Tora Dora! Episode 3

nekosasu | October 15, 2008 | 8:03 pm
URUSAI! BAKA!

Wah, sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve had some internet troubles again, and quickly cleared Summon Night Twin Age on my DS (good game! I’ll have to write something about it in the next days).

Anyway, double urusai! Tora Dora time!

Baka inu!!
Baka inu!!

As predicted, the anime already overtook the few (scanlated) chapters of the manga. Which in itself is a good thing since I won’t be biased about comparing both versions anymore (and I haven’t read the novel yet). Good good.

So, Ryuuji and Taiga stick together as always: they walk together, they eat together, etc etc. In short, they live together. So one evening, as the rice cooker breaks, they both go to a restaurant… where Minorin works part-time. One free special Taiga parfait, coming up! No wonder she doesn’t believe that Taiga and Ryuuji aren’t going out, since they’re practically always together.

And thus the next day off school, Ryuuji and Taiga bump into one of (Mirano) Yasuko’s frequent customers (remember, Ryuuji’s mom is a waitress/hostess in a club). Incidentally, it’s the manager of the convenience store Minori works part-time too… Yep, Minorin. What a genki workaholic.
Then the manager asks Taiga if she doesn’t want to help him and Minori out, since they’re understaffed. Of course… Ryuuji accepts and drags Taiga into this. You selfish boy, you. :3

Cute waitress is cute. Oh hi. Want some choco?
This little bitch will work too! Smiiiiile.... Work, you tsundere slave!

And so they spend their day working at the conbini. Taiga is told to deliver some wares to a customer… with a bicycle. And it turns out she doesn’t know how to ride one. Now doesn’t that proud brat run off on her own with the bike in hand… Good opportunity for Ryuuji to get closer to Minori!

Both Ryuuji and Minori somehow get locked up in the warehouse. But instead of any intimate moments as would usually be the case, they spend their time singing and playing baseball. Had he gotten some guts, he would so totally have taken the initiative and asked her out, but he’s just a tough-looking wimp. In the meantime (evening), Taiga is “already” back from her errand (after having met Yuusaku and finally found the courage to sit on the bike), totally worn out from falling repeatedly from the bike, and… utterly pissed at Ryuuji, what else.

OOOOOHHHRYAAA!!! I can't ride a bike. I suck. I KNEW IT!
Lalalaaa *cough* The pitcher is fearing~ KAKATTEKOI!

After searching frantically in the backyard, she hears him and Minorin in the warehouse, gets a ladder, and climbs up to the window of the warehouse. And that’s exactly the point Ryuuji reached as well, trying to escape from inside. But as it so happens… Taiga, in all her stupid clumsiness, manages to fall through the window, and lands with her feet right on Ryuuji’s face.

Minori: “Good job Taiga, thanks to you we have a ladder outside, we can escape safely through the window!”
Taiga: “But the ladder…” FELL, YOU DORK.

Y HELO THAR.
Y HELO THAR.
Landing: 10 points!
Landing: 10 points!
Arere, the ladder...
Arere, the ladder…

Ahh. It was a great episode. Let me recall the most important ingredients of the recipe:

3. Inko. That parrot always makes me laugh. It’s just… so ugly and stupid! SAY YOUR NAME PROPERLY!!!!!

En....ka!
En….ka!

2. Taiga’s violent fits of anger. Her angry screams are simply awesome. But slowly but surely, her tsundereness is getting to my nerves – perhaps because I like Minorin more… and so, the main ingredient:

WHERE ART THOUUUU
RYUUJI, WHERE ART THOUUUU?!?!
She's so DANGEROUS!
She’s so DANGEROUS!

1. Lots of Minori Kushieda. She’s quite dense, but so much funnier and cuter than Taiga (and her voice is much cuter – fu Kugyuu fans). Her positive attitude is great, just look at her radiant smile!

>_< Awwww CUTE!
>_< Awwww CUTE!
No, she's NOT eating cellphones.
No, she’s NOT eating cellphones.
Even if her nose breaks, she'll still smile!
Even if her nose breaks, she’ll still smile!

Missed the preview (and can’t be bothered to take a look at the raw) :( Ah well, it’s gonna be funny I bet. Looking forward to the next ep anyway. Hope Taiga gets hit by a car and dies, and Minorin becomes main character. Or no, I’ll miss her URUSAI cries. (In b4 tangents about zomg Kugyuu-Shana-Louise URUSAI)


14 Responses to “Tora Dora! Episode 3”

  1. Ryan A says:

    MINORI!!! Yea, I liked her presence, so she’s a bit over-energetic and “silly” but brightening the day cannot be a crime! Love the voice-acting for her chara, and hopefully we’ll get some solid development about her life issues, etc.

    I like Aisaka in rage-mode, just not wrathful loli mode, ahah.

  2. Cyle says:

    Really? You like Minori more than Taiga? I like Aisaka a lot more, I find that cheery happy-go-lucky attitude of hers really gets under my skin, and I’ll never tire of tsundre girls, and I think she’s also a lot cuter. Also I find it difficult to attach myself to anybody other than the female lead. I often dislike girls that the male lead are in love with as it leaves out a crucial portion in character romance developement and that’s falling in love.

  3. nekosasu says:

    How explicit/direct romance stories develop depends on everyone’s preference I guess. For my part, I am fond of such stories (even though they tend to be repetitive over the years). I think it raises a lot of questions about the psyche of the male lead, which the viewer is inclined (if not forced) to identify with.

    Questions like, why does Ryuuji like Minori, besides her looks? At least we don’t know (yet), and either way, it will not be enough in the end: slowly but surely he’s subconsciously relinquishing Minori, and in turn, tying strong bonds with a girl he never caught interest in before. His feelings for her will eventually be true feelings of love instead of mere superficial feelings of attraction.

    Some might argue that since he has no way (or courage) to ask Minori out, he’ll just be content to be with Taiga, but I believe he will realize that his greedy one-sided “love” for Minori had no substance or reason at all, and then find out that his real love was always next to him.

    Yeah, Minori is just a sidekick, only used to fill the place of the unreachable “idol (schoolmate)” every male lead (or the average high school student) dreams of. But it’s okay, as long as Ryuuji isn’t together with her (ie. never, assuming Taiga won’t get eaten by a tsundere-hating dinosaur on meth), Minorin is up for grabs – MINE! yay~ :D

  4. Mike says:

    Hey nekosasu or natsuneko please get in touch with me my email is mikelocke@live.com I want to talk to you about your pangya caddie dolls

  5. nekosasu says:

    Please mike, contact me instead of stalking me.

    I’m ready to give you links how to proceed to order those plushies, but note that I will not order them for you – at least do that tiny bit of effort yourself.

  6. Mike says:

    I tried but you have not sent me an email back please email me so I can reply and we can be in touch with out this blog or twitter…im not stalking you its just i really want those plushies. I will do any thing I can to get them. If you show me how. I cannot read japanese though so I will need your help

  7. Mike says:

    Ok I have sent you two emails at natsuneko ʇɐ animeblogger ʇop net and you have not replied. Im not sure what to do but ask you to email me so that I can get in touch with you

  8. christian says:

    wee….tora dora is a must to see anime…It is televised in our country and it’s very wonderful…”Taiga” is a very nice character…she can be described to be “asdl;fkja;lsdfjas;d” haha,.actually, she cannot be described in a single word…just watch it, and you’ll love it…:’) please mail me some of her pics..tnx!!!

  9. Alex Tabita says:

    Hiya!No offense to all!I was just checking out anything with Tora Dora on it!Including blogs!I’m totally addicted to Tora Dora!So sorry…I like Minorin…she’s my favourite character…but Taiga…interests me…

  10. SuiiJin says:

    Its been the 3rd day..

    I can’t sleep properly.. I can only think of Taiga..
    And how wacky and unpredictable she is.. Lucky Ryujii!

    I surely love this anime. The whole time I was watching it I could’nt help but feel nostalgic.
    I kinda felt, I wanted to be in High-School again!

    The story will definitely have you addicted to it.

    Sadly, after viewing the 25th ep, I had to go back to reality.

    It seems that Toradora will not have a 2nd season.. But still I’m hoping somebody will read this and hopefully a 2nd season will be made.

    Happy thought to all.. Good day.

  11. joy says:

    i wish it will ha ve a second season coz many peole like it if only i could go to japan i will said to the owner of thi anime to make season 2 coz this anime is so amazing to all the fans of toradora wish that coz we like to know what journey will happen to taiga and ryuuji thats all so pls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! make season 2

  12. megashadow13 says:

    TORA DORA!! god, i just finished watching it yesterday… thats definitely one of the best animes ive seen… with the best kiss scene EVER!!!! no questions asked and hands down…. :)

    hhahah just wanted to leave a correction comment, that scene with the ‘y helo thar’ face, actually that scene is a more like ‘YOU…GONNA…GET…RAPED!’ face LOL XD taigaa is sooo kawaiii!! >w< you have to see the whole series to indeed see why she is the best :)

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