Toradora! Ep. 10

[SimsHsia]

Episode 10: Fireworks

Recap from last time:

The group of five are having their summer vacation in Ami's villa. During this time, Taiga backs Ryuuji up with her plan to get him closer to Minorin, with her one weakness: anything dealing with horror.

Key plot points:

• Due to strange occurrences that happened in the previous episode, both Taiga and Ryuuji are unable to sleep during the night and are at a lost on how to scare Minorin later during the day. Yuusaku overhears this conversation and expresses interest on joining in and getting Ami to pitch in as well.
  
• After breakfast, everyone save for Ami have headed down to the beach. Ryuuji walks back inside the villa and walks in on Ami in her swimsuit, and trying to avoid any gazes at her, she questions why he wants to scare Minorin or else she won’t help him. In the end, Ryuuji doesn’t answer and Ami won’t help him.
  
• Regardless, during lunch, Ami suggests that they go explore a cave. Earlier, Yuusaku went to the cave alone to set up traps returns at this moment during Ami’s proposal to visit the cave.
  
• Once they arrive at the cave, it is quite intimidating and scary at first, but the traps Yuusaku set up were less than satisfactory. The first trap is a piece of fried tofu that swings by activation by stepping on a wire, but it misses its intended target and hits Taiga in the face. Next, is a bloody message written in ketchup, but Ryuuji accidentally gets slimy hair on his hand which was not one of Yuusaku’s traps.
  
• Ami becomes bored and decides to take a detour out of the cave leaving Ryuuji to choose between following her or following Minorin, Taiga, and Yuusaku. He chooses the former and admits to Ami he's not keen to dark places. This makes Ami joke with Ryuuji about being lost.
  
• Ami feels that Ryuuji isn't suited for Minorin, but just as she begins to tell him who's more suitable they hear Minorin scream in the cave, and both run deeper into the cave and catch up with Yuusaku and Taiga.
  
• Yuusaku followed by Taiga attempt to rescue Minorin. Taiga trips in the dark causing both Ryuuji and Ami to move forward. They discover that Yuusaku is helping Taiga up and Minorin is alright. It turns out that everything was set up to scare both Taiga and Ryuuji instead of Minorin.
  
• Back at the villa, Yuusaku and Minorin admit to plotting everything in the cave and the occurrences happening in both Taiga’s and Ryuuji’s rooms. Minorin knew Taiga and Ryuuji were trying to scare her, and she was simply getting back at them. In fact, she loves most everything about horror, and it would be difficult to scare her.
  
• The group spend their last night before heading back home playing with fireworks. Ryuuji and Ami continue their conversation they had in the cave. Ami feels that Minorin and Ryuuji are opposites whereas she and he are equals. Later, Ryuuji and Minorin discuss the day’s events thanking one another for all the fun they had scaring each other. Both wanted to show each other a ghost, and with this, Minorin strikes up a proposal that they go look for UFOs and legendary snake as fireworks go off in the distance.
  
• Back home the following day, as they head home, Ryuuji suggests to Taiga he wants to go to the supermarket to buy food. Taiga doesn’t want to go, but when Ryuuji goes off on his own, she catches up with him. With another mentioning of the supermarket, she still doesn't want to go.
  

Episode thoughts:

Although this episode was not as funny as it was in the previous episode, but it's good to see some character and relationship development. It seems that Taiga is starting to feel some attachment to Ryuuji, even though she is trying to send him off to be with Minorin, she still hasn't gone very far on her own with Yuusaku. There also seems to be something going on between Ami and Ryuuji who's been flirting with him a few times, even the scene where she's outside of the kitchen as he and Minorin are making breakfast. Reminds me of the Kanon 2006 remake and the first arc with Makoto who is more or less in the same position as Ami. Anyways, I don't think this series will turn out to be a love triangle like some other romantic comedies, but I do feel that this series will still end with Taiga and Ryuuji being together as a couple.

By the way, doesn't Taiga look sort of like Chiaki from Minami-ke when the the piece of fried tofu hit her face? All that's missing is her shouting "bakayarou!" at everyone who ranks high on the idiot meter and having a certain hairdo.

Right, next episode Oobashi High School Festival - First Part, the first of the three part arc regarding their school's festival. Looks like there will the introduction of new side characters and festival events to end the year. Maybe we'll see more screen time of the current mix of side characters like Koigakubo Yuri their homeroom teacher, Haruta Kouji the student who's always picked on to read English, and so on and so forth.

Going back to my reply in Toradora! Ep. 6 and its length of 25 episodes airing this season, well it seems that it's official. Thanks to the guys over at MyAnimeList, the TV schedule for Toradora! from a reliable source does confirm 25 episodes with the last episode airing March 25, 2008 (or early March 26, 2008).