Slight spoiler ahead!
End of the road for Tora-dora. It was a really interesting journey, bitter-sweet in retrospect. The series was both touching and amusing and at times left me either exasperated or pensive. I am really glad I came back to the series after I initially dropped it after episode 1.
For the last episode, their teacher Yuri Sensei made a very wise observation when she announced that Taiga was transferring / withdrawing from school. Basically, she said that throughout your life, you will come to many crossroads. Regardless of whether you wish to turn back or stay on your path, you still have to make a decision. Sometimes no matter which path you take, you will let someone down but it’s for the best as no one can get the best of both worlds. Yuri Sensei is their form-teacher who provided some comical relief and yet was grounded in reality throughout the entire series. She has a rather interesting life and philosophy although she is constantly in despair over her single status. Not sure why she’s complaining though. I guess it will be equally interesting if the focus were more on her although I’m not complaining! ^^
It was also interesting to note the casual camaraderie among all the members of the class, as opposed to the beginning where they rarely interact as a group. It is this sort of progression which makes me feel wistful every time I think of the series. Overall, it has been a great anime and makes me feel really glad that I have watched it. The ending had a sense of closure to it unlike some other anime (macross frontier anyone?) and although it was a happy and predictable ending, the journey there was anything but.
I also liked how they alluded that true love is a rare and elusive object and how they stumbled upon it and then refused to let it go despite their many tribulations. Faith in each other pulled them through their last year as it time-skipped at the end. Towards the end, at the graduation ceremony, the audience was treated to a 3rd party perspective of this bunch of people whom we have followed throughout the series as a junior in the school. Kitamura was said to be continuing his studies in America, with his beloved senpai. Minori looked like she received the MVP for the school softball league and continues to head towards her dream of representing Japan in the World Series. Ami stayed on and graduated, receiving many bouquets from her adorers as she was leaving the school for the last time. And then the Ryuji x Taiga ending which brought an end to the entire series.
It’s quite funny when you think that the voice actor for Ryuji is the same one as the ‘poor’ teacher from Kodomo no Jikan. Anyway, I leave you with this from a Tora-dora scene. Goodnight and goodbye for now.
Tora-dora:
OP 1 / OP 2: Pre-parade / Vanilla Salt
ED 1 / ED 2: Silky Heart / Orange
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