Completed

So I'm done with Toradora! and here are my thoughts on the whole thing.

The Show Itself: It is, in many ways, typical of the harem genre, wherein all the females show interest in one shape or form for the lead male. There are some nice touches that help make it different, but the whole thing is structured to adhere to the principles of harem anime plots. However, it is a strong, cohesive, believable, and fun plot.

It manages to avoid the most common pitfalls of the harem genre by providing a lot of growth and personality to the girls, rather than only focusing on the lead female. The amount and the quality of growth is also very impressive, with all the females and event he male lead being given good opportunities to evolve as people, and giving the viewers insight into who they are and what makes them tick.

Overall, this is probably one of the best anime of 2009, and arguably one of the best examples of the genre. It is also one of the better novel-to-anime conversions out there.

The Domesticated Dragon, Takasu Ryuuji: As previously stated, Ryuuji is not a loser. He is not a moron. He is not a delinquent jerk. He is, for most purposes, perfectly normal. Sure, he is good at housework and eerily obsessed with cleaning things, but they add quirks that are both entertaining and set him just a little bit apart from the completely average, faceless, nameless Joe Schmoe. He's likable enough, but he'd be otherwise dull without the rest of the cast.

The Palmtop Tiger, Aisaka Taiga: Ah, Taiga. I will be honest here and admit I despise the character archetype Taiga is modeled on. I can't stand them. However, there are rare exceptions, and Taiga is one of them. For a while, she seemed like the typical annoying tsundere. However, she doesn't so much grow out of it as she does make you realize that she's more than just abuse and occasional moments of warmth. She's a deep character, with troubles, motivations, and yes, even a healthy dose of likability.

The Shining Sun, Kushieda Minori: Ah, what can I say about Minorin (that's her nickname, folks)? She's bright, she's cheerful, she's energetic, she's happy, and she's fun. She's got enough weirdness and airheadedness to entertain, but also has an interesting level of awareness and perceptiveness that can truly surprise you. She's not the moron she may seem to be, nor is she the girl who acts strong and happy to hide some horrible scarring. With Minorin, the shining sun is really the shining sun, and isn't a cover for anything else. Minorin is also a good friend and someone who genuinely cares about those important to her, though explaining that would probably spoil a good chunk of some of the later episodes' most dramatic moments.

Incidentally, Minorin is also one of the most fluid, invigorating elements of the show. Her antics, her songs, her energy are...infectious. Plus, when she finally admits her feelings for Ryuuji...the whole scene, the music, the running, Minorin herself...it just comes together rather beautifully, because you know that even as she pours her heart out, she's making the biggest sacrifice out of those involved, possibly the biggest one in the whole show.

Minorin is easily one of the best reasons to watch the show.

The Spider, Kawashima Ami: Ami is...complex. That much is certain. She can be quite childish at times. She's definitely capable of being coy, teasing, and playful. She's also surprisingly mature in some respects, being able to understand and see certain things that others don't catch on to. She easily figures out early on what Minori's feelings are, and perhaps even sees clues as to what Taiga really feels, as opposed to what Taiga thinks she feels.

Ami is a genuine, true character, but that doesn't mean she doesn't play a role in the plot. She's a well-rounded human being, and a lot of her meddling, poking, and prodding gets a lot of people worked up and, consequently, gets some things rolling in the storyline. Ami ultimately pushes the plot forward because the others can't; without her, the story would be trapped in a mire of boredom and inaction. On top of that, Ami is also an incredible friend, despite her tendency to be a complete and total bitch. That, and nobody but Minorin seems to ever listen to her advice. Even that was only near the end.

All in all, Ami is my biggest reason for watching the show, and one of the biggest reasons to love it.


Ami-chan and Minorin: (Pictured above) I think this bears special mention. The last few episodes seem to dance around the friendship between these two, and how they rapidly become closer to one another because of certain events near the end. I think it wouldn't be too much to ask for a short OVA or something on the friendship between the two. The closeness and comfort that they seem to be in around each other is startling, particularly because Ami has never shown that kind of ease around anyone but Ryuuji, and Minori seems to only be comfortable enough to cry in Ami's presence, not even in her best friend Taiga's. There's a story to be told there, I think.

The Good:
A well-done harem show, easily one of the finest.
Minori's confession scene is just...I can't describe it.
Ami-chan! Oh, Ami-chan, where would Toradora! be without you?
Very beautiful, very real drama.
Perhaps the best-written tsundere I've ever seen since Tohsaka Rin, from Fate/Stay Night.

The Bad:
Show can be a bit dull without Ami or Minori in the early episodes.
Taiga's voice can be just a tiny bit annoying.
It feels like some material was cut to fit it all into the 25-episode limit.
I find it odd that, despite Ryuuji and Taiga being the lead characters, it is the other character's confessions of their feelings that are more moving.
Expanding on the previous point, Ryuuji and Taiga can only be watched for so long before it gets real old, real fast.

I think that's all. So here's to Toradora!, perhaps one of the finest anime of last year.

P.S.
I need more Ami-chan.