

[This site](http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/toradora/orenji.htm) has
Toradora's second ending theme, Orange (オレンジ), together with lyrics both in
Japanese and translated.

First, it's worth noting that the word Orange is ambiguous in English,
referring both to a color and a fruit, and it is used to this effect in the
song. At one point in the song it talks about a fruit which is turning orange,
and at another it talks about an orange. I don't know if we can conclude that
these are the same fruit, so if you want to claim that they are actually
different fruits feel free to do so.

What is the significance of this fruit, and the story told in the song in
general, in the context of the anime? It seems to be symbolic somehow, but I
don't know what it's referring to when the singer is talking about an "orange
...[which] was sour, ... [but they] ate it all anyway."

Can anyone decode the meaning of this song, and what the orange is
symbolizing, in the context of the anime?


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symbolism theme-song toradora
Why is Toradora's ED about oranges?


I think the orange personifies the characters of the Toradora, mostly the
girls (Taiga, Ami & Minori).

The lyrics says,

> ORENJI iro ni hayaku naritai kajitsu kimi no hikari wo abite

which translates to:

> The fruit wants to hurry up And turn orange-colored Basking in your light

means that the girls want to be more matured, like a still unripe orange that
wants to be ripe.

It also says,

> ORENJI kyou mo tabete mita kedo mada suppakute naita watashi mitai de
> nokosenai kara zenbu tabeta

which means:

> I tried to eat  
>  An orange today, too But it was still sour, and I cried Because it's unlike
> me to leave any behind I ate it all

or (this is just my translation of the line `watashi mitai de nokosenai kara`
which could be wrong).

> I tried to eat  
>  An orange today, too But it was still sour, and I cried It's like me so I
> can't leave it behind and so I ate it all

and can be pertained that the singer is comparing herself to that particular
orange, which is still sour (not matured enough), like her, so she ate it all
up. Can also be assumed that she can't leave herself behind or she pity the
orange because it was like her.

Also,

> ORENJI itsuka amaku naru kana sore to mo shibonjau no? watashi no mirai
> shiritakunakute zenbu tabeta

which means,

> I wondered if The oranges would turn sweet someday Or would they wither? I
> didn't want to learn of my future So I ate it all

First she wondered if the oranges will someday turn sweet or wither, then she
stated that she didn't want to learn _her_ future, which solidifies that the
singer was personifying herself in that orange fruit.

Toradora involves the story of the girls and their thinking development
towards love. If you have watched Toradora yourself, you would know that this
song really relates to them (Taiga, Minori & Ami).


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This song, being sung by the 3 main heroines, was especially made for the
anime. The song uses the metaphor of an orange, likening the girls to an
unripen, not yet matured, orange.

This [blog
entry](http://web.archive.org/web/20100901080252/http://thetruemelody.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/new-
toradora-op-and-ed/) offers a much in-depth look into the meaning behind the
song. Though the translations may differ between people, the general meaning
stays intact. The blog article mostly compares the CoalGuys and the [{Words of
Songs}](https://atashi.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/toradora-2nd-ending-theme-
orenji/) fansubs, with the author trusting the {Words of Songs} version over
the CoalGuys fansub (though he admits he likes the fansub lyrics better).

One can assume one of two things from the lyrics: the first being that it's
Taiga who is the main voice narrating the lyrics, or the second, that
everybody is narrating these lyrics. The following explanations will try to
look at the lyrics from both perspectives.

> _“It’s just that I don’t know/My true self.”_ This line can easily be seen
> to be Taiga, or any of the characters. I think Toradora is special in the
> fact that all the characters can fit into this. It implies how all the
> characters have a hidden side to themselves that even they may not know.
>
> _“Into the broad earth, a single seed/Extended its roots/And bore fruit that
> was still unripe.”_ The fruit, first of all, probably symbolizes the
> narrator(s). This “unripe fruit” thing, I’m guessing, is a lack of maturity
> for the fruit and the person.
>
> _“The fruit that wants to turn orange as soon as possible.”_ An unripe
> orange is usually green, while a ripe one is... well, orange (big surprise,
> huh). Basically, the person(s) want(s) to mature. This may be because if
> they mature, they may learn more about themselves in the process.
>
> _“by basking in your light.”_ I think that this light is the object of the
> narrator’s affection. It’s easier to see that when looking at the next
> reference to light: “I didn’t want to get hurt/So I fled/When I did that,
> not even light/Would shine upon me.” Because love is known to be painful,
> the narrator tries to flee from it, but realizes she cannot grow as a person
> without love.
>
> _“I tried to eat/An orange today, too/But it was still sour and I cried/It
> reminded me of myself, so I couldn’t throw away the rest.”_ We can see how
> the person and the fruit are symbols of each other, and their immaturity is
> also accented. If we look at the fansub version we see that eating the
> immature/unripe fruit shows that the person is also not mature yet, while
> it’s a lot harder to use the {Words of Songs} one.


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One key facet to this song is the point at which it becomes the ending song,
and how that timing and the song itself play against the larger theme of the
anime. The driving message of Toradora is not so much how the characters
evolve, but how all their concepts of love evolve.

In the begining, Ryuji and Taiga have very similar ideas about the concept of
love, centered around the high school crush. In the episode just before the
"Orange" takeover, we find out that Kitimura had the same notion, but when
Taiga rejected him, found something new.

Throughout 'Mercury is Retrograde at Christmas,' we see the other main
characters also begin to take up this transformation, along with all the pain
and confusion that comes with it. From the moment Ami's question about her
feelings of guilt rattles her to the point of fouling up the game, Minori is
forced to consider her growing feelings for Ryuji and their potential
consequences, in was she was not able to back at the beach house. Ryuji has
his own moment of burgeoning crisis watching Taiga and Kitimura, while
Kitimura has gone from tight containment to bouncing off the walls.

Taiga hasn't looked at herself clearly yet, but Christmas is the arc where we
will see her do so. And as for Ami, she is doing her best to force things to a
crisis, trying to make the fruits turn orange around her. None of them are
quite ready yet, all a bit sour. But they are starting to see that quality
within each other, and from there reflect what it means when turned inward.
That looking forces them tighter together, unable to give up on those facing
the same challenges they are facing.

The strength of this is that it is something that most viewers can also
connect with. A challenge we have seen in ourselves. It garners an emotional
catharsis that drives viewers to not let it go, because their sour fruit
reminds us of ourselves, and we cannot toss that aside or stop from eating
it... whichever of those two translations you like best.


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The narrator is a person who sings of her plight and hopes as:

  1. sour, unripe, insignificant orange + sunlight = ripe orange

  2. bitter, incomplete, pained person + lover = happy person

Using the orange metaphor, the narrator is a unripe fruit that chanced upon
this world and her lover is sunlight that shines upon her. "So look at me!"

The song continues its flavor (bazinga!): as a person, she gets reminded of
herself by oranges. In particular:

  1. most striking, a sour orange reminds herself of her sourness, so om nom nom nom
  2. a bunch of unripe oranges reminds herself of her uncertainty, so om nom nom nom

* * *

Both Taiga and Kushieda can play the orange role, while Ryuji is the Sun.

You may be interpreting stuff too literally. Dont go through the orange,
instead let the orange go through you!


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