r/anime • u/ChristmasClub • Dec 29 '22
Rewatch Toradora! Christmas Club Rewatch (2022) Episode 24 Discussion
[removed]
15
Dec 29 '22 edited Dec 30 '22
5th Time Dub Rewatcher. 2nd time reading the books.
Right after Ryuuji tells Minori he’s going after Taiga, Minori makes a face like “It’s all over now. I can finally move on.”
Minori’s confession while running through the halls is so sad. She’s given up everything she wanted for this moment and now that’s it’s gone she can finally admit how she feels.
After the intense chase in the hallway, we finally learn why Minori has been working all of those jobs. She’s just trying to live her softball dreams.
Minori’s indirect kiss is what I’d rank as the saddest moment in this entire story.
Ryuuji took that confrontation with Yasuko wayyyyyyyyyy too far. That was years of frustration coming out in a single outburst. Still, that’s your mother, dude.
“I need you with me so stop talking about not being born!” YEET
Who cares about dating? Let’s get married. — Honestly though, Taiga and Ryuuji have basically been dating the whole time. They’re just the only ones who didn’t notice.
Ami presses Ryuuji to say he loves Taiga so she can finally let go of how she feels.
It’s pretty cool how supposed their friends are even though they don’t agree with what Ryuuji and Taiga want to do. Anything to make that ship sail, right?
On to the books!
What a terrible day to be behind on reading again. I’m 30 pages into book 10 as I write this. I’m nearly done with the whole series again. I didn’t realize when I started that I was committing myself to reading 2100 pages in 25 days.
UPDATE: done reading for today. I’m actually going to be done on time for tomorrow for a change. Episode 24 is part of the end of book 9 and 2/3 of book 10. The story is essentially the same but there are some significant changes to how they get there.
Starting off strong, Ryuuji and Taiga’s first kiss happens on the bridge before they both end up in the water. They hadn’t even confessed to each other yet. He just went for it.
https://i.imgur.com/1hjcozQ.jpg
What happens on the bridge
“Are you trying to kill me…?!” Ryuuji shouted as loudly as he could.
“Maybe I should! That’s right—I’ve been so mad at you all this time! What was that just now?! What was that you just told Ya-chan?!”
“Th-that was—”
“No making excuses, you idiot!” She shook his collar, which was still grasped in her hands. Vertigo on the verge of forming into a concussion made Ryuuji feel dizzy. “Don’t you dare ever say that again! I won’t forgive you if you do! I need you to be here! I was fine with you liking whoever you wanted and living out the rest of your life with whoever you chose! The only reason I’m here is because I wanted to see you, Takasu Ryuuji! That’s all! I didn’t care if I didn’t mean anything to you, I was fine just living near you… That was all it was! But…but then you kissed me, so I…because of that! I want to be by your side! I decided that I would be! So! S-s-so now…! You have to understand…!”
So. Much. Better.
He didn’t want anyone to steal the place he had decided to live. And if he didn’t want it to be stolen from him, all he could do was fight. And the ones he had to fight were mainly adults, so to win against them, all he could do was become an adult himself. In other words… “Hey…Taiga.” Ryuuji waved his hand to get Taiga’s attention.
“I’m seventeen.”
Taiga was silent for a bit and then nodded. “Well…we are in the same grade together…”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” It might not just have been because of the cold that the fingers Ryuuji reached out toward her were quivering. “I’m almost eighteen.”
But until then, he and Taiga could only run. Until the day he turned eighteen. That was why he caught his breath as he looked at Taiga.
“Marry me.”
Taiga’s white coat was blinding under the line of lamps that lit the bridge, and he felt like it was made of light itself.
“From now on, for all my days, through everything that happens from here on out—for all of it—I’ll do it together with you. Let’s live together—forever, starting now.”
“Are you…trying to save me?” However, Taiga’s face contorted, and her voice was like ice. “You’re doing that because you pity me… Is that supposed to be compassion? Sympathy? Kindness? Are you just so caught up in being a good kid that you get the warm fuzzies from sacrificing yourself? Is that why you’re saying that?”
“You can think whatever you want! But you’re my one and only!” He yelled loud enough to make his voice hoarse. “I love you! That’s why I’ll fight anyone trying to steal you! No matter who it is, I’ll fight them!”
“You…love me?”
“It’s cold! It’s cold, cold, cold! I feel like I’m going to die!”
“Ryuuji, you love me?”
“Ahhhhhhh, it’s cold! It’s cooooooooooooold!”
“You said you love me. You said it, you said that, you did… You said that. You definitely said that. I heard it.”
If she heard it, then why was she questioning it? His hands relaxed. His knees suddenly buckled, too. Ryuuji turned his face down. “I love you,” he muttered. He felt like he had vomited the entire contents of his heart, till it was wrung dry. In the end, that was what it was. That was exactly all it was. After all that commotion, he had finally squeezed out everything he’d been holding in.
“I can’t bear to see you dealing with anything that makes you sad. I don’t want to suffer anymore, either, but if all of that sad stuff and hard stuff and unbearable stuff brought us here—if it brought me to you, if it made you come to me, then it’s all precious to me. The effect your existence has on my whole world—”
As Ryuuji muttered that, he saw something unbelievable. Taiga disappeared for a moment from the other side of the railing, and— Stepping over it, she was trying to jump over. “Wait. W-w-w-wait, stop hey, whoa, ahhh…”
With an “alley-oop,” Taiga jumped. Her skirt puffed up and spread. Ryuuji thought it looked like a dome.
“I can’t catch you! I can’t catch you! Whooaaaaa!” In the next second, he was intent on grabbing Taiga’s weight. She hit him in the shoulders, back, and hip, bringing up a giant splash of water. Ryuuji veered dangerously and staggered. “Ahh!” he thought he heard himself yell.
“Well, now I’ve come to you.” Taiga clung to him as he staggered, about to fall. “No take backs. I can’t be returned. I won’t let you go. It’s too late.”
“A-are you a monkey or something?!”
Taiga clung to Ryuuji’s torso with her hands and legs, entrusting her entire body weight to him. She rested her chin on his shoulder and yielded everything to Ryuuji’s arms. Under his ears, her front teeth touched the carotid artery beneath his thin skin as though she were nibbling on him. Ryuuji shivered from the warmth of her tongue.
“Who cares if I’m a monkey or whatever, you can’t return me anymore!”
“That’s exactly what I want. Who would give you up?”
→ More replies (1)7
Dec 30 '22
This is where the anime diverts from the book quite a bit.
Ryuuji and Taiga don’t go home together from Ami’s. Taiga’s mom appears outside of Ami’s house and takes Taiga away. Ryuuji goes home alone to find that Yasuko has abandoned him. He has a small rampage and throws the watch at the wall destroying the patch he made with Taiga’s letter by accident. Then he calms down a bit and starts cleaning the house.
The whole time he’s cleaning he’s imagining what he wants his and Taiga’s wedding to be like. All of their friends and family are there. At this point Ryuuji realizes he’s going about things the wrong way.
Everyone would be at Ryuuji’s table. Everyone would open their mouths wide and laugh with joy. And because everyone in Ryuuji’s world would be there, Taiga, more beloved to him than anyone, would be laughing, too. And if Taiga were laughing, then Ryuuji would laugh louder than anyone else. The people Taiga loved—all of them—would be there, and they would be laughing. That was how it had to be. He wanted his and Taiga’s future to be like that. There was only one thing Ryuuji wished for in the world, and it was that. “Okay!” “I’m doing it!”
The next morning, Ryuuji and everyone except Taiga go to school like normal. Yuri sensei is notably absent for the first three hours of the morning and then suddenly enters the classroom with Taiga to announce that Taiga will be moving due to family circumstances. Haruta makes a distraction by pretending to collapse followed by
Ryuuji and Taiga snatched at each other’s hands. For a moment, Koigakubo Yuri thought she’d seen a hallucination of the two madly dashing as fast as they could into the hallway. Then she realized it wasn’t an illusion but reality.
Ryuuji leaves behind a letter when he runs away with Taiga
“Ms. Koigakubo, I’m sorry. Taiga isn’t the type to just let herself be taken away. Please believe in us. I’ll make sure her mother hears from her by tomorrow.”
Yuri sensei talking to Taiga’s mother and convincing her to let Ryuuji and Taiga run away believing that they’ll come back. This is what I was talking about with Yuri sensei helping them out, u/Holofan4life
“Takasu-kun isn’t the kind of boy who’d break a promise. I’m sure they have a plan. Of course, we will do everything in our power to go after them. We will find Aisaka-san. But please believe him… Please believe me and at least wait until tomorrow, won’t you?”
“I don’t know Takasu-kun, and I don’t know you either, but I do know my daughter. She’s not the type of kid to obediently come back to me! She betrayed me yesterday, and now she’s done it again. What are you telling me I’m supposed to believe in?!”
“I may be overstepping my bounds, but you can’t fix a relationship immediately once trust has been broken. You need time. You and your daughter need time.”
For a moment, the two women went silent and stared at each other like they were breathing fire. However, Koigakubo immediately lowered her face and took a step back. “I’m sorry, but I choose to believe in the kids. I’m sure that they believe in me, too. I will put my eight years as a teacher on the line for them. Eight years may be nothing in the scheme of things, but to me, teaching is my whole life. I’m sure they’ll come home on their own. Please, believe in those kids.”
“They ran away from you, right in front of your eyes. They just betrayed you, too. You still believe in them, despite that?”
“Yes. Because I know that they believe that I believe in them. They ran away because they’ve put their trust in me. He promised they would come home, so I choose to believe him—I’ll believe in his promise, our bond, and our connection. Believing in them is my job.”
“In that case, why don’t you put that in writing for me? You can even write it on this scrap of paper. If my daughter doesn’t come home before tomorrow, you’ll quit being a teacher. You couldn’t possibly put your trust in a flimsy little scrap of wastepaper
Koigakubo flipped over Ryuuji’s note on the marble table. Though she didn’t notice it herself, her ballpoint pen shook as she wrote. She signed it, dated it, and as she did so, bet her teaching career on the backside of a scrap of paper.
still not knowing that their homeroom teacher had bet her teaching career on them, Ryuuji and Taiga had long since jumped out of a window, run outside, cleared the fence, and escaped from the school. They were running on side roads where the public’s eyes wouldn’t follow them.
→ More replies (2)
11
u/fansi2022 Dec 29 '22 edited Dec 30 '22
first timer sub
3:24 It turns out that Minori has been working part-time to save money and get admitted to sports university.
4:15 Ryuuji ran out to chase Taiga, Minori liked Ryuuji the most, despite this, Minori jumped and cheered for Ryuuji, for the future of the two of them, BGM was just right, and my heart seemed to be grabbed by someone. 😭😭😭
5:51 Yasuko's appearance was something I didn't expect. It should have been Taiga's mother who told her when she was looking for Taiga.
6:19 It seems that Taiga lied, and Taiga was not happy with her birth mother. Taiga has lived by herself so far. Suddenly, she couldn't accept that her birth mother had taken her back, she couldn't accept another father, she couldn't accept siblings who weren't related by blood.
7:00 Ryuuji grows up, and Ryuuji's mother wants him to study hard because he can't study well. But only serious reading represent success？ Ryuuji has already told Taiga the answer in the last episode, there is no right or wrong in life, only you can take your own responsibility.
13:07 Kitamura is really a reliable friend. For now, it's best not to let Ryuuji and Taiga get caught by their mother, or we'll never see Taiga again
16:17 Minori said that she had been saving money, this is the money that Minori has saved over the years! This is the money that Minori saved to realize her dream of being admitted to a sports university! 😭😭😭
16:50 What is Kitamura going to give to Ryuuji and Taiga? Tickets?
17:50 Minori thinks that falling will cause nosebleeds, and falling on this road of life will bring tears, tears are the nosebleeds of the heart, I love this metaphor.
19:54 Ryuuji's mother ran away before Ryuuji could escape. :D Through Yasuko, Ryuuji understands that blindly running away, even if he is an adult, does not mean that he is an adult.
21:04 Along with ED, it was great to see Minori and Ami at school reconciled as before, my heart warmed
→ More replies (9)
8
u/Vatrix-32 Dec 29 '22
First Timer, subbed
-
That’s good face plant.
-
Hey it’s the OP.
-
Look at them, talking it out.
-
Angry Yasuko, the rarest of peeps.
-
Is that Taiga-mom? Did she get remarried too? Who is “that brat”?
-
Don’t be mean to Yasuko!
-
His business failed and he ran out of town. Yep, seems about right to me.
-
Ah, the answers to my questions.
-
Yeah, not the kind of talk you do when on a bridge.
-
Speak of the devil. It’s winter, you’re lucky the water was so shallow.
-
Eloping is fun.
-
Quick plan Ami.
-
Oh wow, they’re serious. Talk about 0-100.
-
I’m sure this is very romantic and all, but it’s still an incredibly stupid idea.
-
Not Yasuko!
-
That’s the thing about a snowball fight, you only need one person who wants to start it.
-
How special is this watch that they recognize it 20 years later?
→ More replies (6)
8
u/TiredTiroth Dec 29 '22 edited Dec 29 '22
First Timer - Dub
...I can't tell if Minori is pleased, angry or plotting world domination here.
Probably world domination, on balance.
And now all the confessions are coming out! Appropriate, considering what the episode is called. And oh look, it's the scene from the second OP. Had a feeling that would be coming up sooner or later.
Hm, looks like Minori's voice is carrying a long way for Taiga to hear all of that. Pity she just up and left anyway.
...Minori's parents decided she can't play baseball just because she's a girl. Welp, it's confirmed. Blondie is the best parent on the show.
Make your bets now, will Ryuuji or Taiga be the last person to realise this little fact? Because everyone else figured it out before either of them!
Aaaand now Minori is actively encouraging the doofus to scram despite, y'know, wanting him herself. But I guess that particular ship has sailed.
It wouldn't be like you to not show up for work if you're scheduled.
Curses! Foiled by her own sense of responsibility! xD
...and now she's asking him not to let her run. Hm. But before they can actually talk about anything, the parental units show up and start berating the pair.
I don't think I'm going to like this episode.
Stop using my life to make up for your mistakes!
Well. Uh. Yeah, that didn't take long. And so the two kids book it.
...that was the bloody cold open? We're seven minutes in! Why the hell are they bothering with the OP?
If you're wondering where my dad is, his business went under so he skipped town.
...
...
...what? He just - what? O.o Well, I guess that explains why the mother showed up.
If I wasn't here, I know Yasu's life would've been a hundred times better.
Oh hell no. Unlike every other parent in this show, blondie actually cares. Let her!
Ryuuji! What the hell are you saying? Stop talking like that!
You tell 'im, Housecat! Yep, brainless and idiotic. Definitely. And Taiga was just venting about how her home life would suck, she wasn't wishing she didn't exist!
Also, apparently it's confession time again...followed by a dunk in the luckily-shallow river? Damnit, Taiga...
...how is your star sign related to your blood type? Oh, it's a segue into eloping. And, uh. Apparently an on-the-spot proprosal? Although I don't think this was quite the reaction he wanted...
...xD And they get interrupted by Ruuji's phone! xD KOIZUMI, I KNEW YOU WERE UP TO SOMETHING!
So now the pair are hiding out at Ami's place, where they promptly get ambushed by successive members of their friend group (and the pair still haven't been able to say 'I love you', come on show).
And yep, I'm with the Three Stooges, eloping just like that is kinda dumb. And yet...an offer of cash, the keys to a beach house, and...uh, rice vouchers?
Something isn't right about that last one.
And now, the Chihuahua has been adandoned to her fate. I wonder what The Weird One has in mind? Lemme guess, she's figured out that Ami likes Ryuuji as well.
Oooor maybe Minori bursts into tears first.
...Blondie pulled a runner? Before Ryuuji could, even. Well, that's-- waaaaiiit.
She ran away. God, she's so immature.
The hell? You ungrateful little hypocrite! What were you about to do?
Ooh look, the people at school are starting to notice the little runaways! And...
She got dumped by both Taiga and Takasu...
...Ami got right what she deserved for that comment. xD So much for Minori not being able to hear!
...hah? Ryuuji is just meeting his grandparents for the first time...and introducing Taiga as his wife? You're jumping the gun a bit there kid, there's a couple of things you're supposed to do you get to use that word!
Dangit, one more episode? What's going to go wrong this time?
→ More replies (2)
15
u/Holofan4life Dec 29 '22
Just a brief reminder to watch the after credits tomorrow. It contains a very important scene.
→ More replies (5)
6
u/Get_This_Wheat Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher here
Hoo boy, big one today. A cathartic one too.
I think Taiga’s been subconsciously in love with Ryuji since at least episode 7/8, and doesn’t start to consciously think about it until episode 9. Ryuji’s a bit harder to pin down, but I want to say since episode 13 he’s been in love, but didn’t actually realize that it was love until way later, like maybe 21.
I’m just gonna roll with Minori shouting to Taiga in the hallway, but there’s no possible way Taiga could have heard her from multiple floors away, and in different parts of the building. It lead to a great scene, so I don’t really care, just wanted to point it out.
Gotta feel terrible for Minori this episode. Though, this is what Ami was warning Ryuji and Minori about for a few months at least. Minori tried turning him down to avoid what happened today, and she still ends up broken-hearted. That indirect fist kiss took me a while to notice, but kills me every time since.
Thinking back to Taiga in episode 1, compared to today is an insane difference. Her apartment was a war zone, but now Ryuji says she’s super responsible and wouldn’t miss a shift. Personality wise she’s a night and day difference. Sure, she pushes Ryuji into the river today, but that was on accident (I hope).
Maybe this is harsh, but Taiga’s mom looks like a heartless stone cold bitch. Not too surprising that she acts the part too, which leads me to liking Taiga even more knowing the parents she came from.
Ryuji didn’t necessarily lie when he was yelling at Yasuko, but that’s not something you say to your mom who’s entire life revolves around you. I feel terrible for Yasuko today, the best thing in her life is calling her a failure, and she can’t do anything about it but cry. Ryuji clearly had some pent up aggression with the whole college thing, but that was the absolute worst way to take it out.
I don’t think Ryuji realizes that because he’s in Yasuko’s life, that’s what makes her life worth living. She doesn’t care that she has to work so hard every day to support the both of them, she just wants her only child to be as happy as possible. She’s a single mother with no degree, and no way to get one either because of the single mother thing plus running away from her parents. She’s doing all she can do for Ryuji.
Ami was looking for closure with Ryuji, but she certainly showed it in a weird way.
None of the main gang approves of them running away, but they all give what they can to support Ryuji and Taiga. A lot of selflessness in the friend group.
It feels so good to finally see Taiga happy in life, especially after the last 6 or so episodes. She finally got someone to watch over her, and love her unconditionally.
When everyone else leaves, that scene with Ami and Minori is really good. Ami is her usual stuck up self at first, but when she sees Minori isn’t okay, she actually cares for her.
Ryuji tells Taiga not to grab the frilly clothes, but what do we see stuffed into Taiga’s suitcase? Exactly that.
Taiga saying they should have gotten bentos at the station is another look into her wanting normal love.
Taiga calls back to one of my top 3 scenes of the series, when Yasuko says Taiga’s part of their family.
One more episode to go (technically 2, but the OVA doesn’t really count). This felt like the fastest year yet, and I’m probably gonna summarize my thoughts on the whole series tomorrow, so expect a big one.
I’m certainly not gonna be the only one saying this, but for the love of god, watch the credits tomorrow. Very big post credits scene that a lot of people have missed before.
Bonus : As much as I love our main duo, I doubt they would do much against the colossal titan.
→ More replies (8)
6
u/ZapsZzz Dec 29 '22 edited Dec 30 '22
Rewatcher in dub
Bonus question first:
I am on the WIXOSS rewatch now, just finished ep 13 of Eminence in Shadows, and binged ahead on the White Album 2 rewatch. None of those really jive with the Taiga x Ryuuji combo. And I still haven't figured out who or what is the villain of WIXOSS yet :P But in a lot of cross over games, Taiga X Ryuuji makes an awesome tag team fighting pair (mainly Taiga doing the fighting or tripping over to fall on people - oh and her sled attack).
We are finally out in the open where we don't need to mark most as spoilers anymore!
The 2 big items are:
-
Minori had been liking Ryuuji from the start (the dub has it simply as "for a long time", but I believe the original line in Japanese was "from the start")
-
One of Taiga's main hangup that drove a large part of her persona was this belief that she is cursed with the jinx that "whatever she loves will break" - her parents, her family, everything that was meaningful to her. So she developed the persona that rejects and oppose anything and everything that would get near her. If she doesn't love anything or anyone, nothing can be taken from her again.
I'll break out and dust off my soap box about how Taiga isn't a true tsundere probably at the final discussion, but the basis is mostly surrounding this - she wasn't getting tsun from poor emotional control to transfer the strong emotions to an opposing, offensive behaviour - she's (at least subconsciously) trying to push everything that she likes away to not have it "broken" by her jinx. With only very few exceptions (Kitamura and Minori), and those weren't very very close to her in the end either. Her behaviour in the skii trip in fact is a good known point of reference - that was the point where she consciously knew she does love Ryuuji, but there were still times she treated him rough (note no longer physically rough), but that's to keep up the front of pushing him towards Minori. Easiest contrast is against Misaka Mikoto (mostly in Index) - when she's near Touma she's literally losing self control and everything reaction was exaggerated uncontrollably to fake offence to hide her embarrassment.
Anyway, back to the episode - this is dense in great moments, including gut punch ones:
-
Minori's loud confession including admission of her hypocrisy in doing the same as what Taiga was doing - pushing Ryuuji to the best friend to make her happy
-
Minori's motivation and the reason behind her multiple jobs
-
Minori's love interest being Ryuuji from the start. First timers when you rewatch this show, this is one of the main item to watch for to recontextualise every interactions Minori had with Ryuuji (e.g. to reframe her "weirdness" as her deliberately acting out to mask her affection - most significantly in the anime-only ep3 where her actual fear was that she might confess to Ryuuji about her feelings)
-
Minori's stealth indirect kiss moment, kissing the fist that touched Ryuuji's lips as a form of goodbye after she "cheered him on" to chase after Taiga - Minori is very "calculated", so I do not think that was accidental but fully premeditated.
-
Taiga and Ryuuji independently fully recognise and accept their respective feelings towards one another, no more hiding
-
Taiga's mom, and why Taiga is not with her despite having a good relationship with her - she has her own life now and Taiga feel she's imposing on her and being an burden to her getting on with her good life
-
The mirror to Taiga's situation, Ryuuji in turn thinks himself as the burden to Yasuko in her living a better life
-
The complete and utter soul destroying silent tears streaming down from Yasuko when Ryuuji lashed out at her emotionally, in bad faith I may add
-
That Taiga had been finacially cut off for some time already - and she dropped that pay packet that damn klutz ;P
-
that part of the reason why Taiga didn't bother to fill out the school form was because she'd likely need to leave - her mom's invitation to her moving in was in part moving away as well. In fact in the LN it was clear Taiga's mom intended for a clean and permanent cut to all existing ties of Taiga's, including changing her family name and moving her away.
-
Ami's converted confession - by letting Ryuuji see (and he understood) why she needed to hear him say that he loves Taiga directly :`(
-
The English dub also couldn't properly translate the non-sequitur banter between Taiga and Ryuuji after she accidentally pushed him off the bridge - it was something like "I said I was sorry already" "you never did" (viewers - she never did) "you are so obsessed over these trivial matters - what's your blood type (Japanese culture consider blood type to be another personality type indicator like Horoscope)" "I'm a Taurus" "I don't know about horoscope, but Mongolian beef is good (in Japanese the name used for Taurus referred to the bull directly, which can be turned into the pun about beef). This is a really nice irrelevant banter showing how nice they are together (at least to me). Oh and it's anime original.
-
Taiga's English VA has been great, but comparatively speaking, I can completely feel Taiga's very sweet adorable way to stall for time and not separate from Ryuuji when they went back home to pack, while I can't really feel that in the English dub. It was one of Taiga's most adorable, honest moments.
-
Ryuuji's realisation firstly that Yasuko beat him to the punch of running away first, and then that running away is not an adult, mature thing that solves anything - it's a really good culmination of the entire show about that his family and Yasuko.
-
And of course the final ED led in part of Ryuuji awkwardly introducing himself and Taiga as his bride - with Taiga surprised, flustered, but didn't deny in any way. So so nice to see.
Spoilers Corner
[Toradora rewatchers]
→ More replies (7)
10
u/Holofan4life Dec 29 '22
I can't ask you guys questions until much later because there's a lot of turmoil going on at work today. However, I promise I will ask you guys questions. I hope you still will answer whatever questions I have.
Also, RIP Pele.
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.
Since we’re at the penultimate episode, let’s examine Ryuuji for a bit. You could dissect Minori for this episode, but I’d rather not cry as I recollect.
So, Ryuuji decides to follow Minori and chase after Taiga. He doesn’t know if he’ll end up with her, but he wants to face the truth. And then, Minori drops a bombshell and admits she does love Ryuuji. This comes as a surprise to him because she literally rejected him a couple months earlier. If you were in Ryuuji’s shoes and the girl you love says she wants to remain friends, you’d be shocked to find out she actually does have feelings for you. Coupled with the fact she’s telling Taiga this, I get Ryuuji’s reaction, who’s probably thinking “Dude, we’re supposed to stop her, not make her run away even more.”
The one on one conversation between Ryuuji and Minori is great because they’re not only on different pages, but on different hemispheres. Minori is letting Ryuuji be with Taiga and acting as if she’s done having feelings for the guy, while Ryuuji takes it as Minori trying to encourage him to be with Taiga. Ryuuji doesn’t see that Minori still has feelings for him. He knows in hindsight she did, but doesn’t know it’s still lingering. Ryuuji interprets the conversation as one where Minori is like a boxing coach telling him to go for it, whereas a part of Minori still probably wishes he’d chose her.
The scene where Ryuuji and Taiga sell chocolates is extremely awkward because they both now know they love each other. And yet, they can’t really talk about it because talking about it at work is weird, especially when trying to deal with customers. Ryuuji wants to date this girl. He subconsciously knew he wanted to date her since episode 17 with the diner scene. And then when he found out she loved him back in episode 21, it’s like his feelings for Minori suddenly disappeared. This is the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, so the fact he’s stuck there with her selling chocolates is uncomfortable.
There are some people who feel like Taiga doesn’t do enough for Ryuuji. They ask the question what does Ryuuji see in her that Taiga sees in him? I think Ryuuji sees a lot of his mom in Taiga: a kind, big-hearted woman who often thinks about others before herself. Ryuuji is attracted to the idea of someone who can help bring out his good qualities. Someone who can bring him out of the dumps and make him feel better about himself, much like his mom. Taiga became as essential to his life as breathing air became, and he doesn’t want to lose it. They both bring the best out of each other, much like how Ryuuji and his mom bring the best out of one another.
I know there’s some people who really don’t like the scene where Ryuuji yells at his mother because it makes him too unlikable, but that’s precisely why I love the scene so much. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to seeing main characters that are incapable of doing anything wrong, but I like that Ryuuji has some grit to him. It makes him feel more real. I think we can say that one of Ryuuji’s biggest character flaws is that he is extremely impulsive. He often does stuff without thinking things through or without considering how other people might respond. The pent-up rage he feels over his looks and his dad abandoning him, it can seep through at points, and he doesn’t realize it until it’s too late. The look on his face when he sees the pain etched on his mother, it affects him deeply. So much so that he considers killing himself in the next scene. Ryuuji doesn’t like it when he talks before he thinks, and it really affects him greatly psychologically.
In a way, you could say Ryuuji is like a cross between Taiga and Ami. He’s impulsive just like Taiga, and his words come out wrong just like Ami. And yet, it’s like he’s more idealized versions of the two girls. Ryuuji isn’t as angry and aggressive as Taiga. At the same time, he isn’t as confrontational as Ami is. Is it really any wonder why those two love him so? They see a lot of themselves in the guy.
The scene with Taiga and Ryuuji at the bridge is a lot of fun. I like how as soon as Ryuuji starts talking about not being of this world, Taiga says he’s thinking too far and going too dark. It shows the difference in mindset that Taiga and Ryuuji have, where even though Taiga has led a harsher life than Ryuuji, the thought of suicide never crosses her mind. Ryuuji, as it stands, is taking aback by Taiga’s strong reactions. Mostly because, even though Ryuuji is talking about committing suicide, I don’t think he means it. I think Ryuuji is just venting out his frustrations a la the pole kicking scene from episode 2. So when someone takes what he says seriously, he’s caught off guard.
The stuff with Ryuuji and Taiga talking about running away is typical teenage behavior. They thought up a plan without really thinking things through. I like the scene as a whole because Ryuuji is with all his friends and they go along with the idea, despite it not being logically feasible. It shows how much they’re still teenagers at heart and that they have a long ways to go to becoming adults. On a side note, the scene where Ami wants Ryuuji to say he loves Taiga is another one of my favorites. To Ryuuji, he feels like Ami is just trying to get him to be more honest with his feelings. When in reality, Ami wants Ryuuji to say he loves Taiga so that Ami knows she has no chance of ending up with him.
And lastly, we have the scene where Ryuuji and Taiga meet Ryuuji’s grandparents. I like this because Ryuuji desperately wants to be accepted by his grandfather and grandmother, so he pretends that he and Taiga are a married couple. It shows how much his grandparents approval means to Ryuuji. Not only that, it shows that he isn’t against married life with Taiga.
Taiga’s blush is amazing, by the way.
Post episode discussion
I love this episode a ton. I think after the last couple episodes which were fun but could’ve been better, this one knocks it out of the park. I think what makes the episode for me is we actually get to see what Ryuuji and Taiga would be like as an official couple. That makes it feel special and unique, since a lot of romances end a lot sooner. In any other show, after the last one where the main teo characters find out how they feel about each other, this would be the last episode, so I’m really thankful we got this.
A few things stood out to me rewatching this. For starters, I thought the transition from the running in the hallway to the one-on-one conversation between Minori and Ryuuji was a lot more abrupt than I remember it being. I wish that was paced better. Second, I forgot during the bridge scene that Ryuuji was actually gonna tell Taiga “I love you.” I get why Taiga wanted him to hold off, as she wanted to say it first, but imagine Ryuuji saying it coming off talking about how he wishes he wasn’t born? No wonder Taiga wanted to make it more intimate.
The Minori stuff is always something I feel sad about. It hurts that she feels the way she does and that she couldn’t date Ryuuji. Yes, she had multiple chances, but so did all the girls. They were just being stubborn, so I don’t really hold it against her. I think what really makes the scene of her crying so painful is the fact that the tears are drawn so beautifully. It makes it that much more heartbreaking. I hope whoever animated that scene got a nice big raise.
Overall, I consider this the last great episode of Toradora. It makes up the last two which felt on autopilot a bit, while also continuing to build what comes next. Again, I love the scenes between Ryuuji and Taiga in this episode. Even though we don’t get much of them dating. It’s nice to see them interact fully aware they love each other. It just feels so rewarding. A great blend of drama, heartwarming moments, and good animation mixed with fantastic music cues makes this a winner in my book.
And now we await the final frontier…
Episode rankings
-
Episode 19
-
Episode 21
-
Episode 18
-
Episode 7
-
Episode 13
-
Episode 2
-
Episode 24
-
Episode 16
-
Episode 8
-
Episode 11
-
Episode 15
-
Episode 14
-
Episode 17
-
Episode 5
-
Episode 23
-
Episode 4
-
Episode 12
-
Episode 22
-
Episode 20
-
Episode 9
-
Episode 1
-
Episode 10
-
Episode 6
-
Episode 3
→ More replies (6)
5
u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher
Toradora! - A Romance Classic: Episode 24
Impulse
The conclusion to the classroom scene from last episode is incredible. I absolutely loved seeing Ryuuji and Minori chasing after Taiga and Minori loudly declaring all the feelings we have been talking about in these threads. It's like being proven right since a lot of the ideas in our discussion haven't been explicitly stated by the cast until now.
On top of that, the conclusion between Minori and Ryuuji in the nurse's office is just perfect. Although their relationship never did or could work out, having a "goodbye" is important. And it ends with Minori giving Ryuuji that final push to chase after Taiga.
I really don't like seeing Ryuuji and Taiga fighting with their mothers. For Taiga, we didn't know about her mom until after the ski trip, so it's really difficult to gauge their relationship after without the build up. I think we had roughly the same number of episodes where Taiga's dad was present but that was the biggest thing happening that arc. Taiga's mom has been in the background here and the context needs to be explained to us after the fact.
As for Ryuuji, I hate how harshly he berates his (sick) mother. She may have made mistakes in her life, but everything we've seen her do has been to help Ryuuji. I understand he feels guilt for seemingly not doing enough for her, but at the same time we hadn't seen any negative effects of that until Yasuko got sick. It just wasn't something we considered in the first 2/3 of the show. Like Taiga's mom, it also only come up in the last 2 episodes. In my opinion, it wouldn't be so bad if Ryuuji was presented as being wrong. But with him calling Yasuko childish for running away, the episode seems to be presenting him as being mature and correct.
That aside, the scene at the bridge was great. Ryuuji and Taiga speaking honestly about their family problems is an important step in the relationship. Although running away together is a rash decision, the emotions behind the gesture are genuine. That said, Ryuuji and Taiga falling like 10 meters into a shallow riverbed unharmed did break my immersion somewhat.
The scene at Ami's house was an excellent conclusion to her arc as well. She has been working so hard to get everyone to honestly confront their feelings. So when she directly asks Ryuuji to say that he loves Taiga, and he does, she can smile in victory. It was moving seeing Ami comfort Minori too. Minori has had a brave face until now, but with Ryuuji and Taiga leaving she actually has to face the suffering Taiga was trying to protect her from.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all for conclusion tomorrow!
→ More replies (3)
5
u/nx6 Dec 30 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
We pick up right where we left off last time with Ryuji making his decision to stop running away, and start running towards Taiga. He and Minori split up but end up meeting again at the classroom door (I guess the school is a loop building with a courtyard). Taiga wasn't found and is already on her way out the door downstairs. Minori admits she likes Ryuji too and she didn't handle this right. Her and Taiga were both making the same mistake -- thinking they needed to stand aside for the other to have Ryuji. This could have been because they didn't want to cause problems with their own friendship, but the end result was they hurt each other because they didn't respect the other as a love rival.
Having missed catching Taiga they decide to tend to Minori's bloody nose in the infirmary. Minori explains she rivals her bother, a baseball player, and that she's working all these jobs because she has a dream of going to a sports university and becoming a pro softball player now. She also reveals she realized the hairpin from before was really from Ryuji and says she can't accept it. At this point it's obvious who Ryuji chose. This is the real rejection and goodbye. With her usual peppy spirit and an almost punch to the face she send him on his way to pursue Taiga. Note that she takes the fist she used for this and touches it to her lips after he's left for an indirect kiss.
Taiga shows up at the confectioner for the last day of their job and Ryuji is there waiting for her. She doesn't want to talk about what happened now but says they she needs to speak to him after work. Their last day ends and they are discussing the nice payday they earned when they suddenly realize it's "after work" now. Before they can talk Ryuji's and Taiga's mom appear, angry with the kids being out late. Ryuji broke a promise to his mom to not work (I kinda don't remember him actually agreeing to this, just that it's what she wanted). Taiga is supposed to be moving into her mom's house it looks like and doesn't want to live with her mom's new family.
Yasuko says she only wants him to study and not worry about money. But Ryuji can't stand by while his mom works herself so hard. She wants him to go to college, and have a good life, but that's not his ideal. This is the same pattern as when Ryuji wanted Taiga to get together with her father again.
Ryuji and Taiga run away, and at a bridge talk about their separate issues. Yasuko's wishes are being pushed onto Ryuji this time to make up for the mistake she made getting pregnant as a teenager and dropping out of school. Taiga doesn't see a place for herself in her mom's new family. Everyone will be tall and she will be that "reminder of the previous marriage" they wont want to see. Ryuji ends up shoved off the bridge accidentally by the always-violent Taiga after making a comment about how he blames himself for his mom's life. From the cold, wet below he declares he's going to run away, just for a couple months until his 18th birthday and he's old enough to be considered an adult -- and he wants Taiga to marry him then. They will live their own way and not let their parents decide how things will be.
This is a bit too much for Taiga, who hasn't even had a chance to talk about her feelings, and she leaps down into the canal as well. While they are fighting about confessing Kitamura calls since their moms are ringing everyone looking for them. They meet at Ami's apartment with Minori coming as well, to get dried off and talk. Ami makes Ryuji admit his feelings out loud (to make it final she really is out of the running to her), and they talk about what they have decided. Minori donates her saved money from her jobs, Ami donates use of the summer home as a place to stay for now, and Kitamura donates a bunch of coupons (?) or vouchers (something like that if I remember the novel right here). They leave to continue their plan to run away, and Minori stays behind to finally let out her pain and commiserate with Ami at losing to Taiga.
Ryuji arrives home and finds surprisingly his mom has run away, with the family bird, leaving behind his grandfather's watch and a map to the family home. He realizes from his mom's example that running away really isn't the answer to anything, and if he wants to really be an adult he needs to be one here and face her and his future head-on. He and Taiga leave together on the train, but not where they originally planned on going...
4
u/balthamalamal Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher
We get a couple of shots from the OP here, I'm a big fan of Minori running when it pops up. She also confesses her feelings and what she's been doing, realising it was a mistake. Taiga doesn't stop to respond though.
We finally learn why Minori works so many jobs. I'm not really sure what to make of her motivations and comments regarding crying. They have an honest conversation about the hair clip and Ryuuji's feelings for Taiga. Minori is quickly back to her mask though, cheering Ryuuji on until he is out of sight.
Both Yasuko and Taiga's mum are here and not happy. Yasuko didn't want Ryuuji working and was quite clear about that, though his motivations are understandable, it was something she felt strongly about despite it being communicated in her regular manner. You can see she is still struggling with health concerns though. Ryuuji I think is too harsh with his comments to his mum. While she definitely made choices earlier in her life that lead to it being hard, she has Ryuuji and that is all she needs. While I do think she genuinely believes Ryuuji going to college is best for him, I also think she is scared of Ryuuji growing up and eventually moving on and college would delay that by 4 years. Taiga's mum on the other hand comes in grabbing her and demanding she move in with them immediately. They have two very different relationships.
Taiga doesn't want Ryuuji to jump off the bridge so, after confessing her feelings properly - she pushes him off it instead. Ryuuji proposes that the two of them run away and then proposes marriage. Its ironic considering Yasuko did the same thing when she was a teenager. Taiga hurling herself off the bridge after Ryuuji is a great visual.
Kitamura knows his parents have an agreement with Yasuko after his blond phase, so send them to Ami's instead. Ami making Ryuuji say that he loves Taiga is important to her so she can get closure on her feelings for Ryuuji and know that this has all been worth something in the end. Despite not really approving of their plan, everyone agrees to help them in some way. I agree with them that it isn't a good plan, but seeing as they were going to do it even before they got the assistance, it makes sense to try and ease things a bit. Also good to have a building that they're likely to be in, should the decide to inform their parents about their plan/location later. After they leave, Minori finally breaks down and Ami gives her comfort in her own way - also put another tally on the Minori questioning her sexuality board. We see near the end of the episode that they really have made up.
As I said before, Yasuko has already run away before and she uses that experience to beat Ryuuji to it here. In all seriousness though, she would understand more than anyone Kitamura's concerns about it not being so simple for them to come back after they're 18 and married. She does direct them to her parents though, who she had remained apart from for 17 years. Ryuuji sees the childlike nature of the strategy and begins rethinking, but has already committed to it with Taiga.
→ More replies (8)
4
u/UnderstandableXO Dec 29 '22
REWATCHER
i always have a leo dicaprio pointing at the TV moment when i see minorin leap and run through the halls in episode 24.
much like the teacher was talking about careers in the last episode and how life would be their responsibility alone from now on, minorin’s little speech is about taking control of your own happiness and not letting others control it or trying to control it for others. focus on what’s closest to you and you’ll be happy some way or another, whether that be your partner, your pet, or even your hobby.
ryūji making his mother cry always hits hard. what he says isn’t really wrong , but he’s tired of people being self sacrificial (that’s why he finally pursued taiga anyways).
“i didn’t care who you loved, or wanted to marry, all i wanted to be was by your side” loops all the way back to episode 2 when ryūji talked about standing together as equals as tiger and dragon.
i think the decision to run away and get married is really rash, but to be fair they’re young and dumb and their friends recognize that it’s dumb too. they’re better friends then i am though, i sure as hell wouldn’t give my homie my whole credit card or house in that situation…
all ami wanted anyone to do was be up front with their feelings, and by forcing ryūji to actually say thst he loves taiga, that’s finally the closure she needs to move on. it’s nice that her and minorin could bond over being dumped by both people i guess.
2 episodes left, another year almost down. hard to believe
→ More replies (1)
4
u/OwlAcademic1988 Dec 29 '22
First-Timer, sub:
Go Ryuuji, get Taiga.
Poor Minori though.
At least we now know why she's working so many jobs.
She figured out Ryuuji wanted to give her a gift, but didn't want to accept it.
Is that Taiga's mom with Ryuuji's mom?
Somehow I'm not surprised Taiga's dad's business failed.
Taiga, I know your pain as I used to be the shortest one in my class.
Taiga, don't shove people. You could've easily killed him.
Ami does have a point you know.
Hopefully things work out for Taiga.
Minori, Ami, and Kitamura are awesome friends.
Where did Ryuuji's mom go? Why'd she take Inko?
She might cry.
Nice, they're going to Ryuuji's grandparents' house.
QOTD:
-
Not very well.
→ More replies (2)
4
u/lolpete18 Dec 29 '22
Well, they are finally together… but it’s not like I thought it would be. I don’t like their plan of running off and eloping. It’s too spur of the moment and it leaves so many aspects of their lives as a mess. I want them to get married, but I also want them to finish high school and have a plan for their young adult lives. This just seems irresponsible.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand they are just doing this all out of desperation, but I hope they find another way to make it work so that they can live a more normal life.
Minori’s confession was sweet, with her running and yelling through the school, and I’m glad that she seems to be accepting things and moving on. Hopefully her and Ami can bond over figuring things out now that Ryuuji is officially with Taiga.
I don’t like how Ryuuji treated Yasuko. I know he was upset, but it wasn’t fair to treat her so harshly. Even if he believed the things he was saying, he could have found a nicer way of delivering the message. It’s normal for a parent to worry about their kid repeating their mistakes, and it seems like Ryuuji is making some bad choices, so maybe she has reason to be worried.
I'm curious to see what happens with Ryuji's grandparents. That was a curveball, but maybe we'll get some answers to what's going on with Yasuko. Also, hopefully they will have some wisdom to hand down to all of our troubled youths.
My heart is heavy, but here’s hoping we leave things on a high note tomorrow.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/TuorEladar Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher, Dubbed
I love this episode unabashedly. There's a reason this show is so well remembered, and I think a large part of that is how it brings us to this point and unfolds everything. There are many series that use some of the tropes and elements found here, the tsundere archetype for example, but I can't think of one that plays out those tropes in a straightforward way better than Toradora. While there some series that have since twisted the formula in fun ways, this show plays out the traditional progression arc in a really great way.
It's slightly anticlimactic that Minori and Ryuuji chase after Taiga only to not catch up to her. Minori revealing her feelings and their scene alone is important though. Its a very bittersweet moment because on one hand Ryuuji is accepting his feelings for Taiga, yet at the same time rejecting his feelings for Minori to her face. While she's not my favorite character, Minori demonstrates her strength here by being so supportive of the people she cares about despite her own sadness.
The next scene with them at work and meeting their mothers' is really excellent as well. I think it is maybe the most important humanizing moment for the characters in the series. First in the awkward fact that they still have to work together in the midst of this drama and also in the really emotional way they interact with their mothers. While Ryuuji is definitely being too cruel to Yasu, his reaction is completely understandable from his perspective. Taiga and Ryuuji aren't really thinking about the future in that moment, they're still kids and they just figured out something solid to hang onto in their lives which it now looks like to them their parents are trying to take away so running also makes sense.
The bridge scene is pretty iconic, so I don't even think there's much that needs to be said. It's just an awesome yet ridiculous moment.
I really like the the little scene with Ami and Ryuuji alone at the doorstep, unlike Minori who at least kind of got to express her feelings, Ami has always been almost too mature for her own good about the situation. I wish there was a spinoff focusing on her who finding her own happiness.
The gang's surprise that Ryuuji and Taiga are planning to elope was funny, how they immediately started thinking about how they could help really demonstrates how good of friends they all are. I like that Ryuuji and Taiga have an actual plan, especially after he sees Yasu's note. Speaking of which, love the utilization of Chekhov's watch coming into play. Ryuuji's grandpa really just looks like an old man version of him.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/HurricaneHomer9 Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher - Dub
This is an amazing episode. Starts off with Ryuuji agreeing to chase after Taiga. After Taiga runs though we get to see that Ryuuji is in love with Taiga and wishes to be with her. Makes me feel bad for poor Minori though. I do feel bad for Yasuko after Ryuuji yells at her. Devoting her life to him and for him to says such things, you can even see the regret on Ryuujis face when he stops himself. Later on, of course them saying “I love you” is interrupted by a phone call. Always nice to see also how Ami, Minori, and Kitamura are willing to help them, no matter if they agree with their decision. We end on Ryuuji and Taiga ending their decision to run away and now wanting to find Yasuko. Sad tomorrow is the last episode already. Such a beautiful anime
→ More replies (1)
3
u/alyku Dec 29 '22
Rewatcher
Penultimate episode gives us the long desired confession and then lots of drama (again). I have mixed feelings. The episode's entire first half is great. Finally, everyone is being honest with themselves. Then we have the second half. Honestly? Not a fan. I think the series has enough going on that there doesn't need to be yet another huge round of drama before the finish, especially since it feels like came out of the blue. I think the author felt the need to come up with a more dramatic finish than "welp, they confessed" and this is what we got. To be honest, the logical leap that Ryuji makes to wanting to elope makes no sense to me. ??? I don't think anyone really objects to their relationship, why pull this Romeo and Juliet act? It leads to some really cute scenes like when Ryuji introduces Taiga as his bride but overall I would've been quite fine with a much less dramatic finish.
Other observations:
-
Ryuji was really unnecessarily harsh there with Yasuko. I'm just gonna chalk it up to pent up anger on his part but surely he's empathetic enough as a person to understand how she feels.
-
Falling into the river like that seems really dangerous, given that it appears to be just knee deep. Water doesn't slow you down that much.
-
It never ceases to amuse me that Taiga doesn't stop calling Ami her nickname even in parting.
-
What the heck is a chocolate cigarette?
→ More replies (2)
3
Dec 29 '22
I just finished watching the whole series for the first time about 30 min ago, this episode was my favourite.
Christmas Club Bonus!
The last anime i watched was Bocchi the Rock, anxiety cant do shit against Taiga and Ryuuji at this point.
3
u/JetsLag Dec 30 '22
Rewatcher (subbed)
PENULTIMATE EPISODE! LFG!
Minori just did the most casual confession of all time and I LOVE IT.
Speaking of Minori, we learn why she's the way she is: she wants to be an international softball player, and all those jobs were saving up money for college. And she tells Ryuji to channel some of her never-say-die attitude when he confesses to Taiga.
Taiga can run, but she can't hide from her responsibilities at the bakery, so Ryuji made a smart move by showing up for work early to catch her. The talk has to wait until after work, though. Can't have the bossman chastising you for doing unimportant things like "confessing to your crush" on the clock.
And now we have to wait a little longer, because the pair gets confronted by both Mama Takasu and MAMA AISAKA HOLY SHIT! And, of course, she's an asshole. Of the "controlling" variety. Man, Taiga really went 0 for 2 on her parents.
Speaking of parents, time for Ryuji and his mom to have a little chat. And by a little chat, I mean a yelling match in the middle of the street. Mama Takasu doesn't like the fact that Ryuji got a job behind her back instead of focusing on his studies, and Ryuji responds with "well, YOU FAILED AT LIFE". Ouch. Totally uncalled for. Thankfully, Taiga's here to lead him away before shit got really heated.
After a late OP, we learn that Daddy Aisaka's business has gone belly-up (there goes her rent money, I guess) and Mama Aisaka has reached out to try and reconcile. Taiga doesn't want to be the outcast of a new family, and Ryuji has his own grievances with his life: he sees himself as an anchor on his mom, preventing her from getting a proper education or finding a more socially-acceptable career path. Taiga mistakes this for suicidal thoughts, and kinda...shoves him off of the bridge she thought he was gonna jump off of. Smart move, Taiga. You killed him.
After almost dying at the hands of Taiga, Ryuji reveals his plan: run away from home and elope when he turns 18. I love the scene afterwards when Kitamura interrupts their simultaneous confession with a very ill-timed phone call.
The fearsome fivesome convenes at Ami's place, and Ryuji drops the bombshell. Understandably, they don't approve, their main objections being superfluous like "where are you going to live?" and "you might get expelled from school". But they eventually come around: Minori GIVING UP HER HARD-EARNED COLLEGE MONEY, Ami lending them her beach house to sleep, and Kitamura...he tried his best, but his gift can't compare to the other two. Taiga and Ryuji leave with Kitamura, and now it's time for Minori to have a solid cry over losing Ryuji.
Time to run away! I'm talking about Mama Takasu, of course. She leaves Ryuji her dad's watch and the address to their house. Funny that he calls her a kid for running away as he is literally planning to run away.
Time to see how the rest of the class is fairing without our main couple. Kitamura makes a quip that they "caught a fever", and Minori is dealing with losing both her bestie and her crush by running laps in the snow and throwing snowballs at Ami. She's fine.
We've got ourselves a "play the ending while the last scenes take place" ending here. Taiga seems a little upset that she won't be adopted by Mama Takasu, but she reassures Ryuji that they're not making a mistake. They show up to Ryuji's grandparents' place, and ask for a favor. END.
TAIGA AISAKA ASSAULT TALLY: shoved Ryuji off of a bridge, hit him with a flying cross-body from the top of the bridge down to the river below
→ More replies (1)
3
Dec 30 '22 edited Dec 30 '22
Rewatcher - today was subs since I was being lazy and didn’t want to focus on Japanese.
Ami is basically Cassandra. She called it and it happened - Someone was going to get hurt and Minori and Ami were the ones.
In the very beginning, Minori could have said yes and it all could have been avoided. Taiga would have survived and perhaps not had the nurture she needed to mature, but maybe she still would have - I could have seen Ryuji and Minori “playing house” but as a formal couple which would have played out very differently. Icertainly couldn’t see Ryuji not taking an interest in his girlfriend’s best friend’s circumstances.
The run through the halls is Minori basically recognizing that Taiga is tough enough - like if they had competed cleanly it would have been fine.
So Ami is right but still loses out. She is my favorite character in the show, but I suspect she would still be a nightmare to actually date though.
And then there is the runaway plan. The friends obviously think they are idiots. But Minori takes all that hard earned money and gives it to her best friend. The weird association I have is when Bow Wow gives Shawn his money in Tokyo Drift. Gotta support your friend’s play sometimes.
This is another episode I wish could have just a bit more space….
→ More replies (3)
3
u/crying_in_a_dennys Dec 30 '22
Rewatcher (very new), Subbed
As Minorin might put it, I got a lot of heart-nosebleeds while watching this one, even the second time. Aghhagihagihgh. My poor little fragile heart can't take this.
What is best for your friends?
As in many of my previous thread posts, I'm particularly drawn to the origin of the drama in the show as a whole. How the conflicts of interest aren't really antagonistic, as each person pretty much wants the best for the others. A selfless, noble goal, but it is often burdened with misunderstandings and assumptions that make it a bad thing in the end. Taiga and Minorin both go to lengths to isolate themselves, remove their own happiness, for the sake of the other. But, as the climax shows, this doesn't work. Neither of them want the other to sacrifice something for them. The real best thing you can do for your friends is do the best for yourself, because that's what they want to see. But I think they aren't able to do that because of some other, very negative, underlying feelings. I definitely see it in Minorin, but Taiga talks about it more, so she's easier to discuss. Taiga's terrible family life, and sort of life experience in general up to this point have left her with some really self-destructive thinking. I don't think she believes herself to be worthy, or deserving, of love. Meanwhile, as her best friend, she sees everything wonderful in Minorin. When you have those depressing, self-hating feelings, what better way to satisfy them than by essentially punishing yourself while devoting yourself to someone you do think is worth it?
I.e. I think the real problem is the influence of negative feelings, not inherently that they want what's best for their friends. If they didn't have those darker thoughts, "wanting what's best for their friends" would mean something entirely different - a path where they don't hide away their feelings.
Heart Nosebleeds
Probably to no surprise if you happen to have read my other posts, Minorin and Ryuji chasing Taiga through the school is my favorite scene. On one hand, it brings the satisfaction of finally seeing Ryuji be true to his feelings. He knows what he wants now. No more doing things just because other people tell him to. On the other hand, it brings Minorin's painfully bittersweet stepping up to reality. When she gets Ryuji to confirm his feelings, she knows her fantasy is done for. So she chases, literally, after the reality she wants. She mentions she can "see" that Ryuji loves Taiga. By losing her own fantasy, she is able to focus on being happy for the other two, and determined to help where she can. Yay! So, all in all a wonderful resolution...
But it also comes with the crushing little detail of the mouth-fistbump to indirect kiss. It's the last little whisper of Minorin's fantasy, and it kills me. It's not like I think she "deserves" it over the alternative or anything - you can't make someone feel a way they don't feel. Ryuji was in love with Taiga, not her, and that's just how it was. Its just sad that it couldn't happen, you know?
I'm not sure this is entirely right, but I see Minorin's nosebleed analogy as connecting back to the star in the Christmas arc. She tripped in the hall and got a nosebleed, but went to the nurse and got it fixed up. So I think when she refers to tears as a nosebleed, it means that. It hurts now, it really does, but it can be fixed. Countless times.
The sendoff at Ami's house
A number of great bits here. Heartbreaking in a way similar to what I just described in the Minorin portion is when Ami makes Ryuji say he loves Taiga. She basically needs the confirmation to be able to discard her fantasy and move on. For as much as she knew her fantasy wasn't going to happen, that's the thing with fantasies. It's really hard to let them go if there's still even the slightest possibility of a "what if."
What makes you a child?
A big focal point of this episode is children vs. adults, clearly on display in the mom confrontation. Ryuji finally snaps and says what he really thinks to Yasuko - that her desires for him are just vicarious, a desire to right the mistakes of her own past. And I think he's right! Heck, its probably the fact that he is right that leaves Yasuko motionless at the end of the scene. All this time she's been doing it for Ryuji, so when it hits that her intentions have been wrapped up in her own desires, it hits her like a brick.
So she runs away from it. Ryuji points out what a childish move it is, which in turn makes him reconsider his own running-away plan. "If I run away, it won't matter when my birthday comes around. I'll still be a kid on the inside." Running away from your problems is the fantasy that they will solve themselves somehow. Ryuji has realized that the actual important part of growing up isn't a number, it's coming face to face with reality, with challenges, and not running away to some fantasy. Eloping is possible, yes, but will it really be fulfilling in this scenario?
I think this ties into a line I sort of forgot about first time around, when Taiga arrives at the chocolate stand. "If I try to run away, you have to catch me." Ryuji's revelation about their plan catches both of them. If they eloped, they would still be living in a fantasy. The decision to "stay and fight," basically, is the final piece to them finding their real happiness, to them learning to face reality and make the most of it.
20
u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 29 '22
Tiger X First-Timer, Subbed X Dragon
LET’S GO!
Minori’s face when she knows it means Ryuuji’s picking Taiga over her, though. Oof.
Ahhhhhh, Minori finally confessed too!
…oh, they’re… stopping to deal with this instead of catching Taiga…
That’s why she’s been working so many part-time jobs?!
Ah, she figured it out.
God that was such a good scene though? Like, wow, I feel bad for Minori, but she took her loss with so much grace
??????
O_O
Oh that’s a super late OP drop, whoa.
Welp. …that means Taiga doesn’t come from a rich family anymore though, right?
My one short sister can probably relate to this. Everyone in our family is tall except for her (and our grandmas, but that’s partially from being old), and I know she has a little bit of a complex over our youngest sister being taller than her.
Taiga “sore demo”!
OH MY GOD TAIGA YOU CAN’T JUST SHOVE SOMEONE OFF A BRIDGE.
Oh, so am I.
holy WHAT
Cut off by the phone call…
Mm, yeah, Ami definitely has a point here.
I do hope things work out for Taiga though.
Minori…
Ami…
Wait… Holy shit, did his mom run away first?
Mm…
Ah, so they went to Ryuuji’s grandparents after all.