UPDATE – 07/22/10:
NIS America has announced they will be remastering volume 1 of both Toradora and Persona to address transfer issues with both sets. For details, go here. 

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Toradora!  I’d heard a lot of positive buzz around the internet when the show was originally on the air in Japan last year, but I’ve learned over the years that fan hype should never be taken at face value as a sign of quality.  Thankfully, from the very first episode, any fears I had about the series were quickly put to rest as I became completely engrossed in this engaging and delightfully rambunctious anime series.

The plot for Toradora! is fairly simple and doesn’t break any new ground as far as romantic comedy series, but what it lacks in originality is makes up for in sheer energy and savviness.   Every episode was an unadulterated delight filled with heartfelt laughter and surprisingly moving moments of tenderness.  Main characters, Taiga and Ryuji, play off each other perfectly throughout the first thirteen episodes as the diabolical duo of romance.  Watching the two of them scheme and plot to win the hearts of their fellow classmates, Minori and Kitamura, never gets old.   As the series progresses and the two move closer to actually forming real relationships with the objects of their affection, it also becomes increasingly clear that Ryuji and Taiga have yet to recognize how deeply they have come to care for each other along the way.   By the end of the first thirteen episodes, it’s obvious that the something is going to have to give soon.  In fact, almost all of the characters make comments to that effect at some point during the series, but despite the promise of heartache and tears, the release of the second half of the series in August just can’t come soon enough for me. 

In addition to being a wonderful anime series in its own right, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about the fantastic packaging that NIS America has put together for the series.  Yes, they did ask me to make sure to comment on it when they sent me my review copy, but I would have had to do so anyway.  This premium edition box set absolutely floored me when I saw it in person for the first time.   The box for the two slimcase DVDs and hardcover art book is HUGE!  The heavy-duty materials used in the construction of this DVD box along with the all the goodies inside make the whole package surprisingly heavy.  Measuring in at a whopping 11 x 8 inches, this premium edition DVD set looks like it would be more at home on a bookshelf next to some classy anime art books then on your average DVD shelf.  Everything about it is bright and bubbly, from the cover art used on the two DVD cases to the 30-page hardcover series guide / art book that it comes packaged with it.  To say I’m extremely pleased with NISA’s efforts to put the premium back in “premium edition” would be a huge understatement.

With all of that said, no DVD release is without fault and although my complaints are minor when compared to my overall satisfaction with the release, I still feel I should mention them.  In this era of high definition TVs and video players, just doing an average encoding job on a DVD just doesn’t cut it anymore.  Even with upscaling turned on and several other setting tweaked on my PS3, the animation for Toradora! felt a bit washed out with some of the colors becoming almost indistinct during some sequences.  Granted, this might be a problem with the original animation, but it becomes a lot more noticeable when you take a DVD encoded at 480p and display it on TV designed to display video in 1080p. 

Other video related problems I noticed include some minor line noise around character’s eyes in several scenes throughout the series and the timing on the subtitles for the opening theme being a bit off at the beginning of the song. I also had trouble reading the episode titles sometimes if the background was particularly bright due to the hard subtitles used during these scenes been too light with very little shadowing to provide contrast and legibility.  Lastly, I was a bit annoyed that some of the dialogue translations have been heavily localized to the point of being far too slangy at times.  Whether it was someone talking about Taiga “rocking” a particular hairstyle or someone in the crowd shouting “Daaayum” during a beauty pageant, some of the more slang-ridden subtitles really rubbed my nerd fur the wrong way at times. 

Now, with all of that said, I want to stress again, that all of these complaints are minor in nature and that none of them really affected my overall enjoyment of the series one bit.  This first effort from NIS America is surprisingly good and, despite a few minor quirks here and there, is well worth the investment. 

Bottom Line:

I went into this series a bit dubious of the hype, but came out thirteen episodes later as a true believer in the power of the Palm-Top Tiger.  Filled with heart and charm, the Toradora! Volume 1 Premium Edition box set is an uproarious delight that will make an excellent addition to every anime fan’s collection.  (The release of the second box set in August cannot come soon enough! =^_^;;=)

Final Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed By: Laughncat 1

Description:  Toradora! Volume 1 Premium Edition box set (includes 13 TV episodes over two DVDS and comes with a hardback series guidebook.)

Available At:  The Right Stuf