Toradora! Rating and Review

Series: Toradora!

Animation Studio: J.C.Staff

Original Run: 25 episodes

English Licensor: NIS America
Adaptation of: Yuyuko Takemiya's light novel series"Toradora!"

Summary:  This series does not posses magic, or mayhem, it is simply a school life series. The main character, Ryuuji Takatsu, is a misunderstood high schooler. Because his eyes have an evil gleam to them, people around him see him as a delinquent and thus avoid him. In reality though, he is a kind person, living alone with his ditzy mother, and managing the housechores. The story starts off when Ryuuji is beginning his second year of high school and is ecstatic when he finds out he is going to be in the same class as his best friend, Yuusaku Kitamura, but also that he is going to be in the same class as his long time crush, Minori Kushieda.

The year seems to look bright but that changes when Ryuuji bumps into the school's "palmtop-tiger", Taiga Aisaka. The two get off on the wrong foot and Taiga has a complex about her nickname, and she ends up slugging Ryuuji in the face right then and there. Her nickname derives from her small size and her huge ferocity. From here, Ryuuji gets another surprise as he discovers that Taiga is good friends with Minori. The third twist is that, Taiga lives in the apartment complex next to his small and raggedy home. What tops this all of is that, Taiga manages to figure out Ryuuji's crush on Minori, but at the same time, Ryuuji discovers Taiga harbors a crush on Yuusaku. Ryuuji suggests that they help each other out in their battle of love. Taiga agrees after she states that Ryuuji is the type of desperate person who would do anything to get Minori. But she makes him into her personal maid to help with cleanign her apartment and making food for her. Ryuuji agrees and the two's partnership begins.

As Ryuuji spends more time with the "Palmtop Tiger," he begins to widen her view of the world, as she came from a very rich family and does not get along well with her father. The two spend a lot of time together trying to achieve their goals and even try and improve how their classmates see them. However, this closeness becomes a double-edged sword, as people start to wonder about the two's relationship and even rumors of them being a couple arise. At first the two deny the claims but as time goes on, they start wondering how they actually feel about one another. The series continues and other minor characters come about, including the ever arrogant and beautiful Ami Kawashima. As the series moves on, things get complicated and the drama builds.

This series has comedy, romance, and school life drama in it. It may seem to be a girl's story line but many guys tend to like it. It's not overly fluffy romance like in shoujo (young girl) series, as it has a "real life" touch to it. It's a sweet series that'll have you a bit emotional in one scene, and laughing in another.

A.I.'s Rating: 9.8/10

A.I.'s Review: This is a series that I came across mid-season. I had been following it on another person's blog but I didn't know whether or not to watch it. When I did decide to give it a try, I was hooked. The series is animated by "J.C.Staff," and they have some amazing series behind them. The art in this series is pretty good as it fits the overall tone to the series and the voice actors did a great job. The only reason why I lowered the score a tiny bit is because I found the ending to be a bit predictable. Not that this is a bad thing but I felt that what lead up to it was a bit sudden. Other than that, I had no problems with the series.

It is an everyday sort of story and there are many "sweet" moments to it. But there were moments i had to chuckle at. The name of the series, "Toradora" derives from Taiga's and Ryuuji's names (Ryuuji's name literally translates out to "son of the dragon"). Thus "Tora" in Japanese means tiger (taiga), and the "dora" comes from dragon (doragon). I suggest this series for those that want a taste of a simple anime with no magic or action in it. I liked it so hopefully you will too if you take a peek at it.