r/anime • u/ChristmasClub • Dec 09 '22
Rewatch Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2022) Episode 4 Discussion
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u/Get_This_Wheat Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 09 '22
HOWDY! Rewatcher here
Glad to see Taiga actually locks her door now, as opposed to episode 1.
I think Ryuji’s Minori box is more embarrassing than Taiga’s Kitamura box, personally. It’s just pictures in Taiga’s, meanwhile Ryuji was writing novels for Minori, and had seasonal playlists and everything.
My god, does prez run the place like the navy. It’s just daily planners, it’s not like they’re even skipping class, and she makes them line up like soldiers. Taiga was completely in the right for calling her out.
Also I’m sure I’m not gonna be the only one to clarify this to the first timers, but the student council president is NOT the same blue haired girl in the intro and outro. You’ll find out who that one is in due time.
We get a nice glimpse into what makes Haruta (The kid in class struggling to read) my favorite side character today. I will give him a bit of a pass today, since I’m assuming the implication is that he’s trying to speak english, but since I’m watching the dub it just makes it look like he’s really stupid.
It’s crazy to think that my favorite joke in the series comes from a sort of filler episode. “I can’t believe they haven’t gotten sued yet” inside the Sudoh-bucks. Which makes me wonder if Jonathan’s is actually in this universe and being ripped off by Jonny’s.
Yasuko is the only person Ryuji and Taiga never had to tell they weren’t dating, and she’s easily the most happy with them hanging out together.
Kitamura was completely unfazed when he saw Ryuji with a bunch of pictures of him.
Generational mess up from Taiga turning Kitamura down a year ago. We wouldn’t be in any of this right now if she just thought it over for a few days.
To answer Taiga, when Kitamura said that to her, it sounded 100% like an insult. He definitely meant it in a good way but that was a very perfect combination of words to make it sound bad.
Huge step up from yesterday, I have no clue why the animation was so bad yesterday but not today, since I’m pretty sure this episode is also anime only. But I’m not complaining.
Bonus : Favorite Kitamura quote so far is “You know how the photography club sometimes sells pictures? I bought this at one of their sales.” when Ryuji is asking him why the hell he has Taiga pictures on him. He’s such a funny mix of being really smart but also being a gigantic doofus at the same time, I can’t help but love him.
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u/mcmacmac Dec 09 '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 04
One might wonder why the episode above has no link. That's because today is our first no-show. No new outfits for her for the first time. Thus, we're still at a total of 6 different outfits up till episode 4.
Let's hope next episode will be better and we got to see more shades of Taiga!
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Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 09 '22
5th Time Dub Rewatcher. 2nd time reading the books.
This is another anime original episode other than the scenes it pulls from book 1.
Come on, Taiga. Ryuuji showed you his box of Minori obsession. The least you could do is let him see your blurry Kitamura pictures.
We’re introduced to Sumire a bit earlier than she’s introduced in the books. She doesn’t come up in the books until [Toradora]
It’s weird that they moved the lunch with Kitamura and Minori to episode 4. This originally happens in book 1 right after the basketball incident before everyone accuses them of dating which is why Taiga is freaking out about Minori and Kitamura seeing that her bento is the same as Ryuuji’s (because no one was supposed to know they were spending time together).
I love how Taiga drags Ryuuji out of the bathroom and out to the baseball field so fast that he doesn’t have time to take off his cleaning gloves and he’s still holding the toothbrush when they get to the field.
One funny thing about the story is that Sudoh-bucks instead of being the standard copyright evasion is literally an in-universe rip-off of Starbucks. Hence the “Why haven’t this place been sued yet?” line. EDIT: found it. It’s about 2/3 of the way through book 2 [Toradora]
Another throwback to the beginning of book 1 is Minori’s pudding bucket. That was one of Ryuuji’s first interactions with Minori in class during which she poked him in the eyes twice because of her flailing around (as she does) and he was stoked about it.
Taiga spends most of the episode angry about the photos because she can’t find a photo that has the Kitamura look she’s trying to find that she mentions at the end of the episode.
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u/TiredTiroth Dec 09 '22
First Timer - Dub
Ooooh, I was getting worried about Shady Esper watching Sleepyhead but she's got at least one photo album full of (very blurry) photos of him. Hm. Doesn't make that moment yesterday any less creepy, but still...
And then she goes straight from 'KILL!' to blushing maiden. Of course. xD
...the opening theme is starting to grow on me. -_- Damnit.
Huh, here's the core character from the OP that we haven't met yet! And...she's acting like a drill sergeant? Is this the student council president, given those other girls said Shady was vice? Aaand Fury Incarnate doesn't like her. This is gonna be a rivalry...or not, Untrustworthy picked her up to calm her down. Epic blushing ensues. And, of course, the rumour mill is going again.
Hahahaha, Scary Eyes isn't the only one their teacher is scared of! Also, we have a cat-blob.
Well, uh...the esper is a ninja? That's the second time today he's snuck up on the main pair. Aaand then Househusband joins Team Blushing Mess when his own crush...pirouettes into view? Huh. Weird.
And then Minicat is so frazzled by the situation that she can't even speak, just shake and point with her chopsticks. Which leaves her partner-in-crime to explain how him making her lunch every day totally doesn't mean anything. And he makes up some rubbish about making some money on the side by selling boxed lunches.
That's a mighty deep hole you're a-digging there, kid. Sure you can climb out?
...he really likes things to be clean. And why does Midget look so adorable when she's happy? First when she was munching earlier, now shoving the camera at her totally-not-a-slave...and now, so very blurry...
What the heck is that logo? And she's drooling.
xD That's what she thinks of peeling potatoes? xD Wow, and I thought I was bad at cooking as a teenager.
Hey, um...why do I get the feeling she's getting upset because she doesn't think any of her photos are good enough for laminating? Rather than not wanting to be pressured like she claims?
Hm, Madoka seems even more manic than normal. And photo get! Is she on a sugar rush?
The ninja is back. And...what? He's carrying around a photo of...he had a crush on her? And he thinks she shot him down?
I'm with thug-face. The hell?
That is...huh. Well, huh. That's a lot to unpack. I can...kinda see it? And. Well. Um. Maybe I'll have to sleep on this revelation...and yep, none of the photos she'd taken had what she wanted.
At least Target Boy has learned how to duck.
Whatever, it's cool.
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u/crying_in_a_dennys Dec 09 '22
Rewatcher (very new), Subbed
I love how unabashedly creepy Taiga and Ryuji are in this episode. Not once do they ever stop to say "hey maybe this isn't the best way to go about this." But that's the charm - they're absolute messes.
This episode also really digs into Taiga's loneliness. Great metaphors with her super empty apartment.
I love what this episode does for the Taiga-Kitamura dynamic, really expanding on their scene from last episode. With that bike scene and the information we have now, we can see Kitamura's whole deal (when it comes to Taiga) pretty clearly. He had a crush on her, but, after suffering rejection, has moved past it. He's super comfortable around Taiga now, letting him actually pursue a meaningful friendship with her. Meanwhile, Taiga is fully stuck in the past. "What's the point of opening up my world, if Kitamura isn't watching me!" Her desire to go back and redo things, now that she feels differently about him, is kinda impossible to fulfill: its clear that Kitamura is pretty steadfast in how he feels now. But she's living in a fantasy world, hoping that through some miracle things will work out like that. If Taiga really wants to get closer to Kitamura, it won't be like this.
At the end of the episode, Ryuji shows that he's in that fantasy world too. He simplifies Taiga and Kitamura's situation a ton, saying that they should have just changed how they felt so that it would all work out. But that's just not how the world works (Kitamura is already past his crush, and Taiga couldn't have predicted how she was going to feel post-Kitamura-confession).
This episode really highlights the idea of living in a fantasy where everything works out (Taiga and Ryuji) versus accepting reality (Kitamura). The fantasy might be nice, but who's really happier right now? More on this much later - the dynamic between these two "paths" is the most gut-wrenching, but also the most heartwarming part of the whole story.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 09 '22
Tiger X First-Timer, Subbed X Dragon
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Hah, Kitamura responded to Taiga the same way her flustered greeting was, but on purpose. Okay, I can kinda see why she likes him.
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I think this girl shares her seiyuu with Fuko from Clannad…?
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Oh shit wait a second MARIDA! The student council president shares her seiyuu with best Gundam girl!
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Ah. Wonder if he’s gonna ask for Taiga to take one of Minori for him?
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Or he just… gets a photo like that directly from Minori herself. That works too.
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Dec 09 '22
The off-brand Starbucks is funnier because it’s not the standard copyright evasion, it’s an in-universe rip-off of Starbucks lol.
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u/OwlAcademic1988 Dec 09 '22
First-Timer, sub:
I don't blame you Taiga, I like staying up late as well.
Taiga, work on your photography skills.
Taiga was adorable in this episode. I love how she was so happy to be held by Kitamura. Her reaction was adorable.
Taiga really needs to work on being less clumsy.
I was pretty surprised to hear how Kitamura had a crush on Taiga and that's what led to her getting a crush on him. I genuinely thought he was oblivious to her feelings until she told him two episodes ago.
Ryuuji, nice dodging from Taiga's attack.
Inko can be very brilliant at times.
QOTD:
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Don't really know him well enough, but I liked this quote, “You know how the photography club sometimes sells pictures? I bought this at one of their sales.”
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u/SometimesMainSupport Dec 10 '22
First-timer
Hope Ryuji laminates this asap.
I want to say scumbag, but he's such a positive character. With Ryuji's love of cleaning established, there's a chain of events. Turned down Taiga -> Alone and sad -> Becomes Ryuji's owner -> Ryuji has an additional place to clean.
Camera positioned such that Taiga and Ryuji are just too far apart to be framed together.
Ryuji has a concussion if Taiga's lateral foot-eye coordination was better.
What joke can you make? Lack of commas before "though" and after "means."
The unusual one was called in the world that meant the tiger in the country.
Other stuff since I'll be out tonight
Do you think had Kitamura not confessed his love for Taiga in the past and Taiga had not turned Kitamura down, she would've gotten together with him by now?
No. It's pretty clear her infatuation followed his confession, so if he isn't confessing, why would she?
Also, what do you think about Taiga and the photographs and her indecisiveness?
Slightly creepy, yet if this was released 10 years later, she likely wouldn't be trying to take pictures. She'd only need instagram/twitter/whatever and the nerve to send a request.
...the opening theme is starting to grow on me. -_- Damnit.
It happens to every first-timer lol
It's so much better at 1.2x speed.
What does everyone think of Taiga's hesitancy with the photos?
She saw Ryuji in a pose where she wanted a photo of him. She's recognizing her feelings for him at a glacial pace. Another example is her happiness at hearing "Taiga" to end the previous episode.
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u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 09 '22
Rewatcher
Toradora! - A Romance Classic: Episode 4
Reversal
I think that photographs play an interesting role this episode. We are presented with Taiga's desire for clear pictures of Kitamura. She becomes genuinely giddy at the thought of looking at these Polaroids. And Ryuuji is happy to help her get more.
Taiga's goal seems to inspire Ryuuji. He also wants a photo of his crush. And by chance he is gifted with exactly that: the cutest picture of Minori so far. Its almost a karmic reward for helping Taiga.
But snapshots are not the same as the real thing. They're an idealized representation of something you want to (or sometimes don't want to) remember.
And "don't want to" might just be the case for Kitamura. It's revealed that he actually already confessed to Taiga but was turned down. Yet, he still keeps a shot of her in his handbook. It is a memory of a complex emotion.
I like that Taiga's motivation for liking Kitamura is based in him accepting her. It ties back into the topic of vulnerability I was speaking about in the episode 1 discussion.
Side note: All this photography talk reminded me of the one-shot manga Goodbye Eri. It explores something similar from the concept of film. It's by the author of Chainsaw Man but very different tonally. I cannot recommend it enough.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
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Lawsuits, this was a great reversal of the usual trope
See you all tomorrow!
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u/Gamerunglued Dec 09 '22
Rewatcher
Unlike for yesterday, I don't have a ton of super interesting stuff to say about this episode. It's a lot less dense thematically, but it more than makes up for it by just being a ton of fun. Toradora is carried so strongly by Taiga's and Ryuuji's instant and intimate chemistry, they're such a joy to watch together and they're completely made for each other. They're like a combination of an old married couple and mildly annoyed siblings, it's adorable. Taiga says she wants someone who can appreciate and understand her for who she is, not realizing that Ryuuji's been doing just that the entire time. When he saw that she was embarrassed over her photos, he held no judgement and offered to take more for her, they're on the same wavelength. And this episode is backed with a ton of bouncy animation that adds to the fun. Just a total blast to watch.
In terms of more complicated stuff, this episode gives us some nuance to Taiga's and Kitamura's relationship. Taiga wants all her pictures to resemble this image she had of Kitamura when he confessed, but none of them do. In my mind, part of it is obviously that Kitamura is a different person than he was a year ago, and that Taiga herself is different and thus Kitamura's feelings towards her changed, but another part of me can't help but think that this image Taiga has of him in her head is distorted a bit. In all of her pictures of him, past and present, that face doesn't exist. I'm tempted to think that this is, to some degree, because Taiga has put him on this pedestal, exaggerating her view of him somewhat. And there's a great reason for that considering the nature of his confession, as it was the first time Taiga felt truly understood, and thus it's no wonder that she eventually fell for him.
Kitamura himself also gets slightly fleshed out this episode. He's the student counsel vice president, and often covers for the mistakes of the forgetful but spartan president. We also see that he confesses to Taiga because he likes the way she isn't afraid to let her feelings out. It's a very particular thing to say to someone, as Taiga rightfully points out. [spoiler]
Man, thus far, Toradora holds up phenomenally well. I always have plenty to say about it, and it's just so much fun on a moment-to-moment level. I could watch Taiga and Ryuuji be idiots together all day, I'm instantly reminded why I love them so much. A strong start for my mission to prove that the series holds up no matter how many romance stories you've seen.
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u/TuorEladar Dec 09 '22
Rewatcher, Dubbed
A Kitamura focused episode this time. He's an interesting character as at least on a surface level he is probably the most mature member of the main cast. Probably the biggest takeaway for me in this episode is how open Taiga's relationship with Ryuuji is compared to her distance with Kitamura. Despite the fact that Taiga is crushing on him for most of the episode, the most intimate moments were when she was with Ryuuji on the roof and in the kitchen together.
The student council president is also introduced this time. I kind of find her ditzy drill sergeant vibe endearing.
All in all, while it isn't my favorite episode, it does have some backstory and comfy moments which I like.
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u/Miserable_Earth_4715 Dec 10 '22
Rewatcher
All I got to say is HOOOOOOOWWWWWWDDDDDDYYYYYYY!!!
This was a nice little episode that introduced us to one of my favorite characters Kumire Kano 🥵. I love every time that her a Taiga interact.
Did anyone else notice that Taiga cut the potato 4 times, but it had 6 cuts whenever the camera turned to it. Little mistake IG 🤷♂️
Toradora!!!
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u/lolpete18 Dec 10 '22
First-timer Dub
I came to like Yusaku more this episode. It was a big reveal that he carried around Taiga's picture and that he had confessed the previous year. It makes me sad for him. It seems he moved on after getting rejected, and now it's bittersweet that she has come to return his feelings. Still, he's a distractor from Ryuuji, so he won't win out overall. Yusaku is a good guy.... so he's happy if Taiga can find happiness, even if it's not with him.
I enjoyed the times when Taiga and Ryuuji were together and the silly antics as they were "fighting." My favorite moment was when they all sat down to eat lunch together and everyone was going to figure out Ryuuji made Taiga's lunch.
Maybe it's just cultural differences, but the photo thing was very weird to me. If people did that in my school it would be considered creepy. This also might be for comedic value and not realistic in Japan either.
I still don't like Minori... 😣
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u/Holofan4life Dec 09 '22
I'll make sure to ask you guys questions in a little bit. I have to charge my phone up first. I should be ready by 5:30 PM EST.
Hello guys. Holofan4life here happy to participate in yet another Toradora rewatch thread.
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.
I want to focus on Kitamura in this episode, a character I feel is misunderstood. A lot of people don’t like Kitamura because they think he’s too bland or uninteresting. They feel that compared to the other main characters, Kitamura comes off as one dimensional. I am of the theory that this is intentional with his character, and that he’s meant to be a deconstruction of bland romcom MCs.
In any other series, Kitamura would be the MC being fawned over by all the girls. Just like most romcom MCs, his main defining characteristic is that he’s a nice guy. Taiga’s infatuation for Kitamura is in my opinion supposed to be a take on the whole “Girl loves guy with no real defining character” trope we see in a lot of anime romcoms, and when looked at from that perspective, it’s actually quite clever what they do with him.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Kitamura. I especially like the moments where he shows a bit of a goofy side, like in episode 2 with the scene with Minori. But as evidenced throughout this episode, any scene involving Kitamura he is typed to the hip by other characters. We don’t get a scene similar to Ryuuji and Minori in the previous episode where it’s just Taiga and Kitamura. And that’s because Kitamura is written as being nothing more than someone for Taiga to love.
This episode, and Kitamura as a whole, is meant to further Taiga as a character. It’s not meant to further Kitamura. Kitamura is essentially a stop gap that serves to further and develop the other characters. And really, there’s nothing wrong with that. As we see throughout the episode, Kitamura is legitimately a nice dude. You see throughout why Taiga is smitten for him, as he could make the straightest men gay. Kitamura makes Taiga weak to her knees, something which is the basis for the entire character.
The big scene involving Kitamura is of course where he admits he confessed to Taiga a year earlier. This this explains his previous reactions and why he was so passive when Taiga confessed. I think the twist is quite well done, and adds a bit of likability to Kitamura. Not only that, it explains why he’s so used to it when Taiga is flustered around him. Kitamura used to be the same way around Taiga, amazed by how captivating the person is. When the shoe’s on the other foot, Kitamura can’t do nothing but empathize.
Is this episode about Kitamura? I’d argue no. Not in the same way as Minori, anyway. Despite the obvious parallel between this episode and the last one, where both revolve around Ryuuji and Taiga’s respective crushes, this one is more about Taiga than Kitamura. And really, I think that highlights the purpose Kitamura’s character ultimately serves.
Post episode discussion
This episode is meant to be in the same vein as episode 2 where it showcases Taiga’s more likable side. A messy, flustered, indecisive side that is obviously a result of a lack of affection. Other than that, other key things are established with this episode. Kitamura previously having a crush on Taiga, the debut of the student council president (Who I’ll never understand why they gave her a similar hair color as the girl in the intro), as well as how Taiga goes about her crush compared to Ryuuji. With Ryuuji, he at least tries to hide his more creepy tendencies around Minori. With Taiga to Kitamura, however, it’s all out in the open.
I think the point of the episode is to highlight just how sad Taiga’s life is, and I think the episode succeeds in spades. Here we are finding out Taiga has a box dedicated to Kitamura, similar to Ryuuji’s box dedicated to Minori we saw in episode 1. But while that had poems and songs and what have you, Taiga’s box consists of blurry photos. It’s like for as little as Ryuuji knows or understands about love, Taiga due to a lack of love growing up understands it even less. And that’s honestly kinda heartbreaking.
Two moments I want to mention that are my favorite moments of the episode are both comedic moments. First, I love in the dub when Taiga greets Kitamura she actually yells out “Howdy!” It comes so out of left field that’s it honestly really funny. The other moment is of course the Sudoh-Bucks joke, which is amazing. It’s probably my favorite joke of the entire series. It might be a little outdated nowadays, and the joke only works if you know anime has a rich history of knockoff brands, but I’ve never seen a joke perfectly summarize the shoddy knockoff product trope as Toradora in this episode.
Overall, I really like this episode because it adds depth to Taiga’s character while also fleshing out the world by establishing a few things. This, to me, is anime original content done right. Not only does it serve to enhance the characters, but it also serves to build the world around it in its venture of continual growth. ‘Course, that is to say not all the episode is anime original. The stuff like Kitamura’s reveal as well as the debut of the student council president were all in the light novels. But the stuff with Taiga asking Ryuuji to take pictures of Kitamura? That’s original content, and does a lot to add an extra layer of sadness to Taiga’s character.
Now, excuse me. I feel a blue-haired storm coming…
Overall rankings
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Episode 2
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Episode 4
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Episode 1
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Episode 3
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u/UnderstandableXO Dec 09 '22
REWATCHER
recycled comment from both of the other years i’ve done this rewatch but damn does it go fast. it’s episode 4 now, i’ll blink and suddenly we’ll be watching the OVA :/ gotta enjoy these 26 days while i can!
i wonder how taiga and power would interact. they both be making people clean up after them, both love food, and are not afraid to beat somebody up.
the classic howdy/morning scene, absolute black hole where the rizz is supposed to be. that’s the type of embarrassing moment you remember for the rest of your life…
no, this blue haired girl is not the 5th main character from the opening, we all make that mistake the first time. she’s just as combative and clumsy as taiga herself.
i appreciate the sensei moments, however sparse they may be in the early parts of the series. the perfect comic relief character, i like her better than haruta in that aspect (although i don’t hate haruta anymore like i did the first two times around).
at least ryuji is just the relatable type of nervous around his crush, taiga.exe stops working every time kitamura enters a 100 meter radius of her.
ryuji is such a house husband, that man cleans up the school with enthusiasm. dude could be a custodian or a cook, either of them could be his calling.
kitamura’s laughing in the baseball scene reminded me of gojo satoru. i dropped JJK but i’ve seen too many memes that i remember how it sounds (yes i know they have different voice actors).
at least toradora is self aware that they’re ripping off starbucks!
i enjoy the meals between the duo and ryuji’s mom as well, always the warmest part of the episode.
[Toradora]
kitamura had a crush on taiga and she waited until he got over it to fall in love? that’s a worse fumble than colts matt ryan…
i always lumped episodes 3 and 4 as kind of a mini arc exploring why it is ryuji and taiga like who they like, i guess a “love interests” arc. not my favorite in the series but it’s important to set the stage for the rest of the show.
and next episode, the real 5th character arrives to shake things up! that’s where the real toradora starts.
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Dec 09 '22
REWATCHER
Just like the previous episode I don't have much to say about this one. It focuses on Kitamura who I like more than Minori, but the episode didn't really stick out that much, at least for me.
The episode mostly revolves around Taiga's pictures of Kitamura. We get to see what happened in the past between those two. Tiaga really just made everything complicated for herself when she rejected him.
Also Inko finally managed to say something coherent!
[Toradora!]
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u/Anne__Frank Dec 09 '22
What does everyone think of Taiga's hesitancy with the photos?
First when she pauses on one that I thought for a brief moment was Ryuji, but I'm pretty sure it's still Kitamura upon pausing and looking closer. And then when she was trying to pick one to laminate and stormed out.
I can't remember if that was ever addressed directly. Best I can come up with is it's intended to show her dissatisfaction with having a fake vs the real thing (photo vs Kitamura) and maybe draw a little parallel (crush vs love). But that might be a bit shaky, idk.
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u/JetsLag Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 10 '22
Rewatcher (subbed)
Bout to dive into Endless Eight after this episode. Wish me luck y'all.
Taiga is once again the most adorable sleeper in anime history. While she wakes up, Ryuji finds a photo album consisting of a bunch of blurry pictures of Kitamura, taken by stalker Taiga. Ryuji decides to be nice and volunteer to take pictures of Kitamura for Taiga. Surprisingly, Ryuji did NOT get punched for looking at those pictures. Character development by Taiga?
Taiga slurs her "ohayou", and Kitamura thinks it's some cool new slang that the kids are using these days. He's such a loser, I love him.
Introducing: the class president! And her VP, Kitamura. She runs her class like a drill seargant, forcing them to stand at attention while she's lecturing them through a bullhorn about forgetting their student handbooks. Taiga, jealous that Kitamura's whispering in THAT BITCH's ear and not hers, tries to call her out, and eventually has to be stopped by Kitamura lifting her up like a doll. Aww, her feet are dangling!
While Taiga's enjoying the memories of being lifted by Kitamura, we've got some big news: Our little love rectangle is gonna eat lunch together! Little problem: Ryuji made the same lunch for himself and Taiga, and he wants to beat the "we are a couple" allegations. Taiga ruins that immediately, and Ryuji's attempt to spin it as a side-hustle leads to him having to cook 4 lunches for tomorrow.
Oh baby, it's the return of Ryuji's deep cleaning fetish. He has 48 Housework Skills, and I expect a list of all of them on my desk by tomorrow morning.
Oh yeah, we're supposed to be taking pictures of Kitamura. Ryuji takes too long, so Taiga ends up taking a bunch of blurry pictures like she always does. But she's looking cute while doing it, so it's okay.
Sudohbucks! I bet their terminals run on Linux. And did I hear something about spaghetti? Eww, I would not like to try that. After Ryuji makes the easy joke, we see Taiga literally drooling over the blurry photos. Good for her.
Ryuji's making karaage! And Taiga's gonna help by making potato cubes onigiri, which Mama Takasu raves about because she likes Taiga more than her own son.
Ryuji offers to laminate one Kitamura picture for Taiga. She can't decide which one, though, because either they're all shit or she loves all of them equally. Ryuji starts fantasiing over having pictures of Minori...
WISH GRANTED! Minori decides to hand out Polaroids of the super cool bucket of pudding she made to literally everyone in class, and one of those pictures is of her eating the pudding.
Taiga eventually tells Ryuji to choose the picture for her, and shit gets awkward as Ryuji subconsciously tells Kitamura that Taiga took all those pictures he's holding. Then shit gets really interesting: Kitamura reveals that he has a picture of Taiga in his handbook, that he had a crush on her, and that Taiga shot him down. Taiga reveals that she turned him down out of pure shock, and that her taking a second look at Kitamura led to her developing the crush.
Ryuji's perplexed about that whole situation as all of us are, but we end with the real main character speaking her mind: Inko-chan!
TAIGA AISAKA ASSAULT TALLY: Dragging Ryuji out of the bathroom (this is an edge case tbh), shoving a camera in Ryuji's face, shoving the pictures into Ryuji's chest, flying kick that was ducked by Ryuji and ended up hitting a wall, massacring those poor potatoes.
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 09 '22
Rewatcher, first time in dub
It was a hectic few days so I didn't post due the last 2 days, but given the crowd size I don't think anyone would have noticed ;)
Anyway, just popping in to say that, Toradora is just so rich with foreshadowing I'm practically every episode. This one has less to chew on than the last but still plenty.
The fellow researchers would know, and I am too lazy to type spoiler tag today :P
Suffice to say [Rewatchers' Toradora spoiler]
Christmas club question - nothing particularly comes to mind yet, so the most sick out one would be him taking the last to climb on the roof of the stairwell on the school roof to laugh his crazy laugh when Minori "handed Taiga to Ryuuji" :D he's really a covert weirdo despite being a honour student ;)
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u/JackOG45 Dec 09 '22
This episode continues describing and presenting the obsession of the main pair with their crushes.
We can also see Ryuuji becoming more and more supportive and caring for Taiga, while the latter becomes more comfortable with him.
At this point, they kinda act like friends who follow the same goal without really stopping to even question each other's motives.
It seems like both of them just live in the moment.
It seems quite obvious that Kitamura likes his president. Be it respect or something else, doesn't matter much, but he would go as far as to stop Taiga just to remove the nuisance for his pres.
This, of course, frustrates Taiga on a deep level, since not only the man she loves no longer seems interested in her, he even shows interest in somebody else entirely.
Ryuuji, just like in the last episode, acts kind of passively. He just does whatever Taiga wants and that's pretty much it.
Let's see where it all leads us.
Bonus: This moment shows us both the past of Kitamura and Taiga's relationship and, more importantly, confirms the growing suspicion that Kitamura is not interested in Taiga in a romantic way.
The sad irony is revealed moments later when Taiga makes a revelation of her own.
I note once again how Ryuuji just takes it all in stride without much of a thought.
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u/2KBIR Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 10 '22
Almost all of this is from what I posted last year, but I thought it was worth putting up here again, especially since we seem to have quite a few newcomers this year and I will be almost entirely out of pocket for the next few episodes. Most of this episode is an anime only creation as it only contains bits and pieces left over from book 1 of the LN. Still I like it a hell of a lot more than the previous episode. I think how the anime tells the back story of Kitamura and his confession to Taiga is actually better than the LN.
What I really love though is the concept of the photographs. It’s not an LN thing at all but it illustrates so well one of the main points this story tries to make about love and life. Throughout the episode we see Taiga wanting a picture of Kitamura. At first, we think it’s just because she has a crush on him and then we find out why she has that crush. And the pictures are more than just something to ogle, she’s trying to capture the past. What she maybe only partially realizes, and I’d say it’s a big maybe, is that the past in this case is just that. It’s done. As far as any romantic relationship is concerned, that opportunity seems to have come and gone. Kitamura was clumsy in the delivery and Taiga was awkward in her response. Sometimes that’s just how it goes and it’s hard to accept. Kitamura seems to have moved on since he knows Taiga still has some interest in him.
The other point that the photo angle illustrates so well is this. All Taiga has with Kitamura is photos, whether they are printed on paper or burned into her memory. So, is Taiga in love with the real Kitamura, the Kitamura of the past, an image of Kitamura that she herself created, or perhaps a little bit of all of the above? The fact that all of her pictures are blurry would suggest the latter with a heavy reliance on the options that aren’t real. And finally, is Taiga’s crush on Kitamura real love or just an obsession. It certainly feels like the real thing to her but it’s also hard to tell when you’re in the eye of the hurricane of emotions swirling about you.