It hurts to write this review, as, while selecting the votes I'm constantly like "No, you can't score those that low!", and then I remember why what could have been one of my favourite animes, now fills me with anger just thinking about it.

I think Toradora! is the biggest self destruction I've ever seen an anime do, and while it's not bad, what could have been a 9/10 anime has a terrible ending, which, to be fair, is just an episode, but it's the most important one, and it manages to destroy so much of what the previous ones created.

Art and Sound: They're both good, but not overly so, I've watched the italian dub and I was very pleased with the job that the team did. The first opening is good, but has a terrible metallic filter all over the vocals that makes it really hard to listen to it, the second opening is solid though; the first ending is very good and is the right mood for almost every episode it is in, the second ending is probably the best track, but it's almost impossible to find it online, and I could only find covers to listen to legally. Overall solid but not extraordinaire, 7/10.

Story and Character: There are two VERY distinct parts of this anime, as I mentioned earlier: episodes 1-24 and episode 25.
Episodes 1-24 are great, they establish great characters, not terribly original, but they are very good at this tried and tested blueprint: everyone is very recognizable and deep, the social connections between the characters are sensible, strong (so strong in fact thaat at a certain point we get a love HEXAGON, and it works, because it's so tightly knit, a real treat for people who love gossip!) and always play a role in how they act, so even actions that may seem inconsiderate on paper, actually work really well, and stuff that seems strange at first is always explained in way that doesn't make you facepalm.

The plot, while starting out as a very normal high school rom-com is very engaging, thanks to the characters holding it together at first, and then it ramps up the intensity real fast after the halfway point, very few thing are casual, and character actions are never inconsequential, even the strangest stuff is explained and makes sense in the context that the series builds up; episode 24 is the pinnacle of the series, it could've been a perfect ending, filled with drama and desperate choices that make sense for the characters, it shows the trouble that comes with growing up and coming out of one's comfort zone, but that in the end you can beat your fears, and that often, a happy ending can be different from the one you expected, at this point the anime is a 9/10.

Episode 25 singlehandedly destroys everything that was have established about the characters: they try showing someone learnt something, but they show them doing the exact opposite of what they should have learned, almost everyone goes out of character in this absurd attempt at an unnecessary wrap; also, never mind actions and reactions being totally out of character, sometimes they are against every logic, and the characters don't even act like they're human!

As for the plot, it particulairly stings that episode 25 comes after episode 24, so you remember very well what can be done with this story, and you see it get completely thrashed, because what happens is so absurd and unexplable, it just looks like putting in a plot-twist just for the sake of having one, even though not all endings need one! An ending CAN be open and sartisfying. How you ask? Just look at episode 24!!! Closure doesn't need to be the final period in the story, it can be one that goes into a story that isn't the one we're telling, and that's fine, because trying to give final closure to a high school drama, never ends well! Life goes on for a long time after high school, and if you're not going to tell the whole story, it is best to leave things open! This obviously doens't ALWAYS work, but in cases like this, where at thend the real story is merely beginning, you should either make a part 2 or stop. Oh, did I mention that there is an after credits scene that tries to solve the problems in the episode and be cute while it does it, but it only makes things worse? 'Cause that happens too.

The final episode is among the worst endings I've ever seen, it deserves a 2/10, it destroys many of the things that it built up, but the work put into the characters and story is still good, it just shoots itself in the foot and actively avoids being great, a very painful 7/10.

As for enjoyment, I was having a very good time throughout the whole series, I would've thought about giving it a 10/10, if it wasn't for the dreaded final episode: it has a great mix of relatable stuff, that makes you bond with the chatacters, and more absurd stuff that keeps you engaged with the plot, again the end filled me with a sort of primordial rage, but I had an overall good time while watching the whole thing, knocking off two marks seems appropriate, 8/10.

In the end, Toradora! is a great anime that tries its best to not be, and it sadly manages to do it pretty well, to have a better experience, I would suggest to avoid watching the final episode, as episode 24 is a great ending by itself, it hurts, but overall it's a 7/10.