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Summary:
On the day of the party, Ryuuji makes one more call to Minori to ask her to come and leaves a message. He then gets thrown a package from Taiga containing a suit that her father doesn’t want, and his mother gives him his grandfather’s watch to wear. Taiga gets all dressed up as well, and the two are soon off to the party. Once they’re there though, Ryuuji loses sight of Taiga because he starts manning the drink station. Much to his surprise, Taiga and Ami get on stage to perform a song together, and Taiga leaves the party soon after. Ryuuji doesn’t find out about this until Ami tells him that Taiga left to convince Minori to come and won’t be coming back to the party so that she can get ready for Santa. Since Ryuuji doesn’t understand why Taiga would do this, Ami suggests that there’s something Taiga doesn’t want to see, and she gets pissed off reminding Ryuuji of the warning she had given him about stopping playing house because he hadn’t been listening to her. Remembering what Taiga had told him about wanting to be part of the happiness during Christmas, Ryuuji decides to leave the party as well.
Taiga meanwhile returns to her own apartment after having told Minori that Ryuuji was waiting. All by herself, she knows that Santa doesn’t really exist, and she’s resigned to being alone because she doesn’t want to rely on anyone. She ends up falling asleep, but she’s awakened a short while later by a knocking on her bedroom window. It turns out to be a bear wearing Santa clothes, so she lets it in. When she asks if the bear is Santa and it nods yes, she laughs and shows it her Christmas tree. Taiga is extremely happy at this point and plays with the bear for a while, and she starts thinking that her dream came true. She knows, however, that it’s Ryuuji in the costume, and she thanks him as she takes off its head and reveals him inside. She then tells him that Minori should be heading to the party, and she thus urges him to go back. Although Ryuuji doesn’t want to leave her alone, Taiga insists that she’s fine and pushes him out the door, telling him that her present to him is getting Minori to the party.
After Ryuuji leaves, however, Taiga is surprised to find that she’s crying. She realizes that she had been relying on Ryuuji, but that’s over now because she believes that Ryuuji and Minori will end up together. That means that she won’t be able to be at his side any more, and Taiga deep down doesn’t want that. She ends up running after Ryuuji, but by the time she gets out of her apartment building, he’s long gone. That leaves Taiga crying his name out alone into the night sky, and unbeknownst to her, she’s seen by Minori. Though shocked, Minori doesn’t let Taiga know that she’s there and instead heads to school where she finds Ryuuji waiting. After the feelings she had seen from Taiga, Minori decides to tell Ryuuji that it’s better if she doesn’t see UFOs or ghosts like they had talked about, and she runs off before he can really respond. Realizing that he’s just been rejected, Ryuuji feels what he thinks is heartbreak and collapses.
Special ED
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ED: 「ホーリーナイト」 (Holy Night) by 釘宮理恵 and 喜多村英梨 (Kugimiya Rie and Kitamura Eri)
Watch the ED!: Streaming ▼
The ED this week was the special song by Taiga and Ami that they performed during the party. It was a nice way to end the episode and felt a little more appropriate for the Christmas mood than Orange would have been.
Preview
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It figures that the week after convincing us that the Ryuuji-as-a-father-to-Taiga dynamic was prevalent, they (well, the original author Takemiya Yuyuko I guess) threw us a curve ball by having Taiga maybe realizing that she really does love Ryuuji and can’t stand to be apart from him. I say “maybe” because it’s not clear if love is truly what it is or if she’s just going through the process of losing someone she relied on (who had gone as far as to dress up as Santa for her and show up just when she was feeling lonely). I mean, all the right hints are there that it is love, but she hasn’t come out and said it yet, and she likely won’t even when she finds out that Ryuuji and Minori didn’t become a couple – Taiga will probably be working despite her feelings to bring them together again.
In the grand scheme of things, this turn of events wasn’t all that surprising and maybe even a little predictable. At least, when I first read the general premise coming into the series, I was sure that this would be a story of a girl and a boy helping each other and developing feelings for each other in the process. The anime, however, succeeded in lulling me into thinking that it was going to be RyuujiXMinori and TaigaXYuusaku, with Ryuuji loving Taiga like a daughter, but then what I originally thought happened after all. Where this series goes now depends on how Ryuuji feels and who he ultimately pursues. Regardless of what he does though, after all this between Minori and Taiga, I’ve become more convinced that Ryuuji should just be with Ami and avoid the whole mess.
yay !! xmas party !! wooo wooo
Looks like an entertaining episode, im glad they decided to end it along with the visual novels (manga?) so it feels like a real closure.
Im all for him ending up with Ami too, Minorin has gone from a likeable character for me to someone i absolutely CANT stand.
Yeh im with you on that one Ami deserves to win
Looks awesome in a heartbraking way ;_;
I agree. Ami is the least frustrating and non-dramatic option for a happy ending.
Minorin is crying again. I really want Ryuuji and Minorin to become a couple, but I don’t see it happening. It’ll most likely end up Taiga and Ryuuji and that four eyes and Minorin. 🙁
ΝΟΟΟΟΟΟΟΟΟ
TAIGA FTW!
TAIGA X RYUJI!
This is bound to happen! This is the reason i watch the show. We have already seen the signs! Ryuji feeling bad for seeing everyone trying to hook her up with that other dude. And now Taiga is starting to realize that she cant stand to be without him.
Forget all that bull crap about thinkin Ryuji being a father for her or she thinking that she cant stand to lose someone close to her again!
This is LOVE. L O V E ! Admit it, face it, embrace it!
Yes……i am that eager to see this!
I found that Taiga’s breakdown made her feelings pretty clear, she never reacted that way for Kitamura for example.
Man, this sucks. I’m hoping for an Ami ending now.
Ami! Go Ami! 😀
Those idiots deserve each other. Taiga’s a nutcase, Minori is retarded, & Ryuuji is stuck in the middle of both of them. Ami is actually normal compsred to those two chicks. I think he should just go with Ami too, they’ll have way too much fun bitching & jabbing at each other.
Now there’s a handsome couple.
https://randomc.net/image/Toradora!/Toradora!%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
Fuck Minorin, stop being stupid please! Taiga just deserves it, seek your happiness girl.
I’m kinda cheering to Ami too, I really disliked her in the beginning, but oh well, she is fine now (more than never now that Minorin is fucking everything up).
Minorin in that hat is so effing moe.
I really like Ami now, she deserves to end up with ryuuji.
If it’s going to happen with Taiga, it would be too predictable… and in my opinion it would kinda be too simple.
“I’m becoming more convinced that Ryuuji should just be with Ami and avoid this whole mess.” haha true…true 🙂
From my POV, the relationships in Toradora has some parallels from Ichigo%100. Though its ending made me go WTF, I still think it was a good curveball. Now, that kind of ending would work better in Toradora IMHO. We have the main guy’s crush rejecting him, his best buddy starting to realise there is more to their friendship and there is that spectator who is watching this about to happen trainwreck very closely. Just like you said Omni, right now, Ami is the right solution out of this mess. That kind of curveball won’t make the most viewers go WTF, can really work here.
Ryuuji looks dam hot 😀 (the op grows on me)
In the novel there is no doubt about Taiga feelings I will put two excerpt from the novel :
[…]
Without Ryuuji, I couldn’t even love anyone.
After all, at this moment, I can barely stand.
I don’t know if I can continue living.
I needed Ryuuji.
In other words, I love Ryuuji.
I have, since a long time ago.
I don’t want it to end like this, I don’t want this to be the end, I don’t want to leave Ryuuji’s side. I can’t bare it, I can’t go on living, I can’t take it. I…
[…]
The idea that she only adored Ryuuji as a father figure, and the thought that once Ryuuji and Minori were together, she’d be able to “leave the nest” and survive alone. This was the future that she’d envisioned, but it was all a complete misunderstanding. How stupid of her. She’d been thinking something as brainless as being able to bear her loneliness because Ryuuji, her father figure, wanted her to survive on her own. She convinced herself that that was what a father did.
But reality was different. Ryuuji wasn’t her father. Her attachment toward her father, who didn’t care about her, and her attachment to Ryuuji were different. The moment they parted ways, her “leaving of the nest” wasn’t positive at all. She only felt “loss”. She lost Ryuuji and now she had to live out her solitary future by herself.
[…]
For the full text : http://www.baka-tsuki.net/project/index.php?title=Toradora!
NOOOOUUUUGGGHHH!!! Ryuuji and Ami must end up together!!! He must follow his family’s tradition: yakuza-looking dude with a sexy hot chick!!! AARRRGHGGHGH!!! Trainwreck!!!
This brought tear to my eyes… the scene when Taiga cries about her realizing she loves Ryuji… truly amazing, I don’t want it to be over…
RYUUJI X AMI!!!!
but Kitamura dressed up like Santa too!
i liked old Minorin, angsty Minorin is not fun at all =/ i’m really hoping for the not OBVIOUS ending, but that really doesn’t look to be the case at all =(
I like all three main girls in this show, so I’m not gonna go in that pairing debate. Although I hate it when people play the martyr and sacrifice themselves like that.
Except for eyecancer Kitamura, it was a really cute episode.
That bear, Ami in that costume <3 – sorry Taiga, but I’ve seen flat planks with more.
Ryuuji X Tiaga = INCEST….figures..sooo generic. **waiting “with no hope’s” to be surprised”
I see Ami-gang is rising…
It would have been so great if Ryuuji’s costume looked more like the bear from Full Metal Panic Fumoffu!
I don’tunderstand your reaction. Actually I got the feeling that Ami was actually wrong in her insight to the Ryuuji and Taiga relationship. She doesn’t know the nuances of their relationship. What is a father figure? Ryuuji never had a father figure—to understand the dynamics. He became close to Taiga because he saw someone similar to himself and what he would want someone to do for him he is doing for Taiga and she is responding in kind.
I found the Taiga/Ryuuji extremely close maybe brother sister was prevalent (however the swimsuit episode says otherwise—Since Ryuuji was clearly flushed seeing Taiga in a bathing suit and didn’t care a lick when Ami was in a bathing suit) NOT Father/daughter. I find Taiga’s reaction is love. She KNOWS Ryuuji. To be honest she NEVER knew Kitamura. He was a guy who declared to her and she rejected. But she never got to know him, we know this because she could never speak to Kitamura when she wanted too. How was she ever “friends” with him? It’s now she’s developing her relationship but she sees Kitamura as a prize. Secondly she knows that Kitamura declared to Sumire and that Sumire loves him too…so she may have residual crush, but nothing else. It’s not love…not with what she has developed with Ryuuji and this is clearly seen.
Lastly Minorin has ALWAYS been rejecting Ryuuji and it started at the Beach House. She rejected him at the Beach House, she rejected him when she saw the picture she was buying, she rejected him when she said she might be gay, she rejected him in the last episode when he declared again, and once again another rejection. Nothing new.
Maybe we will get a Shuffle ending 😛
fuck –‘
this mean that the ending is gonna be a cliche one ~~~ like a tsudere anime ending
i was wishing that taiga and ryuuji relationship was of a true friendship one buuut after this –”
i barely see an anime / manga that says abt a real friendshio between a guy and a girl without turning in love =-=
I still root for taigaxruuji. the scene taiga crying was so well made <3
ami must be ultimate solution! -nod- mmhmm!
THAT WHAT I SAY FROM LONG AGO!!!
AMI AND RYUUJI TO-GE-THER!!!
THAT WAY TAIGA AND MINORIN DUN HAVE TO FIGHT…
..
but Ami have to say out her confession the right way…
Minori just fails more and more into these episodes. Now I feel pity towards her. Not only is she have major feelings of self doubt but also that she misunderstands the whole situation…just when Taiga told him to go see Minori it got owned…*sigh*. Ami has been the best throughout this show. At the starting maybe not much but now I totally respect her because she seems to be the more mature woman in this whole show. To be honest, he needs to be with either Taiga or Ami because he was really chasing an empty dream.
Heh Ryuji looks like a pure-blooded mafioso in this ep.
Apart from that it surprised me that I’m actually wishing for an Ami & Ryuji ending. I never particularily liked Taiga to begin with but i always thought it would be natural for her to end with him. Now I’m hoping she just moves on and Ami gets some happiness for a change.
seriously i would be happy with anyone except taiga.
Ami or Minorin FTW!
Minori’s crap is just too two-faced. First she was a crazy hyperactive nut concealing everything now she’s a crazy emo bitch. She just needs to crawl in a corner & die. Both personas pissed me off, especially since I knew that her crazy hyperactive nutty self was a front. Taiga just needs to roll with the punches. But Ryuuji needs to give up on both of them (instead of what really happens). That would be the quickest way to make those two fuckup girls see what they keep on pushing to the curb for each other. Too bad Ami can’t take this opt to take Ryuuji…it would just make to much sense. I’m just glad she’ll go off on Minori, atleast someone will.
Ryuuji deserves a girl with not that many issues…. and that AMI!!!!
I hope those two end up together…!! i was routin’ for them since the beginning of the show
thats* sorry
Guys, HOw many of you root for an ending like the school days anime? Huh? have you guys tought of an ending similar to that? That anime was epic and I am sure this toradora! can reach that epicness if it has a good ending
I don’t see Ryuji would end up with Ami, since he doesn’t seems to notice her when Taiga is around… and if you read the novels, then Show Spoiler ▼
AHHAHA Shippers trolled. XD
Taiga looked absolutely beautiful dressed up.
I wouldn’t mind either pairing but I’m content with how it’s going now. She’s changed from the start.
This show is beginning to become more like Clannad, in that it steers away from constant comedy and then suddenly bringing out the very heavy drama. It’s just like tickling one’s heart with a feather then suddenly pricking it with a dagger.
macross frontier ending, anyone?? hehehehehe
I’ve been watching this for a long time and I still can’t decide on a favorite pairing!!! Damn, poor Ryuuji…
Has anyone noticed that it’s ALWAYS three girls after the main character. Look, there’s this, and Shakugan no Shana (Shana, Kazumi, Hecate), and don’t even get me started on Zero no Tsukaima and To Aru Majutsu no Index.
Zero no Tsukaima is 5-6
To Aru Majutsu no Index is around 17
HAHAHA!!! YES AMIXRYUUJI ENDING!!!! I’m gonna go ahead and claim victory now for this side 😛
kaz if it is, I will laugh for days on end.
Magnum, I think it’s being done for dramatic purposes, two ‘sides’ gets a little stale. Three mixes it up. This isn’t harem atleast thankfully.
“Ryuuji should just be with Ami and avoid this whole mess.”
I concur.
WOOT go TigaXRyuuji!!
i was a bit suprised that the love realization scene was abit earlier than i imagined. hope this series became like true tears were its a totally heart warming filling.
i really want some an english game like this however theres not alot of market on selling it in english yet!
what no one is writing about the ED? I hope it is on the CD coming out next month.
I demand Christmas song right here, right now!
What an episode… The Taiga scene was great, and can’t believe how Ryuji just instantly forgot about Taiga when Minori is mentioned. Nobody ended up happy but at least Minori made up her mind.
You guys are dumb, this isn’t a shipping anime. TaigaXRyuji was decided from the beginning.
The title *is* Toradora.
Exactly. The whole premise of 2 people teaming up to help each other with their crushes and then ended up falling for eachother is so cliche it’s laughable.
Although the 10th and final novel isn’t out for a couple weeks so something could still change but I doubt it.
Just as long as there isn’t a reset I’ll be happy.
ARGH!
PLS Ryuji X Minori!
LOL
You guys are helpless! Stop beating the horse and face it!
Ryuji will end up with Taiga! Whats so cliche about it anyway? They both set out to get their boyfriend/girlfriend of choice! If they actually managed to do that, that would be like nothing happened.
The fact that they will end up together instead of the ones they thought they loved, is the satisfaction from this anime!
Ami is no angel either. He tried to convince everyone that Ryuji likes Taiga like a father loves his daughter. Her motivation is obvious. Ryuji never thought of that! He never had a father anyway. He just liked Taiga because she was feared by people just like him!
Just face it…..this anime is gonna have an exploding ending. And you may not see it now but you will all LOVE IT!! I can tell you that much!
“Link Soul”
If the story is going like that according to what you said,then i will definitely hate this anime. Think sbout it,so many animes have that ending that you said.
Back to the fantasy side, if Ryuji really end up with Taiga, then what about Minori and Ami??
So,I think it’s good for Ryuji to end up with Minori or Ami than Taiga. At least, it’s an anime that’s with a unique ending. Mostly, it’s always the main male and female character that ended up together…
You shippers need to pay attention to the characters not the shipping.
my issue with a “toradora” ending is that it would have been really nice to have a series where the two central characters aren’t automatically paired up. they seemed to have a legitimate FRIENDSHIP at the beginning of the series and it was refreshing to have a male and female character interact without having romantic inclinations towards each other. maybe it’s not interesting for some story wise, but in real life there are many friendships between members of the opposite sex that stay purely platonic.
yes i’ve been paying attention to the characters and i’ve known they’ve been dropping little “hints,” but it doesn’t make the story any less cliché.
two characters meet and intend to help each other hook up with other people. they almost reach the goal of gaining their initial love interests. due to the time spent they realize they’ve developed feelings for each other. love interest(s) become interested in them, but feelings have been developed. people get hurt. characters that started out as friends are now a happy couple.
obvious ending is obvious =/ there’s definitely the argument that all stories just recycle the same plot elements, but i was hoping this one would be different.
lol you thought this was a legitimate FRIENDSHIP?
Tora+dora…
Its called hopeless hope. I love to see Ryuuji & Ami bitch at each other but that’s no where near the level of continuity that him & Taiga have. As soon as one of them starts to mess around, they automatically start to think about the other. I hate the hell out of how Ryuuji let himself get caught up in the ‘bad’ antics of those two idiots, but he was always caught up in the silliness of those two so I guess that’s no real difference.
Ryuuji ended up connected to Taiga because of that “I can’t just leave her alone” attitude that countless anime beat to death. But it never gets old. What Ami said about Ryuuji acting as Taiga’s father makes it plain that Ami has no idea what the above notion means. She can’t be that stupid. She’s spot-on about other things. All-in-all, Ami really is confused about how Ryuuji can want to help Taiga so much so she just makes up some BS to override the obvious reason…95% of the time, that “I can’t just leave her alone” turns into love. Ami was just over-analyzing the situation. A near-sighted person can even say she was a bit jealous, but I’ll leave that for another day.
Argh. Another typical Tsun ending! Dammit. This just sucks. When I first watched this, I thought that Taiga was just having a legitimate friendship like the others above me said. But nooooo, it has to be this way. I would rather have a RyuujixAmi, RyuujixMinori heck even a RyuujixKitamura ending JUST DON’T GIVE ME CLICHE ENDINGS! I watched Tora, expecting to see a KitamuraxTaiga and Ryuujix[either of the 2 girls], the friends having achieved their goals and everybody’s happy, but no! This just sucks. Along with TMoHS, I’m dropping this starting now. Somebody email me if something comes up, something that doesn’t lead to a Tsun ending.
wow i totally agree with you man i just want ryuuji to end up with ami i think they are perfect for each other
Unfortunatly it will be a TaigaxRyuuji ending :p
https://randomc.net/image/Toradora!/Toradora!%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
pedobear?
The scene with taiga outside her apartment building is gut wrenching. Taiga’s realization did come kind of early in the season, there are still several episodes to go to stretch it out.
In defense of Minori, if you had just seen your best friend in this state, would you not have done the same thing with Ryuuji as she did, you would not have went from watching your friend crying her eyes out over a guy to possibly going out with him.
I would have chosen Minori over Taiga myself, but then again I’m not into lolis, but I do realize that the show is called Toradora, not Minodora.
Ryuuji x Taiga
Minori x Ami (Someone has to cheer up Minori)
Yuu x Maya
ami’s being ignored.
its all taiga and minori
In my opinion, I say a Minori X Ryuuji ending would be the most cliche and meaningless. He liked Minori for reasons unknown, as for Taiga, he knows her quite a lot. I don’t know what the master plan is, I just love this series.
I’m kind of sad that Ami hasn’t gotten more attention in this anime so far. I have always thought her to be the most interesting of the female characters and – pretty much since her first appearance in the show – the best match for Ryuuji.
Bonta-kun! FMP fans rejooice!
I think, the only interesting ending would be Ryuuji x Ami, Minori x Yuusaku and Taiga x I don’t care… I know that’s impossible, but… If you read the novels, you must have noticed, that they are cutting out a lot of Ami scenes, making her a backgroud character with few scenes. I knew it from the start, but… but… Oh well, this is just an anime… but still… AMI X RYUUJI!!!!!
YEAH! KUMA SANTA!
I’ve been waiting for this scene XD
With the 19th reaching here, it seems, they can fit the last 3 novels to the remaining episodes.
The 3 main girls are sure attractive enough that I don’t really mind Ryuuji ending with which one. To those who want alternate ending, maybe you can wait and try for the Toradora P. The story on the game takes on after the christmas.
さあクリスマス
いっぱいの笑顔君に届けんだパーティーナイト
さあクリスマス
いっぱいの願い君に誓うんだホーリーホーリーナイト
今年のクリスマスちょっと特別さ
お前とクリスマスじゃなくたって
星屑のイルミネーションほら降り積もるよ
キラキラ輝いて
皆が幸せで
チカチカ瞬いて
皆が夢を見て
さあクリスマス
いっぱいの笑顔君に届けんだパーティーナイト
さあクリスマス
いっぱいの願い君に誓うんだホーリーホーリーナイト
今年のクリスマスきっと特別さ
ロンリクリスマスじゃ詰らない
笑顔はイルミネーションほら飾ってあげる
ユラユラ揺らめいて
皆で手を繋ぎ
ピカピカ煌いて
皆で星見上げ
いっぱいの笑顔君に届けんだパーティーナイト
さあクリスマス
いっぱいの願い君に誓うんだホーリーホーリーナイト
saa christmas
ippai no egao kimi ni todokenda party night
saa christmas
ippai no negai kimi ni chikaunda holy holy night
kotoshi no christimas chotto tokubetsu sa
omae to christmas janakutatte
hoshikuzu no illumination hora furitsumoru yo
kirakira kagayaite
minna ga shiawase de
chikachika matataite
minna ga yume o mite
saa christmas
ippai no egao kimi ni todokenda party night
saa christmas
ippai no negai kimi ni chikaunda holy holy night
kotoshi no christimas kitto tokubetsu sa
lonely christmas ja tsumaranai
egao wa illumination hora kazatte ageru
yurayura yurameite
minna de te o tsunagi
pikapika kirameite
minna de hoshi miage
saa christmas
ippai no egao kimi ni todokenda party night
saa christmas
ippai no negai kimi ni chikaunda holy holy night
Now it’s become clear… In the next episodes, everthing will go backwards… I mean, Taiga & Minorin will talk about Ryuuji, and they will pair-up to get him. Ami is running out of time, so she’s going to play her cards soon. Just guessing… but most likely is going to be like this:
RyuujixTaiga
MinorinxKitamura
Ami, gone to america for her job and she’s out of the picture.
Since this is done by the Honey X Clover team, it always the one who work and cares really hard gets the female heroine *forget about other characters*
Ami should feast on Ryuuji when oppurtunity comes.
Oh the one being worn by Taiga this episode made me remember Chibi Medusa’s wear.
Haha… Alot of flags were raised in this episode. But there’s still abt 5 episodes left. N 3 volumes of e novel. So alot of things can happen. E ending may be obvious, but I’ll be damned if they pulled a stunt at e end. Haha… So far I’ve been entertained by this show. N that what matters. It’s hard to keep everyone happy. LOL. Imagine a visual game for this show. Hmm…
@Megas:
Ami IS jealous. The anime removed a lot of the internal dialogue of the characters but the novels made that clear. Remember when she asked Minorin if her guilt was gone and then she was “Tssk” while walking away. It was because she despised herself for basically giving the go ahead to Minorin to pursue Ryuji because he she hadn’t been able to get him then Taiga shouldn’t not get him either. She didn’t say those word to appease Minorin, she did that out of spite toward Taiga…
Of course Ami is jealous, but the question is of what. Ami absolutely hates the fact the Ryuuji is tending to Taiga. She feels that Ryuuji is completely wasted on a bunch of idiots who aren’t honest with their feelings. Most of all, She doesn’t want to see him get hurt over their nonsense. That paradigm comes from the fact the Ryuuji understands her more than anyone else.
It just pains me that she’s been grounded so much in the last few episodes. She ends up taking it out on the source of the mess because she feels that Minori is basically a fake person with no true personality (Ami was the opposite of that: a real person with too many personalities). Ami just waits way too late to do it. Ami is an overly interesting character as it is & deciphering her statements/actions makes her even more so. If she liked Ryuuji as much as the other two did, she would win hands down (Why, Ami, why!?).
Ami likes Ryuuji but she loses to both Minori & Taiga in that department. She gave up when she saw that Ryuuji wasn’t interested in her in that way (what girl actually does that, my wife surely didn’t :P) The only other question is who Ryuuji likes more between Minori & Taiga. The GD title answers that for us. I’m with the majority here in saying that Ryuuji definitely deserves the “normal” girl, Ami. But this wouldn’t be half as interesting if it went that way.
Ami’s cool, but Ryuuji has never showed any interest in her beyond teenaged-boy hormones. I don’t know where shippers are getting the “they’re a perfect couple” idea from. This was never a harem and Ami was never in the running.
Calling this show cliche is weak, when the characterizations are all so unique and deep. The relationship between Taiga and Ryuuji is really unique too, despite how many people seem to want to compare it to ZnT and other awful tsun-fests. Stoked for the OTP ending <3
I’m just about the only person still siding with Minori I guess :o. I still really like her no matter what, she just seems so insecure, but hides it behind happiness and makes it all look fine while enduring on her own… Guess I’m outvoted on this one though.
Megas is right!
You are all saying that you hate RyujiXTaiga because you still havent seen them in any sittuation where they both feel the same for each other.
When they start to mess around with each other, and start feeling awkward just by being together you will start to like th idea.
Imagine what will happen from now on that Taiga realized she likes Ryuji. EVERY F*CKING scene is gonna be priceless. They spend most of their time together and alone in most cases. Imagine….just imagine the endless possibilies of how Taiga is gonna start reacting to every touch, look and words of Ryuji!
Come on people, the real thing starts NOW!
Does anyone know what happened to the present on Ryuuji’s desk at the very beginning of the episode? Did Chekov’s gun forget to fire, or did I just miss it?
To Neruneru: He left it inside his pocket. And now the present’s with the other guy whom he switched his clothes with for the pedobear outfit.
I’m one of those tsundere/loli supporters. So, I hope there is a ‘happy’ ending even if she doesn’t end up with Ryuuji or anybody. The ending song was very fitting and I wish every character the best possible outcome.
i REALLY don’t understand why Kitamura is always appearing doing nude???? can anyone explain me that!? a half naked santa? –> i mean…
Ah, that’s right. And his cell phone, too. Poor guy.
@lyn: Don’t ask. If you ask, you lose. @_@
Lol im hoping for an ami ending too…. but how the hell is she gonna catch up with the two? Taiga for 1 has been living with Ryuji for eons now. No denying how close they are. And Ryuji loves Mindori even though he’s been rejected, Ryujis not the kind of guy who would settle with Ami for a replacement, because he’s too values each of his friend a little too damn much.
I agree, Ami is still hitting on his dumass too. Ami Ending FTW!
I totally agree with the whole Ami thing… i mean.. look at it this way….
Aisakas feelings are only coming out when she realizes that he is gonna be with someone else..
(kid and a toy… theyll only want it if u tell em they cant have it)
Minoris feelings are all based on that one night at the Villa, She didnt even notice Ryuji before..
Ami fully understands the whole situation.. and still likes Ryuji.. out of any of the girls Ami understands Ryuji the best.. also in the supermarket scene (where Ryuji called Ami Immature) it seems that Ryuji sees Ami like noone else…
GO RYUUJIxAMI
I want an Ami ending. The path of predictability and redundancy is long and boring.
bahhh… Kushieda rejecting poor Ryuuji was just …*facepalm*
I was always up for a Ryuuji x Ami setup but let the series take its course..but now i’m vehemently back on that preference.
I think Taiga realizes she does love him. Since what she said is following the typical “Oh I do love him” type things. At first I got scared of the ED since it seemed to give off the “Season over, wait for the next one to see wtf happens” feel. But I guess now we just have to wait for Ryuuji to realize that he might actually like Taiga.
Yeah…I was all for Minorin, but she’s been getting on my nerves lately. I’m on Ami’s side now because at least she’s trying to tell him that she wants him, but she can’t ever seem to say it directly. Minorin on the other hand is just being annoying.
Vote Ami for 2009!!!
Unless Ami completely comes out and confesses to Ryuuji, I don’t even see the two being together. Ami doesn’t seem like the character to pull such a stunt and even if she did, i doubt Ryuuji wouldn’t take it seriously. Just the scenes between Ami and Ryuuji with Ami giving all of these hints towards him and with Ryuuji ignoring the hints, I don’t think Ryuuji even sees her in that “romantic” light. Mentioned many times, but just IMO.
I like the Taiga scene a lot, probably one of the powerful scenes so far in the series. kind of makes me a RyuujiXTaiga supporter now haha
Warning: Pedobear on Action!
https://randomc.net/image/Toradora!/Toradora!%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
And I was looking forward to a RyujixEmorin and TaigaxAmi ending ;;
Gotta say, I’m really impressed with this show after this episode. Made me want to tear my hair out, but very well done. And I’m definitely cheering for Ami, even though she’s by far the long shot..
this is weird i hated Ami at first but now to be honest im really pulling for her.
Damn, there are so many supporters of the three main possible pairings that they’re turning into FACTIONS!
I smell blood… *pulls out dual desert eagles*
The show has ALWAYS shown ryuuji to have absolutely no interest in AMI than more than friend he values it was clear from the start she liked him but if there is AMI ending then this director would be whoodini to get me to realize in the next couple of episodes how ryuuji has”always loved ami”PLEEASE
@ miles thats awesome i see where ami was going with the father thing.Minorini looks after her like her mother and ryujjui like her dad like when they both wanted to protect her ..now she realizes she loves him and AMI realizes he need to stop playing the father figure as he himself really likes her
How could anyone not root for taiga after the pool scene where her dog nealry drowned trying to save her from embarassment
I find it very selfish and stupid of Taiga for her to even subconsciously realize that she’s in love with Ryuuji. What happened to Kitamura? If Minori and Ryuuji are together, she can’t be at his side? Why are you guys even crying? Ryuuji had always viewed Taiga as a close friend, even a family member that he has to watch over. All this time, Taiga knew Ryuuji was madly in love with Minori, yet she decides at the last minute that “she doesn’t want that?” And because Minori saw that, she makes her decision to reject Ryuuji! Taiga needs to go under SOME adversity in her life-she can’t be happy all the time! Because of her indecision, Ryuuji gets his heart smashed into pieces and Minori sacrifices a “what could of been” into a rejection to Ryuuji. How many people have to be broken just to make this one little girl happy?
This was really an emotional epd..now my mind’s in a mess…till next week.
Simple epd, but very well done. The christmas joy was such a stark contrast to that ominous atmosphere.
i emphatise with minorin though. what an emotional ride for her. Hmmm..unlike the other chracts..who had their stories..her background still seems unknown. perhaps the ensuing epds would touch on that? i wonder. But finally, theres a closure to the UFOs/Ghosts story. =/ We prolly all know where this is heading..hardly an ami x ryuuji. does he even have feelings for her in the first place o.O? but alas..Ryuuji might just remain an ignorant a*** till the end -.-
GAH I AM SO F’ING PISSED.
Why does this feel like my life?
nah, nevermind, it doesn’t.
They’re -light- novels, Precise Moment. XD
Lol… why don’t you read the light novels and realize Ryuji has always felt something more than friendship for Taiga… he even thinks that if she could open up her heart to people he would certainly fall for her… and guess what? that just happened. I know they will end up together.
“In my opinion, I say a Minori X Ryuuji ending would be the most cliche and meaningless. ”
It would hardly be cliche…most pairings aren’t the main character and the crush the character had before the series started. It seems meaningless just b/c Ryuuji’s goal wouldn’t have changed from start to finish, but that would only really mean that he knew who he liked from the beginning, right?
Ami looked particularly bad in this episode…think it’s the hairdo
roooaarrrr, poor minorin / ryuuji T_-. this episode was pretty frustrating but at least kitamura is a side character again ^_^
Zer0zUNLTD.
You are not alone.
Fuck this selfish girl called Taiga, I just want to kill this little bitch.
Join the club.
I am getting more and more respect for Ami. She seem to feel better than anyone on the show what is going on with minori, taiga en ryuji. As viewer we aren’t getting any clues as well. But Ami seem to know what is going on. She is able to analyse relationships of others and can put them in words, altough she is troubled what she find out. She seems more grown up now. A total change from the begining of the series. Am a fan.
I love this series!
Ami has changed dramatically throughout the series. I believe she wants to change to the liking of Ryuuji.
I’m having a feeling Ami is going to get screwed in the end there, Omni, since the light novel series is ending in March (alongside the TV series?) and there’s a translated pic which clearly shows signs of a RyuujixTaiga paring. Though, I’m not too sure it’ll end the same way as the novel counterpart, but who knows. Maybe it’ll go Ichigo 100% (the manga, mind you) style and do some kind of time skip with a concluding epilogue of sorts. Pfft.
Then again, we have not seen what the present is, but I doubt it’ll change anything between Minori and Ryuuji at this point.
I won’t accept it, I can’t accept the fact that people say that Ryuuji-deep down is in love with Taiga. I KNOW for a fact that Ryuuji is deeply in love with Minori, and people saying that his true love resides within Taiga is such BS-even if it eventually turns out to be that way. What the hell was the point of Taiga going on a rampage for Kitamura? What the hell was the whole point of trying to hook up her two best friends when in the end she decides “she doesn’t want that [to happen]?” Sure, Ryuuji has always been there for Taiga, and WILL continue to be there for her even if he starts dating Minori… AS A BROTHER/FRIEND. TO THIS POINT I AM PRETTY SURE THIS IS HOW RYUUJI FEELS TOWARDS TAIGA.
Why so serious?
“Like” and “love” are rather different things.
And just because YOU see one thing doesn’t mean THE AUTHOR or THE SCRIPTWRITER see the same thing, which is what really matters here.
“What’s the point?” One could ask the same of real life as well.
What I’m getting at is that you should not be asking “why did this happen” but rather “how will this event change the outcome of other events?” “How will this affect the relationships of the characters?”
Also, it’s not like a person can’t like/love two people at the same time.
That was a beautiful episode and I totally agree, ryuuji just be with ami! loll
Kaisos,
Yeah, I can go ahead and fall in love with two people if I wanted to. But is it the right thing for me to do? Fine, so Taiga’s suddenly in love with Ryuuji-but if she had been more reserved about it like everyone else was then there would be less problems.
BECAUSE OF THIS EVENT, I CAN FORSHADOW EVENTS TO COME AND THAT’S WHY I’M SO ANGRY.
The things people do don’t have to make sense and, in fact, they almost never do.
As long as a story is told, and the things that happen make sense within the context of the story, the story has succeeded.
If you accept that Taiga and Ryuuji were going to end up with each other from the start, then I doubt you would have been as disappointed as you are now.
But we’ll see what happens next.
Ami FTW!
The difference between you and me Kaisos is that you care more for the story; I do as well, but I also take into account the right things to do and mistakes made by people such as Taiga. Another assumption I can make about you is that you support Taiga and Ryuuji being together…
here, for your heart’s enlightment, some Toradora Novel, Chapter 5, Volume 3 (when Ryuji nearly drowns)
Show Spoiler ▼
Kaisos: “As long as a story is told, and the things that happen make sense within the context of the story, the story has succeeded.
If you accept that Taiga and Ryuuji were going to end up with each other from the start, then I doubt you would have been as disappointed as you are now.”
:)b Nicely said.
But yes, let’s continue watching and see how things turn out.
And Zer0zUNLTD., if things don’t turn out in your favor, there is always the “non-canon” spin-offs to look forward to. 🙂 If they plan on it, that is.
manu, I bet anyone else can find biased selections from the light novel.
Those hoping for Ryuugi x minori may as well forget it. Minori may be a basket case, but she will not do anything that she sees as betraying her best friend. Reject Ryuuji and hurt him or date him and hurt her best friend. how many women will choose a man over their best friend. There are some who will but she is not one.
one such as Taiga, draksig.
Zer0 when they come at the big realization point at each novel, you can’t call them biased.
Oh and Zer0,
Show Spoiler ▼
Of course characters are going to have their moments and all, but manu happened to picked alot of them. Okay, let’s say I pick some scenes that are encourage readers to view things my way–you can’t base your thoughts and conclusions solely on these scenes.
gosh just read the novels then and face the facts
I’m just going to continue rickrolling myself as I read through this thread. 🙂
I understand where Minorin is coming from. ) =
When you see your best friend bawling over a guy who likes you and the guy who you like, you consider your relationship with your best friend first, and even though it would hurt him and you the most, you reject him, for the sake of your friend.
It’s really Minorin who has to deal with knowing all this, because Ryuuji doens’t know that Taiga loves him, and Taiga has just realized that she likes him. Her position must be so hard right now. I would break if I was her. ):
I have read the light novels! It’s just that you happen to exclusively pick TaigaxRyuuji moments!
don’t really mind taiga x ryuji end, but really disappointed with the treatment ami and minorin got.
she and ami are similar in that they both had “real” and “fake” personalities. ami was saved because everyone recognized her fake side and worked together to help her free herself from it. that may partially be why ami can recognize minorin’s own fake self before anyone else. and ami tries to help her, but it’s not enough and the situation isn’t quite the same.
ami’s fake personality was to protect herself. minori’s personality may or may not have been for herself, but at least right now, she feels like the facade is to protect others. she’s not doing a good job of it, but she’s trying.
as ryuji said in the beginning, minorin was “sparkling.” but she’s been gradually losing that “sparkling” part of her personality. and since we the viewers have insight to her feelings and weakness, her former brilliance can look like “fake strength.”
but i think that it did come from someplace real inside minorin, and she’s just off-balance from sudden exposure to “grown-up” feelings. so, don’t care who ryuji chooses. but if minorin can recover that shining personality and prove it wasn’t completely fake, that’d be a good end.
Love this anime! Minorin is caught between hurting her best friend and hurting someone she has confessed, albeit obliquely, that she has feelings for. The scene on the beach at Ami’s villa was not about UFOs and ghosts. Kushieda was letting Ryuuji know that she was open to him ‘changing her life.’
It’s only expected that Taiga would fall in love with the only man/boy who has stood by her and supported her, tolerating her brutal physicality and irrational behavior and accepting her for who she is, when her own father is such a non-parent. Of course she’s going to collapse when she realizes that the only emotional support she’s ever had in her life is likely to go away. Is that kind of love going to last? I don’t know.
I really think Kawashima is attracted to Ryuuji because she’s jealous of his devotion to Taiga, and because he’s one of the few men she can’t get by batting her eyelashes and playing cute. Will she be the rebound girl? Maybe.
I’d like to see something similar to Ichigo 100%, especially if that meant another season! In that case, everyone had to do a little growing up and follow their dreams and figure out who the heck they were and then come back together and see who really loves who and is well-matched. But what do I know? I voted for Toujo!
well cmon guys, im all for taiga x ryuji and all but i wouldnt mind kushieda x ryuji either
its not the fact that i dont like ami as i think her character has had the most rapid character development, but whats the point of her being able to foresee all these events? i mean its cool and all but the reason we watch these shows is for the drama that certain characters instill in us. i mean yeah we would all like ryuji to end up with the best person we see fit, but that would be kinda borring if you think about it.
as for the ending of the episode i really really enjoyed it as it put a huge impact on the plot. i mean most of us saw signs that shows that kushieda likes Ryuji but doesnt want to betray or hurt taiga. so she decides to reject him to help her friend since i think she has hurt her in the past some how like with how she didnt see how terrible Taiga’s father was.
im gonna love to see how this all unravels and really whoever Ryuji ends up with its gonna be pretty cool. i mean Taiga x Ryuji would be awsome same with a Kushieda x Ryuji
but if we see an Ami x Ryuji that would bring back memories of shuffle since no one saw the whole Asa x Rin thing comming till the end
zirinbaku, I liked how you described Ryuuji in Taiga’s perspective.
ShinichirouXNoe!
yeah I’m still pissed.
The author of ToraDora! also made Watashitachi no Tamura-kun but I hope it won’t end the same way ><
Yayyyyyyyyyyyy!!
http://worldofanimemusic.blogspot.com
This epi was very well done, but as a Ryuji X Minorin fan, it’s sad.
Thats a heck of a lot of posts.
No offense, but Ami-chan and Taiga-chan looked seriously creepy when they were singing. At some parts the resembled ducks><;
Ahhhh, always the light novels readers are the ones that are after a ryuuji x taiga ending just because they have read useless BS on some pages that “aparently” showed the love between them. Well let me tell you one thing you light novel readers THIS IS THE ANIME, NOT THE LIGHT NOVEL! while the story is the same they didnt show those moments you speak of so much. Why? i wonder, if they have showed those moments then maybe (and just maybe) i would have accepted something as ridiculous as Ryuuji x Taiga but because they didnt i just cant see those two as lovers, not even if is the end of the world.
And stop saying BS like ” you need to read the light novels to understand”, again this is the anime, not the light novels. You have to get in your head manga, anime and light novels are not the same and they will never be the same.
My opinion of Toradora is: for what I see the author made a main heroine so horrible and detestable that in some point he thought to himself “oh shit I think I overdid it” and changed her character. That change was so drastic that i cant call the outcome taiga anymore, thats someone else in taigas body.
I don’t see how you can say Taiga is being selfish, it’s not like people can control the way they feel. Plus she’s been the one trying to get Ryuuji and Minori together all this time, it’s not like she could have known Minori would be watching when she finally broke down like that. And what’s this about Taiga never facing any adversity? The girl’s spent most of her life being abandoned, she’s had it tougher than anyone in the series.
So many people seem to be rooting for Ryuuji/Ami just because it’d be more of a twist or because she’s the most “normal” of the girls. I don’t know, a twist like wouldn’t really make sense in the context of the story. And I don’t really see the appeal of normalcy, isn’t that a bit boring?
@Loledo: The author is female. And you, like many others, have clearly never heard of “character development”.
And I can’t tell whether you’re complaining about the new Taiga or the old Taiga. Can you people NEVER be satisfied?
@Kira-chan: People root for Ami because they have a collective hard-on for Ami and went into the show with the wrong ideas in mind.
People who still root for Ami at this point should probably stop watching the show.
He needs Ami.
Kaisos,
You shouldn’t really generalize Ami-fans… I’m one too. In fact she has changed alot throughout the series-probably because she wanted to be to Ryuuji’s liking. Alot of people have a thing for unrequited love.
Taiga’s love is currently unrequited, I might note.
And yeah, I figured you were an Ami fan…
@Loleado
lol, you seriously hate Taiga but well… i don’t think that will change anything at all, so enjoy your hatred for her, she will still own everyone in one way or the other.
*face palm* Seriously WTF? For a comedy romance anime, its lacking the comedy. I guess there starting to really focus on the drama portion of this. Which it fine, but the way there going about it is kinda annoying. Despite figuring in out how this is series is going to end rate at the beginning. (Literally, with in the first episode. A lot of animes never break the ever predicable formula of how to tell a story. well side from one, but that ending was pathetically forced) Though i never thought it would go about this way. I’m all for the whole “its always the person in front of you” type of stories, but not when every other char is either dramatically changed or left out in the cold…so to speak. (In this case its Taiga and Minori that have been changed, while Ami is left out.)Before it starts to sound like a ‘ship’ reply, i’ll just end it with this. With the ever more obvious end coming before us, (unless they throw in another twist) the “loving couple” should be at least aware of what other things are going on around them. Ryuuji should at “least” talk communicate with Minori and Ami on how they see him. (despite being dumped by Minori)While Taiga should at “least” seriously consider what drove her to Yuusaku and go from there.
Then again i just may be over thinking this.
Toradora isn’t a comedy show. Never was.
It HAS comedy. Doesn’t mean it’s a comedy show.
I agree with Omni(the one who wrote the summary), I also thought when I first started watching this series it was going to be a show about two friends from incomplete families to get together and help each other with their love interest and grow in life. Now that would have been interesting, but now they had to go down the classic cliche that the main guy has ends up with main girl. I hope I’m wrong on this and that Taiga love is misplace for a love she has for somebody who has watched over her(like a father figure or older brother). Minori use to be so great(what is happening to this show!?), but she not honest with herself and the people around her(Ami too). I know, this is just an anime show it’s not suppose to be realistic or anything(because if it were, Ryuuji would be dating one of them by now), so I won’t get too annoyed by the mess these characters are making. I’m also agreeing with Omni on the fact that Ryuuji should just be with ami and avoid this entire mess.
You people are putting yourselves in Ryuuji’s place. You should be putting Ryuuji in Ryuuji’s place.
TaigaXRyuuji isn’t entirely a classic cliche. They’ve spent 19 episodes getting to this point. And besides, the premise is fairly original.
Cliche would have them hooked up now, breaking up through harem bait and then getting back together
And if you watch Gundam 00, you’ll understand why I can’t stand Taiga’s voice… watch the conclusion of episode 19…
Dude, everyone hates Kugimiya’s voice.
You just have to learn to accept it. Learn and breaaaaathe out.
Hmm, what happens if they turned Toradora into a dating sim?
It is a cliche, just look at every Hollywood movie. Main guy has a main problem(fill in a situation) and likes someone else meanwhile has a really close best friend that he doesn’t seem at first to have feeling for(same goes for the best friend). As the movie progresses, mainly toward the end of the film he find out that he is really in love with his best friend(of course the best friend realizes her own feeling sooner but doesn’t want to get in the way of the main guy and the girl he has been chasing after this whole time). At the end of the movie he finally confesses to his best friend, she is happy that he feels the same way, and cue a sappy love song, the end, lol.
The funny thing is that I just saw a movie just like the other day(the movie was ok). It’s been done before, but don’t get me wrong just because it’s been done before doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining. I’m just really hoping that ToraDora surprises us at the end, but it’s highly unlikely.
The Ami faction is so funny. Just because she’s your dreamgirl or you think she would be the ideal choice for Ryuuji doesn’t mean Ryuuji actually has any feelings for her. In reality, he has ZERO feelings for her. Stop complaining if the main character doesn’t share the same opinion. Man, I had no idea guys cared this fiercely about shipping.
Amazing episode. I am constantly impressed by how great this anime has been.
Man, some of you guys are weebo nerds. It’s just an anime. =/ Chill, kay? So stop bashing on the characters.