STORY - 8
It's simple at first, Taiga and Ryuji make a deal to help the other get closer to their crushes and hijinks ensue. Their friendship leads to rumours about their relationship and at first, it sounds like a fun rom-com and it really is. The story is pretty simple, but it's full of laughs. Watching them fail and succeed at setting the other up is funny and then watching Taiga and Ryuji fall in love made it heartwarming. Though, as the series goes on, we realise there's a lot more to them then meets the eye though. Taiga has deep rooted issues due to feeling isolated by her family and while I do not have these issues with family per say, that loneliness and isolation Taiga felt was what resonated with me. I understood how she felt, because that was how I felt.
ART - 9
It's a cute art style. It's not a stand out art style but it's still cute. Not much more I can say about it honestly.
SOUND - 8
The OST was pretty nice and the first OP is the best. It's catchy, fun and up tempo and it'll get stuck it your head. The second OP is good too, as well as the EDs. I didn't honestly pay that much attention to the music, I was too invested in the characters. I've watched it both dubbed and subbed, and have no preference. Watch it how you prefer, I do tend to lead toward the dub only because I find dubs more relaxing.
CHARACTER - 10
The characters are what makes Toradora so good, in my opinion. Taiga is my favourite character and probably my favourite tsundere girl too (though Chitoge is a close second). I feel like she takes on the trope of tsundere and sticks to it well, but more importantly, she goes beyond just that trope and a good character needs to do that. Ryuji is just as likeable, though his obliviousness does get grating sometimes. The supporting characters are all fun and entertaining, Ami being the stand out of them.
ENJOYMENT - 10
As I said, Toradora was the first anime that made me really cry because I felt like I related to Taiga's feelings of loneliness. It also made me laugh so so much and it's incredibly heart warming and fun as well. It's one of the few anime I could watch over and over and never get sick of, the characters are too fun and the simple story always manages to hook me in. The characters are relatable and fun and that makes it even more enjoyable.
OVERALL - 10
There's a reason Toradora is my favourite romance anime and the anime I'll suggest to anyone looking for something new. It's fun, it's relatable and the characters really hook you in. The characters elevate what is a rather simple story of two friends helping each other with their crushes and it was genuinely heartwarming to see the romance between Taiga and Ryuji blossom. Toradora is must see for anyone who enjoys romance anime, and although Taiga's tsundere trope could turn people away, her growth beyond that is what makes her such a compelling character.
