After finding himself cleaning and cooking for Taiga, before he knows it Ryuuji is preparing breakfast for three every morning as she joins Ryuuji's mum in making the most of his kind nature and hospitality. Even out of the house, Taiga is relying on Ryuuji to smooth what she hopes to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Yuusaka Kitamura (although what she sees in him is never really explained, which makes it a bit of a mystery), and so they plot a number of methods to get him to notice her, all of which go complete awry on account of Taiga's klutzy nature.
As they spend so much time together, it's only a matter of time before rumours of the two of them being a couple start to surface - After taking out their frustrations on a nearby telegraph pole, Taiga decides that she needs Ryuuji no longer and goes it alone to confess to Kitamura... A plan which once again doesn't work out, and before you know it the two of them are back relying on one another once more.
While this is all pretty typical as plot lines for this kind of series goes, it's turned from run-of-the-mill into an eminently watchable episode by the two main characters themselves. In essence, they're exactly what a series like this needs - In turns misunderstood (by others at least, they seem to 'get' each other perfectly), stubborn, caring and so on... A whole bunch of everyday human character traits rolled into one. This package managed to string me along and play me like a fiddle perfectly here, leaving me smiling one moment and disappointed the next as Taiga and Ryuuji's friendship drifts apart and cements itself once again over the course of this episode. It's an emotional roller-coaster that's expertly timed and delivered here, and despite those stubborn moments you can't help but feel a genuine affection for Taiga growing, while also rooting for Ryuuji who obviously understands her so well.
In short then, this series so far has delivered on everything that it intends to - What more can you ask of a show such as this?
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