Take for instance Toradora. If there's anyone in the show that uses these cultural reference, it is Minori, and lately the other characters have shown to bring them up in situations I had expect something completely different. Take for instance the latest episode that I've been working on, episode 10, where Minori suddenly explains how she's using a "Manjuu Kowai" method. I was convinced beyond that that couldn't for the love of me be what she was saying, until I started reading NicoNico comments for the episode. Google to the rescue, and I find out this is a Rakugo, a comedy script told by one person sitting dead serious in a seiza, and that it is rather funny as well. I end up reading the whole thing, and it struck me as one of the best trolls in comedy history, and probably one of the oldest too. There's a good translation of it here. But how common are these Rakugo for the Japanese?

I have already experienced that the author of Toradora is very well versed in Japanese culture and loves to stick in her favorite parts of stories as a retelling in Toradora. I can't catch all of them, but when I do, I probably have had to read up on it beforehand. In episode 6, Ami is getting trolled good by Taiga, and is made to do imitations. I had no idea who half of these people were, and I only learned of their names again from reading it somewhere, and then I had to make sense out of what the hell they might be doing. I watched some YouTube clips with Uganda in it, I read about Matsumoto Seichou and Akechi Mitsuhide and figured who they were. After having done all of this in this particular episode, I knew way more about Japanese history, and I knew more about some of their known authors. Again in episode 3, I had no idea what kinrou kaiki file was. Figuring out this took a while and I ended up reading about other old shows too, expecting them to show up later.

Cultural stuff aside, I now know how swimsuits work, and I learned how to make beans spun in fried eggs and other bean-heavy recipies. I know what isoflavone and docosahexaenoic acid is. I'm also getting good at making english rhymes and puns out of their Japanese originals, if somewhat having to call upon the power of scone-munching faggots. Excuse me while I read some more Rakugo, this shit is hilarious.