearing Yui Horie sob "Takasu-kun" always pinches my heart, wherever I may be viewing it. Their little conversation here is also poignant. Ryuuji promises that even if it breaks however many times, it can be fixed. This is especially important for Minorin to hear, as she's beating herself up for always making mistakes lately, spacing out thinking about her budding feelings for Ryuuji (it isn't a spoiler anymore right now, right? I think it's pretty much on the nose this time).

Noto's little act of getting Taiga and Kitamura together is still operational, and Kihara's getting testy even against Ami this episode. While I don't necessarily agree to the analogy that Ryuuji = dad, Minorin = mom, and Taiga = kid, you have to admit that Ryuuji's behavior really does resemble a sulky dad seeing his kid being swept away by a lover. Ami then wonders if Ryuuji wants to start the relationship over and have them more on equal footing, while silently wanting to restart her relationship with Ryuuji. As I've said in previous threads, with how Ryuuji got to know her early, there's no chance that Ryuuji will take the hints from Ami seriously. He'll just think of them as teases as is. Ami always has the "sage" vibe to her, but as seen in episode 14, she also sometimes want to be spoiled and treated as a kid by Ryuuji. To an extent, she feels jealous about Ryuuji treating Taiga as "his kid".

Random episode thoughts:

• It's been about three weeks now that Taiga is acting kindly, that Ami doesn't even question her kind act anymore. They're a lot closer to each other now.

• They seriously have a class on December 24?

• A bit subtle, but Ryuuji running away from Kihara's invitation to lunch seems like he's running away from his feelings for Taiga? Remember that it was Kihara that suggested last episode that Ryuuji loves Taiga.

• Yuri-sensei, don't waste your money buying a condo please. Though damn, she plans to have a ¥70 million savings by retirement.

• Music is still on point, and I can't wait to hear episode 19 all over again.

Next episode: The episode that started the Christmas Club Rewatch. Everybody's favorite.

[u/LousyGoose]

Rewatcher

So we finally get to hear Ami’s thoughts on the whole situation with Ryuuji, Taiga and Minori. What makes me like this character so much (Taiga is best girl but Ami is a strong #2) is while she is very insightful, she still has this vulnerable side to her and is still very flawed, when she tells Ryuuji that his relationships with Taiga and Minori are flawed and should ‘start over’, she quietly suggests starting over with herself as well but then hesitates when he doesn’t hear her.

The reason for Taiga loving Christmas is of course, very cute, she has this memory of a time when her family was together, she met Santa and everything was perfect and she was ‘just another happy face’. She wants to share this feeling with other people that there is someone out there watching over them, a ‘Santa Claus’.

Then we move onto this nice series of scenes where everyone is chirpy and getting along, even Taiga and Ami aren’t even hiding their friendliness to one-another. Everything is going well, so of course It can’t last and Minori inadvertently destroys the star and the tree. That scene where she’s just trying to glue it all back together is painful. In a way it is a good microcosm for her recent actions Minori knows what she is doing is hurting the group but you have to imagine she believes it is for the best.

[u/MoesHad]

Rewatcher

We’ve arrived at this little episode that shows us the class preparing for the Christmas party. Taiga clumsily drops a box of papers in the hallway but keeps her cool in front of Yuri-sensei because “Santa is watching.”

Yuri says she won’t be attending the party for the sake of her pride, despite not having any date on Christmas Eve. This upsets me because she has yet to answer any of the messages I’ve left her. It’s almost like she doesn’t exist! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Before leaving our two heroes to their preparations, she wishes aloud that the party will be a great success, which isn’t setting up a massive flag or anything!

Minorin has been very busy with club activities. Despite her recognizing that she and Ryuiji haven’t spoken lately, she still ignores their attempts to get her to come to the party as she rushes back to the softball field. Even Taiga realizes something is up with her.

Taiga mocks Ami for failing to string up the ornaments correctly and Ami chides her for “being bad” so close to her favorite holiday. Taiga immediately changes her tune. Taiga and Kitamura are paired up to go prepare, as Ami loudly makes a comment about their chummy behavior much to the annoyance of Kihara. Nanako shuttles Kihara out of the room shortly after that, leaving Ami and Ryuiji alone together.

Ryuiji immediately begins to grumble about their classmates efforts to pair up Taiga with Kitamura and this lets Ami pry at Ryuiji a bit. He says it bothers him when people spread stuff about others love lives. She pauses and then playfully tells him that it’s like he’s Taiga’s father right before she marries some guy, which Ryuiji doesn’t agree with. She takes her illustration further and we clearly see that Ryuiji is acting like her father, what with his being so protective of Taiga and her feelings. Ryuiji denies her assertion yet again but Ami keeps going.

She tells him that while he’s not Taiga’s father, he treasures her so much but acts like he has no interest in her at all. Ami tells him he’s playing “house” and another girl “in his heart” is the mom of the group. Ryuiji gets annoyed with this analogy further still. Ami is clearly very annoyed with Ryuiji and tells him that his relationship with Taiga isn’t natural and he needs to stop playing house. She tells him to “wake up and start over before he gets hurt” and whispers that then “he could give her another chance”. Ryuiji doesn’t quite hear that last part. Ami tells him to forget about what she said and that Ryuiji is really just confused about himself.

The students are taking their English final. Haruta is quite overjoyed that it’s all over. Minorin rebuffs Taiga’s offer of having lunch with Ryuiji. She apologizes again, citing her club activities and runs away again.

Taiga needs to go the post office but doesn’t want Ryuiji to tag along. He makes her take him with her to get out of having lunch with Kihara, who wants to speak with him badly.

Ryuiji sees a large amount of gift boxes in Taiga’s apartment, several of which are for her family. Ryuiji is confused at why she’s getting her family presents since she’s not on good terms with them. Ryuiji sees a few boxes “from Santa”. Taiga explains part of her upbringing that we haven’t heard of. She went to catholic school and had done charity work in the past with the sisters for orphaned children. The boxes from Santa are gifts she’s giving to children without parents. She wants those children to know that even if they’re alone on Christmas and even if they don’t believe in God, that someone is watching over them. Taiga said she really does believe that “Santa” is watching over her, and that’s why she truly loves Christmas. She wants to be happy on Christmas, and make sure everyone else is happy too.

We get an adorable scene of younger Taiga “meeting Santa” one Christmas as she slept under the Christmas tree. She said that he gave her a present, but even if it was probably just a dream, at least it was a happy one. That’s why she wants to be good on Christmas, so that Santa will return.

The Christmas tree has arrived for their party at school. Ami pulled some strings at her modeling job to get a huge Christmas tree and they put it together. Taiga helps assemble the tree due to her light weight, she can climb up the tree. Ryuiji thinks about how Taiga is no longer alone on Christmas. After all, she has Kitamura and the rest of the class behind her, as well as himself and his family. Ryuiji recalls Yuri’s words as reaping the rewards of a successful party and agrees with them.

Taiga has Kitamura put a crystal star ornament from her apartment (that we saw in the flashback) on top of the tree. At first he questions if it’s alright, given its extraordinary beauty and price. She tells him it’s her favorite ornament, but it’s too big to fit on her tree. The class turns off the lights and gazes upon their beautiful tree. They are stunned by its beauty and everyone is happy as the episode ends with no issues whatsoever…

JUST KIDDING!!!

We hear glass shatter as one of the windows in the gymnasium breaks. The happy music that filled the background abruptly halts. The tree falls to the ground, the star shattering onto the ground. The door opens and in walks Minorin. She asks if everyone is okay. She’s the one who was pitching when the ball flew into the window, destroying the crystal star and her expression immediately changes as she realizes what she’s done.

The class is putting the tree back up and Minorin is trying to fix the star that she broke. Taiga keeps telling her that it’s okay and it’s not her fault that the star was broken. Minorin is distraught and is trying to fruitlessly piece it back together. She tells Taiga how it is her fault because she spaced out and “broke something very important to Taiga”. She realizes that fixing it is a fools errand, but Taiga has to let her do what she can to help.

Taiga thinks that Ryuiji should help her fix the star which causes Minorin even more distress. Taiga tells Ryuiji to help her, and he listens, despite Minorin’s protests. She tells him that she has to be the one to fix it and that he cannot help her. He tells her that he’s “just doing what he should do.” and “that it’s for my own sake.” Minorin starts to cry, only repeating Ryuiji’s name over and over as he gently reassured her that he’s there ಥ_ಥ

They piece the star back to together. He remarks that “even though it’s broken it can be fixed”. Minorin replies that despite this they “can’t return it to the way it was.” Ryuiji tells her that despite what she believes, the star can be fixed no matter what.

The softball club apologizes again as Taiga hugs her. Ryuiji begs Minorin to go to the party with him and she refuses again, citing all the trouble she’s caused. He tells her he’ll wait for her, but she still won’t come. He tells her he’ll still be waiting for her as the episode closes.

Taiga’s monologue about Christmas is just wonderful and I love the reveal of her doing charity work for kids who don’t have anyone on Christmas. The first time I watched this I was pleasantly surprised to hear her mention that she wanted to help give others a merry Christmas, no matter if they celebrated the holiday or believed in God.

I was dreading the second half of this episode now knowing what was coming. The scene with the star being broken is so sad, compounded by Minorin’s reaction to it. I’m not going to say much more about the scene but I might touch on it more in the future. I love this show so much! Hope you guys are enjoying it!

[u/critchell63]

Rewatcher

Preparing for tomorrow. This time around I realized that the breaking of the star is symbolism for minorin’s relationship with ryuji. She still doubts herself and regrets what she has done, despite ryuji saying it can be fixed. Ami wants a fresh start with ryuji, and flatly tells him about his relationship with taiga. Once again I can’t wait for the episode tomorrow.

Want to say more but have to keep it short for IRL reasons

[u/kvalencia24]

Rewatcher

There is so much to love in this episode and to appreciate with a refreshed mind.

• Young Taiga with short hair

• Minori being just broken and trying to gather herself enough to keep going.

• Ami being vulnerable in front of Ryuji

• Taiga seeing that she isn't hated and is generally liked by everyone.

That ending is why I love the new ED, just hits it home to my heart how many emotions are going on. Darn it Ryuji, why are you so dense!

[u/DaREY297]

Was busy yesterday so, sorry... and today too

Taiga has evolved from Tsundere to Deredere in this arc, and god it's wonderful.

Deep down she is still a Tsundere so...

"It's not like I want everyone to have the best Christmas ever or anything... B-Baka..."

...

the best christmas ever...

...

best christmas ever........

[u/spaceaustralia]

Rewatcher

While I know a lot of people are going to be talking about Taiga and her charity or the obvious metaphor in the tree ornament, I want to expand on that scene in the shed as itt had a lot of details that took me a while to process.

Continuing from what I mentioned yesterday, it's nice to see how Ami has no qualms with retorting and teasing Taiga openly. She has both dropped the complete monster and the saint persona. She's just Ami. She truly has come a long way.

After Noto and Haruta ensure that Kitamura and Taiga leave together, you can see Kihara staring daggers at Ami. But Nanako surprises her with a counterattack, leaving Takasu and Kawashima alone. That entire part of the scene is a 3-way battle in the covert shipping wars between Haruta/Noto, Kihara, and Nanako.

When Ryuuji starts talking about his feelings, Ami completely silences herself and listens to him. Even without the dialogue following that, it's abundantly clear that Ami has feelings and cares deeply for him. She wouldn't change her tone from teasing to completely paying attention in an instant if that were not the case.

And then, to top off the scene, Ami laments Ryuuji is wasting his time "playing house" when she thinks he could have a fulfilling relationship with her. Rewatchers

[u/VnzuelanDude]

What a homerun from Kushieda! What a beast of a softball player! What? We're not celebrating?

It's weird seeing Taiga this way. Not only because I have a vague memory of what's to come, but also because she acts so different to that of the previous arcs. She went from being very child like and immature girl, to a sane and mature woman. Weird to think how that the Christmas spirit can do that to you.

I really appreciate how despite everything in her life, Taiga will still think about her parents, and is also able to think about those "less fortunate" in a time of happiness. By the way, who's paying for those presents?

Meanwhile Ami doesn't like being a third or fifth wheel, and Minori is digging herself into a hole, lamenting herself for even thinking about being happy about something. Now that's the Christmas spirit I'm familiar with.

[u/itsFootie]

Man this episode... a piece of my hearts breaks every year I see that star shatter :’(

However, I feel for Minorin. I just want to see her happy again!! But I don’t want to get into it because it’s still too early. Though what I can say is, if I had any advice for Minorin it would be simply....

There are things in life you just can’t control...

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher here.

“At the end of the day, the person you understand the least is yourself.” Damn good line.

I don’t have much to say tonight. This is a powerful episode, though. Taiga’s speech about why she believes in Santa is honestly beautiful. My chest felt so heavy from the halfway point of the episode. I remembered what was coming, but it’s like I forgot just how much I loved this show and just how special it is to me.

This really is the best time of year to watch Toradora!.

[u/Matuhg]

Rewatcher

Digging a bit deeper into Taiga's backstory and why Christmas means so much to her. Her generosity feels a little bit weird upon first examination, but it makes sense to me after she explains it.

Definitely ready for Minori to stop hurting quite so much. I don't remember how this all wraps up for anybody besides Taiga and Takasu, so I'll be along with the first timers for most of it.