Ryuji and Taiga dine at the family restaurant and unexpectedly introduced to the famous model, Ami Kawashima, by their common friend Yusaku. Ami puts on the pretense of being a nice girl while voraciously flirting with Ryuji in an attempt to make Taiga jealous.
Yusaku soon pulls Ryuji aside and has him observe Ami’s true personality from a distance as she and Taiga talk alone. Taiga gets fed up with Ami’s arrogance and slaps her across the face as Ryuji and Yusaku return to the table.
The next day Ami shows up as a new transfer student (don’t they always?) and wins the hearts of everyone in the class with her fake cheerful demeanor. Ami gets friendly with Ryuji and causes some misunderstandings with Minori, who mistakenly thinks Ryuji is two-timing Taiga. After school, Ami deduces that Taiga has a crush on Yusaku and tricks Taiga into thinking that Yusaku hates her for being so violent to Ami at the restaurant.
Taiga is upset the rest of the day and doesn’t show up for dinner as usual. Ryuji heads over to her apartment and tells her that Yusaku has been well aware of Ami’s true personality for a long time and tells her that Yusaku has no ill feelings towards her. Immediately afterwards, Yasuko sends Ryuji and Taiga to go and buy some Tonkatsu sauce for their dinner. As the two head back home they spot Ami walking down the street incognito with bags full of treats. Taiga suddenly has an epiphany and discerns Ami’s weakness.
Synchronized drinking…
And synchronized spitting. We have a new winning team!
Ami Kawashima, obligatory childhood friend and all around bitch.
A nice, peaceful meal. Or so we are led to believe.
Ahaha~ I’m such an airhead.
(And if you believed that you’re not a Toradora! resident yet.)
Yusaku: There’s something I have to tell you about Ami.
Ryuji: Let me guess–She has extra equipment? Why are the cute ones always traps?
I am not a trap. Look at my magnificent breasts. See?
Damn baby, you so fine…
You so fine you blow my mind.
Taiga is not amused.
As luck would have it, Ami transfers to the same class the next day.
This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!
Take this! My love, my anger, and all of my sorrow! But mostly my anger.
Ami’s a hit with the entire class. Except Taiga. Such scenarios are probably listed somewhere on TVTropes.
“All signs point to right.”
Minori Radar. Don’t leave home without it.
Taiga: That’s my Minorin.
[Cue audience laughtrack.]
I can’t resist a picture of a cute girl. It’s my weakness, okay?
The infamous Taiga death glare. So intense it tore her book.
Minori does her best Onizuka impression.
I’m also weak to the pouty look too.
Peekaboo. Crouching Taiga much?
Impressions:
That Ami is cute but is a major bitch with a capital B. I don’t completely get what ‘triggers’ her bad persona to come out but it’s such a drastic 180 degree change from her gentle persona. Is the switch voluntary or involuntary? Thus far the only thing that appears to set her off is the rivalry with Taiga (possibly for Yusaku?).
Minori had some hilarious moments in this episode. Ah Minori, your spotlight stealing antics will always have a place in my heart. I wouldn’t mind if the show was exclusively about her. As long as the Minori lulz keep coming I’m a happy customer.
Guess the next episode will further develop the rivalry between Taiga and Ami, which should make for an interesting development.
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Ami’s gentle personality is a pure farce which she puts up in front of everyone to make them like her (something Yusaku is concerned about). Her bitch side is her true self. It so happens Taiga pissed her off enough to drop the pretense and declare “war” (it started when Taiga gave Ami the “I don’t give a damn” treatment at the first meeting when Ami wanted to get a rise from Taiga, just before the slap).
Just the same, Minori is pure LOL (the Minori radar and her X-jesture were pure gold).
what was Minori using the radar for? , Omg that scene with the /O\ and then X killed me… but is she saying that it’s not ok?
I wanna see the the slap
So I guess Ami has no feelings toward anyone but the feeling to manipulate anyone she can possibly manipulate?
@Sailor Enlil: Thanks for clearing that up. I didn’t think Yusaku explained it very well, and her true personality came out unprovoked when it was just her and Taiga.
@frog212: The Minori Radar is used to find cute girls. Why she needs it is another story. The X means she disapproves of girls that call themselves airheads.
@Aizen: The slap scene wasn’t too exciting and half of it was off screen. So far it seems Ami just manipulates people for her own benefit.
http://www.wolfhurricane.com/images/screens/toradora/episode_5/toradora5_19.jpg
My favorite scene in ep 5. XD
No. I dont think Ami is a bitch. I really like her. She’s pretty. Moe much. XD But in terms of Taiga being the one who has a crush on Kitamura, I would say yes. She is a bitch. And fck yes. With capital B. FFFFF-
Kairu Ishimarus last blog post…Otaku Awards Update
ami is my fave character in toradora… i like her attitude… even she’s like that… ahaha… i really like anime characters with purple. blue and green hair…
it will be more better for zack (from crisis core FF7) would appear in toradora season 2 (if it would apear) that would be beter and becomes ami’s partner
i think ami is totally bitch cause she always getting ryuujis attenttion
Ami’s two-faced because she was thrown into the cut-throat world of multimedia (ie. modelling) way too early and picked up the overarching attitude of vanity and superficial-beauty-based insecurity that comes with a job that depends entirely on looks. She knows exactly how to act around people to get on their good side, but when it all comes down to it, she /needs/ praise to feel secure, and doesn’t know any other form of intimacy/friendship. Initially, she’s jealous of how close Ryuuji/Taiga/Yuusaka can be because she has never been able to feel that way: she’s never had friends, and that’s why she gets all bitchy on Taiga when Ryuuji and Yuusaka ‘leave.’ Later, she finally gets to experience true ‘normalcy’ and more of her ‘true self’ — that hidden almost-tsuntsun insecurity — shows. She likes Ryuuji because he’s generally a good guy, but also because he was the first one who opened her eyes to a world outside the superficiality she’d grown up with; he was the first one who told her to just ‘be herself’ and the first one who accepted her, even despite her negative qualities.
For me personally, I like her, especially in the later episodes when she sets aside her own feelings and gets Taiga and Ryuuji together. For me, it showed how far she had come, how her character had developed from a shallow-minded face in a photo to someone who was actually able to sacrifice her own happiness for the happiness of her friends. And, of course, it’s always refreshing to have someone who’s actually fully aware of everything that’s going on around them, rather than stuck in the mindless circles that constantly plague all genres.