After she walked in on what appeared to be a 'close' moment between Ami and Ryuuji, Taiga's mood was never going to be at its best, but things only get worse when a day at the pool is announced at school. Despite managing to drag her out shopping for a new swimsuit, her mood is anything but improving, but what's the big problem? Well, the lack of anything "big" seems to be entirely the problem, with Aisaka feeling more than a little self-conscious about her flat chest.
Of course, Ryuuji comes to the rescue, and all is well until a little incident that almost spoils Taiga's plans, leaving Ryuuji to come to the rescue yet again in a rather embarassing fashion for both of them.
Once again, Toradora! manages to carry itself perfectly - It hits some great notes of (admittedly mostly rather slapstick) humour, it shows us various sides of Taiga's personality in just the right doses to keep her rather loveable and adorable, and the dynamic between herself and Ryuuji (and indeed between all of the major characters) is absolutely spot on. Yes, having a pool episode is cliche central, but when you manage to pull it off this well then I really have no right to complain. The way Aisaka and Ryuuji's relationship has been built up as a very obvious and close friendship with just a hint of something beyond that is near masterful, and it's that above all else that makes this series one of my continuing favourites of this season.
hear hear!
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