Type: TV Series, 25 episodes
Year: 02.10.2008 till 26.03.2009
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Ryuuji Takasu has an eventful life: his classmates think he's a delinquent due to his 'killer' eyes; his crush Minori seems ever out of reach; and he’s just had an unfortunate encounter with 'palm-sized Taiga' – a feisty and dainty wench in his class. With different cleaning habits and tempers, the two clash like night and day; that is, except for the fact that Taiga and Ryuuji have crushes on the other's best friend! With school rumors abounding, the duo must now work together to play matchmaker for each other. Who will end up with their true love?
(Source: anime-planet)
So I thought I might as well share my thoughts on this series, since I came across another review somewhere while I was doing some research.
First of all let me point out that I am and always will be a 'romance' fanatic. Don't get me wrong, I love other genres as well as the next person, but Romance, is my all time favorite. ^_^
And so naturally, Romantic Comedies are always a plus for me.
Despite this simple fact however, I can't say that this anime wet my appetite as well as I hoped it would.
There were a lot of things I didn't like about it.
Not that it's a waste of time or anything, I'm not saying that at all. It's just that, in my opinion, it could have been a whole lot better, minus a few annoying aspects.
Let me elaborate:
First:
The Good
Taiga Aisaka
When it comes to female characters, I personally prefer the 'good girl' type. You know, the shy, well mannered, soft spoken ones.
Yet somehow, despite my preferences, I actually liked the 'palm top tiger'.
Her mood swings and mean disposition actually make her, well, kind of cute and likable.
And I like the fact that underneath her exterior she's actually really vulnerable and kindhearted.
Her crush on Yuusaku actually highlights the fact that she's just a regular girl under all that scowling.
As for her design, I love it! Especially her hair :D
Next...
Ami Kawashima
To be honest, at first I didn't like her at all. But as the series progressed I was forced to change my mind.
I love the way Taiga was able to see through her 'good girl' act right away despite having fooled everyone else. (And by everyone I mean mostly guys lol)
For the most part she's kind of a mean person at heart, but I like the fact that she came to terms with what she was and eventually accepted herself after years of pretending.
Also I noticed that she was one of the most, if not THE most mature female character in the entire series.
Her advice was always something that Ryuuji could actually use and not just some useless dribble.
And her fights with Taiga were always hilarious.
All in all, she contributed a lot to what's good about this anime.
Next...
Ryuuji Takasu's 'Killer Eyes'
Lets face it, Ryuugi is hottt! And maybe I think so because I'm into the whole 'bad boy' look.
But a lot of his appeal comes from, well his eyes.
I love the fact that, because of his killer eyes, people usually get the wrong first impression of him. It's the source of most of his high school social issues. But its because of that, he's so unique compared to most of the other male characters that fall into his category.
But its because of that category, I give a thumbs up to his 'eyes', and not to 'him'.
I'll get to that shortly....
Moving on....
The Animation Style and Artwork
What can I say, other than I absolutely loved it. The artwork was clean and fresh, and some of the more significant scenes were very well put together.
A good example is Taiga's fight with Sumire....
The slight change in animation was suitable for what the scene needed to portray...extreme emotion.
Which brings me to my other like...
Emotional and Dramatic Content
This anime focuses a lot on human relationships and explores various levels of love and adoration.
As a whole, its very deep and fulfilling. All of the characters thoughts and emotions are well showcased and you're never in the dark as to what someone is feeling.
The story itself, because of these factors, come together nicely and leaves you feeling satisfied and somehow warm and fuzzy inside :)
So all in all, this series, like I said, is in no way a waste of time.
But, like all good things, nothing is perfect...
Here are some of the things I didn't like...
The Bad
Minori Kushieda
Ok, I don't even know where to start when it comes to Minori. Usually I like ditsy characters but in this case, I have no idea what the hell happened?
Actually I do know...
Minori is just annoying as heck. Simple and to the point.
This girl acts as if she's from another planet somewhere and landed on earth in a space shuttle...on her head.
She keeps acting like a bobble head without a care in the world and totally ignores Ryuuji's feelings for her...
That is until Taiga starts to show interest in him that is.
Ryuuji was hers for the taking from the beginning, yet she totally ignores that until her best friend falls for him. And then acts all hurt and sad that Taiga stole Ryuuji's heart before she could.
WTF?
And another thing I hate is the fact that she's never straightforward with anything. She keeps comparing love to ghost stories and a whole list of other weird stuff.
Is this the writer's attempt at making her so deep that she actually transcends common sense?
Nah, I think its just poor character development.
There's a scene where everyone pitches in to put up a beautiful Christmas Tree and when its finished, Minori completely knocks it over.
Apparently she was depressed over wanting Ryuuji now that Taiga does.
I could go on, but I'm getting a major headache thinking about this.
Actually to me, she was pretty much the main reason I didn't enjoy the series as much as I should have.
She plays a major role in some of the last few episodes which kind of killed it for me.
Her character made no sense and the plot became pointless when it shifted some of its focus on her.
So in short, Minori Kusheida totally sucks!
Ryuuji Takasu
I'm really sorry, but I had to add him to my gripes list. :(
He's not a bad character per say, it's just that, his personality never made an impact on me at all.
He just a little too...'normal' I guess ( minus the eyes and the looks of course)
There's nothing about him that makes me excited or anxious to see who he ends up with.
And I say this because, as I mentioned before, I'm a complete Romance junkie, so I tend to get all excited when love is involved lol. And if I don't even give a damn or bat an eye lid as to who he ends up with, something is definitely wrong.
I watched this anime quite a while ago and I can honestly say, I'm having a really hard time remembering anything significant about him, except for the last few episodes of course.
I'm kind of tired of male characters that don't stand out. There's lot of emphasis on female characters but I don't see the same effort being put in to their male counterparts.
All us girls get is the same character over and over again with different hair (if we're lucky lol).
'Sigh' such a bore.
So with all that said and done, I think I'll just say in a nut shell...overall this anime was a good watch.
People might disagree with me on a number of things but, this review is just based on my opinion and what I got from watching it. Basically, its Minori's character that contributed to many of the points I found annoying. And that fact in itself is annoying enough.
Its not Shojo material and it definitely won't satisfy the cravings of a helpless romantic but...
I can't say I didn't enjoy it for what it was....so in conclusion...
I give Tora Dora! a whopping 6/10. ******
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