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.
In the early days of light novels, before publishers started picking up serailized stories from sites like So You Want to Become a Novelist, it was common for the first volume to be a standalone story that wrapped up the major plotpoints, that way if the book bombed readers wouldn't be left with an unresolved cliffhanger. But doing things like that would often put the author in a bind -- if they wrapped things up too well in the first volume, there'd be no room for sequels. The most obvious example of this is Sword Art Online, where the first volume wrapped things up so well that subsequent books barely even involve Sword Art Online.
Similarly, the first volume of Toradora reached a satsifying conclusion with Taiga and Ryuuji not exactly together but clearly meant for each other even though they were still trying to get with the other's best friend. But there's only so much that can be done with that set-up. If that's all there was to the story, the series would only last two or three books before it got tedious.
Thankfully the author realized this, and so the second volume opens with her tossing a hand grenade into the story.
The hand grendade's name is Ami Kawashima. She's a famous teen model, and also Kitamura's childhood friend who moved away while still young. But now circumstances have conspired to bring her back to town, where she's enrolled at the same high school as Taiga and Ryuuji.
On the surface, Ami is a sweet, doe-eyed girl -- a bit of an airhead, but nobody minds because she's so adorable.
On the surface.
But the truth is she's a queen bitch. Has been her entire life. She only adopted her sweetie-pie persona to get by in the modeling world. Taiga and Ryuuji first glimpse her true self when they run into her and Kitamura at a diner over spring break. Not knowing that Taiga and Ryuuji are going to be her classmates, she lets her mask slip to Taiga, and the two become instant enemies.
The wonderful thing about this book is that Ami isn't treated as an evil Heather who needs to have her soul stomped into oblivion as punishment for her mistreatment of others. On the contrary, her fake persona, which is how most people at school know her, is perfectly kind -- but it's also damned annoying. It is, perversely, only when she let's her inner bitch out that she that she becomes a likeable person. And I don't mean that her character becomes interesting, in the way of Regina George or Cordelia, who are fun to watch even though you'd never want to be around them in real life. No, when Ami let's her mask down and is ready to talk shit, that's when she becomes somebody you'd want to talk to.
This is what makes Takemiya such a wonderful writer. Not many authors -- even women authors -- are willing to ask the audience to sympathize with female characters who are not just tough but downright mean, and yet Takemiya asks readers to do that with both Taiga and Ami. She not only doesn't care if you think they're bitches, she thinks being a bitch is perfectly fine and women should embrace it if that's what they are. Don't try to be nice when you wanna tell a guy to fuck-off -- just say what you think, and if he doesn't like it, that's his problem.
If you thought for a second that I wasn't going to enjoy this light novel as much as I did the first, I'm here to tell you that you were mistaken. Again, while the typical genres this falls under aren't my personal cup of tea, Toradora! remains very genuine, emotional and heartfelt underneath all the comedic slice of life and romantic shenanigans.
I am not entirely certain what I can say here that isn't already given away in the listed summary, but for individuals who, like me, prefer to read the light novels alongside watching the anime, I feel like there's something lost in the anime's adaptation when it comes to understanding the characterization of the character of Ami, introduced in this volume. Certainly do watch the anime, because it's good, but I highly encourage reading the light novels as well. I think they do Ami justice far better, and it's much easier to sort of see how she's going to slot into this pre-existing dynamic between the four other main characters we have.
Additionally, I highly recommend reading the bonus little short story at the end of this volume. I almost passed it up, but I'm so glad I ended up reading it in the end!
Toradora! Vol. 2 continues the star-crossed relationship of Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka as they grow from reluctant allies to inseparable friends. Having established the ground rules for the series in Vol. 1, Yuyuko Takemiya introduces an irritant: Ami Kawashima, a statuesque model who causes trouble the moment she arrives at school. Ami pretends to be a ditzy airhead but is actually a conceited brat, immediately butting heads with Taiga who sees through her ruse immediately. Ami is somewhat divisive among fans but she's actually one of my favorite characters: she slowly reveals an empathetic side and emotional intelligence that somehow complements her less-appealing traits; like the series' other characters, it's less that she grows or changes than that she needs friends who will accept her, warts and all, to bring out her good traits. Certainly, after revealing her difficulties with a stalker it's hard not to sympathize with her even as she grates on the protagonists (and occasionally the reader). Taiga and Ryuuji's relationship starts to feel more lived-in and real; they still snap at each other but it's clear there's already trust and affection that allows them to work as a team. We still don't know a lot about romantic interests Minori and Yusaku at this point, but patience - we're getting there.
As with the previous Toradora LN, I read the Baka-Tsuki translation of this book.
I have to say that this entry was actually a little stronger than the previous one, but that's probably because at this stage we know quite a bit about our characters. This means that the author can expand a little on the situations & bring out more secondary characters. (Ami is one of those characters you love to hate!)
This is a pretty cutesy book so if you're looking for something a little less wacky or anything serious, this isn't the book for you. There's a short story along with this book that was also pretty entertaining to read.
(For people who might be reading this alongside or after the anime, be aware that they did alter the story very slightly, but not enough to really disrupt your reading experience.)
I'm happy that we are getting a more traditional school life romcoms like Toradora translated, light novels are more than just isekai and battle series.
How could more Toradora! be a bad thing? I will admit the first 50 or so pages of this one I was hesitant, but that may have had to do more with me trying to read right before bed and just being stupidly tired and so should have waited. *grin*
With the introduction of Ami Kawashima into our core group of characters everything gets thrown for a loop or two. Some standard hijinks ensue. But I felt there was some actual character growth in the volume and it certainly made for a fun read (one I was awake enough to read it!)
Verdict: If you like Toradora! read it. If you want to start Toradora, start with Toradora! vol.1
Dopo mesi di ricerche, sono finalmente riuscito a reperire il secondo volume di questa serie, e ammetto che ne è assolutamente valsa la pena! Ritornano le avventure della tigre palmare, questa volta con l'aggiunta di un nuovo personaggio: Ami kawashima, ennesima protagonista ben scritta e stimabile, ho apprezzato molto la sua presenza all'interno del romanzo e soprattutto il suo iconico volta faccia. Unica critica che riesco a fare è relativa ai capitoli; C'è un continuo alternarsi tra capitoli brevi e veloci da sorvolare a capitoli invece più lunghi e non sempre molto scorrevoli. Non c'è altro di cui potersi lamentare!
★★★½☆ I enjoy Yuyuko Takemiya’s work, but I didn’t enjoy this volume as much as the first. The comedic aspect of the first part felt more typical of other works in this genre. However, as soon as we delved deeper into Ami Kawashima’s story, about halfway through, the more serious side of Yuyuko’s writing came to the fore. Consider me biased. I love when she gets serious. However, I can’t blame an author for wisely catering to her audience so she can afford to continue writing. This was a good read.
In this volume, Ami is introduced. She’s hard to like in the beginning of this story but she gets better, trust me! I can’t stop laughing at the “goblin” thing!!!! Ohh that was not in the manga!!!
*Now comparing this volume to the manga (which I read beforehand), there’s not too many differences. The Ami-stalker thing happens a little differently though. A scene is cut out. And of course, there’s little details here and there that are different as well. So far, I still think that you can read the manga and still enjoy this story fully.
Better than the first volume! Most of the main cast was already well introduced, so it feels natural to get a new character, who's also a troublemaker but in a completely different way. I found Ami strangely more relatable than Taiga, too. The novel also introduces the student council president, and gives a bit more about the student council with a side story at the end. I really hope that we'll get more of this fun gang, who's crazy and dumb in a whole different manner than the main cast.
the second volume of the toradora light novel introduces ami who serves as the main plot point of this volume. i remember watching the anime and absolutely HATING this bitch which i guess is how they want us to feel but she’s honestly a pretty cool character and ends up becoming one of the most interesting characters in the series by the end of it
4/5 it’s pretty good not much else to say about this
I like Ami as a character a lot more than Taiga, because of how much of a foil she is to the rest of the cast. She has the most dimension to her character, which makes me wonder how the story would have been if she was the main character instead of Taiga.
Toradora! Vol. 2 Rating: 7/10 Don't judge me. A somewhat slow, but still very entertaining installment in the series. With the gift of foresight granted by having watched the anime, this is still in the slapstick oriented segment of the story.
I'm happy that we are getting a more traditional school life romcom like Toradora translated, light novels are more than just isekai and battle series.
The story so far: Takasu Ryuuji and Aisaka Taiga are the most feared kids in their high school. In Taiga's case this is a well-earned rep, but Ryuuji is a good kid who had the misfortune to inherit his yakuza father's mean looks. Ryuuji and Taiga are both in love with the other's best friend (Kitamura Yuusaku and Kushieda Minori) and agree to help each other. Along the way Ryuuji ends up taking care of Taiga, who has been abandoned by her parents in a luxury apartment next door to the Takasu's tenement. By the end of the first book, Taiga was practically living in the Takasu place, only returning home for bed (when she didn't fall asleep in front of the TV). This causes problems when other students notice the situation and conclude Taiga and Ryuuji are a couple. Which, you know, kinda puts a damper on their romantic plans. Nonetheless, they'd developed enough of a codependent relationship by that point that they couldn't quit each other, so they had to settle for convincing Kitamura and Minori that nothing's going on.
Book 1 ended with the establishment of a status quo, which is death for romantic stories, so Book 2 begins with a complication. Raymond Chandler once said that if you can't think of what happens next, have a man come through the door brandishing a gun. The rom-com version is to have a beautiful woman come through the door in a sexy dress. And so the book opens with Ryuuji and Taiga having lunch at a restaurant when Taiga notices a beautiful woman enter. And not any beautiful woman -- this is Kawashima Ami, the famous fashion model. And she's accompanied by Kitamura! They join Taiga and Ryuuji, and Kitamura explains that Ami's an old friend of his family who's in town visiting.
Ami seems like a sweet girl if a bit of an airhead, but when Kitamura and Ryuuji go to the bathroom, she reveals her true, bitchy self to Taiga. They get into an argument that ends with Taiga slapping "the stupid chihuahua" ("Sorry, you had a mosquito on your cheek. Oh, you have a fly on the other one.") But the guys didn't really go to the bathroom -- Kitamura knows about Ami's mask, and he wants Ryuuji to see it as well.
We find out why the next day in class when the teacher introduces a new student, none other than Kawashima Ami. The situation quickly deteriorates as Ami decides to crush Taiga -- and unfortunately for Ryuuji, she picks him as the tool for doing it.
Ami makes a great addition to the cast. Takemiya does a wonderful job portraying her dual personalities -- and making her inner bitch more likable than the "stupid chihuahua" facade. Sure, she's mean, petty and mercenary, but no worse than Taiga. It's her "Ami-chan is so cute," act that makes her such a perturbing character. There's a scene where Ryuuji and Ami get caught in the rain and her mask slips, which is the first time they're able to have a real conversation instead of Ami manipulating him with smiles and gentle caresses, and for a moment, before she falls back into her act, it seems they could be friends.
As a foil for Taiga, Ami is perfect. Anyone else, Taiga could simply intimidate, but if she tries that on Ami, the other girls in class, who absolutely adore Ami-chan, would turn on her. All Taiga can do is wait for Ami to make a mistake and pounce, such as a moment when Ami tells the class that she's just naturally thin and doesn't need to diet, which of course pisses the hell out of all the girls who eat salads at lunch and spend hours at the gym.
The first book was essentially a prologue that established the set-up for the series. This volume is where the real story kicks in. While it contains a plot in its own right, with a beginning, middle and end, it also establishes an ongoing conflict between Ami and Taiga, of which this is merely the first installment.
(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 half-hearted 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".)
Secondo volume di Toradora. Come da tradizione per il genere,dopo aver introdotto i nostri protagonisti principali e le loro motivazioni e backstory nel primo volume,nel secondo ci vengono introdotti nuovi personaggi inevitabilmente destinati a scatenare nuovi triangoli amorosi,nello specifico la modella Ami,tanto bella quanto falsa e disperatamente intrappolata in una rivalità apparentemente senza fine con Taiga,che ovviamente passerà dal cercare di farla ingelosire flirtando con il povero ryuuji,come al solito vittima incapace di ribellarsi dei caratteri bizzarri delle ragazze che lo circondano,e la presidentessa del consiglio studentesco,amore segreto dell'amore segreto di Taiga,e quindi ulteriore "rivale in amore" della tigre palmare. Il nuovo volume,pur avendo un climax interessante e una back story per Ami abbastanza strutturata,non riesce a raggiungere le vette emotive del precedente volume,sopratutto perché nessun personaggio raggiunge il livello di complessità raggiunto da Taiga nella seconda metà del primo volume,ma la storia è molto più scorrevole e lo humor è più riuscito. Chiude il volume un simpatico racconto breve che funge da spin-off della serie,con un nuovo protagonista e i nostri abituali personaggi relegati a ruoli secondari,che oltre ad essere piuttosto divertente approfondisce la storia e il carattere della presidentessa del comitato studentesco,che nella storia principale aveva effettivamente fin troppo poco spazio. Nel complesso una love comedy piacevo e divertente,meno interessante del primo volume e più piacevole e scorrevole.
En esta segunda entrega conocemos a la rival de Taiga, una chica físicamente bella pero con una multi-personalidad de princesa y de guarro; Kawashima Ami es sin mentir un personaje demasiado cliché para mi gusto y de ninguna manera me agrada, de hecho, es de esos personajes que te hacer querer estrellarle la cabeza contra la pared para que deje de ser tan falsa y tan arrogante.
La historia en general no avanza mucho así que no queda más que leer el tercer libro.
Nota: sigo leyendo de un archivo traducido por un fansub porque ni como conseguirla.