とらドラ！

とらドラ! [Toradora!] Light Novel #1

by Yuyuko Takemiya, 竹宮 ゆゆこ, ヤス (Illustrator)

桜舞う四月。高校二年。新しいクラス。目つきは悪いが普通の子、高須竜児は、ちっちゃいのに凶暴獰猛、”手乗りタイガー”と恐れられる逢坂大河と出会う。そして彼女は知ってはいけない秘密を知ってしまい――。それが竜虎相食む恋の戦いの幕開けだった！　いつもにこにこ、超マイペ－ス娘の櫛枝実乃梨、文武両道、勤勉実直、だけどちょっとずれているメガネ委員長、北村祐作も絡み、どこか変なメンツによる恋はすんなりいくはずもなく……!?　『わたしたちの田村くん』の竹宮ゆゆこ＆ヤスが贈る超弩級ラブコメ登場！

Genres: Light Novel, Manga, Romance, Comedy, Slice Of Life, Fiction, Japanese Literature

264 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2006

About the author

Yuyuko Takemiya (竹宮 ゆゆこ Takemiya Yuyuko) is a Japanese writer of light novels. Takemiya debuted in September 2004 with her light novel series Watashitachi no Tamura-kun (Our Tamura-kun) which first appeared in the autumn 2004 issue of Dengeki hp Special, a special edition version of Dengeki hp. That same month, Takemiya worked on the scenario for the bishōjo game Noel by FlyingShine (also known for creating Cross Channel).

Following the completion of Watashitachi no Tamura-kun, Takemiya began her best-known series, Toradora!, which she declared to be complete in April 2010 after ten volumes and three spin-off books. The first book of her next series, Golden Time, was Dengeki Bunko's 2000th published light novel. Takemiya launched the manga series Evergreen with artist Akira Kasukabe on July 19, 2011 in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh Genesis quarterly magazine.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! Now I know what Light Novels are!! I have the Manga & Novel!! I love it!! I love this show so much!! I’ve said that before!!





Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[kutingtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If i enjoyed it, i give it 5stars :))

I was looking for some cheap manga at my favorite second hand store here in the Philippines called Booksale, so yes i am officially a “Batang Booksale” 🤓📚

Wasn’t really familiar with the titles until i scanned on the lower shelves and saw this one and only copy of Toradora! My eyes 👀 sparkled and my body giggled wd glee! I just knew then that I had to get it. No regrets on getting this one, I will read all volumes if I can. I wish I could go back to Galleria mall and check if there are more copies...

Anyway, I have loved Toradora since all the hype started. I enjoyed the series and will watch it again and again if I have to. It’s right there on my top3 lists of Shojou animes. This series made me feel happy and light and made me survive quarantine like it wasn’t even there.

As much as I am partly a Taiga- doesn’t cook, loves to sleep, loves to slap and bite people (but a good friend, especially to her bestfriend Minorin) has issues wtih her dad, clumsy, always hungry, has a particular weakness for anything sweet and delicious
and left alone in a condominium to fend for herself,

the reason why I really love it is because of my love and admiration for Ryuji. Tough on the outside, sweet and sentimental on the inside. He cooks well and is a neat freak! Yes! how is this my ideal person?! I can basically taste his fried rice and takikomi gohan while reading and falling in love looking at him clean the kitchen with amazing, professional cleaner precision. 😍😅

Also, let us not fail to mention our best anime kiss in the series world still belongs to these two. After everything that’s happened leading to that kiss, you would just feel how everything dissolves, a bubble forms around them and the world stops. It was so sweet and you just wish that was you irl.

I wish i could get my hands on the other light novels if the universe makes me lucky again, but for now I’m just really glad I found this one.🤞🏻😌

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's get something straight: I was not expecting to fall so deeply in love with this light novel at all. Heck, I wasn't even expecting to watch the anime, but two chapters into this, and I knew I was going to have to watch it alongside reading this (and hopefully, the rest of the novels in this series) to get some better sense of footing.

I'm sure it doesn't take much to figure out this falls in that category of media from Japan that sits somewhere solidly between teen school rom-com and slice-of-life angst, with its own sort of set dressing. Typically, that sort of manga and anime hasn't been my thing in the past and I wasn't expecting it to necessarily grip me here either. But Toradora! reads in a manner that is at once fun and light-hearted, yet also very emotional and genuinely heartfelt. We meet our two main characters, who are meant to balance and complement one another's appearances and personalities like opposite sides of a coin, and see how their paths end up crossing and what results.

What else I could possibly say without giving away too much of the story, I'm not certain. Just know that this is very good and I think it's worth reading. I also think it's a wise idea to watch the anime alongside reading this; this first light novel does a stellar job fleshing out and really expanding on what we do get in the anime, but I think watching the show can also help Western readers to get a better grasp on the characters, their individual personalities, interactions, and character voices overall.

[Angelina Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE IT!!!
I like Taiga the most because she is so cute and strong! She appears to be a strong, stone hearted girl but inside that shell is a fragile soul and a kind heart. And she looks like a doll!!! I've always want to be small and thin like her! She is one of the Tsundere characters that I love! So MOE!!!
And Ryuji... I like him because he is so patient, like he will never give up on Taiga and always be there for her! They are different but perfect for each other!

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was taken from the fan translated version by Baka-Tsuki! (See their website if you want to read this book!)

I recently picked up the first volume in the manga series & not being content to wait to find out how the series finishes, I located the fan translations of the light novel series. This is really worth the time it takes to locate this series.

This has pretty much all of the standards in anime & manga, yet the author manages to pull it off so well. The story is fun to read & the characters are so cute in their interactions together. It's a quick read, so there's no worries about investing long amounts of time to finish one volume. You could finish this in one sitting if you were so inclined & probably real all 10 volumes in one day. (But a little bit goes a far way with this series so I recommend parceling them out over a few days.)

I really wish that one of the various companies would release an official version of this light novel series. The market is small, but growing & I'm certain that this would do fairly well.

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5*

The Reading Rush 2019

I thought I would like this more than I did tbh. My biggest issue with this whole thing was Taiga, I know she's meant to be funny and endearing, but I just found her attitude obnoxious and annoying. I mean she's a bitch to Ryuji through most of the story for no reason. I did like that we got to see something deeper from her towards the end, but it just wasn't enough to make me love this.

[Rochelle Benoit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style was fairly basic, but it is YA, so that's not a complaint. Story was great. Anime is bang on, this just gives more details.

[Angela Auten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun! Full review to come later.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO cute. The anime actually followed it pretty well but you get so much more of their feelings in this light novel. I loved it and absolutely am going to buy the rest (and probably the manga). Taiga is such a hostile little butt; I adore her.

[Gaby Amarillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Alguien explíqueme el final

[Brian Shakotko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic rom-com story. It is light hearted and fun. One of the first books that made me aware of light novels. Great to have it in English.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toradora! is just your typical romantic comedy. You know, boy meets girl, girl punches boy, girl breaks into boy's apartment and tries to murder him, girl makes boy her slave and forces him to clean her apartment and prepare her meals. Classic Tracy and Hepburn stuff.

Ryuuji is a nice boy. Really he is. You'll never find somebody as kind, even-tempered and clean as Ryuuji (seriously, this guy is OCD about mold). He takes care of his mom, a hostess at a businessman's bar who spends her life alternating between being drunk and hungover with no period of sobriety between. Unfortunately he inherited his looks from his deceased yakuza father, particularly a pair of eyes that make him look like he's going to murder anyone who pisses him off. It took him most of his freshman year in high school to convince his classmates that he's not a thug, and now that he's starting his sophomore year with a new class, he's afraid he'll have to start over.

On the first day of school he discovers that Kitamura Yusaku, one of his friends from the year before, will be in his class, which is good. Even better, Kushieda Minori, the girl Ryuuji has a crush on, is there as well. So maybe this won't be such a bad year after -- hey, what's this! As he's entering the classroom, Ryuuji bumps into (literally) the only person in school more intimidating than himself: Aisaka Taiga, more commonly called "the Palmtop Tiger" for her diminutive size and fierce nature. Students immediately gather round to witness a clash of the titans, only to be disappointed when Taiga delivers a first round TKO. Well, at least everyone's less inclined to believe Ryuuji's a hardass.

A few days later, Ryuuji's doing his homework when he finds a love note from Taiga to Kitamaru in his bag. Apparently she screwed up and put it in the wrong backpack. The problem is, she realizes her mistake and breaks into his apartment that night to retrieve the letter. When Ryuuji catches her, she tries to beat him to death with a kendo sword. He fends her off and placates her by fixing her dinner. Turns out she's living on her own (in the posh high-rise apartment across the street, no less) and though her parents give her plenty of money to survive on, she has no housekeeping skills and has been subsisting off convenience store food. This is the first genuine meal she's had in weeks.

Ryuuji tries to cheer her up by showing her the box full of poems, mix tapes (well, mini-discs) and letters he's made for Minori. Finally he offers to help her get with Kitamaru -- or at least that's what he thinks he offers, though Taiga thinks he's offering to become her "dog". And Ryuuji's intimidated enough to go along with her demands, cleaning her apartment, cooking her dinner, and concocting ways for her to talk to Kitamaru. But these plans fail because, under her tough exterior, Taiga is actually a shy girl who gets nervous as hell when she's around a boy she likes. And to make matters worse, rumors start circulating that she and Ryuuji are a couple ...

I was a little trepidatious about picking this up since a ten volume rom-com epic isn't normally my thing. (Ten books might sound like a lot, but they're all what the Japanese refer to as "light novels" of only ~200 pages apiece. 2000 pages is still a lot for a romantic comedy, though it's short by light novel standards.) However, after about ten pages I was flying through the story. Ryuuji and Taiga make an hilarious odd couple, with him as the beleaguered straight-man to her insane tsundere, but with a genuinely sweet friendship that develops as Ryuuji comes to realize that beneath her hellcat exterior, Taiga is broken and lonely, and that for all her talk of him being her slave, she genuinely needs him to keep her from falling apart.

As a side note, don't expect to find this book on Amazon or in your local bookshop. From what I've read, there's no interest from American publishers in the series (most of the companies that publish Japanese fiction focus on sci-fi and fantasy). Even the anime adaptation only got a halfhearted release -- the distributor didn't even spend money on a dub track, a sure sign that they weren't expecting it to be a mass success -- so it's unlikely that an official release will happen in the foreseeable future. However, all ten books have been translated by fans, and you can easily find them by googling "Toradora epub".

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Born with a mean-looking face, most of his classmates think Takasu is a punk. Aisaka is a petitie girl with a horrible temper. They decide to work together so they can get the girl and boy friend they like. However, social situations are not their forte and hilarious situations happen instead! It also doesn't help that both have no parental supervision and are pretty much opposites.
From basketball to bentos to bad behavior all around I really enjoy the good intentions that never work out. It's so funny (rather than sad) when Takasu fails over and over even though he tries so much!!

[ironat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taiga’s a bitch

[Yuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun exploration into how human beings discover both themselves and each other through two dualities: of instinct and reason, and of the external and internal. And how the main characters cope (or try to cope, either consciously or subconsciously) with the discrepancies between the duals.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the Toradora! anime ages ago, in December of 2015. I thoroughly enjoyed the show by its end, even if the earlier episodes seemed like "generic" rom-com anime stuff. I did plan on re-watching the show the following two Christmases, but I guess I just ultimately got too lazy.

The thing is, I respected that Toradora! seemed to have a concrete ending by the conclusion of its 25 episodes. I am mostly familiar with light novel adaptations covering only the first few volumes before leading to a "buy the novel to get the ending"-type of deal. Of course, exposed as a was to anime like that, I assumed the Toradora! anime only covered roughly half of the light novel's ten volumes before creating an original ending, or otherwise skipping to the novel's end. It seems the last volume of the novel was published shortly before the airing of the anime's last episode, so I suppose it isn't unreasonable to guess that the anime actually did adapt the entirety of the prose series. But what frightens me is that a brief glance at the episode descriptions shows that everything that happens in this novel is wedged into the first two episodes of the show!

Anyway, having forgotten a chunk of the story from having not seen the anime in years, I could enjoy this novel well enough, regardless of how odd it feels knowing everything here was apparently jammed into such a small runtime in the adaptation. What is most significant is that the prose here seems to really hammer in the idea that Ryuuji and Taiga will end up together, when it was maybe not so clear within the first two episodes of the anime. Ryuuji has basically already decided he loves Taiga, or feels more strongly toward her than toward Minori, by the end of this volume (that is, there's clearly a "real" connection between Ryuuji and Taiga, compared to the more hollow infatuation Ryuuji has for Minori).

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toradora! is a light novel series about the mismatched friendship/romance between Ryuuji Takasu, a hard-working nice guy stigmatized for his thuggish appearance, and Taiga Aisaka, his ferocious, tiny classmate and next door neighbor. The two initially can't stand each other, but due to very teenage nonsense (Taiga has a crush on Ryuuji's overachieving best friend Yusaku, while Ryuuji pines for Taiga's gal pal Minori) wind up forging an alliance to win their respective crushes. There's a lot of cooking and cleaning (by Ryuuji) and playful abuse (by Taiga against Ryuuji) which results in the two being mistaken for a couple, putting their mutual at risk. I found the anime adaptation of this series utterly charming, starting with standard romcom tropes and turning them into a rich, seriocomic slice of life story with realistic characters and compelling personal drama that rarely feels contrived or forced. Yuyuko Takemiya's first novel mostly establishes the premise and groundwork, so the characters are pretty basic at this point and the conflicts the kind of misunderstandings you'd expect from a YA romance. Her prose is fairly pedestrian although that can perhaps be put down to the translation. Even so, Takemiya scores by establishing her protagonists as misunderstood people struggling to be appreciated for who they are, a theme which reemerges later on in less comic fashion.

[Roxanne Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember seeing the first episode of the anime and absolutely hating it, making me drop the whole show instantly. Now years later, I managed to find this whole series for a very good price and since I collect light novels, I couldn't just leave them there, even as I remembered my very bad first impression. Now I finished the first volume and I can say: I don't hate it! The part that got me angry in the anime (Taiga's confession) is much better and the pacing makes a lot more sense! There is a lot of anime-style nonsense and exaggerations, and the usual quiproquos of the japanese romances, but the narration is fun to read and the characters interesting to follow, with very intense but still relatable emotions and reactions. The writing is a bit rough around the edges, making some action a bit hard to follow, but it kinda fits for a youthful story. I'll continue to read this series and I hope the next volumes will be as fun!

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful chaos. It's too soon for me to write a review. I want to process the story and savor it some more, but my ereader is forcing my hand. What did I think of this romcom filled with acts of violence, social awkwardness, insecurity, rumors & misunderstandings, hilarity, the worst (and best) mother ever, the definitive tsundere heroine, and a kind hero who looks like he might kill you? What did I think? I thought, where is volume two? I need it now.

If you are a fan of the anime, the light novel is more nuanced, less confusing, and immensely better. If you are a fan of literature, you may not enjoy this book. It reads like American pulp fiction and anime had an affair. I loved it.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Segundo libro que leo completamente en japonés. Aunque sólo fue un volumen, es un libro de más de 200 páginas.
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba, que no era mucho, pero como herramienta para mejorar mi comprensión en japonés fue excelente. Fue difícil acostumbrarme, llegué como a la mitad con bastante dificultad. Ayudó mucho leer en la computadora donde puedo usar diccionario instantáneamente.
Ahora leer un manga se me hace mucho más fácil que antes y creo que ya puedo pasar a cosas que me interesan más personalmente. Mi meta es leer novelas de Dazai y Oe.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was kinda of fun (though also a bit slow for me). It really feels like it was more of a long setup for the rest of the series than a self contained story. Key word there "feels" since it does have one. It is a simple romantic comedy / slice of life but it is there. I am definitely interested to see where the series goes from here.

Verdict -- if you want something light-hearted and fun then Toradora is probably a good choice for you.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of fun and literally the exact same tone and style as the anime, but it worked a lot better in the anime for me. I will say, that this did paint a clearer picture of the timeline of Ryu and Taiga becoming friends.

This was a little bit cringe, but I had an absolute blast reading this (especially considering that my last read was The Memory of Babel, the tonal whiplash between these two stories is very welcome, lmao).

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talvez uma das razoes pelas quais eu amei tanto essa light novel seja por que o anime fez parte da minha adolescência, eu me apaixonei por todos os personagens e as suas peculiaridades a muito tempo atras e nesse livro só consegui amar eles mais ainda, mas a quem interessar só tenho a declarar que vale muito a pena ler esse livro!

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these characters. I love this story.

The scene with Taiga and Ryuuji kicking the electrical pole will stay with me forever.

*The manga didn’t stray much from this volume of the light novel, if you were wondering! We got a little more of Ryuuji’s thoughts but nothing drastic that would make a difference.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

muito divertido!! definitivamente vou ler os próximos volumes.

cara, como é reconfortante ler a narração descrevendo a aparência da aisaka e ver que em nenhum momento se recorre a aspectos sexuais e pedofílicos. isso sem mencionar também que o takasu, além de não ser um imbecil, é um cara atencioso e sabe cozinhar e cuidar da casa. é meio difícil ver esse tipo de coisa sendo valorizada - espera, como é? ah, essa light novel foi escrita por uma mulher? aaahhhhh....... que surpresa :)

[m.herbatnik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jejuuu jakie to głupie!
Wpędziła mnie w ogroooomny zastój czytelniczy, ale przede wszystkim była okropna. Laska przykleja się do typa i nazywa go swoim "kundlem" a on jej gotuje jedzonko i jest na każde jej pierdnięcie bo ona taka biedna. Początek totalnie mnie rozwalił a z czasem było już trochę lepiej, ale wciąż jakieś żałosne wstawki no nie dla mnie to było nie chce o tym myśleć już xD

[Hartwig Th · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm over the moon. The light novel is even better than the anime! I really dig the authors way of writing, and the main characters have a certain complexity to them. Reading the story is delightful - start to finish. After all these years, there is hardly any romcom that has reached the level of Toradora, imo!

[Jes Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toradora is one of my very favorite animes, and I loved the manga, but the writing style of the english translation of the light novel is... lacking. The way it's written is really hard to follow. I love the story though, so it was enjoyable regardless.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big fan of the anime I was excited about the English translation of this light novel. I enjoyed ready and love the slight differences as it adds to the story. I look forward to continuing this series.

[DJ Linick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has all of the fun of the anime but with the beautiful depth of inner monologue which only a book can provide!

The story is even more delightful the second time around! I cannot wait to read the remaining volumes!