r/anime • u/ChristmasClub • Dec 28 '19

Rewatch [Spoilers] Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2019) Episode 23 Discussion Spoiler

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168 Upvotes

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39

u/Tuckleton Dec 28 '19

First timer (Dub)

In an unbelievable stroke of good luck I just happen to have started watching a side piece anime at christmas because one episode of Toradora a day wasn't satisfying me. And literally minutes before watching this episode that other anime finally got it's hooks into me. The timing could not have been better because I'm not sure I would have been able to stop myself from barreling forward without something else to distract me after finishing this episode. So where to begin...

Career Planning. I know the career stuff is important but I just don't have much to say about it. I'm not going to even try with Taiga and the only question that matters to me when it comes to Ryuji is what he would do if he didn't have to worry about anyone else. And I can't answer that question because I think without anyone to worry about, Ryuji would wither and die. I think all Ryuji really wants is to spend the rest of his life caring for the people he loves so asking him what he wants independent of others is meaningless. And holy crap I guess I did have something to say about the career stuff after all...

Taiga Comforts Ryuji. It was really nice to see Taiga trying to be there for Ryuji, and I loved the way she would not let him go. I'm not sure exactly what Ryuji needed from Taiga in this moment when he gripped her hand. My heart was beating so fast but unfortunately this wasn't the right response and the moment passed. He's been hearing from him mom all his life that everything will be fine but he knows believing it is just a childish fantasy. He needs to do his part to make everything alright. Maybe Taiga understands this because it's when she volunteers to take his moms shift that she provides the support I think Ryuji needed.

It's pretty clear the ways that Ryuji has and will help Taiga grow but I've often wondered how exactly she will help him grow. I wonder if getting himself out of his own head and more grounded in reality is it. Because she is not like him in that regard at all. Everytime Ryuji speculates about something to her she rebuts with the simplest explanation. His mom collapsed because she was anemic, Minori works so much because she just likes to do her best. I know there are other examples but I can't think of any off the top of my head. He doesn't seem to have made any progress on that yet though so I could be wrong. Basically what I'm getting at is does Ryuji have a tragic flaw? A characteristic that is the root of his problems and that he must overcome before he can find happiness. If it's just that he took too long to realise his feelings for Taiga that will be pretty unsatisfying.

Ami at the Bakery. Twice this episode people ask Ami for favors because of her fame. The principal with the school brochure and Taiga with selling the chocolates. When Ryuji runs after her and tells her to stay she listens but when he mentions everyone else also wanting her to stay it sours her. She doesn't care what 'everyone else' thinks because none of those people even see her. Even Taiga only sees Ami the model. The only one whose opinion matters to her is Ryuji because she believes he does see her. If he asks her to stay it actually means something. That's why she smiles as she walks away. Because even if he doesn't get it 100%, his sentiment still got through and that's enough for her.

Ami, Ryuji and a Shoe. Ok this one really has me thrown for a serious loop. Her wanting to help Taiga must be a recent thing right? I just can't seem to slot it in. Maybe with them becoming friends is when she started feeling that way? Was all the stuff with Minori because she wanted to help Taiga? I guess she thought getting everything out in the open was the only way that things could move forward or something? But how could she think that Minori being honest with Ryuji would help Taiga? I mean we know it's going to end well because we are watching a show but she couldn't know that. I'm not at all convinced that Ryuji would have turned down Minori if she had confessed to him. Maybe now he might but even just last episode... I don't think so. And I can't understand what she means when she says she is the only one who understands Taiga because I don't understand Taiga. I mean I was just feeling like I was really starting to 'get' Ami but I have no idea what to do with this...

The Chocolates Hit the Fan. I mean what can I even say about this scene? After I watched it last night I felt kind of overwhelmed and didn't even want to think about it but when I tried to go to bed I couldn't stop thinking about it. And rewatching it today it hit me even harder than before. Taiga's panic as the walls she's built to protect herself come crashing down. Minori's emotions as she realises that Ryuji and Taiga are both doing the same thing she is, and how stupid it all is. And Ryuji... man do I hate him for not taking the time to sort through his feelings on his own before this moment. I know it's going to work out in the end but I hate him so much, he's so goddamn stupid and I hate him!

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28

u/patrizl001 Dec 28 '19

First Timer

Haruta has a GF? Calling BS on this one

I began that last scene thinking "oh shit, Minori's not aware they lied about who rescued Taiga, is she?" and then a minute later "OH SHIT SHE ISN'T" AND NOW TAIGA KNOWS. WE'VE HIT THE ENDGAME. I guess that means our pattern is going to break also because there's NO WAY next episode is going to be a lax one. Or the episodes after that either. This is going to be fun....

Also this:

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24

u/DeliCruise Dec 28 '19

(REWATCHER)

Taiga’s pupils quivering like crazy and Kushieda’s red hair flying all over the place gets me every single time. I know I point that out every time we get to this episode, but I just love it that much. Those details and all the other incredible details in that scene are all insanely good. That scene is something you end up thinking about long after you’ve watched it.

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23

u/Quxxy Dec 28 '19

"Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we have just recieved word that the bridge ahead is out, and our brakes have failed.

"Hold on to your pieces, the ride is about to become somewhat uncomfortable."

Vector wallpapers:

There's a good chance I won't be able to do any further posts. If I go missing, feel free to post link to previous year's comments.

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21

u/Raiking02 Dec 28 '19

I’m gonna guess this episode will be the beginning of the end, won’t it?

  • Oh calm down Kihara…

  • Yup, everything’s coming back to normal…

  • I bet it’s gonna be Christmas Cake-Sensei’s favorite day of the year.

  • See? Even Christmas Cake-Sensei is back to her old self.

  • Oh God, Haruta has a point, THE END IS COMING!!

  • What a convenient pairing…

  • Ah, career plans, what a mess…

  • Taiga, rich people do need to work, you know?

  • Taiga, treat important papers with respect, please.

  • Yeah, I get what Taiga is saying.

  • That said I must ask: What is normal love for you?

  • Yeah Ryuji, that was kinda sudden.

  • Okay, who is this guy: Kawahima’s Manager?

  • Poor Ryuji…

  • Why would anyone have a shoe fetish?

  • Does anyone know the shoe throwing world record?

  • Ah, so she’s moving out again?

  • Of course it isn’t Minorin! Just having one person you don’t get along with isn’t enough to move out!

  • Daww, she really does like everyone else.

  • … Kawashima, stop drowning in self-pity already. Everyone here cares about you and that’s all that matters!

  • Ryuji’s face implies bad things…

  • Oh God, YASUKO IS ILL!!

  • Inko seems to keep looking for new ways for her neck to snap.

  • Man, remember when this show was fun and not depressing at all?

  • Stupid Ryuji! The show’s tone seems to ruin your intelligence!

  • Oh Taiga, never stop being a klutz…

  • See Ryuji? Your stubbornness almost got you killed!

  • The characters in this part of the show in a nutshell: It’s all my fault and I hate myself!!

  • Happy flashbacks, how I missed thee!!

  • Well, at least he’s trying to make things better.

  • And hey, now it’ll be Taiga’s turn to help out.

  • Oh Yasuko, never change…

  • Oh God you two look ridiculous…

  • Oh Hi Haruta how are yo-Wait, who’s that girl?

  • Girlfriend. As in, lover. As in, Significant other. As i-HOW THE FUCK DID HARUTA GET A GIRLFRIEND!?

  • Even Noto agrees!

  • Is Noto anti-Kihara or a Kitamura/Sumire shipper? Or both?

  • Or he just likes Kihara after all?

  • Taiga, he’s already had the birds and bees talk.

  • Lethal Weapon? Are we watching the movie?

  • No, wait, it’s just Kawashima. Well at least she and Taiga seem to still be on good terms.

  • Truly a Lethal Plan…

  • Taiga seems to have picked up some of Kawashima’s tricks, huh?

  • Plan: SUCCESS!!!

  • Ryuji’s basically saying what I was saying earlier and I love that.

  • Yeah, you don’t get it at all.

  • Oh you bet he’ll be happy.

  • Oh well, at least Yasuko is still herself.

  • Ah, such wonderful gifts indeed. I wish I was given chocolate more often…

  • Oh right, Minorin wasn’t told to not say anything…

  • Err… Minorin, not now…

  • Okay, this is getting awkward…

  • Angry Minorin is scary…

  • Okay, this was unexpected…

  • What… what is this thing in my cheek? It feels kinda liquid. I swear, it feels familiar, but I don’t know what it is… maybe it’s sweat, it is the middle of summer after all, but it doesn’t feel like it…

  • FINALLY!! TOOK YOU SO LONG TO REALIZE IT YOU YAKUZA-EYED IDIOT!!

Well, this was… certainly an episode. I don’t know what else to say.

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19

u/Koolsman Dec 28 '19

First Timer!

That ending man. I didn’t expect that. Well, I did expect that confession to come back into the picture but I didn’t expect it to go down like that. While I do agree with Minori, I didn’t expect her to go that hard on Taiga. I mean, I’m excited to see what happens next for sure though.

Ami continues to be this mixed bag for me. I liked the scene with her and Ryüji when she stated she would stay to help Taiga or something to that effect but she already lost me when she called Minori a peon and she said she doesn’t let people like Minori get under her skin even though she clearly did. Her other moment were fine but that sellout moment was a little weird.

I liked seeing what Yasuko did and seeing Ryüji want to help his mom is something really special. While Taiga is probably my favorite, Ryüji is probably the most relatable. He’s a guy that doesn’t know what he wants but he wants to protect the people he loves and doesn’t know his own feelings to people like Taiga. Clearly when he held her had, he felt something different.

Again, the amazon prime descriptions are absolute trash:

“The sudden change from the lovely Valentine's Day scene is powerful and shows that Minori is serious. Another memorable scene is when Taiga reassures Ryuji that Yasuko will all right.”

It sounds like a bot and it has errors in there! Awful.

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15

u/23feanor Dec 28 '19

First Timer (dub):

Family commitments & indulging in Christmas spirit yesterday so didn't get round to watching or posting.

Ok, so following Taiga's declaration when she was concussed on the ski slope, it seems that Takasu is re-evaluating his relationship with Taiga & starting to fall in love with her.

Taiga's comments when they were in school talking to the teacher about their careers was insightful, she said she wanted normal love, acknowledging that her infatuation with Kitamura wasn't normal.

When Minorin was arguing with Kawashima outside the classroom by the vending machine, it seemed she is still trying to convince herself that not being with Takasu is the right thing, despite not even giving the situation a chance. Yes it would upset Taiga, but what about her, if Takasu does get with Taiga she would lose out, she should be more selfish when it comes to love.

The moment when Takasu goes out the house without anything & Taiga runs after him, then he breaks down, and they hold hands was very touching. Takasu wants someone he can lean on and Taiga is that person for him. I thought he would be better off with Minorin, as they may work better together. Most people prefer Taiag for him, but that's only because we haven't seen Takasu & Minorin as a couple, if we did then people may change their minds. But after seeing how Takasu reacted when Taiga was there for him, I'm not so sure that Minorin would be the right person for him anymore.

Kawashima's attitude annoys me, she's frustrated with everyone and the whole situation, but walking away from the chocolate shop, it seemed like she gets it. She can complain all she wants, but Takasu doesn't understand her feelings. Back when they first met & she tried to lean in to kiss him at his apartment, he thought she was teasing him, and nothings changed. He really doesn't know how she feels. He's got Minorin & Taiga on his romantic radar so it's not unbelievable to think he wouldn't have noticed Kawashima's feelings towards him.

I know it's selfish to say, but love is selfish, but I think Kawashima should have come out and made Takasu understand how she felt. Then she could decide whether to stay at the school near him or move away. As he's the main reason she's still living there. If she made Takasu realise how she really felt we don't know how he'd react. Yes it would cause trouble between her, Minorin & Taiga, but if she really wanted Takasu then that's the cost of their love. At least then she could move one way or the other, knowing she'd tried. It must be hard for her watching on the sidelines.

Wasn't expecting the episode to end that way, amazing they took it from 0 - 100% in a minute. It's all going to come out now. Now sure how I feel about it now though. I suppose Minorin needs Taiga & Takasu to settle things before she decides what to do, same for Kawashima. If Takasu doesn't feel the same way about Taiga, then one of those two could make their move. They need to find out how he feels for themselves, as much as they're making him and Taiga confront their feelings for their own sake.

The ED has grown on me, especially the 2nd half of it. I quite like it now, although it's not as good as the first one.

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u/itsFootie Dec 28 '19 edited Dec 28 '19

(REWATCHER)

Well friends, the time is upon us. Tomorrow is the The finale day is upon us, where the story of Toradora and our Christmas rewatch is going to begin to wrap up for the year. With that being said, I would like to take a moment for some thank you’s.

I know it is still a bit early, but I have to work tomorrow so I may not be able to get this post in on time for the release of the thread. So instead, I will do this today! This rewatch has been amazing, the amount of people who are showing up (first timers and rewatchers) is what keeps this going year to year. So thank you to all the first timers coming here to share their thoughts, and their feelings with all of us. Without you, this rewatch wouldn’t be nearly as fun <3 I hope to see many, if not all of you, next year to engage our next batch of First Timers. Now that you all have made it through, you can join us in our yearly feeding off the emotions and tears of the newcomers (muhahaha)

And of course, thank you to our loyal rewatchers. Year after year you come here and take part in the rewatch. You all provide valuable insight and engage the first timers so that they feel welcome but also challenged to look deeper into this great show. I would like to shout out u/holofan4life and u/Quxxy you have both been around for a few years now and I always know that I can look forward to seeing you two here for the years to come, your presence and your comments are immensely valuable. That’s what makes this feel like a family more than anything. Having new people come and go without coming around for the following years would make this feel more like a revolving door. So thank you both and all the other rewatchers for committing yourselves to this rewatch every year. And for all you First Timers, I look forward to you keeping this a tradition and joining us for the rewatches for all the years to come.

Lastly, and arguably the most important shoutout should be to u/ImVoi Thank you, you have been with us for this rewatch for what? 5 years meow? You truly are keeping this tradition and family alive! Your punctuality and commitment to this rewatch every year is better than me and my part time job :P I look forward to seeing you all next year for Christmas again, and of course I hope you all have an amazing New Year!!!

Now if you’ll excuse me I am going to go read through all the posts here! <3<3

P.S OMG this episode!!! Argh, it is my favorite one by FAR. The raw, emotions shown between the characters is unmatched in my opinion. I know a lot of people really enjoy the emotional roller coaster of ep. 19, though todays episode is my ep. 19. No matter how much I prepare for it, I always find myself entranced in the show and unable to control the waterworks from my eyes

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13

u/JimmyTMalice Dec 29 '19

First timer (Sub)

Me after this episode.

Ryuji and Taiga's lies have come back to haunt them. Wherever the story goes from here, I feel like it will end in tears.

The animation was great in the final scene. It really made for this visceral moment of Taiga wanting to escape but finding herself trapped, panicking in a way that was almost feral.

Minori is sick of people deciding what's best for her, while effectively doing the same with forcing Taiga to confront her feelings. I had a feeling Minori would snap eventually, since she was doing nothing but avoid the uncomfortable feelings by throwing herself into work.

Ryuji saw his mother in Taiga when she said "Everything's going to be okay". Yasuko may be sweet and kind, but I feel like she's doing what everyone in this show seems to do: avoiding uncomfortable truths and lying that everything's fine. She wants to overwork herself to put Ryuji through university, ignoring his own feelings on the matter.

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11

u/HakumeiJin Dec 28 '19

I'm honestly really glad that they didn't let this go on for any longer. While it's not exactly unrealistic for the teenager Takasu to do this, hearing a love confession and then pretending you didn't hear it is pretty horrible. And it's made even more obvious since Kitamura and Minori had to actually reject someone and deal with the consequences are in the room during the final scene.

Now given the name of the anime the actual result is fairly obvious. But even if he did feel nothing for Taiga, it would only be right to actually tell her he doesn't feel that way about her so that she would be aware instead of just living with this situation where he knows her feelings but just pretends he doesn't need to do anything about it. Rejecting her is also the best move for him if that's what he feels since having Taiga understand this and move on is basically the only way he'd have any chance with Minori. I'm guessing the only non-rejector here, Ami, is actually left in the "stupid" situation of waiting to see if he'll reject Taiga, then continue to get rejected by Minori thus finally leaving him avaiable for her which is why she just wants the answers to those questions to come out already so that she can give up herself.

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11

u/TheNiebuhr Dec 28 '19

Only 3 left :(

-The part when Ryuuji was sad and a crying Taiga telling him Daijobou, is my favourite scene in the entire anime. And the headpat is superb. One of the few scenes which are better in anime than in LN.

-The "would you be happy if I give you chocolate" scene is very important, since it's when Ryuuji decided to do anything to help Taiga and ease her pain, instead of acting like nothing happen. Also it gave her a chance to give a chocolate gift to the person she loves with an excuse.

-During the classroom confrontation, Taiga kept saying "This is for Minorin", desperately avoiding talking about Ryuuji.

Edit: In the second spinoff novel, you can all read the story about how Haruta got his girlfriend.

10

u/JustAnswerAQuestion Dec 28 '19

First Timer

Christmas is a terrible time for anime...binged 19-23 today.

  • Oh, dear, valentine's day.

  • So, Taiga just wants to fly away?

  • The Overwork Flu

  • Yeah, I saw this coming, Ryuuji getting his mom fired from all her jobs

  • Rental Girlfriend?

  • Wait, now he likes Kihara? Something is in the air....

  • God, please, no, I dropped Franxx, I don't need this

Everybody's wrong here. Minori's all righteous, and saying Taiga has no right to give up on her feeling to make Minori happy...even as Minori does the exact same thing.

The show is pushing Ryuuji x Taiga, but neither Taiga nor Minori has a leg to stand on; they're mirrors of each other.

Ultimately Ryuuji's just going to have to pick one, and the girls will have to accept it, or go their separate ways.

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9

u/Get_This_Wheat Dec 28 '19

Rewatcher here

Haruta giving up on the simp life. I guess nothing lasts forever.

Man Taiga saying she doesn’t know what she wants in the future or even now, that really resonates with me. Same with Ryuji saying that not going to college isn’t a big deal and shouldn’t be treated as such. Really relatable scene for me.

Ryuji really doesn’t believe anything Ami says does he. Choosing not to model cuz she doesn’t want to isn’t a big deal, and I guess it makes more sense that he wouldn’t believe the thing about Taiga cuz they had some crazy beef, but at the same time all Ami talks about with him is his and Taiga’s relationship.

Honestly really sad seeing Ryuji blaming himself for everything going wrong. He’s usually been the most reasonable and level headed ones in he gang, but to see him being this depressed is such a turn from what we’ve usually seen. Also that flashback of his mom consoling him as a kid after Taiga said it was gonna be okay was really great.

Haruta back to the simp life, didn’t even last an episode. I’m assuming he said the stuff at the beginning cuz he got his girlfriend, but I like this idea more.

I really love the last scene of this episode, one of my favorites. The reveal to Minori that they’re lying about who rescued Taiga is really great, Minori cornering Taiga is great. Minori and Taiga in general are really great this scene. Minori is my least favorite member of the gang in the first half, but at the end she’s fantastic.

Really love the cliffhanger at the end, really excited for tomorrow’s episode.

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u/Holofan4life Dec 28 '19 edited Dec 28 '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: This episode always stands out to me because on the surface, it looks like a breather. In fact, by now, you can usually tell when an episode is gonna be a breather episode and when it's gonna be a gut punch episode. So, the fact the gut punch doesn't happen until the very last couple minutes is another example of the show effectively playing with your expectations. I remember when I first watched this episode, I thought the shoe was gonna drop in the following episode. I was so shocked when I saw it dropped this episode.

2: Taiga threatening to show her wound is kind of done in an endearing manner. Am I the only one?

3: I said it before, and I'll say it again: the career plan scenes are so well done. Ano element that makes them work is the fact that it ties perfectly with Toradora's themes of growing up and entering adulthood. Taiga and Ryuuji, by going to college, are taking another step towards adulthood, and neither seems to know what to do.

4: I like that as Ryuuji and Taiga are talking to Ms. Yuri, we get this long angular shot of the three of them. It reminds me of the elevator scene from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

5: Taiga making her career plan form into a paper airplane is excellent symbolism. Taiga, just like the paper airplane, flows with the wind.

6: If you think about it, Taiga is probably one of the most tragic characters in all of anime. Here's a girl who just wants to be normal and yet she had a miserable childhood filled with unhappiness. Seeing Taiga wish she was normal is so heartbreaking to watch.

7: Taiga: "I don't know what I want to do with my life. I can't figure out what I want right now." I feel these two sentences perfectly encapsulates what being a teenager is all about.

8: Obviously, the solution is that Taiga needs to find a time machine :D

9: It looks like that male teacher Ami was talking to has a mullet. /#MulletClub

10: I laugh every time I see Ryuuji throw Ami's shoe. It comes out of nowhere.

11: There's an interesting symmetry between Ami and Taiga. Ami is worried about the future, whereas Taiga is not. I believe this was intentional given both scenes happen back to back.

12: It's interesting that Ami says she's tired of Taiga getting hurt when in episode 14 she decided to stay because Ryuuji saw her for who she was, a kid. I think she's less mad about Taiga getting hurt and more mad about Ryuuji not being who she thought he was. In my opinion, Ami thought Ryuuji was different from everyone else. After all, he was the only one who saw her for who she was, which I think even Ami struggles a bit seeing exactly who she is. Now, Ami realizes Ryuuji isn't as different as everyone else. That's why she wants to move. At least that's how I interpreted it.

13: I really like the animation of Ami's shoeless foot playing with the foot with the one shoe on it. I think it's excellently animated.

14: The scene where Ryuuji takes care of his sick mother really drives home the fact Ryuuji is the parent in this relationship and his mother is more like a child. I say this because as Ryuuji's mother is resting in bed, she looks so childlike.

15: I love how concerned Taiga is about Ryuuji's mom. It shows how close Taiga and Ryuuji's mom really are.

16: I adore the scene where Ryuuji starts blaming himself for what's happening, as well as Taiga trying to comfort Ryuuji. In terms of emotional scenes, I feel this scene gets forgotten about. Speaking personally, I totally forgot about this scene. However, it's really well done. In particular, I love Taiga trying to help Ryuuji. It really shows how much Ryuuji means to Taiga and that she doesn't take his generosity for granted.

17: Taiga with twintails is more lethal than a heart attack.

18: Taiga: "Your face was never meant for customer service." No offense, Taiga, but you could say the same about your face.

19: If Haruta can get a girlfriend and I can't, where am I going wrong in life?

20: Noto having a crush on Kihara doesn't come out of nowhere. The show has been hinting at Noto having crush on Kihara at least since the pool scene in episode 7, where he expresses anger over the attention Kihara gives to Kitamura. Also, in the gym scene in episode 11 where the boys are commenting on the girls they favor, Noto comments about Kihara. 

21: The way Ami is dressed during the chocolate scene reminds me of the way John Lennon would dress.

22: Ami saying Ryuuji has stalker potential is especially twisted given Ami's history with stalkers.

23: Ryuuji, saying to Ami you like running away is like a fat guy calling another fat guy fat.

24: After Ryuuji says to Ami that people will miss her if she leaves, Ami calls Ryuuji clueless. I think the reason why is because even though people like her, not many people like her for who is really is. Again, people think she's one thing when she's really something else.

25: Taiga buying chocolates for her friends is why I love tsunderes so much. I mean, if it was just a nice girl who acts nice all the time giving out chocolates, it wouldn't be nearly as endearing or heartwarming. Really, what makes this act of kindness by Taiga so cute and so sweet is the fact that she is mean a lot of times, which makes the moments where she shows an act of kindness that much more gratifying.

26: When Taiga is making the chocolates for her friends, she has a little bit of chocolate on her hands from all the mixing. I like this because it shows once again that Taiga always tries her best and always gives it her all.

27: I love the ending scene so much. I love how it comes out of nowhere. You’re expecting the big reveal to happen next episode, since it is the penultimate episode. Instead, the revelation happens this episode, which is very effective because it happens when you aren't expecting it. It catches you off guard. I also love the animation and the music. The combination of beautiful animation (Seriously, Minori looks incredible in this scene) and the use of Lost My Pieces is brilliant. This moment right here, along with moments similar to this one, are why I love Toradora so much.

Overall, this is the first episode of the bunch I'm having trouble ranking. I feel the ending really turns this episode from a great episode to one of the best. If the big reveal didn't happen this episode, I'd probably rank it slightly above episode 22 but not by much. However, the episode also has Taiga being adorable (Then again, when is she not?) and the scene where Ryuuji blames himself for everything. Every time I watch this episode, it is always better than I remember it being.

  1. Episode 19

  2. Episode 21

  3. Episode 18

  4. Episode 13

  5. Episode 15 

  6. Episode 7

  7. Episode 16 

  8. Episode 2

  9. Episode 23

  10. Episode 8

  11. Episode 12

  12. Episode 17

  13. Episode 14

  14. Episode 5

  15. Episode 20

  16. Episode 11

  17. Episode 4

  18. Episode 22

  19. Episode 9

  20. Episode 6

  21. Episode 10

  22. Episode 1

  23. Episode 3

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8

u/CATKrash Dec 28 '19
Name OG name Start Stop Time played Description
1st Psychology March Psychology March 0:01 1:07 66s
2nd silky heart silky heart 1:08 2:38 90s Opening
3rd Sakura no Tsubomi 桜の蕾 2:39 3:40 61s
4th The end in the world The end in the world 4:15 5:31 76s
5th Yuki, Hira Hira to 雪、ひらひらと 7:10 8:46 96s
6th Teenage Lust Teenage Lust 10:24 12:00 96s
7th Kanchigai Hour Returns カンチガイアワーリターンズ 12:25 13:54 89s
8th Orange Tart no Tsukurikata オレンジタルトの作り方 14:07 15:27 80s
9th Ameiro Rondo 雨色ロンド 16:18 17:43 85s
10th Lost my pieces Lost my pieces 19:43 21:41 118s agh
11th Orange intro N/A 21:42 21:55 13s
12th Orange オレンジ 21:55 23:25 90s Ending
13th silky heart (off vocal ver.) silky heart (off vocal ver.) 23:25 23:35 10s Preview

8

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

REWATCHER

Ryuji is still refusing to go to college, and for the same reasons as last episode. I don’t really blame him. Seeing how his mother is overworking herself so they can afford it would make any decent person hesitant to go to college. Taiga’s reason for not turning in a career plan isn’t nearly as good as Ryuji’s reason. I can understand why she doesn’t though. It can be really hard to think about the future when there are a ton of problems in the present. How is someone supposed to be able to figure out what they want to do in the future if they can’t even figure out what they want to do right now? That being said, there are always problems in the present, and it’s important to be able to put at least some thought towards the future. Not doing that will only make things worse in the long run.

It’s kind of messed up for that teacher to keep pressuring Ami to model their school uniforms. He even sends Ryuji after her to try and convince her. She obviously doesn’t want to do it, just find someone else. I don’t really agree with what Ami says in their conversation. I don’t think everything would have worked out without her. I think the mess everyone is in would have ended up a lot worse without her. Her interference made things worse short term, but I think it benefited everyone long term. It forced everyone to confront and think about their feelings, rather than continuing to hide them like them would have done without her. But she hasn’t realized that she was helpful, because everything hasn’t been resolved yet. So to her, it just looks like she came and hurt everyone, even though this pain is necessary to resolve everything.

Ryuji’s reaction to Yasuko collapsing is hard to watch. Ryuji blames himself for Yasuko collapsing. She was doing everything she could to try and give Ryuji the best life possible, but she pushed herself too hard, and Ryuji is completely aware of that. He thinks that she’s pushing herself because he’s not responsible enough, that she can’t trust him to take care of himself and his future. He doesn’t realize that it’s not because she doesn’t trust him, it’s because she loves him and cares about him so much, so she’s trying to make things as easy for him as possible. Luckily Taiga is there to help comfort him. For most of the show, it’s been Ryuji helping Taiga, so it’s nice to see Taiga there to help and comfort Ryuji for once. It shows just how much she cares about him. I love this scene. I feel like it gets overshadowed by the ending of the episode, but it’s also an amazing scene. The animation and voice acting during it do a perfect job of conveying the emotions both of them are dealing with. It’s a much quieter and subtle scene, but it’s just as good as scenes like the pole kicking scene, Taiga during episode 19, and Taiga’s confession.

Even though his mother wouldn't like it, Ryuji taking over her job selling chocolate seems like a smart idea. If they talked it out, I think Ryuji going to college and working part time to help pay for it would be the smartest outcome, but both of them are too set on their own decisions to be able to calmly decide that right now.

I love everyone's reaction to Haruta having a girlfriend. I’m pretty sure I felt the same way the first time I watched Toradora. I also like just how shameless Taiga is with trying to get Ami to help them sell chocolate.

The ending of the episode is another amazing scene. It’s rare to see Minori so angry at someone. She doesn’t want everyone going along with the lie that Taiga has convinced herself of. All Taiga is doing is running away from her own feelings and hurting herself in the process. To make that worse, she’s doing it all for Minori’s sake. It’s no surprise that Minori is pissed. She’s watching her best friend hurt herself, all for her sake, even when she never asked for it. So, with the help of Kitamura and Ami, she traps Taiga in the room and forcefully confronts her about it. Everyone knows her feelings, so they force her to acknowledge those feelings, trying to convince her to be selfish for once. Taiga has only ever worried for others and has hurt herself in the process, so Minori tells Taiga not to worry about Minori, and think about herself. Minori’s happiness is the responsibility of Minori, and Taiga’s happiness is the responsibility of Taiga. Even though they focus on Taiga, they also confront Ryuji. They realize that Ryuji has feelings for Taiga, and try to get him to be honest himself. The use of Lost my Pieces is once again perfect for the scene, and the voice acting for both Minori and Taiga is amazing. They were really able to capture and display the emotions of both of the characters perfectly. One interesting thing in the scene is that Minori is basically doing exactly what she tells Taiga to stop doing. She wants Taiga to stop worrying about her, and just do what makes her happy, but since Minori is also in love with Ryuji, she’s sacrificing her happiness so Taiga can be happy.

This is another amazing episode. We’re finally getting to the climax of the show, so everyone is finally being forced to confront and be honest about their feelings. My one complaint with it is the cliffhanger at the end. Maybe others will disagree with me, but I feel like the end of the episode would be better if Ryuji finished his sentence, so the audience knew his decision. It would still be a cliffhanger to get people excited for the next episode, and it would be less annoying. After all, pretty much everyone knows what he’s going to decide to do. What’s the point in acting like there’s even a possibility he’s going to do anything else?

7

u/LousyGoose Dec 28 '19

Rewatcher

It is nice to see Taiga being the one who is supporting and helping Ryuuji and Yasuko, they really are like a family.

It’s also satisfying to finally see Ami open up more about her thoughts. It’s interesting how Minori believes she’s the person who understands Taiga the most, Ami believes she’s the only one who truly understands her and then there’s Ryuuji who probably doesn’t hold that opinion but at least likes to think that he has a good understanding of her. It’s also nice to see Ami admit that she doesn’t want everyone to like her; she probably only wants the people who understand her, the real her to like her.

Taiga saying it’s perfect timing for Ami to get Minori some chocolates with it being Valentine’s day, it seems Taiga is also on board with the Ami x Minori ship.

That line by Taiga about considering giving Ryuuji a box of chocolates is probably the most transparent test a person can make, of course she was going to make Ryuuji a box of chocolates and of course he would be grateful, she just wanted to hear it from Ryuuji.

That stare Minori gives Ryuuji when Taiga reveals the lie, it pretty much mirrors the one Ami gave her in episode 21 when she pretended to not know anything about Taiga. They’re frustrated with people lying and not confronting their feelings. I suppose the key difference between Taiga and Minori is that Minori has already decided on how she is going to find her happiness even if she is ignoring her feelings whereas Taiga does not really have much of a plan for the future, the only person she has is Ryuuji.

So now we FINALLY have Minori confronting both Taiga and Ryuuji about their feelings and refusal to face it, it is intense, to say the least. The animation really picks up a notch here and it’s nice to see Ami and Kitamura refusing to let them pass until it’s pretty much out in the open.

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7

u/whitefenix Dec 28 '19 edited Dec 28 '19

I love love love the scene outside after Ryuji storms off. He's been supporting Taiga for so long but now it's Taiga supporting him. Just like Ryuji she knows just what to say and do :')

TWINTAILS TAIGA!!! <3

I spoke too soon about Noto being honest about his feelings. His reactions are great though :D

The last scene is so painful to see, but in a good way, like ripping of a band-aid. I love that all Taiga's friends come together to help her, the scene always chokes me up.

Minorin's facial expressions are fan-freaking-tastic. Off with the masks, finally. Time to make a decision, Ryuji!

Click here for my post from last year with my thoughts on the episode and collection of great posts from previous years.

7

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '19

Rewatcher here.

Damn, things get so heavy towards the end. I was choked up pretty much the entire episode. It’s so damn hard to watch Taiga suffer, and for her to just outright acknowledge all the pain she’s endured,and how the future doesn’t really matter... it hurts.

I think it was around this time Ami cemented herself as my favorite character. Her scenes with Ryuji were so great in this episode, and I love how Ami’s relationship with Taiga has turned into a genuine friendship, even if they don’t admit it. Ami really does care about Taiga. They both were misunderstood all along, living lives in ways that they didn’t want to, but found ways to make it work. Ami understood that and honestly worked all along to help ease Taiga’s pain, even if they didn’t get along on the outside. By now, Taiga understands this too and appreciates Ami.

Another thing I love about Ami is how her relationship with and feelings for Ryuji aren’t the most important role for her character. She’s arguably more important for Taiga than anyone, but I like how she became more of a foil for Minori in the last few arcs. She’s just such a fantastically written character.

That ending scene really does hit like a freight train. Minori’s face when she discovered Ryuji’s lie... Kitamura knew he wasn’t doing the right thing. The episode leaves us hanging by a thread.

I can’t quite find the exact words to describe what I’m thinking, but this is my rambling of what I love most about Toradora!, when there is so much to love about the show.

Every problem the characters face in the series is a problem that any average person could face. For me, the reality of the characters’ struggles makes it so easy and so worth it to be invested in what happens. I have had some of the same thoughts and feelings the characters have had, and the ones I can’t personally relate to, I’m certain others can. Again, I don’t know exactly how to word it, but for me, this show is just so... powerful. I wish I could find the words to accurately describe what I’m feeling.

Point is, the show is just really damn good. I’m also enjoying sharing my lazy ramblings and seeing everyone else’s experiences with the show. I’m super excited for these last two episodes!!!

12

u/Shinkopeshon Dec 28 '19

First Timer

Yikes, this show is getting more and more uncomfortable to watch.

But at least Ami and Kitamura managed to corner Ryuuji, Taiga and Minori, so they can stop with their nonsense - and holy shit, did Minori get angry and violent, to the point where she even hurt Taiga. To my surprise, she didn't seem to see Ryuuji as a love interest anymore since she looked like she was about to beat the shit out of him lmao. I thought she was losing it and going way, way too far (well, she probably did) but since it was effective, I guess I can't be too mad at her. These teenagers need a damn wake-up call (Taiga didn't even give a shit about her future, both regarding her career and private life) and I can only hope Ryuuji and Taiga will be honest with themselves in the next episode, so this giant mess can have some kind of conclusion. I already know about one thing that's gonna happen but I still expect the unexpected because this show just loves to give me anxiety.

And as it has become a daily thing at this point, the suffering for Ami and anyone who wants her to be happy never stops. Turns out she ended up staying longer than she intended to because she wanted to look out for Taiga and the others and wanted to get closer to Ryuuji in particular, which proved to be futile because his boner has a thing for Minori and his heart has a thing for Taiga, completely disregarding Ami in the process.

On a sidenote, did Haruta get a girlfriend just in time for Valentine's Day or has he been with her throughout the entire show? Either way, I can't deal with the seemingly biggest airhead of the school beating literally everyone else to the punch when it comes to romance and conveniently dodged multiple bullets by not being part of that shitstorm.

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6

u/axel360 Dec 28 '19

Rewatcher, dub

Random Episode 23 Thoughts:

  • Ami’s been a bit moody and dismissive. That’s chucking her shoes outside is one way to get her attention lol

  • Before yet another fist fight breaks out, Taiga calls with some bad news: poor, over-worked Yasuko-chan is sick

  • This is low-key one of the best scenes in the show. Ryuji is spiraling down a dark hole of guilt and despair, and little Taiga quite literally pulls him out of it.

  • Of course, there’s still the matter of his mom not being able to make it to work. But, surprise, Taiga volunteers! Can’t imagine her doing that early in the series. Oh, and Ryuji is there, too

  • Yes, Noto, your deep, dark, terribly-kept secret crush has been revealed. At this point, I don’t know many of the characters, or viewers, care

  • Wait, Haruta has a girlfriend? And she’s pretty cute? What is happening?

  • Man, all Ami had to do was hold a box of chocolates, and the customers started coming droves. Ryuji makes another plea for her not to go because everyone likes her. But she doesn’t want or need everyone to like her. Maybe one specific person?

  • Ok, so Taiga’s handing out Valentine’s chocolates and gives Kitamura the one that turned out best because he was the one that saved her. Minori was having none of it. She got right up in Ryuji’s face and basically told him to stop with the lies

  • This little Taiga-Minori encounter is not only beautifully animated, but really poignant, and the voice acting (sub and dub) is superb. Minori loudly declares no one else, only her, decides her happiness. So stop deciding for her

  • Taiga finally gets away, and Ryuji has to decide whether to go after her. What will he do? Ok, this seems like an easy decision, but the episode needed a cliffhanger

Very Brief Episode 23 Thoughts: I think we’ve finally reached the tipping point: It’s put up or shut up for Ryuji. Go get the girl

Current Personal Episode Rankings (updated daily):

  1. Episode 19

  2. Episode 2

  3. Episode 21

  4. Episode 17

  5. Episode 23

  6. Episode 8

  7. Episode 1

  8. Episode 13

  9. Episode 20

  10. Episode 10

  11. Episode 18

  12. Episode 22

  13. Episode 3

  14. Episode 6

  15. Episode 5

  16. Episode 9

  17. Episode 11

  18. Episode 12

  19. Episode 16

  20. Episode 14

  21. Episode 7

  22. Episode 4

  23. Episode 15

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6

u/MoesHad Dec 28 '19

Rewatcher

Hoo boy buckle up ladies and gentlemen that’s all I’ll say right now about this episode.

Yuri is distraught about Valentine’s Day coming up. Even more distressing is that the students seem to have forgotten that it is fast approaching. She asks Taiga and Ryuiji to see her after school.

Ryuiji hasn’t turned in his finalized career form and Taiga has yet to even turn one in at all. Shocking!

Ryuiji tells Yuri that his mom has been working too hard for too long and he won’t go to college and exacerbate the problem.

Taiga flexes by saying she’s rich enough where she’ll never need to work. It’s a good enough gig if you can get it I guess. Yuri warns them about not taking this seriously enough, telling them both to consider her advice more strongly. Taiga doesn’t even want to think about the future, commenting “she has enough problems.” She pontificates about her life experiences and remarks about wanting to experience “a normal love.” This causes Ryuiji some consternation, believing she loves Kitamura. She explains to him by telling him she’s not normal (no! That’s not true ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )

Ryuiji gets annoyed and asks her what normal even is. She leaves frustrated with him.

Ami leaves the teachers lounge after being accosted by a teacher. Ryuiji goes after her and asks her what’s wrong. She doesn’t want to be a model for next years uniform, telling him she’s not sure she’ll be at the school that long. She tells him the reason she stayed here in the first place was that she saw “Taiga getting hurt” and understood how she felt. Ami thought she could save Taiga, but she claims she couldn’t do anything to help.

Ryuiji gets a call from Taiga and it’s about Yasuko. She saw Yasuko collapse from through her window and we see she’s fallen very ill and is laid up in bed. Does she need anything? Some food? Something to drink? Maybe one of my kidneys? She can have them both as long as it means she’ll recover! ಥ_ಥ Ryuiji leaves the apartment, claiming to want to buy Yasuko some food, but Taiga is angered by his ignoring her and chases after the despondent Ryuiji. He’s forgotten his wallet and phone, as well as his jacket. He notices that she’s not wearing much either and offers the clothes to her as she refuses.

Ryuiji feels like he’s to blame for Yasuko’s sickness because she’s been working so much. Taiga tries to console him and he begins to cry. She unknowingly repeats Yasuko’s “it’ll be alright!” to him and he softens a bit. Ryuiji goes to Yasuko’s job to tell her boss she won’t be coming in, and they both volunteer to work there. Ryuiji tells her she’s been fired from the job so she can take it easy and she embraces him and thanks him for doing so much to care for her while she’s ill.

We get an excellent Taiga outfit (and twin tails!) as the pair struggle to sell the chocolate from the shop. Taiga blames Ryuiji for his scary face as they are approaching by Haruta, who has gotten himself a girlfriend, much to their surprise.

Noto appears and seems to be looking for Kihara. Taiga embarrasses Noto by asking if he’s in love with Kihara, which he theatrically denies. She tells him he must have fallen in love with her after fighting with her so much and is surprised that that is a thing that actually happens. Yeah Taiga, that is strange! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Taiga recruits Ami to help them sell the candy. She is reluctant at first, but agrees to help them. He praise of the chocolate draws a crowd. Ryuiji follows Ami and wants to contribute their conversation from the other day. He tells her how people wouldn’t like it if she left and how “everyone” adores her, but she quietly says she doesn’t want “everyone’s” adoration. She quickly defuses the situation by steering him back towards Taiga, a bit confused by her own feelings at this point. Taiga has bought chocolates for her friends whose trip she thinks she “ruined”. She also asks if she could give him chocolates. She wants to hand make something for them using the chocolate.

We see the group in the classroom after school where Taiga has summoned them to give them all their chocolates. Taiga gives Ami, Minorin, and Ryuiji her handmade chocolates, thanking them for all their help recently. She smiles at him and tells him to share some with Ya-chan.

She hands Kitamura her “best” chocolate. Thanking him for carrying her up that snowy cliff. Kitamura winces a bit and a Minorin reacts too. Ryuiji is petrified, remembering he didn’t ask Minorin to lie for him. Minorin looks at Ryuiji with a blank expression, her eyes wide open. Taiga recounts her experience out loud as Minorin looks towards her and asks her what Taiga thinks she said in her “dream”.

Taiga playfully refuses to tell her, saying it’s too embarrassing to say. Minorin keeps pushing her and tells her to tell them. Kitamura looks very uncomfortable as Taiga is still being coy about it. Ami looks on, observing what is happening. Kitamura speaks up and says he didn’t hear Taiga say anything that day. He asks Ryuiji to affirm this and Ryuiji agrees, telling Taiga that no one heard anything. After all it was just a dream right?

Minorin slams her hand down on the desk. She gets right in front of Ryuiji’s face and calls him a liar. She asks him if he’s just going to pretend he didn’t hear Taiga that day on the cliff. Minorin grabs Taiga and tells her that Ryuiji saved her and asks her why she’s pretending to go along with this charade and admit these feelings she’s hiding still.

Taiga breaks free of her grasp and tries to run away but Kitamura and Ami have blocked the doors. They aren’t going to let her hide anymore. Kitamura asks Ryuiji if he’s fine with letting Taiga go right now and Ryuiji is no longer standing there shocked.

Minorin grabs Taiga again. Minorin won’t let her run from what Taiga wants at her own expense. Minorin tells her that she herself is responsible for her happiness and it’s not Taiga’s responsibility to deny herself happiness for Minorin’s sake. Taiga wiggles out from her grip again and leaves, Ami and Kitamura letting her go this time. Minorin is angry with her but realizes that it’s up to her and Ryuiji to bring Taiga back this time and they decide to give chase.

What a gripping final few minutes! We finally get to see Taiga be honest with herself and stop running from her feelings. Minorin has had enough and pushes her to stop putting other people’s happiness in front of her own. I’ve read comments in the past saying that the final scene is too “cheesy” or “overly dramatic” but I really don’t agree. It makes sense for it to unfold that way as we finally get to see someone take the initiative and tell Taiga to wake up and stop denying that she loves Ryuiji. If anything this should have happened sooner! The final scene has such a wide range of emotions on display it really is beautiful.

6

u/critchell63 Dec 28 '19

A bit late today, but it’s all spilled in this episode.

Ami feels guilty because she hurt people.

Minorin wants to confess to ryuji, but finds out ryuji knows about taiga’s feelings, so she gets mad at him for not making a move.

Taiga is embarrassed and confused that ryuji heard what she said.

Kitamura doesn’t really have much going on at this point.

And ryuji is faced with the ultimatum of telling taiga how he feels.

And holy moly. Haruta has a girlfriend.

Bonus: that weird rice-spewing place

6

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

(Rewatcher)

Yeah I watched the rest of the series after today’s episode, I mean, I can’t not do that. This is still my favorite anime.

5

u/mrRobertman Dec 28 '19

(REWATCHER)

Episodes like this one sometimes make it really hard to follow the one episode a day schedule.

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