it's not because it's bad.
it's not because the story is poor.
it's not because the characters are flat or anything.
on the contrary, everything plotwise, and with regards to the development of its characters is wonderfully thought of, the story never goes stale, and the characters draw you in precisely because of their dynamism.
Toradora!, a light novel series can be tagged as a 'slice of life' or romance genre. It begins and follows upon the stories of Takasu Ryuuji, once thought of as a delinquent because of stereotypism (his eyes look criminal compared to those of his fellow classmates), Aisaka "Palmtop Tiger" Taiga, a diminutive tactless girl who ends up having their lives entangled because of a simple accident of Ryuuji discovering her obsession and her love of Kitamura, a fellow classmate and Takasu's best friend.
That said, Toradora draws you to it, sucks you in, so much so that you begin to think of your life with regards to the events of the series itself. As the series unfolds and the feelings each character has of each other develops, you can't help but feel an attachment to each of their individual stories. A scratch in this character here or that character there echoes into your own psyche. That powerful a series and that powerful a genre doesn't hold fit for me because it serves to give you a 'slice of life' through who the characters are and what they become.
In essence, I fell in love with the characters precisely because of their humanity, their vulnerability and their honest to goodness regard for their fellow classmates.
That said, this series is a masterpiece and is very well recommended.
