Toradora

Toradora is probably one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen and definitely one of the best anime I've seen to date. It has strong characters, tons of emotional moments, and it leaves you thinking by the end of it all.

The story of Toradora is simple but effective. Taiga and Ryuuji are two high school students who learn they have crushes on each other's friends, Minori and Kitamura. They spend the bulk of the series trying to help each other ask their crushes out, only to slowly develop feelings for each other. There's also a model named Ami who slowly develops a friendship with the rest of the main cast and even tries to help Taiga and Ryuuji realize their feelings for each other. I think it's a really charming story executed incredibly well, particularly because of how slow and gradually the development between Taiga and Ryuuji is. Their feelings for each other never feel rushed or forced, rather it's easily one of the most natural love stories I've ever seen. By the second episode, I was absolutely sold on the couple and was rooting for them to get together.

Probably the strongest aspect of Toradora are the characters. The whole cast is incredibly multi-faceted and go through a lot of development throughout the course of the show. Taiga and Ryuuji are particularly strong characters, and I loved seeing Taiga slowly become more emotionally mature as the show goes on. I also think their dynamic with each other is great and really sells their romance. Minori is another highlight, a character who's far more tragic than she initially lets on. There are also a lot of great side characters, helping Class 2C feel like a fully-fledged homeroom. One of my favorite characters was Ryuuji's mom Yasuko, who seems like the comic relief for most of the show until the last few episodes when you realize there's a lot more to her than it initially seems. Despite her ditzy exterior, she has a lot of regrets and is really doing her best to support Ryuugi and prevent him from making the same mistakes.

The story also does a great job of never outright telling you how the characters feel or why they do what they do, allowing for a lot of subtext. Taiga, in particular, makes a lot of impulsive decisions and looking into the reasoning why she makes them is fascinating. Add in a somewhat ambiguous ending and you get a show that people are still talking about years after it's ended. However, I also think the show goes a bit too far with this sometimes, as it took me a while to understand why the events of the finale ended up happening. The animation is also strong with striking character designs, and the background music is downright beautiful at times. My biggest gripe is the fact that some of the episodes gets a bit too melodramatic at points, particularly the one where the characters get lost in a cave. I also think the usage of a post-credits scene to resolve the story in the final episode is a bit of a jerk move for those who aren't aware of it. I feel for everyone who thought Ryuuji and Taiga didn't end up together.

Here are a bunch of Toradora episodes that I thought was notable:

Osashi High School Culture Festival: A strong three-parter that focused on Taiga's issues surrounding her family. The reveal that Ryuuji was wrong about her father is a serious gut punch and does a lot to make you feel more sympathetic of her. Thankfully, the ending is really sweet and memorable.

One Step Forward: I thought Sumire was an excellent and multi-faceted side character, who got a great focus in this episode, which feels like the culmination of Taiga's feelings for Kitamura. The classroom fight is devastating to watch, but it's also one of the most beautifully animated scenes in the whole show.

Christmas Eve Party: Easily the best episode in the show, Taiga's moment of realizing that she loves Ryuuji is heart-breaking and is also beautifully done. Minori's decision to reject Ryuuji so he ends up with Taiga is also incredibly memorable. Despite the sad ending, there are also a lot of really fun Christmas shenanigans to light the mood throughout the episode.

Confession: A close second to my favorite episode of the show, Ryuuji and Taiga finally getting together was an incredibly satisfying moment and it was done really well. I thought their decision to run away from home together was incredibly intriguing too. This was also the episode that made me love Yasuko's character.

Toradora!: A strong and emotional ending that took me a while to truly understand, but now I think I get it. Taiga saw how quickly Ryuuji mended things with his family and realized that she's not mature enough yet to date him, so she leaves to do the same thing. Once she returns in the post-credits scene, they're both ready to truly begin their relationship. Aside from the buttload of subtext, there are tons of emotional and memorable moments, and that final post-credits scene really is amazing.

Toradora is an excellent rom com anime with great characters, strong animation, and a lot of subtext that leaves you thinking about it long after it's done. While some plot decisions feel a bit odd at times, the whole series feels really well-thought out and purposeful.

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Christmas Eve Party