I was fairly surprised by this show. I was quite enjoying it when I began watching it. Then around a few episodes, it kinda pissed me off for some reasons I will detail later, so much so that I almost dropped the watching. And then, again a few episodes later, I suddenly thought "oh, my God! This show is actually... clever!"
So yeah, I think this show is clever. Sometimes. And that is what I liked most in it.
I will try to go a bit further into details.
I think this show is clever for several reasons. The first reason may be the characters. I would not
...
go so far as to say that they are novel or unique. But they certainly each have their own personality that is clearly defined and constant throughout the show. More interesting in my opinion is the relationship between the characters. If the characters are each well thought out, it is the way they come into interaction with each other that is the most interesting part. I just believed that their behavior certainly did not look like that of high schoolers, which they're supposed to be.
The second reason would be because it has something to teach about love and romantic relationships. It is for me the most important.
Most romcom and slice of life shows tend to merely tell a love story, this one tells a story about love itself. It is one of my great disappointments in life that there is no education of love and romantic relationships. I am not talking about sexual education but really about love education: what it means, how it is important and what would be a good way to build an intimate relationship with someone, by opposition of a bad way to do it. These are things you have to learn on your own, with the lot of mistakes it implies.
The point is: I am always very gladly surprised when a show seems to have the ambition to teach something about love, something it took time for me to understand. And Toradora! is one of these shows.
I cannot go too far into details here without spoiling some part of the story but I particularly remember when a female character was trying to convince a male character that idolizing your love interest was not a good way to lead to a good relationship (and that he would be so better off actually going out with her, but that is another story).
The third reason is because what it has to tell, it tells it sometimes exceptionally well.
I will just give an example which I think is not too much of a spoiler. At some point, there is a male character that is drastically changing. And one of his friends is really depressed by the fact that she cannot understand him, and therefore cannot help him; although she really thought that they were good friends and she knew him. And then, as she is walking in the night, she sees the Orion belt - that is to say three stars perfectly aligned in the Orion constellation. And she figures that these stars, although they appear to us really close, are actually far far away from each other. She then concludes that everything is not as it appears and she wonders if it is the same with her friend: could it be that she and he, although they appear close, are really far appart?
And God, this is clever!!
The cleverness of this show really came to me as a surprise because my first impression of it was not great; and it is far from being a perfect show.
My main problem at the beginning of the show was the character of Taiga.
She is a loli.
She is a Tsundere.
Which is just too bad cause I happen to hate both tropes.
In all fairness I have to admit that I liked in the characters of Taiga and Ryuuji the fact that cliches about boys and girls were reversed: the boy enjoys cooking and cleaning while the girl is bold and consistently brawling. That is a nice feature.
Another disappointment in this show for me is the ending. Once again I will try not to spoil anything, but the show basically ends up with two characters going out with each other. Unfortunately this conclusion felt rushed for me. At this point of the show, one of the two characters is pretty sure of their feelings while the other is uncertain for they also nurture similar feelings for another character. And the reasons why they get to choose one over the other are greatly unsatisfactory for me.
So here you go: the show was definitely enjoyable, it had been a long time since I had not been looking forward to go back home everyday to watch the next episodes, and the show was very clever on some parts, but it was also the object of numerous disappointments which prevented its being actually a great show.
Feb 14, 2019
I was fairly surprised by this show. I was quite enjoying it when I began watching it. Then around a few episodes, it kinda pissed me off for some reasons I will detail later, so much so that I almost dropped the watching. And then, again a few episodes later, I suddenly thought "oh, my God! This show is actually... clever!"
So yeah, I think this show is clever. Sometimes. And that is what I liked most in it. I will try to go a bit further into details. I think this show is clever for several reasons. The first reason may be the characters. I would not ... 
Sep 2, 2015
Astro Boy: Tetsuwan Atom
(Anime)
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This anime is really one of my favourites, which can seem odd, especially if I add that I was 19 when I watched it.
I am really pained when I see people saying that it is a show enjoyable only by kids. It tackles so crucial themes with such an ease and a simplicity that it is able to touch deeply anyone, kids and adults alike. There are of course goofy moments proving that this show was mainly meant for kids. The moral of the show, however, is so righteous (in my opinion) that it would be a shame if only kids were to enjoy ... |
