Saturday, March 14, 2009

The extreme Tsundere

There was a new anime that I've been wanting to watch for some time but I couldn't because I needed the RAM for other anime and I was lazy to watch it online. Then 2 weeks ago I finally got off my lazy butt and watched it online. That anime was Toradora!

I had relatively high hopes for it due to the potential in the storyline I read. I was hoping that it would be different. The first episode started of fantastically and I immediately had taken a liking to the male protagonist Ryuuji. All was going well until Taiga appeared. I had already knew that she would be a tsundere character and I tend to dislike extreme tsundere's (*cough*louise*cough*). I still kept an open mind even though Taiga was acting in a way that would make me dislike her straight away (sdlkjgsdjhdsbloodybitch). I also somewhat dislike the personality of the girl Ryuuji has a crush on (I dunno why but I have something against short haired girls with an attitude or something which would take too long to explain so I'll stop here). Then at episode 2 Taiga confessed her feelings to the guy she likes and had seemed to have stopped the slave thing with Ryuuji. Oh wow, a fast progressing plot, I like that! Yay, the abuse is over!! ...or so I thought.

When I watched episode 3 I found out that nothing much has changed since the last episode. Taiga still calls Ryuuji a dog, is still ungrateful, still abuses him and I cannot understand why Ryuuji puts up with her. I guess it's because they will eventually end up as a couple anyway, but I just cannot understand it. I just lost the motivation to continue watching it after that episode. I know it may be a bit early to judge the anime like that but I just hate how Taiga behaves. I know that she has problems or something with her family that may have made her the way she is, but I do not have sympathy for the inconsiderate and ungrateful. Maybe later in the series she might become a better person but I do not have the patience to see it through. The only thing that may change my mind to continue the series would be the story/plot progression, but that is very difficult because I have to put up with that other character whose personality I dislike.

The same thing happened with Zero no Tsukaima. What's up with these tsundere's?! They throw physical and verbal abuse at the guys they eventually fall in love with and then the guys miraculously falls in love with them in return. Are they masochists??!!! It's torture to have to put up with such abuses every day (especially the whip!!).(I also feel sorry for Kugimiya Rie because I may end up disliking her if she had to voice anymore tsunderekko's in the future). I'm not sure if it happens in Toradora! but in Zero no Tsukaima, even after getting 'married' Louise still beats Saito up over 'unfaithfulness'. I did watch the first season of the anime but I only watched the first and last two episodes of season 2. The reason for the skip was because initially I didn't want to continue watching it but was just curious to see how it ended, whether there was any progress in their relationship. I saw the marriage and thought the tsundereness was over, but in the end, nothing much has changed.

Toradora! was not the only anime which put me off due to a character's/characters' behaviour(s). I couldn't tolerate Kyouka's repulsive behaviour from Kyouran Kazoku Nikki. There are other characters from other anime who put me off due to something but I will save that for another post.

Ok, I understand that characters can't suddenly change their behaviours/personalities so easily (or it might seem unnatural) and it may happen after multiple developements or a big change/epiphany but I do not want to torture myself by having to put up with main characters that I dislike.

Anyway, don't take this post too seriously or let it change your anime preferences because everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I just needed to get this off my head/chest. Oh my word, this must be the longest post I've ever written!!