Inspiring several ripoffs while perfecting age-old archetypes and tropes, Toradora! is still the gold standard when it comes to romantic comedy anime.
There are several big names in the realm of romance anime, but perhaps none are as well-known or as well-regarded as Toradora!. This modern classic had a cast full of memorable characters, not to mention a straight-up banger of a theme song that continues to be popular today. Of course, that’s along with a female protagonist that broke old molds and set new trends.
Toradora! is now almost 15 years old, yet its impact is still easy to notice. From helping to massively popularize tsundere characters to elevating pre-existing romance tropes, the series was destined to become what it is today. Here’s a look back at why the anime is still held in such high esteem.
Toradora! Made Waves With a Lovably Hateful Main Character
The female protagonist of Toradora! is Taiga Aisaka, the “Palmtop Tiger” of her high school, who is referred to as such due to her outwardly aggressive and antagonistic demeanor. This sees her run afoul of main male character Ryuji Takasu, who has previously been avoided beforehand due to his rather stern appearance. A misunderstanding sees the two form a begrudging friendship, made all the more interesting due to their mutual friends being their respective crushes. Even though romance eventually blossoms between Taiga and Ryuji, it comes after an onslaught of ill treatment toward the latter.
Taiga Aisaka is the perfect example of a tsundere character — one of several major character archetypes in anime. These characters exhibit harsh and gruff behavior, especially toward characters that they’re eventually paired off with. In reality, however, they have a somewhat tender and almost innocent persona underneath. This hidden aspect of their personality, not to mention their feelings for others, usually goes unseen, making their more hateful antics more entertaining. That’s definitely the case with the diminutive Taiga, who constantly berates and argues with Ryuji for next to no reason. Toradora! was the introduction to the tsundere archetype for many modern anime fans, with the ensuing popularity of the trope being based on the show’s success. This love toward the characterization of Taiga would be irrelevant if it weren’t for the other cast members, however.
Toradora!’s Cast and Writing Continue to Make It a Classic
The other characters in Toradora! are actually quite deep, despite how stock and cliché some of them initially seem. For instance, Minori — Taiga’s best friend and Ryuji’s crush — at first seems like a comically perfect student, with her numerous jobs and responsibilities being something of a joke. However, it’s revealed that these elements have a much more grounded basis, making her more than just a comedic gag that Ryuji has a crush on. Even their budding romance is developed in a tangible way, with a unified interest being the thing that connects them — and eventually tears them apart.
Yusaku Kitamura is very similar, with the vice-president of the student council being someone that all the other students look up to. This eventually sees him crack under pressure due to his own complicated love life. Even Ryuji himself is very complicated, being a character who frequently prioritizes his friends yet beats himself up for his supposed flaws. This deep level of character development helps to push the series beyond the somewhat tired concepts that make up its initial episodes.
Said trite concepts include the love “square” between the cast, making it almost come off as a soft harem anime. This issue is quickly resolved, however, with all the relationships developing in a way that makes sense for each character. Of course, the tsundere trope itself is now more played out than ever, largely due to many subsequent anime not quite reaching the same characterization level as Toradora!. It just goes to show how this particular light novel adaptation was the perfect storm of renewing what was already old and making other concepts more mainstream. Thus, it’s likely to remain a romantic comedy classic for years to come.
Toradora! can be streamed through Crunchyroll, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Read More:Toradora! Is Still One of the Greatest Romance Anime After 15 Years
2023-01-09 22:00:18
