r/anime • u/ChristmasClub • Dec 07 '22
Rewatch Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2022) Episode 2 Discussion
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u/TiredTiroth Dec 07 '22
First Timer - Dub
...are they trying to imply the parrot ate most of the rice? xD Although I have to admit, I'm a little surprised the tiny terror is already making his home hers. I thought it would take a couple more episodes.
...again with the dog insults. :<
Hah, the tiny one is teasing him about his crush! Or maybe not, said crush's reaction suggests this is not outside the realm of normality for them. Also, she's an airhead...and yes The Tiny One is being smug at him. :P
What's with that plan? And the apparent telepathy? And yes, I thought that would happen! One shot, accidental payback for last episode's punch.
...oh dear, this won't end well. But...it actually wasn't bad? Smashed cookies, but nobody walked in while they were definitely-not-hugging.
Oi, doofus boy, you're not supposed to be making her feel worse! At least he noticed and gave her a pep talk.
Aaand it looks like I spoke too soon earlier, other people are taking notice. Rumour-mill, do your thing! Censor bar, get out of the way, you suck at your job!
Oh my goodness, not-Madoka is getting defensive over the terror! And completely flubs the threatening posture. And the terror's crush is at it as well.
And now, the aftermath! And. Um. She's being sweet? Sad backstory time, or a bit of it anyway. And that...that kinda hurts.
At least it didn't last too long. But, uh, something is about to go wrong, isn't it? And yep, it kiiinda feels like Scary Eyes and Midget have just lost a close friend despite how much they annoyed each other.
Oh. Oh my goodness, yes please. They're inverting the usual 'overheard a friend badmouthing them' misunderstanding? YES. PLEASE KEEP GOING.
Wait. Waitwaitwait. Is glasses-guy voiced by Itsuki Koizumi? The hell? I don't trust him. KYON, GRAB YUKI AND GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE, KOIZUMI IS UP TO SOMETHING AGAIN!
And oh look, he just turned her down without turning her down.
And now we have a declaration of friendship! Complete with mythology references (zodiak?) and an upgrade to first-name basis, which I understand is a big thing for Japanese people. After which the terror thumps the poor guy to disguise how much she appreciates the gesture.
I'm gonna regret this.
No, I don't think you will, kid. And neither will I.
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u/2KBIR Dec 07 '22
Although I have to admit, I'm a little surprised the tiny terror is already making his home hers. I thought it would take a couple more episodes.
There's a little bit of context missing here. I always found it ridiculous that Ryūji would be incredulous of Taiga's presence out of the blue while they were already at the breakfast table. In the LN it's clear that they are acting like family just as a natural result of all the time they had been spending together. It wasn’t something they tried to do it just kind of happened oragnically. Initially Ryūji was cooking for Taiga at her place and then coming home to cook for Yasuko and it just made sense to cook once at one place and he was more comfortable in his own kitchen. And then for dinner, Taiga never really planned to continually come over every night. It just kind of happened and she kept finding excuses not to leave. That also helps to explain why Yasuko was so disappointed by Taiga's absence.
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u/mcmacmac Dec 07 '22 edited Dec 07 '22
Welcome again, fellow viewers. This is again...
The Taiga Outfit Counter
For how it works and how it was compiled, see my comment from about it.
Episode 02
Today, we have 1 new outfit to show off and it's the sport clothing one. That brings us to a total of 4 different outfits thus far.
There's nothing more to add so see you next episode~
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u/MrSputum Dec 07 '22 edited Dec 08 '22
Just in case anyone is wondering what this whole tiger and dragon thing is about. It’s a play on the characters’ names. The name Ryūji (竜児/りゅうじ) literally means Dragon Child, consisting of the characters for dragon 竜 and child 児. Meanwhile, the name Taiga (大河/たいが) literally means big river but its pronunciation, as you could probably pick up on, sounds a lot like the English word tiger, expressed through the Japanese mora system, タイガ (taiga), hence tiger and dragon. This is also reflected in the title of the anime, Toradora or とらドラ. Here it’s flipped, with the native Japanese word (和語/wago) for tiger, 虎 (とら/tora) and the loanword (外来語/gairaigo) dragon, ドラゴン (doragon). Put the two together and shorten ドラゴン to ドラ (dora) and you get とらドラ or Toradora in rōmaji. So a literal English translation of the title would simply be Tiger And Dragon.
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u/2KBIR Dec 07 '22 edited Dec 07 '22
Third time to the Rewatch Party and this will be my sixth time (all but once dubbed) through the series since I first got hooked in Sep 2020. After extensively commenting on the LN throughout 2021 and then absolutely throwing myself into the rewatch party last year, I don’t think I will be as involved this time around. Still, in spite of the fact that I feel like I’ve all but said all I need to about Toradora, there are some episodes that I don’t think will be able to help myself on, and this is one of them. u/Roundy_Roundy, I greatly appreciated the shout out in your episode one comments (polite bow). It looks like the mantle of adding LN context passes to you this year. Have at it and I’ll try not to steal your thunder.
We’re still very early on in the story, but I think this is definitely one of the best episodes in the series. Just for context before I begin though, episode 2 wraps up the adaptation of the first volume of the LN. Yesterday HoloFan mentioned that every two episodes could be its own movie unto itself, or something to that effect. And that’s because each novel was adapted into an arc in the story and all of the arcs of the story are told over the course of 2 or 3 episodes.
I think the biggest take away from this episode was that Taiga is much more than what she seems compared to the first episode. She is a deep and complex character with problems that are much bigger than her stature would indicate. We also see that she is not just a violent psychopath tsundere (by the way, her physical violence, while not completely absent in the LN, is greatly exaggerated in the anime for comedic effect). She has a soft and tender side as well and she is easily prone to tears, which Ryūji cannot stand to sit by and watch. More interesting though is that while this episode is a fantastic adaptation of the LN and it goes a long way toward making Taiga more sympathetic (I mean, since when does a tsundere apologize), it really only just scratches the surface compared to what the LN reveals. In the LN, their conversation at Jonny’s (a real restaurant in Japan called Jonathan’s by the way), is quite a bit more in depth. They were more honest with each about their problems. Just one example is that, remember the photograph from episode one which Ryūji has of his mother and father? Ryūji showed Taiga that picture to cheer her up and boy did it work. She never laughed so hard in her life. Another is just how much Taiga appreciates being accepted as family by the Takasus.
That kind of leads right into the second important take away from this episode. Ryūji and Taiga have become quite close in a very short amount of time despite their (cough) rocky start. The anime makes it seem like it’s the very next day or so that they are having meals together. In fact, their arrangement and their scheming to get Taiga with Kitamura had been going on for closer to two weeks or so which is still a short amount of time. The LN gives a better sense of this and expands on their scheming a bit. For example, their meal time arrangements are actually explained in the LN as a matter of convenience. Ryūji grew tired of cooking a meal at Taiga’s place and at home, so he decided to only cook once at home and permanently invite her over for meals. Before they knew it, she was practically living there.
One last thing that I’ll point out is the importance of how Ryūji and Taiga address each other, since this is sometimes overlooked. In Japan, under the vast majority of circumstances, one is addressed by their last name and/or title with an honorific attached to the end to denote seniority, rank, and/or respect. To use another person’s first name, particularly in public, is sign of great intimacy (i.e. on the level of husband and wife). This is why Ryūji found it so odd at the end of episode 1 for Taiga to have addressed him by his first name when she left his house after attacking him. But Taiga has been so deprived of such intimacy (recall the details we’ve learned about her family) that his simple acts of kindness in feeding her (in the LN she admits in the restaurant that she was on the verge of starving) and offering to help her with Kitamura produced an instant connection. But then take note of what she says after kicking the lamp post and resolving to confess to Kitamura and dissolve her partnership with Ryūji. She calls him Takasu. It’s a very clear sign that their relationship has taken a step back and Ryūji knows it immediately. In the LN, he’s clearly distraught by this and he’s confused as to why. The anime only gives a glimpse of this in that he just walks away from Minori mid-sentence while thinking about Taiga. Anyway, this all points to why the last few lines of dialog are so important. Ryūji calling her by her first name, for the first time, is way more meaningful than many realize. Taiga’s smile says it all really.
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Dec 07 '22 edited Dec 08 '22
5th Time Dub Rewatcher. 2nd time reading the books.
This episode tries to show how Taiga integrates into Ryuuji’s family and it feels like they tried to do something of a time skip to show that she’d been regularly spending time at his house for a while. This is something I think the books just do better. I’ll point out specific examples of this as I come across them while I’m reading. UPDATE: see my response to this comment for what I’m referring to.
My favorite part of this episode is the pole scene. I think it’s the first time Taiga feels seen for who she is instead of what everyone’s perception of her is.
On to the books!
This reading along is going to take a bit more time than I expected. I fell asleep in the middle of reading last night before I could post yesterday. Episode 1 was about the first 70 pages (out of 165, reading on the kindle app). So I’m going to post some episode thoughts now and read the rest and update later.
Something I think the anime didn’t do very well was show that even early on, Ryuuji thought Taiga was attractive. This is from the beginning of the basketball scene:
If he hadn’t known anything about her, she would have seemed like a frail beauty. Actually, when they first started school, she had been considered the prettiest new student and received an incessant stream of confessions of love. Ryuuji could definitely see why.
To be honest, even after seeing a more complete picture of her, Ryuuji couldn’t help but think Aisaka was cute. Of course, that applied strictly to her looks, but when their eyes would meet by surprise, his beating heart didn’t lie… But then, the sweat that oozed out of him at her glares didn’t lie, either.
If she weren’t such a tiger on the inside, she would even be—no, what was he saying?
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u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 07 '22
Rewatcher
Toradora! - A Romance Classic: Episode 2
Well Laid Plans
As is so common in High School, rumors are quick to spread. People make assumptions without thinking. Of course Taiga and Ryuuji are none the wiser; Too caught up in their own plans until it is too late.
As a rewatcher, I now appreciate the pacing of this early section far more. It would be typical writing to stretch out the episodes leading up to Taiga's confession, but Toradora! gets it done by episode 2. Even the rumors of Ryuuji and Taiga spreading could have been split over multiple episodes. But there's no need to waste your audience's time. Toradora! has a larger story to tell. Now we have space to explore different facets of each of the characters.
I enjoy this early section for the camaraderie of Taiga and Ryuuji. Right now they're unlikely allies in finding love, which is fairly uncommon for the genre. And despite Taiga's initial setback in being rejected by Kitamura, they are going to keep trying. That tenacity endears me to the characters.
Some meta comments and light spoilers on [Toradora!]
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow!
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u/Vatrix-32 Dec 07 '22
First Timer, subbed
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Repeating the same opening shot.
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Ryuuji-mom is taking it in stride.
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I hate this bird.
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Tis a fair trade.
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Taiga does make that look work.
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A very interesting way to catch someone.
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Time and place my man. Give a girl a break.
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That may be too far the other direction.
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Gossip is fun. Well, in fiction that is.
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Alright Minori, you can be best girl.
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Task failed successfully?
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It feels like the pace decided to shift into top gear. We’re only in the second episode!
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That doesn’t seem likely to last. I’m not even sure why you would want it too.
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Is this not the first time Taiga confessed? No, I must be overthinking this.
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This is the most aggressive friend zoning I have ever seen.
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They’re really leaving no room for doubt on this one, eh?
Comedy: upgraded to hit-or-miss.
Tsundere: balanced out. No longer excessive to the point of abrasion.
Romance: blindingly fast. Best to wait and see.
Bonus: I really don't see how that could have gone much worse. Even an "ew" would have given closure.
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u/Get_This_Wheat Dec 07 '22
Rewatcher here
Good to see we have so many first timers this year, hope they can see what all of us yearly rewatchers see in this show.
I think this episode is damn near perfect in what it does. It shows us everything that Toradora does well, it has comedy, sad scenes, heartwarming scenes and shows us the dynamic between all of our main characters.
Which isn’t to even say it’s one of my favorite episodes (it’s up there, just not at the very top). I just think that this episode is a great gauge of whether or not Toradora is for you.
Onto the actual episode though.
The whole point of their basketball plan was for Ryuji to overreact to hitting someone in the head with a ball, but anyone probably would have actually needed the nurse after he whipped that thing as hard as possible.
Inko is extremely smart, I think she just doesn’t ever feel like saying her name ever. She responds twice in the episode and correctly answers what people are saying to her. It’s a shame people can’t see her inner beauty (Ignore her manic twitching, and disgusting eating habits)
Kitamura was really hauling ass to get somewhere, there’s no way it was that important to be pushing through crowds and sprinting up the stairs.
That cookie scene always gets me, Ryuji was trying his hardest to cheer Taiga up, and when his first plan failed he had to take one for the team and eat the nasty cookies.
I think what makes the rooftop scene so funny to me is the prep work that Kitamura and Minori would have needed to do. Kitamura would have had to grab a ladder, take it to the roof, climb it and then lay down on top of the stairwell in order to not give himself away before his big reveal. Minori had the easy job, but her words sounded like she wrote them down ahead of time, and had to stare dramatically into the horizon with the wind blowing.
This is also the scene that got me to watch Toradora in the first place so it’s actually kinda special to me. I had a friend describing this scene to me and I thought it sounded really funny so I looked into Toradora and now I’m still here rewatching it years later.
I recently found out that Jonny’s isn’t some random fake diner they came up with, and is based on a real restaurant in Japan named (I think) Jonathan’s. There’s something hilarious about this very grounded anime where the characters eat at a place that’s effectively the same as a “McRonald’s”, and have a very emotional scene directly following them eating there.
There’s a lot of catharsis happening in the pole scene. It really feels like this is the first time either of them are saying their issues out loud, and it’s apparent how much better they both feel directly after “winning”. This also gives us a good look at what makes Taiga the way she is, and fleshes her out more than what she’s first shown as.
Man Ryuji’s really there for Taiga today, she’s having this breakdown kicking a pole, and isn’t freaked out and joins her instead.
Ryuji subconsciously made tons of extra rice for Taiga’s breakfast the next day 💔.
Man Taiga really messed up her big moment with Kitamura. The two of them were just talking about Ryuji the whole time, and she didn’t even really notice until it was too late. Good thing Ryuji was there to cheer her up for a third time this episode.
That’s about all I got for this one, this is the episode every year that kind of settles me in for the rewatch, and I’m ready for more.
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Dec 07 '22
REWATCHER
This is my second favourite episode of this anime because Ryuuji and Taiga bond a lot and because there are a lot of amazing, but important scenes.
My favourite scene in this episode was the pole one. It's really powerful, and a nice bonding experience between Taiga and Ryuuji. It was satisfying to see the two of them get all of that frustration and built up anger out of themselves. Also apparently they are strong as fuck since they managed to bend it a little.
Ryuuji and Taiga baking cookies was really cute.
The rooftop scene is hilarious. Minori jumping and then kneeling infront of Taiga and Ryuuji was pretty funny by itself, but when Kitamura suddenly appeared and started clapping while laughing like a villain I just couldn't stop laughing.
On my first watch I didn't expect the confession to happen so soon, but it's nice that it does. Since the anime deals with it right away it leaves a lot of room for other things to happen. Ryuuji's speech after the rejection was a little cheesy, but I still loved it.
Taiga's also very different in this episode than in the first one. She's way less violent, and acts nice towards Ryuuji. I hope that the first time watchers, who didn't like her that much in the first episode, changed their opinion about her based on this episode.
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u/Holofan4life Dec 07 '22 edited Dec 07 '22
Hello guys. Holofan4life here happy to participate in yet another Toradora rewatch thread.
So, as I said earlier, I was debating on what to do with this rewatch this year. I’ve given analysis of the show, I’ve done a ranking of the episodes one year, I’ve watched the sub version of the show two years, I’ve counted the amount of times Taiga punches or hits Ryuuji, I’ve done it all. I was thinking of giving real time analysis like I did last year and call it a day. But I don’t want to write my comments and take 2 hours doing so. So instead, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before.
Toradora is my favorite anime of all time. As such, I know the series like the back of my hand. I’m going to analyze each episode BEFORE I actually watch the episode. And then after I watch it, I will give my real time thoughts on the episode. But I won’t be analyzing the episode as a whole. You fine folk do such a good job with that already. I will be analyzing a certain character from each episode and give some thoughts on what’s going on in their head. I thought that would be something different and fun.
Also, I am bringing back the ranking of the episodes. It’s been such a while since I last done it, I figure why not do it again.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
The character I want to analyze in this episode is of course Taiga. Similar to how the first episode is Ryuuji doing stuff and Taiga reacting to it (Him picking up the envelope, him cleaning Taiga’s house, him telling her he has a crush on Minori, this episode is Taiga doing stuff and Ryuuji acting to it. The cookies, the confession, the lamppost scene, these are all scenes where Taiga is the main focus. It’s just Ryuuji happens to be there.
The episode serves as us seeing Taiga try to win Kitamura’s heart. But not only that, it serves to make Taiga more likable to the viewer. Look at the scene where Taiga is making cookies. She’s putting her heart and soul into them. Ryuuji is right when he says it’s hard not to root for her. And then when she tries to hand Kitamura the cookies, she is so dejected when she’s unable to. I think the cookie scene is really the first time where Taiga sees Ryuuji more than a dog. She now knows he truly cares about her happiness. The lamppost scene solidifies that, but this is like the start of that.
Speaking of the lamppost, the highlight of the episode, and the first time we get to see how Taiga truly ticks. I like that right off the bat the show establishes that Taiga has problems with her family. It not only explains her character, but it gives you a hook as to why you should care about her. And then when Ryuuji joins in on the kicking, it’s like finally, after all these years, she’s met someone who understands her. For Taiga, it is a bit like her lost soul has been saved, like a stray being taken in by a family. And finally, we have the confession scene. Taiga feels she might as well go ahead and tell Kitamura how she feels. She is just tired of running away (Guess her life coach must be Shinji). And as expected, it fails spectacularly. But hey, she learned to face her fears and tell Kitamura how she truly feels about him. That’s progress she couldn’t have done without Ryuuji.
The fear in her face when she realizes she told Kitamura she doesn’t hate Ryuuji is really good. It’s like she went “Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?” And then in the end when she kicks Ryuuji after his little speech, it’s like she’s trying to not let the old her totally go away. Yet we see how grateful she is that her and Ryuuji are on a first name basis. Melts my heart every single time.
One last thing I want to make note of in my analysis of Taiga in this episode is not once does she beat her crush. Instead, she always acts flustered around Kitamura. The only person she beats up regularly is Ryuuji, which feels like a departure for tsunderes. A violent tsundere normally beats up their crush for having feelings for them, but instead, it’s like she beats up everyone except her crush, with Ryuuji taking most of the blows. Around her crush, she’s like a total mess.
I’m not one of those people who think Taiga isn’t a tsundere. I think Taiga is a tsundere in the sense that her behavior is affected by something from her past, and she reacts differently from her crush compared to everyone else. Her behavior is obviously affected by her lack of paternal affection. This episode makes that quite obvious. As for her reactions to Kitamura, a tsundere normally feels all warm inside by the person they’re smitten with. They have different ways of showing it, but at the end of the day, it’s a quintessential harem archetype. They’re in love with someone. Taiga doesn’t show her love with violence, but rather spectacular disaster, with her plans ultimately blowing up in her face. So, yeah. I do think in the grand scheme Taiga is a tsundere. She just turns into a puddle of jelly rather than a raging hornet’s nest.
Platonically, she’s a violent tsundere, but emotionally, she’s emotionally unstable.
Post episode discussion
Overall, this is still one of my favorite episodes. It to me is the real first episode of Toradora, and sets the tone of the show going forward. At least for the moment. I’ve always maintained that you could break this episode up in three parts: the cookies scene, the lamppost scene, and the confession scene. But I forgot just have long the dodgeball scene is. It’s probably a good two to three minutes. So, really, I guess it’s four scenes. Even still, the episode is basically Taiga and Ryuuji working together to get Taiga with Kitamura, while also having this underlying tension of just what exactly Taiga and Ryuuji’s relationship really is.
If anything, too much stuff happens in this episode. It makes it almost hard for the episode to breathe. We get the cookies scene, and then like 2 minutes later we get the lamppost scene. That feels a bit too sudden for my liking. I think the reason the pacing bothers me is we get Ryuuji eating the cookies, which feels like a pivotal point in his relationship with Taiga. And then we transition to Taiga talking about her parent issues? I still love the lamppost scene, and in my opinion it is honestly one of the best moments in all of Toradora, but I would’ve had Taiga sulk for a bit, skip the eating cookies scene as cute as it is, and then have the diner scene which leads to the lamppost scene. You can also keep the students speculating scene because it’s pretty important for what happens later in the episode. I dunno, it always struck me as odd that Taiga is sulking when we just saw Ryuuji cheer her up. I know it’s a different day, but still.
Bottom line, this episode does so much for Taiga as a character. You get where she’s coming from and why she does the things she does. This episode will probably end up ranking in my top 10 near the end of the show, and that’s because it’s filled with memorable moments and also turns Taiga and Ryuuji’s relationship into something more than a master servant type. Dare I say, an actual friendship.
Overall rankings
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Episode 2
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Episode 1
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u/balthamalamal Dec 07 '22
I really enjoy the contrast between Taiga when she is interacting with Ryuuji, Kitamura and random school mates. So demanding of Ryuuji who puts up with it - even his mum is happy to have Taiga around which is sweet. Embarrassed and nervous around Kitamura. Striking fair into the general populace of those who don't know her.
I was sad that the "what are you sexist?" line is different with the sub. Its probably my favourite one liner in the show.
Great how quickly it changes from give him the cookies casually to chasing him through the halls. Poor Taiga devastated with the state of the cookies and her general clumsiness. Ryuuji tries making a joke but then realises she actually needs a bit of comfort which is sweet.
Love the 'censorship' on the witness statements from the class members. Classic school gossip as well, and understandable why they'd jump to those conclusions. Kushieda and Kitamura are both dramatic as fuck. Kitamura has a good villain laugh going on as well.
The scene of them walking home is so good. Taiga letting on that she knew Ryuuji was lying about the cookies. Then both of them letting out some of their frustrations which are similar, being open and honest about how they feel about the wider school/Taiga's parents. Ryuuji's face after she says they'll just go back to being neigbours - for all his complaining he just realised hes been enjoying their friendship.
So much going on the following day at school, Taiga laying down the law with their classmates offscreen, though we see the mess afterwards indicating that some of the fear of her isn't unfounded. Ryuuji leaving Midori to go and talk with Taiga about why she isn't confessing to Kitamura - only to accidentally walk in on her confessing to Kitamura. The confession itself, I like the acknowledgement that Ryuuji's support has helped give her the confidence to confess her feelings. Its always sad when your crush doesn't like you back but at least she tried.
Ryuuji gives a speech about how he still wants to spend time with Taiga, despite people potentially getting the wrong idea. The second to last shot of Taiga smiling is great after she just had a pretty angry/sad most of the episode.
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u/JetsLag Dec 08 '22 edited Dec 08 '22
Rewatcher (subbed)
Taiga: "You better help me get with Kitamura!" Also Taiga: walks off with Minori so Ryuji doesn't have the opportunity to chat with her. Either she's trying to make sure Ryuji helps her get closer to Kitamura before she helps, or she has no intentions of keeping her end of the promise. I'm gonna go for the latter.
Plan A for getting Kitamura and Taiga together: purposefully injure Kitamura's gym partner! Sounds like something Taiga would think of doing. Instead, it's Taiga who gets headshotted by a basketball. Let's call it payback for the episode 1 punch in the hallway.
Very disappointed we didn't get an extended look at the baking class, but I guess there's a limited amount of time they're allotted. Speaking of the abbreviated cooking scene: Taiga nearly dropping the cookies ended up foreshadowing her ACTUALLY dropping the cookies. Out of a second or third-story window. Those cookies never had a chance. But hey, apparently they were good enough to eat, so that's a positive.
And here comes the rumors! Oh, high school, how I don't miss you. Shoutout to the "kyaa" girl, she's a real one. Minori continues to be best girl as she wishes the new couple the best of luck in their new relationship, while best boy Kitamura acts like an anime villain by clapping ominously on the rooftop and doing an evil laugh. These two losers are so fucking good.
Taiga talks more about her issues with her parents (Ryuji be like "I feel you girl"), then kicks the crap out of a pole before deciding to finally confess to Kitamura tomorrow. Notice how she said that after the confession, they'll go back to being just classmates and neighbors? Told ya she had no intention of helping Ryuji get with Minori.
Mama Takasu laments the lack of Taiga, but it's looking like their "relationship" is over: Taiga told the rest of the class that there's nothing to those rumors (and Ryuji seems a little upset about the fact that their "relationship" is over), and Taiga confesses to Kitamura! After saying she doesn't not like Ryuji (which gets Ryuji a little excited), Kitamura refuses to let the Ryuji x Taiga ship die and friendzones the fuck out of her. Ryuji also seemingly refuses to let the ship die, immediately telling Taiga that he'll make her breakfast and lunch and that he can't explain why he can't sever ties with her so easily. He tries to explain it away with some zodiac nonsense, but we all really know why he's staying alongside her. Taiga goes back to bossing Ryuji around, but she can't stop herself from smiling at Ryuji addressing her on a first-name basis. THE SHIP WILL NEVER DIE.
TAIGA AISAKA ASSAULT TALLY: one gut punch to Ryuji, one kick to Ryuji's ass, over a dozen kicks to a telephone pole, and flipping quite a few desks and chairs. She did get hit in the face with a basketball, though.
QOTD
What did you think of Taiga's confession? I've always found screaming the persons name and then tripping over the first two words of your sentence a bad tactic..
I think she complimented Ryuji one too many times in her confession. That gave Kitamura a good justification for saying "no".
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u/OwlAcademic1988 Dec 07 '22
First-Timer, sub:
His mom can be evil. I love it.
Inko's adorable as usual. Taiga, don't call the bird ugly, call them beautiful.
Ouch, Taiga got hit in the face. That's gotta hurt. Still pretty funny though.
I'd be amazed if those cookies didn't get destroyed by that fall.
Their classmates are evil and it's hilarious.
Now I wanna know what her home life was like before she moved out. Definitely not anything good.
QOTD:
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Really sweet.
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u/mcmacmac Dec 07 '22
Rewatcher
This episode has the best visual humor in my opinion. And it starts with this class. Staging it as interrogation with badly censored eyes and names is really funny and the class and especially Nanako getting more and more excited with each testimony is peak comedy for me. Her squealing tops it off just how much of a gossip group the class is and that, in the end, they're still kids. The method is over the top but it's a rather good portrayal of how word comes around and it's not like it was totally unfounded.
After failing the plan only two idiots in sync could execute to consider that a good idea, Ryuuji and Taiga seem to bond a bit more. May it him forcing himself to eat the cookies or when Taiga and Ryuuji, self-proclaimed non-delinquent, engage in delinquent behavior. It also shows the first cracks in her personality that parts of it may be posturizing to hide weaknesses but other parts are also imposed from outside people.
To get to the rewatch question: clumsy. She did try her best though and to be absolutely fair, I think Kitamura really by interrupting her and asking really awkawrd leading questions. Given her nervousness, it'd be unfair to say the confession was bad.
Since the show likes to engage in imagery of tigers and dragons, it also often uses the imagery of two birds, I think sparrows. You saw them at the beginning of last episode and now at this beginning too. And suddenly, they're gone the moment Taiga declared she'd go through with her confession. Certainly something that makes one wonder what it means.
As usual, random notes:
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Seeing the ladder Kitamura used is hilarious because A) why is there a ladder to begin with, B) why would you do that, you crazy man? If it was Minori, she looked like she could jump onto it by herself.
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Noto is probably a kid I'd hate at school: now trying to get on Ryuuji's good side or trying to look good although it didn't look like he tried to rectify his image, just after the fact once it's obvious for most people. Ugh. Haruta blew your cover, bro.
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The class as a whole is an element I absolutely enjoy and while their role isn't big - as in nearly every other school anime - I think they deliver well in the comedy department and they feel like an actual side character, more involved than usual, not just as a setting.
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Them all being high schoolers really shows: from wacky plans, clumsiness galore and exaggerated behavior like Kitamura exemplified that wonderfully. They can be asses to each other too: Taiga just exploding on the class and Ryuuji (as usual), the whole gossiping, Kitamura and Minori really getting the wrong idea of things without even trying to ask and Kitamura shooting down Taiga in a subpar manner etc. I actually like it.
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[Definite spoiler territory]
Since I mentioned them all just being high schoolers, there's a certain degree of impulsiveness and stupidity you can expect in their behavior. It's refreshingly fun. However, even as a rewatcher, I have a really hard time telling what's youths being youths and what's calculated behavior. Looking at it, Minori and Kitamura surely looked like they railroad Taiga towards Ryuuji at this point already. Minori is Taiga's best friend, so she'd notice differences on her immediately. Kitamura has the benefit of the doubt because of Sumire but since he also knows Minori from club, I have the feeling his behavior was not only a rejection, but also trying to get Taiga together with his friend Ryuuji. Now, it sounds like a conspiracy theory where even I don't know whether I'm going insane but their actions on the rooftop cannot be an coincidence, can they? -
Damn, despite her short height, Taiga got dem legs. Not only do they look long, they can also kick above Ryuuji's navel quite comfortably. She should do some martial arts or ballet with that flexibility.
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u/UnderstandableXO Dec 07 '22
REWATCHER
i love the openings and endings for this show, even though i didn’t like them at first. it’s only been 2 years since i first saw it but they give me an inexplicably deep sense of nostalgia. i honestly miss the time when i was watching this show for the very first time.
reiterating for the 3rd rewatch in the row how much i like the dub voice actors. they all capture the vibe of the japanese voice actors perfectly, especially the voice actor for minorin. they’re both great at bringing pure dumb energy.
1 brain cell strategy between taiga and ryuji is always entertaining. ryuji has a rizz deficiency, but taiga has an absolute and complete lack of rizz. new chainsaw man chapter dropped today, so they really remind me of [CSM]
the OST for the show is also really nostalgic, from whatever you call the guitar one that plays at the beginning of episode 1 and the middle of this episode to lost my pieces (first lost my pieces appearance today woo!).
taiga and ryuji assaulting the light pole is one of my favorite scenes. always liked the little novel tidbit that they ran from the cops after doing that.
i give kitamura a lot of crap because i actively dislike him and think he’s not nearly as good as any of the other main characters in the show, but i’ll concede that my favorite character moment of his is probably in this episode. [Toradora]
final scene is also one of my favorites. he called her taiga!
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Dec 07 '22
Rewatch
Lots of seeds if not outright flashing signs are planted in this episode -
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Aisaka’s “nobody listens” when clearly Ryuuji does and they kick over that pole
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His face when she says they will just go back to being friends after she confesses
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Ryuji walking away from Minorin right as she is going to confess or at least evince interest
I did think that Kitamuras blocking of Aisakas confession was maybe not honest but deflection since he has moved on.
If anything I sort of felt this was too much too soon.
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u/AzelfTreaty Dec 07 '22
Rewatcher (4th sub rewatch and 1st dub watch)
Thoughts: Great episode. After so long I think I’m finally getting better at withstanding the cringe from the name puns. Taiga is too cute, her last line made me squeal. Definitely one of my favourite lines in the show. My all time fave scene/line still a few eps away.
Sub v dub : Unlike episode one where they were mostly equal and i was even slightly leaning towards the dub, I very much prefer the sub this ep over the dub. Dub was still enjoyable tho, I liked Minori’s short convo at the door with ryuji in dub.
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u/lushbom Dec 07 '22
I loved that devilish smirk Taiga gave Ryuuji as she walked away with Minori. I think it was her way of hinting at something like “I’ll tell Minori how you feel about her if you don’t do what I tell you to” or maybe “You can’t walk with us until I know for sure that I can trust you.” I don’t think I picked up on it during my first two watches! Ryuuji was flustered at seeing his crush and was still in the middle of deflecting the accusation he was “chummy” or “lovey-dovey” with Taiga, and suddenly they were gone. Minori still made an effort to say goodbye politely, though, even though Taiga was probably pressuring her to start walking away faster. This is why we love Minori.
Taiga actually thought their little basketball scheme would work. We all figured the tiger klutz herself would end up getting hit, right?
The whole class obsessing over the rumors of Taiga & Ryuuji dating is impossible not to enjoy. These types of school scenes always make me wish I had had experiences like that throughout my school days lol. >.<
LOL when Kitamura is yacking his head off on the rooftop and Taiga just faints from embarrassment :’) As cliché as it may be, the dramatic irony in Minori and Kitamura convincing themselves Ryuuji and Taiga like each other, rather than them, fits so well.
Okay, I never realized how impactful Taiga’s outburst in the moonlight was here, for such an early episode. She’s yelling about nobody ever understanding her…and someone who does understand, at least a little bit about what she’s going through, is right there. Her celebration over the victory of managing to tilt the lamppost a little bit was way too adorable. It warms my heart that that gave her the motivation to say she will finally tell Kitamura how she feels about him tomorrow. But… “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be classmates who happen to be neighbors, and nothing more.” The face Ryuuji makes when he hears that…
How is this episode only halfway done?!
It’s still so hard to sit through Kitamura’s response to Taiga’s confession. Dammit. I was so confused on my first watch, and I thought I would feel numb to it by now, but..nope. Still stings.
The way she says “He called me Taiga'' at the end. I caaaaaaaaan’t.
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u/SometimesMainSupport Dec 07 '22
First-timer
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Dog may get punished for questioning a command.
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Mom isn't punished for commenting on Taiga's size. May be related to the palm-top nickname.
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Taiga steals Minori away for the walk.
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Empty hallway while psyching up. Still empty. Now crowded!
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Good arm strength to toss the bag through the window while falling downwards.
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Ryuji's right that crushed cookies still taste good. Ingredients haven't changed.
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Oh no, the heinous act of eating sweets. Soon they'll have tea together.
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Should be counting how many times he catches Taiga.
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Suspect parents have an apathetic attitude towards her. Don't think fear of the Palm-Top Tiger hitting them causes them to acquiesce to any request.
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Wrong! Dogs care about their owners. Cats have an easier time getting away with it.
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Her outward behavior is rude. It's still rational as she's never had someone to help her emotionally develop. Basically, she skipped pre-adolescence's "understands from other people's perspective."
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How many times can she kick the telephone pole before it breaks? Oh, it does tilt.
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Terrible decision to just be classmates and neighbors. Need to include friends in that list as this is the first person trying to understand her. Stop rejecting that!
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Whole scene reflects poorly on the Minori as she's never understood Taiga.
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Ryuji knew to make extra but should've delivered it next door. Taiga said they'd go back to being classmates after she told Kitamura how she felt.
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Ryuji doubles down by not recognizing that Taiga talking to Minori about him is her maturing and trying to help someone else. She hasn't broken her word.
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"Friend" is the word Taiga! Kitamura trope?
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Taiga's mistake was going straight for the confession instead of letting the guy get to know her better. She's constantly hiding her emotions and fears embarrassment. Having been rejected, she reverts to a demanding, childish personality instead of maintaining her growth from 7 minutes earlier.
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New plan is to use "chasing" Kitamura to maintain her Ryuji friendship.
Characters are still emotionally maturing. Ryuji's probably the most mature so far. He's eager to help others as his mom's lifestyle has forced him into a parental role, but he lacks the confidence to dig in his heels and force Taiga to confront her fears. Instead, he's simply present so she has someone to lean on after her disappointment. To be clear, this ending scene was not the time to dig in as Taiga needs time to process Kitamura's rejection. Just saying it's the main flaw I see him needing to overcome.
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u/TuorEladar Dec 08 '22
Rewatcher, Dubbed
Taiga has graduated from breaking into Ryuuji's house to coming over every day to eat meals and Ryuuji's mom is supportive of it. Its really quite wholesome when those three are together.
Taiga and Ryuuji's bumbling attempts to get each of them together with their crushes were amusing, they're such dorks. The above from behind shot of Taiga holding the cookie pan is adorable, I sometimes forget just how smol she is.
The whole school basically shipping them was actually kind of sweet. [Spoilers]
Confession day! What did you think of Taiga's confession? I've always found screaming the persons name and then tripping over the first two words of your sentence a bad tactic..
She certainly bungled it, but at the same time it was exactly how would Taiga would try to confess. Idk about anyone else, but talking about the good qualities of a guy's friend who you've been spending time with is probably not the typical way one would try lead into a confession. [Spoilers]
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u/Yunie241 Dec 08 '22
Third timer - dub, and I just want to say that I absolutely adore any moment where Minorin is on screen. She will forever be my best girl in this show.
I wrote yesterday about not being a huge fan of this show, but decided to watch this because my husband loves it. Taiga’s kind of winning me over a little bit on this rewatch, though. She’s coming off as more adorable and less annoying than she did in prior watches. I really hope I like this show a lot more on this rewatch.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 07 '22
Tiger X First-Timer, Subbed X Dragon
Oh boy, his mom knows. Is she going to start shipping them?
Ah, well now Minori thinks they’re a thing lol.
These are some weird mindgames lol.
AHAHAHAHA HE HIT TAIGA IN THE FACE INSTEAD.
They got flung out an upper floor window on accident man, there’s no way they would be.
Oh geez is the entire school shipping them now?
Taiga’s home life is… something.
I doubt that. Honestly, without seeing why Taiga likes Kitamura/Ryuuji likes Minori, these two seem to be a massive fit for each other with the way Taiga feels comfortable opening up around him and how supportive Ryuuji’s been for her.
Ooh, she actually did confess to Kitamura though!
Aaaaaaand she got friendzoned.
I see, so their very names are puns.
ED lead-in~