7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Due to his frightening appearance, Ryuji lives a rather unfortunate life. On the first day of his junior year of high school, he meets a strange girl named Taiga - better known as the Palm-top Tiger! Despite looking small and cute, she's extremely short-tempered, and nobody can stop her once she starts throwing punches. However, Ryuji learns a secret about Taiga that nobody else knows... The dragon and the tiger join forces to bring you a monolithic romantic comedy!
Anime | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Comedy | 23% |
Romance | 20% |
Teen | 11% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p (upconverted)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: LPCM 2.0
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Eight-disc set (4 BDs, 4 DVDs)
DVD copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There’s a tendency in anime, especially shōnen anime for some reason, where events can be depicted as downright devastating, only to be solved in a figurative snap of the fingers. Case in point: ToraDora, an agreeable if hardly groundbreaking anime that deals with two outcasts in high school who are initially nemeses but who (in best anime fashion) learn to work together and perhaps even forge more than a mere friendship. As the anime opens, Ryuji Takasu is uptight about starting another year in high school, an anxiety made no easier due to the fact that Ryuji is more or less completely in charge of his home environment, due to his hard partying (and usually hung over) mother. What’s really eating Ryuji, though, is his appearance: he has inherited his late father’s eyes, and they are evidently so menacing looking that most of his classmates are deathly afraid of him. (One of the anime’s shortcomings is the design of this element of Ryuji’s physique—his eyes really are not all that scary, frankly.) Ryuji tries to style his hair to cover up his orbs, but since he needs to be able to see where he’s going, quite often his eyes are visible to others, and that more often than not creates complete chaos. And so we’re initially left with the impression that Ryuji is a complete outsider with no friends and no prospects for a happy life, either at home or at school. And then—guess what? Pretty much out of nowhere, a kid named Yusaku Kitamura shows up, and it becomes clear that he and Ryuji are best friends, and have been for some time. So, Ryuji is not alone and indeed has at least the basis for a social structure, albeit an admittedly small one. But within just a few minutes, it also becomes clear that several other kids, while a little reticent to actually interact with Ryuji, are at least aware that the boy is not a threat, those menacing eyes notwithstanding. It’s a patently odd way to start out a series which depends at least in part on Ryuji feeling isolated. But that may indeed be the point: this teenager’s feelings may not accurately reflect the way others feel about him, and in that way, ToraDora is perhaps a bit smarter about adolescent interactions than it may seem at first glance.
ToraDora is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of NIS America with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Much like the series itself, the animation here is enjoyable if never absolutely breathtaking. There are some decent design elements (even if Ryuji's eyes never seem to demon spawn, as everyone seems to think they are), with good, sharp line detail and nicely saturated colors (Taiga's hair actually morphs slightly, depending on what kind of light she's in). Deep auburns and purples are especially prevalent in the series and look great, but the entire palette in the series is nicely varied and pops quite well in high definition. Overall, though, there's a somewhat soft appearance to many shots, especially those with undetailed backgrounds.
ToraDora features both the original Japanese language track as well as a newer English dub delivered via LPCM 2.0 tracks. The original Japanese voice actors are extremely distinctive, and so I'd recommend checking out that track even for those who don't typically like to read subtitles. The mixes here are not exactly identical, but close enough so that other considerations should be taken into account when making a choice, and while the English voice actors do quite well, the original language is probably the way to go here. Fidelity on both tracks is excellent, delivering dialogue and the series' kind of annoying J-pop score with clarity and no issues of any import.
NIS America Premium Editions have been an incredibly handsome collection of releases, but they've also tended to drive
collectors a little crazy due to their unusual size. The label has perhaps heard of these complaints and this is the first NIS
America Premium Edition that I've personally reviewed that is housed in something at least a bit more compatible with standard
Blu-ray packaging. A sturdy chipboard slipcase is just a bit bigger than a standard DVD case, and it houses a large clear DVD
case sized unit holding four Blu-ray discs and four DVDs. Also included is a hardback book with interviews, character
assessments and lots of illustrations. (The book is now considerably smaller than the ones that were included in the previous
NIS America Premium Edition releases.) The on disc supplements include:
Disc One:
ToraDora takes a couple of relatively interesting detours along the way, but it's a fairly predictable enterprise from virtually the first moment, despite a somewhat rockier road than is typical even in a lot of romance anime. Taiga is a pretty unlikable character for a surprisingly long amount of time here, and Ryuji doesn't help his case by meekly going along with Taiga's humiliating treatment of him, but the moral of the story is that people can change and even outcasts can find happiness. That may not be especially profound, but it's worthy enough to make ToraDora Recommended.
2009-2011
2008
2009-2011
2008
2010
2007-2008
Anime Classics
2011-2012
2008-2009
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! | 中二病でも恋がしたい! | Collector's Edition
2012-2013
2011
Anime Classics
2008-2009
中二病でも恋がしたい! 戀 / Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
2014
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2014
Standard Edition
2011
Essentials / 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱
2006-2009
2014
13 Episodes & 4 OVAs
2012
甘城ブリリアントパーク
2014-2015
はたらく魔王さま! / Hataraku Maou-sama!
2023
Essentials
2016-2017
2014-2015
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けいおん!!
2010
たまこラブストーリー
2014