Story : 8/10 While maybe not going along the most original of plot lines, two characters helping each other out to get the guy/girl of their dreams, eventually falling for each other, the way the story spans out is unbelievably original and quirky. It starts out strong and ends strong, but the middle for me was the golden period. I have never seen an anime which so skilfully draws out the characters, slowly and carefully, like a bud blooming into a flower.
Art : 9/10 To be honest, I find it rare in an anime to be brilliantly drawn, all the time. Even my all-time favourite Kare Kano has faults. In Toradora I found characters, surroundings, colours and clothing to be drawn at a excellent style, consistently. The quality never dropped or changed, and rather than being faced with what looks like entirely new characters in certain scenes because of the way they are drawn, you are left with a comfortable, familiar, and brilliantly well drawn anime.
Sound : 6 (?)/10 To be honest, I only pay attention to the soundtrack if it is very, very, VERY good. And this one, while suited to the anime, has me only remember the first opening song (trust me, when you hear it yourself, you'll understand) and a piano piece that had some discords in it. I doubt you will watch this for the soundtrack though.
Character : 10/10 This is where I could find absolutely no fault. While Taiga starts out as your average tsundere character, she becomes so much more as you learn her past and all her little quirks (I dare you NOT to cry in the Christmas episode when she runs outside to find Ryuuji). Ryuuji himself is a selfless, honest and almost naive character perfect for a male lead (his acts of kindness towards Taiga will make you wish for a guy like him).
Another thing I adored about this anime, which lent itself to me easing out my Lovely Complex addiction, was the characters weren't just 'filler' characters. They each had a purpose and role to fill, even if it was only comic relief (Haruka and the homeroom teacher - I forget her name). Kushieda, Taiga's best friend and love of Ryuuji, is a highly eccentric but utterly stuck in 'friends first, herself second', more motivated than anyone I've ever seen to do well for herself, will make you laugh and make you cry. Kitamura's appearances are excellently timed for he seems to come along just as Taiga's doting on him, but he has his own reasons for excelling at school...
Enjoyment : 10/10 I dare you NOT to enjoy this anime, so well thought out I've rewatched it many times just to laugh at certain episodes. The ending will leave you satisfied but is not contrived in the 'and they all lived happily ever after' type of way. I laughed (mostly the kind when you have to stuff your face into a pillow to stop yourself from waking anyone up) and I cried (the type when you need a bundle of tissues at the ready) throughout this anime, all of which I avidly devoured in a matter of days (to the aggrivation of my parents.)
