Toradora 21 – the frustration…the frustration!!!

You know this show has got me into anguish. I was tempted to tear my wife beater-shirt apart in biblical anguish (not the Incredible Hawk-like anguish) over their relationships.

The person who’s telling the truth is frankly sick and tired of all the facade and pointless emotional sacrifices that are going on, and she’s telling Minori to either do something or give the fuck up, so that the person can actually get some chance (I guessed) with Ryuji, who is such a great guy (in the otaku-fantasy anime world, anyway). She’s just tired of all the cheerful façade and the dutiful demeanor that’s just so traditional Asian like and yet just so sickening at the same time. As for Ryuji…?


Frankly, in US culture, a girl would just tell him to get a spine. Rough, rowdy and insensitive American women, stay away from me!

(I’m seeing all the potential flames already)

But damn, this is the episode where the potential fan service is shut down (bad for DVD sales – damn they got balls) and the truth explodes in different directions. Good job, directors and writers! That’s true guts in today’s post-economic crash world! Anything that would actually make me care and yet almost tearing my cloths in anguish (don’t worry, I’m NOT posting any pics of that) is in my no-way-humble opinion, awesome. And you know the best part is?

It’s not so overtly done that I’d rather stop watching. Great soap, great job, and a great potential DVD buy.

Don’t forget the follow the side character a little; it’s actually worth it, too.

Author: Ray

I'm a hardcore Anime Fan and I'm proud of it. I know so many things and I've acquired so much knowledge you wouldn't believe. But my love is anime. I've been drifting in this world for so long that I don't even know what an anchor means. I've seen so many shows that I've lost count. The only thing I'm sure of myself is that I care for the lowly and disenfranchised. I hate the rich and powerful and I love what I do, or what I can do. I like anime and I don't mind watching different types of shows. I have experience in different types of Japanese animation. I would be called an "expert" in a bizzaro world. One day, I'd like to start a revolution. I love the US, pizza, beer, sashimi, Chinese food, and steak. But I love freshly baked bread more than a well-aged steak. In reality, if I were born Japanese I'd be a real, hardcore Otaku. I love to love and I can hate strongly. I'm passionate in nature and I don't mind shedding tears. I can be reached at rayyhum777 at animediet. My Twitter is rayyhum777 at twitter.

10 thoughts on “Toradora 21 – the frustration…the frustration!!!

  1. From the start this hasn’t been formulaic or according to type.  It’s good to see that they continue to defy expectations.

    I’ll have to catch up with you guys and discuss it sometime.

  2. @ Toonleap – explosive cliff hanger perhaps? I think the novel is still going and I think it’s not going to end on 26 eps. Don’t know, really.

    @ Moritheil – maybe you could join the round table! The emotional reactions seems quite real for teenagers and the characters have depth. And it’s got Kugimi, It’s Mike’s wet dream come true!

  3. Eh. I thought this was a good episode.
    But I always have this on-off thing with ToraDora. If I don’t watch it for a bit, I just can’t look back on it as a good show. But it ALWAYS leaves me with that aftershock you usually feel when you are done a series. The kind where you like it more than you really should. But then it wears off.
     
    –Spoiler warning?–
     
    The episode itself was kind of funny, but the writers are getting lazier every ep. Too many coincidences. They just HAPPENED to be in that closet, HAPPENED to grab Taiga and HAPPENED to hear everything they talked about. Taiga just HAPPENED to think Ryuuji was Kitamura, and HAPPENED to confess. 

    And bloody hell, it seems like everyone in this show is just too shy to talk to one another about their hormonal imbalances. Usually there are at least a few kids who can just talk to others. Perhaps I don’t get it because I’m not in Japan.
     
    But why did I say it was a good episode? Consistent, pleasing animation, art, sound, the overall production quality was great as usual. The show provided enough ups and downs for it to keep me watching the whole time, instead of pausing to do anything else.
     
    *Shrug* I talk too much.

    1. “Taiga just HAPPENED to think Ryuuji was Kitamura, and HAPPENED to confess.”
      Well, you know, that was the weakest point of the episode for me, too. Other than that, as for coincidences, well, life is full of them! Anyway, that plot device has been over done in many other kinds of drama anyway. In this case, the show is good enough to justify the use of it.

      If it follows the novel and keep the audience happy, it’s a success, eh?

  4. @CriticalDesign: Well, the events in this episode has been in the light novel for several months now… and the coincidences never really bothered me.

    I thought this episode was done quite well and did the novel enough justice, especially with the Taiga confession.

    1. It was a good episode and it exploded in many directions. The interaction was realistic, I felt. But yeah, Taiga would mistake Ryuji as Kitamura…It wasn’t like Ryuji was a transformed magical shojo or something…XD

      1. Oh wow, that’s a hilarious mental picture – a comedy season spinoff with Ryuuji as a magical girl! Like Fumoffu was to FMP!

      2. You know in Sailor Moon, when these Sailor Soldiers transform, all of the sudden their family members and friends just fail to recognize them…I mean it’s so damned obvious, though!

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