Everyone Is Fake in Toradora!

High school is... confusing. There's a lot of emotions you deal with that are intense, and you don't have the benefit of experience to know how to deal with them. There's a reason why this time period is marked by experimentation, uncertainty, and well... fakeness. Toradora explores this spectacularly, and I'd like to delve into how that relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and weird Greek words on love.

References:
Lewis, C. S. The Four Loves. 1960.

[devanis]

Note that the viewer knows a lot of stuff the characters don't, Amy do not see what Ryuji get from this relationship but sees him spoiling Taiga and obeying her every whim. Add to that the fact she has crush on him and probably wish she'd get that treatment and I can see why doesn't look at this relationship with good intention like the whole show says don't judge a book by it's cover :)

Great video, it's cool to see people covering old anime

[MrDedpool]

So in summary, everyone is fake because they're in high-school and they're all collectively figuring out their feelings

[monochrome]

"Love doesn't have to be a burning blaze, it can also be an enduring ember" I cri...

[aesthetics]

Minorin will always be my favorite character because she did something many people can't do. She made a sacrifice so that two people she loved could be happy. She could have easily accepted Takasu's love confession but she didn't. She knew how much Taiga needed him. Of course this is unfair to Takasu because he only loves Minorin but MInorin decided it's better to not take something away from Taiga. The amount of hurt this brought to her doesn't even show. Because she is mature enough to stay happy no matter what. I can't even imagine her pain.

[joselocalau]

What i love about Ryuuji’s and Taiga’s relationship is how their feelings sneak up on them, which i feel is very realistic when you fall in love with your best friend. They both only realize their feelings once they think they’re losing each other and it’s beautifully heartbreaking how they suddenly realize they can’t live without each other. I also think people fail to see what Ryuuji takes from their relationship, since Taiga is the one who’s more dependent. But Ryuuji needs someone to take care of, that’s how he feels useful. He enjoys making food for the people he loves (as you can see in the OVA), taking care of the house, etc. And Taiga needs him, and he likes taking care of her. But he also has these moments where he feels hopeless and useless and he doesn’t show that side to ANYONE except Taiga, because she knows exactly how he feels everytime. She brings him comfort and security, and she makes him feel needed and useful. That’s why i think they compliment each other so well

[KevinNyaa]

Boy, you make me really want to rewatch Toradora again after all these years. :)

[hahahaha]

Clickbait title, quality video. I must be in the weird part of youtube again.

[ThalesGeek]

My childhood was fake?
Let me cry in the corner
a *little*

[DJFlare]

I love how you broke down Minori and Ami's views on the relationship between Taiga and Ryuuji. I definitely agree and disagree with Ami. She's right that Minori shouldn't just walk away and essentially just box Ryuuji in with Taiga, because what if he could be happier with someone else? But on the other hand Minori knows what Ryuuji means to Taiga. Her self-sacrifice is completely justified (at least in her view). She knows she can live without Ryuuji. But Taiga? She's not so sure. That, and the whole "They were basically made for each other" thing...

[mamodokod]

I just finished toradora yesterday and man I'm just depressed going around watching toradora stuff to fill the void. But watching the show made me realize how sad I just actually am.

[kzenkai]

Ami is my favorite character. Even with her bratty side, the first second I saw her I felt a spark. She was so different and it felt like she was the perfect character I wanted in this anime.

Actually ever since I saw her I wanted her to be with Ryuuji, but we all know that's not gonna happen. Ami's chatacter development and just everything about her made the series more interesting.

[MrJays-dfse]

The real question is did the teacher ever find love.

[nicolaimarquez]

My personal favorite character of Toradora is Minorin, because at the end she seems to be aware of everything she feels, unlike the others, but still lies to herself for things to go the way she wants to, or the way she thinks she wants them to go. I think she's one of the most complex and compelling characters I've ever seen in anime (maybe in any medium), but in Toradora, any character could be anyone's favorite: They're all fully realized characters and they're the most strong aspect of Toradora!. Great Analysis, man :)

[ThalesGeek]

I can see you did a great job researching and explaining in a easy way to understand. I really appreciate your work and your efforts.
Keep it up, Kami

[Syn]

rewatched the anime 5 times and i still couldn't find all the deep stuff and can only kinda understand this video...i guess i still have long ways to go 😔

[arenji]

Damn what a coincidence, I just finished watching Toradora just yesterday. This video certainly changed my view on every character in Toradora now.

[supergirl]

Ok tbh I was sure I was going to be annoyed by this video because of the title but I'm really glad I watched it. This perfectly encapsulates the essence of Ryuuji and Taiga's relationship. I've heard other fans denounce their relationship and compare it to brother-sister or father-daughter, but I don't think that's true and you did such a great job of explaining why its not. Thanks for the wonderful video! Now I have to go rewatch all of Toradora....

[ordysseus]

Spoilers Alert: Although Minori views the twos relationship in a way where they shouldn't get in the way of them at the start and Ami is the opposite, in the end Minori is the one that gets in the way and Ami lets them be together without getting in the way even though she also has feelings for Ryuji.

I also think that Ami is my favourite character. When she is first introduced she acts like a pampered princess with a side of her that looks down on everyone else. But after the halfway mark, she becomes a much nicer character, even while still scrutinized for her past behavior she starts doubting her actions and questioning her emotions that she neglected and became more mature. I also feel that her love for Ryuji feels more real than the others, seeing as he helped her out with her emotions, and even after falling for Ryuji, she starts to understand her own feelings slowly but because she knows how she is viewed by everyone else she would rather be more realistic and bottle up her love and help with Ryujis love life from the shadows.

[jlara]

Damn, this was a really well thought out and put together analysis. You being a good and intellectual name to the anime community. You have earned yourself a sub.

[kevindojan]

I cried a little. You made me finally understand the conflict Minorin and Amy had through the series, that I just didn't understand right. I thank you for that