Toradora! Ep. 3
#1
OP's Note
I'm changing the format of these episodic postings. Whenever I look at the past few postings a thought comes to mind within the lines of "TL;DR". With the length of those previous posts, it's like I'm writing a book -- there's only so much I can document about for a 25 minute episode! Therefore, these postings will be SIGNIFICANTLY shorter in length and will be more generalized for what happens in the episode. Thus, I won't include EVERYTHING that happens, as I've done before, but only the keypoints of the plot. Everything else is for you to watch and enjoy.

OP note #2: I'm adding in a spoiler toggle. Some of you may just want to see the pictures, but do not want to be tempted by the synopsis of what occurs in this episode. So, there you go! Smile

Episode 3: Your Song

[Image: toradora3.jpg]

Recap from last time:

Taiga and Ryuuji, the unlikely duo, team together to get closer to their crushes: Kitamura Yuusaku and Kushieda Minori, respectively. Taiga confeses her feelings to Kitamura only to fail and their relationship changes to the dreaded "friends" category. Taiga licks her wounds and resolves to revise her "battle plan", with Ryuuji's help, to get closer with Yuusaku.

Key plot points:
  • Minori and Yuusaku are in the school's softball teams. Minori is the captain/manager for the girl's softball team.
  • Taiga takes Ryuuji to a certain family restaurant, with Ryuuji finding out that Minori works here.
  • In fact, Minori has several different jobs as a: cellphone fashion designer, waitress, stock person at a local convenience store, and an employee in a karaoke bar. She used to work at a steamboat store.
  • Minori works at all these jobs because of the Labour Revolution Files (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), the "revival of the labour revolution" and such.
  • The next day, Ryuuji and Taiga walk toward the same restaurant Minori works at when they bump into Uncle Inage (who knows Ryuuji's mom), who runs a convenience store. It just so happens Minori is working on this day.
  • Ryuuji and Taiga volunteer (Taiga is actually pressed into service by Ryuuji) to help out Uncle Inage.
  • Que Taiga's evil face appearance #1.
  • Taiga doesn't know how to ride a bike.
  • Ryuuji and Minori are locked in a wine cellar accidentally by Uncle Inage; Taiga faints after "riding" the stores bicycle to deliver crates of wine, Yuusaku meets her.
  • Yuusaku reveals he's been observing Taiga for the past year, and noticed she couldn't ride a bike since then. Encourages Taiga to learn how to ride a bike, wishes her a "see you tomorrow" and leaves.
  • Ryuuji and Minori, while locked in the wine cellar, both sing various songs so people outside can notice.
  • Minori encourages herself to Ryuuji that she won't show him her weaknesses, even when she gets a bloody nose and shrugs it off saying, "it's perspiration of the heart". No big deal right?
  • Taiga, fuming, eventually finds Ryuuji and Minori in the wine cellar by ladder and through a window, which was a surprise to Ryuuji: que Taiga's evil face appearance #2.
  • Taiga, being the clumsy one, knocks the ladder over (as a result of her anger) and is trapped with Minori and Ryuuji.
Episode impressions:

OK, I had one prediction wrong in my previous post: I incorrectly guessed that we would learn about Taiga's youth, as the preview showed. I first found Minori to be a little weird with all of her jobs and explanations (i.e. labour revolution), and I found it hard to believe that Ryuuji adores her. Well, what can I say, if you're dead set on a crush, you tend to find these as qualities of one's character. Also, Taiga sure likes to use Ryuuji as a punch toy in this episode, the good part was when Taiga entered the wine cellar and she was standing on Ryuuji's face. She's definitely more on the extreme side of her tsuntsun-ness: punchings, kickings, eye-gougings, face stomping, her evil face (twice); I hope J.C.Staff doesn't turn Taiga into another Louise (Zero no Tsukaima), at least she can't cast Explosion on Sai...err...Ryuuji. Wink

This episode includes the first chapter of the 2nd volume of the light novel (or the last chapter of the 1st volume of the manga), which is the extent of what I've read thus far, that includes the scene where Taiga and Ryuuji are in a family restaurant where Minori works. I don't remember reading about Minori working at several jobs, but I'll have to get cracking on the 2nd volume and get back on this.

Overall, a nice episode, although it felt sort of like a filler seeing as there was barely any plot development, other than Ryuuji finding out about where Minori works and getting talk with her more than Taiga would like, but it still feels like a filler. I couldn't get anything from the next episode preview, my guess is that it's attempt #2 for Taiga with Yuusaku. Personally, I can't wait for the episode after next week's, we meet Kawashima Ami and let the cat fights commence!

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In other news for those interested: Kugimiya Rie's Pre-Parade (Pure-Paredo), the song used in the OP sequence, and Hurie Yui's Vanilla Salt (Banira Soruto), the song used in the ED sequence, are going to be released next week (Oct. 22nd).

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Much shorter, eh? Wink
SimsHsia
EZS Web Services
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