Subculture Anime Blog

Mai wifu.

Summary:

Ryuji decides to chase after Taiga, so both he and Minori rush out of the room after her. The two meet at the classroom after splitting up, but find that Taiga is not there. This brings them to the next suspected place, but before they can catch her at the school entrance, Minori reveals that she has a nosebleed from falling earlier. Minori had admitted to liking Ryuji during the chase, and continuing this conversation with Ryuji later, she expresses her realization about the hairpin being his present to her. She properly declines to receive it this time, however, expressing the other forms of happiness she can achieve. Confirming that Ryuji likes Taiga, Minori cheers him on as he then leaves. Of course, she secretly shows some hesitation in the aftermath.

After wandering in town, Taiga meets Ryuji at their temporary workplace in embarrassment. Despite her feelings, Ryuji had suspected that Taiga would properly make it to work. Bringing up the earlier confrontation, Taiga tells Ryuji that they would have a talk after work. If she were to run away, she requests that he catch her. The two almost have this conversation while walking home later, but they are interrupted by their two angry mothers beforehand. Taiga’s mother wonders what Taiga is doing on her own, but Taiga declines to go home with her, while Yasuko expresses her anger towards Ryuji choosing to work. Yasuko tells Ryuji that he should find what he wants to do, but in response, Ryuji claims that it was Yasuko who threw away her dreams for work. With his expression that she has only been pushing her expectations and past mistakes on him, Ryuji causes Yasuko to cry. Taiga takes hold of Ryuji’s hand shortly after, running with him in escape of the two women.

On a bridge later that night, Taiga discusses the complicated circumstances both of her parents are currently having. Her mother already had a new partner, and would have another child. Taiga suspects that this kid would turn out to be like her. She mentions that if may have been better if she wasn’t around, but when Ryuji suggests the same because of Yasuko’s dreams disappearing because of him, Taiga quickly scolds him. She claims that she has been living only because of him, and that she would have been okay just watching him. After falling into the river behind him because of Taiga, Ryuji mentions his soon turning 18. He then proposes that the two of them continue to run until then, and that he and Taiga would then get married. Taiga joins Ryuji soon afterwards, but before the two can properly confess to each other, Ryuji gets an urgent call from Yusaku.

Taiga and Ryuji take refuge at Ami’s house, with Yusaku and Minori joining them a bit after. The group shows quite a bit of shock when the two reveal their plans, but then offer their support with money and even places to stay. Taiga claims that everything she has wanted has always crumbled before her, but she was this time able to obtain her desire. Because of this, she needed to destroy the jinx that has always plagued her. As Taiga and Ryuji leave, Minori falls into tears next to Ami. Minori cannot clearly explain why, but states her realization that tears fall when life seems to fall. Ami feels as if it is too early to think about things like this, however, as life would continue for quite some time.

Taiga and Ryuji both arrive at their homes for final partings, but when Ryuji enters his, he finds that Yasuko has run away. On the table, she had only left a note and her father’s watch. The next morning, the couple leaves. At school, Koji and the others find Ryuji and Taiga’s absence strange. Ami starts wondering what to do now that the two have left, but Minori prevents her from getting any ideas about leaving as well. On the train, Taiga brings up how happy she was when Yasuko mentioned that they were a three person family. With this, Ryuji changes his plans. This brings him to his grandparents home, with Yasuko’s watch to prove who he is. As he introduces himself, he also introduces Taiga as his wife.

Preview: Back to school already?

Impression:

Ahaha~ epic. It’s feeling like anime ending grounds now. This is usually when I start talking about how plot is being forced down our throats, as the comedy is replaced with superficial drama, but that’s just not the case with Toradora. While I can agree that things are being a bit rushed, I don’t think it feels odd at all after all the events leading up to this point. Life can happen sporadically too right? There were a ton of great lines in this episode, from “giant farewells” to Yusaku’s suggestion that Ryuji and Taiga probably had fevers at the end (haha). Taiga x Ryuji fans are sure to be happy as well, with insane amounts of blushing showing up all over the place. And while I was first calling the couple’s running away really stupid and meaningless, the preview for next week’s episode suggests that they will be taking this somewhere more productive.

The one complaint I have about the episode would be the two mothers’ confrontation with Ryuji and Taiga. This seemed extremely out of place. Yasuko obviously wants Ryuji to be successful after living through her own mistakes, just like every other parent out there. It’s already been shown that Ryuji is concerned about the financial situation, but his counter argument towards Yasuko could have gone so much better. I could only see Taiga’s mom showing up out of nowhere, just so that we could learn about Taiga’s troubled family, as a forced plot device too.

But yea… Looking forward to a good ending!