Long awaited review? Really?! I can't believe you guys! Sorry for the wait though! Yeah, it's the manga adaptation of the light novels. Surprisingly, it's nearly the same as the anime adaptation!
Toradora! Volulme 1: (Story by: Yuyuko Takemiya/Art by: Zekkyo) is the story of Ryuuji Takasu, a mean-eyed class bully who doesn't give a damn about anyone; and Aisaka Taiga, a sweet-looking girl that can bash your skull in with a bat without mercy! Both of them make a terrifying team and they will not stop until they get what they ultimately want, LOVE. Wait... what?!
Okay, okay. Maybe the part where they were describe as merciless is not true but most of that is true. Ryuuji is a mean eyed guy but that's all he is, he's the regular guy that can't talk to the girl he likes. Oh yeah, he's totally domesticated unlike other people...
Ahhhhh!??!! My eyes!?!?! WHY?!
Okay! Fine! I'll tell you the truth about Aisaka Taiga! She's a really cute girl with an attitude. She doesn't socialize and is only ever seen with Kushieda Minori; who is Ryuuji's crush for a long time. She can't cook for herself, she can't clean, she can't do laundry and she lives alone. Imagine a dirty room of a hikikomori but the person who lives in that room isn't one. See? Ryuuji's totally on another level as this "Palmtop Tiger!"
Metro Goldwyn Mayer lion? No. It's Taiga's representation.
On to the story, both meet and after some discussion and a ton of beatings from Taiga, they come to an agreement. Ryuuji will make Taiga look awesome for her crush, Yuusaku Kitamura; which is Ryuuji's bestfriend. Taiga will also do the same for Ryuuji, make him look like an awesome guy in the eyes of Minori. The agreement sounds good on paper, but is totally impossible in practice. In the end, due to the constant meetings of the two and the sweet talk they give out to Minori and Kitamura about each other, the eyes of the people around see them as a couple.
It's not my fault!
Art: It's cute, kiddy and light. It's actually like the anime, except this is way more uhmm... up beat! Yeah! Up-beat! Funny is too generic so that's what I'll describe it as. The style is a mix in between shoujo and shounen. I don't really see a gender for which this style is targeted to. For me, it's meant for all ages. It is cartoon-ish in some ways and even as you read the first pages but anyone can enjoy it.
It's not spectacular though, it's a rom-com so you shouldn't expect something ground-breaking. The publisher, Seven Seas usually licenses new manga that are only a couple of years old like from the later years of the last decade. This title was published in Japan back in 2008, so the art style fits the year of publication. I can tell because I've read manga that are from 1990s and they look totally different from what is published nowadays.
Exhibit A.
Panels: Panels have changed throughout the years too, like the art style. You know what? I'll just post my first article about what's changed in manga. Anyway, this title uses a lot of free-flowing panels and really big box panels too. Movement is covered by a screentones. What I mean is, they use a lot of screentones and not just for shadows and people but with motion too. Less work for the mangaka as he/she only needs to draw one panel to express a single action.
Screetones win!
Story: The story is a bit generic. It's a story about two individuals trying to win each other's crushes and there are a lot of stories like that out there. The unique thing about this story are the characters. It keeps you entertained though, because this is a rom-com, you should expect a lot of laughs (mostly from the suffering of Ryuuji.)
I think that this story has a nice flow and is cut nicely into chapters. The chapter title even gives you an idea of what the chapter is all about without reading it. It's direct and not going on tangent, well, maybe some tangent. It's a high-school themed story! You should expect some day to day story telling. It's not boring though, I'll tell you that!
Your opinion is heard. And rejected.
The readers for this manga, as I said, is all-ages. The story is mostly for teens but as it doesn't really contain any mature theme (except for Ryuuji's mom's work) that could be of any harm to kids. Someday, I'll give this volume to my niece just so she can get into my hobby. It's that innocent of a story.
Oh yeah, you get a bonus story at the end called "A Day in the Life of Ya-chan" who is Ryuuji's mother. So yeah, you get more backstory of Ya-chan and Ryuuji's situation. More awesome sauce!
Characters: The thing I love about this title is the character description. A domesticated, mean-looking guy? A short-tempered, cute girl? Yes! Put on the tropes please! Aisaka Taiga is one of the popular *Tsundere's in anime and she's still a big one here. Taiga and Ryuuji, throughout this volume, grow up into more adaptable people as they endure each other everyday just to sell each other to their crushes. You see Ryuuji accepting Taiga as a part-time housemate and takes care of her like he's related to her in someway. Taiga also opens up more to Ryuuji which was impossible because Taiga is so shy and short-tempered to people other than Minori.
I'm not a tsundere.
I guess I could relate to Ryuuji as I look like a drug addict when I was living in my home country. People also thought that I was 20 years old when I was just 14 because of my mature look. I have facial lines that you see drawn when someone's trying to draw a person who has aged. I don't look like a thug but I'm guessing the look I have acts as a repellent to strangers. It's not all that bad when you know someone who knows you for who you really are. As for Taiga, I could see people relating to her because she's trying to confess to the guy she likes but fails miserably. Her experiences aren't all that unique but her attitude towards others is something I have seen so her character is a lot of people's description of themselves (even if it's subconscious.)
Bottomline: Read it. A thousand times, read it. It's fun to read and it doesn't get you thinking about complex things. Just a regular slice-of-life series that you can get into easy. I suggest you read this first before you watch the anime, or better yet, read the light novels first.
Thanks for enduring this far into the review! Here's a tsundere smiling!
If you have watched the anime in it's entirety, then don't fret about not enjoying this series. Yes, it will feel like as if you're reading the same material again but even if it's from the same source material, it still has it's own quirks and it's own way of telling the same story. It's different in a lot of ways but it's the same rom-com attitude that we know and love!
Addicting Level: 8/10
Notes:
*Tsundere - a character description consisting of a "bitchy" attitude towards a love interest. Imagine a girl who is really mean to the guy he has a crush on every time they are seen together, but when the situation has changed, she becomes a caring individual while still keeping that attitude.
Example 1:
Girl: "What do you think about my dress?"
Boy: "I think it looks great."
Girl: "Really?! *blushes* Well, it's not like I wore this for you or anything..."
Example 2:
Yes, we all know that.
If you have reached this far, then congrats! Hopefully you liked my little educational trip on this review. I will post an article about the art style and panels of manga titles throughout the years. Hopefully it's good enough that someone who's writing an essay, cites me as one of his/her sources. That would be heavenly! Mata ashita ne!
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