The interaction of Taiga Aisaka and Ryuuji Takasu was seen as a competition between the two most infamous figures in the school. A showdown between the delinquents, they said. The vicious Palmtop Tiger, and the dangerous Yankee _{(in the Japanese context, a punk/delinquent/rebel)} with murderous eyes.

But that's not who they truly were. And despite the guises of arguing and physical abuse (on Taiga's part), they were always the first to run to each others sides when the need arose. For a while nobody really understood why, not even Taiga and Ryuuji themselves.

Ysabel as Taiga Aisaka
Miguel as Ryuuji Takasu
photography/makeup/wig styling by me


A battle for after-school snacks! This was fun to shoot, though I had to remind them not to eat the props. Hahaha!

One of the many things I love about Toradora! is the - for lack of a better word - cinematography. (Wait, can you say that for animation?) The lighting, color treatment, "camera" angles, movement and such. _{And the music OH GOD THE MUSIC.} For this shot I did my best to capture the afternoon lighting in the anime. The soft light and pink and orange tones, with hints of magenta in the shadows.

I also enjoyed working on the wigs. The Taiga wig really put up a fight. It used to be parted down the middle and had no bangs. But we didn't want to give up on the wig because it was that perfect shade for Taiga - somewhere between blonde and orange and light brown. Miguel helped me arrange the fibers and battle them with hot water. He also figured out how to fluff up Taiga's signature tuft of hair on the back of her head. As for the Ryuuji wig, I had to work the flips out of it and cut off quite a lot. Miguel and I were itchy from being covered in wig fibers after styling.

Ahh, and the makeup! It's like painting, with faces as my canvas. Ysabel didn't really need much; the most I did was give her Taiga's angry eyebrows. For Miguel, some foundation to even out the skin tone, a LOT of eyeliner (which I think really makes him look different) and arched down eyebrows. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and I'm very proud of them for how they embodied their characters.


_{Toradora! cosplay photos:}
Tenori Taiga
The Dragon
Tiger vs. Dragon
Even When She Said Nothing
The Tiger's Tears
Gentle Footsteps
When She Falls


_{from Essa ~Cyfliq}
The Palmtop Tiger of Happiness
Tiger By The Tail


Toradora! (とらドラ!?) © Yuyuko Takemiya