Herald Views

Herald Views: Toradora!, Episode 1


The content of this piece was written during a viewing of the first episode of Toradora! on November 5, 2010. Edits have been made for spelling and grammar, but the rest is completely untouched, and un-edited from its original format.

Frankly, I’m still trying to determine whether the parakeet or Ryu’s MILF mother is supposed to be the “Mr. Roper” character. There simply has to be one in this series, to keep the awkwardness as its absolute maximum!

9:31: Good evening, everyone and welcome to night 2 of .@nisamerica week! :)

9:31: Tonight’s feature is Toradora!

9:32: I took the liberty of writing up the fantastic job NISA did with the packaging on my blog – http://bit.ly/9nacXZ

9:32: Anyway, I’ll get the basic info out of the way before I begin.

9:33: So no more shameless plugs. :P

9:33: Directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai (Honey and Clover II, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun)

9:33: Created by Yuyuko Takemiya

9:33: Animated by J.C. Staff (The Slayers, Ai Yori Aoshi, Kodocha, Maburaho)

9:33: Episode 1: Tiger and Dragon is go!

9:34: Opens with… birds on a wire. “There exists int he world something no one has seen” …ghosts? Flying Spaghetti monster? :o

9:35: Depressed fellow in his bathroom… upset about bangs? Well… they do make him look wussy >_>

9:35: Hah :D He’s got a mold issue

9:35: “It only takes a glimpse to make a person claim it :3” …sex? ‘-‘

9:36: Now it’s a blonde girl narrating? I see our protaganists :D

9:36: …And they live together… in SIN >:o Or something

9:36: Cheesy technopop openings are fun.

9:37: …This is so going to get stuck in my head and I know it.

9:38: Back to the show… with that guy singing about Ecology… while bagging garbage. Non burnable?

9:38: …He has a name: Ryu.

9:38: And his mom is a Milf

9:38: “Can you open the curtains? :D” “I did T_T”

9:39: XD Reminds me of Coming to America. “Does it have windows?” “Yeah, it looks out at a brick wall T_T Used to rent to a blind guy”

9:39: …Ryu hates being compared to his dad… check. He gets scary – double-check

9:40: “So hot <3” Oh god that’s not appropriate ‘_’

9:40: Inko-chan = parakeet = awesome :3

9:40: “That was the last thing I wanted to hear T_T” clearly >____>

9:40: Poor Ryu looks evil… but he seems like a nice guy

9:41: Even his classmates are scared crapless XD “That’s a killer’s eyes! :O” I concur

9:41: Feel bad though – the poor guy can’t win.

9:42: Holy shit he’s creepy o_o

9:42: His friend doesn’t seem to mind, clearly.

9:42: “I’ll have to start by clearing up misunderstandings T_T” and everyone in the background is staring. >_>

9:43: Looks like the girl he likes is in that class too… and she’s, ah… perky o_o

9:43: Name: Kushieda Minori. And she’s walking cute factor.

9:43: “I need to use the can T_T” So eloquent

9:44: And he bumps into the mean-looking midget :D

9:44: Who looks like she will murder him

9:44: SHORYUKEN!

9:45: Cute pun – Palm-top Tiger: Midget girl named Taiga that can also kick ass

9:45: And she’s got allergies… fun.

9:45: …And she’s friends with Miss Perky. How convenient

9:45: “He’s no delinquent :o” It’s good to have friends.

9:46: …and Taiga’s got the hots for our main character. This is turning into Three’s Company very quickly.

9:46: Only no Mr. Roper.

9:46: Hah :D The teacher’s terrified of him. Poor guy

9:47: And now, he walks into a disaster area… wtf did Taiga do?

9:47: That’s it, man… just pretend like you didn’t see anything.

9:47: And Taiga’s freaking out? Wonder why…?

9:48: “That’s your bag?! :O ”

9:48: …Poor guy can’t catch a break. o_o Taiga’s after his bag… and she kicks his ass unintentionally again >_> wat

9:48: “BAKA! >:o” SHE was the one that tried to get his bag. –;

9:49: Homework times :D And flashback. >_> His dad was a pimp

9:49: “He was such a hunk. ^_^” …he was a perv. Or a Yakuza

9:50: “My career plan :O” Wonder what he wants to be…?

9:50: Ohp – letter addressed to him :D Love Letter?

9:50: Love Letter. >_>

9:50: “I’ll just give it back :D” -envelope opens :D- no ya won’t

9:51: Eyecatch.

9:51: 2AM: The bloodening begins >:o

9:51: Or something

9:51: Heh.. his mom’s a hostess club waitress. I had to figure.

9:51: O_o Taiga wants blood. Round two is go!

9:52: After a stop to deal with allergies. :p

9:52: She wants him dead o_o damn

9:52: “I have to because I don’t want to die! :O” …wat

9:53: “You won’t die from a smack to the head with this thing :D” Uhh… pretty sure that’d cause a concussion at the least

9:54: And now she’s cryin’ and homicidal… And it turns out the letter was empty. :P OOPS :D

9:54: …Damn, girl can eat.

9:54: But she can’t cook… how convenient

9:55: Hah :p She’s a messy eater… and easily embarrassed

9:55: Looks like we found Ryu’s secreet shame :D Fun

9:55: Poor guy’s weirding her out.

9:56: “For Miss Kushieda Minori” …OOPS :D

9:56: “She’s out of your league T_T” That’s for sure >_>

9:56: And they pissed off the parrot… what the FUCK is that o_o

9:56: That is one scary-ass bird. ‘_’

9:57: Heh.. Taiga’s asking for dating advice now :D

9:57: “You’ll obey me like a dog? o_o” …she’s got issues ‘_’ And this won’t go well

9:59: Three’s Company, alright. She likes him, clearly.

9:59: And it’s morning… Ryu’s cooking.

9:59: “GET THE HELL OVER HERE T_T” …what a friendly way to spend the morning :D

10:00: So she lives in the window next door… again, how convenient >_>

10:00: …and Taiga’s getting Yakuza-ish again.

10:00: …Why are they on the phone?

10:00: Hah… she’s hungry again.

10:01: Posh apartments. :o

10:01: …Apartment smells like death? Who’d she kill?

10:01: And WHY IS HE MOLDING IN THE SINK?! D:

10:01: That pissed him off >_>

10:02: “LET ME CLEAN YOUR KITCHEN :O” …he’s an odd one, he is

10:02: “Almost looks fake :D” … irony?

10:03: Heh… “Someone broke in and cleaned my house D:”

10:03: That’s always a fun reaction

10:04: Heh.. Ryu’s proud and she’s pissed about it. “Damn ungrateful girl T_T” I concur

10:04: Sarcasm rocks.

10:04: And credits roll. With another cheesy technopop song.

10:05: Verdict: This is a fun show, indeed. The characters are strong, the premise is good…

10:05: And the story is just weird enough to work. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes on this one going forward.

Toradora is currently licensed for distribution by NIS America.

The series can be purchased at Right Stuf.

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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