I was using Toradora as a background show, as I figured it would be a lighthearted romcom. The premise was cute, and the animation was solid. The characters felt silly and unrealistic at times, but that did not get in the way of a relaxed, slice-of-life style watching experience. Then, Episode 16 hit. The buildup all happened without me noticing. Things got tense, messy, and difficult in a very human sort of way. Something changes after Episode 16, both in terms of the complexities of the characters and the intangible vibes of the show. And more noticeably, the OP and ED are switched out the very next episode. The whole thing went from a thing I barely paid any mind to into a story that captured my full attention.
I am recommending what I have seen so far of Toradora for its surprising amount of emotional depth. I even stopped watching the show for a while in order to reflect and process what I had seen. I think I understand why the name of this show keeps coming up in anime discussions, now, and I am glad that I did not completely write it off.
