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Koi to Uso deserves this rating of 3 because of the only three points that make it bearable - 1 point for the fact that its drama level was enough to keep me watching despite the vapid plot, 1 point for Ririna who is a very good character in a very poor anime, and 1 point for a truly fantastic OP which is the sole reason I started watching the show (this system is not actually the way I rate shows, but it seemed too fitting that the rating matched the scant number of redeeming points).

Besides these saving graces, Koi to Uso was nothing short ... of a waste of time. From the very beginning, the show relies heavily on cliched tropes which makes everything a else feel a bit tasteless. From this unoriginal start, the series devolves into blatant wish-fulfillment surrounding a main character, Nejima, who is completely worthless. He has no traits that make him stand out, and this mediocrity is even pointed out several times by other characters.

Sadly the disaster doesn't end there. The ending is inconclusive and is doubtlessly the worst cop-out I have ever seen in anime. It absolutely tarnished anything the show might have had going for it up to that point.

Visually, the art was not bad, just pretty average; however I was put off by the design of the characters' eyes. Even for anime eyes, they were a bit too large and had a buggy feel. Also the kissing scenes were atrocious (i.e. way too much tongue).

As I mentioned earlier Ririna, unlike our hapless protagonist, is a quality character who really grew on me. She is adorable and made everything else tolerable. And the OP ("Kanashii Ureshii" by Frederic) is wonderful and deserves a better show to back it up. Unfortunately, neither of these good points can save this train wreck, and you would do best to look up the song on YouTube and spend your time watching a better anime.

I usually don't take the time to review the shows I've watched. However, after watching Toradora! a second time and still enjoying every second of it, I felt compelled to give my thoughts on this wonderful anime in hopes that I might convince others to view one of my favorite shows.


N.B.: While I have tried not to include major spoilers in this review, I cannot promise that there are none, and there are certainly minor hints at the plot throughout. So, read on if you trust me to have kept it free of major spoilers, and if not, just trust my scoring, and go ... watch this show.


Toradora! is a romantic comedy that provides plenty of each with a flawless balance of laughs and emotional, tear-jerking moments. The show follows high-schoolers Takasu Ryuuji and Aisaka Taiga as they help one another pursue their romantic goals. Along the way, the main characters and their friends make plenty of memories and discover their true inner feelings. While perhaps somewhat predictable, the plot has plenty of twists and turns that will keep you entertained. The antics of the characters in their quests for love, belonging, and survival in high school truly made me laugh out loud, and the emotional scenes around the middle and through to the end made me glad to have a box of tissues next to me. Tackling motifs of not only romantic love but also the definition of family, Toradora! succeeds in making the viewer believe that even the problems of an individual high-school student can have incredible gravity in a young person's life. As far as the ending is concerned, it was quite satisfying.

The characters in this anime are a varied bunch and manage to be relatable while at the same time being over-the-top. Their motivations, while seeming straightforward, are generally complex and deeply emotionally rooted. The at-times eccentric behavior of the characters lets the viewer escape into a more colorful world than our own, and the characters never fail to be lovable.

The animation quality is very nice, and besides occasional awkward frames of facial expressions, I can think of few complaints. The sound, though, is worth raving about. The background music sets the mood perfectly and never gets old. The music for the emotional parts (“Lost My Pieces”) was especially spectacular and memorable. The openings set the tone of the show well, with the shift in openings occurring perfectly at one of the show’s great emotional shifts. The endings were cute and fitting, and truth-be-told I can't get any of the openings or endings out of my head (nor do I want to).

As far as complaints go, I have but a few. As mentioned earlier, the story is sometimes a bit predictable, though I really believe that I'm feeling this mostly in retrospect as the ending was by no means solidly in my mind throughout the series. Besides this complaint, the characters are often quite ambiguous when discussing their feelings and details about the various romantic situation. This ambiguity made for times when I would feel lost trying to interpret the characters’ words, and ultimately frustrated until explicit explanation was provided, if it even was. Also, on a very personal note, I felt dissatisfied about the end for a certain character (my favorite as it was).

Despite a few complaints, this show was a near perfect romantic comedy anime and was incredibly enjoyable to watch and rewatch. The show is quite frankly adorable. My only caveat is that once you finish it, you'll almost certainly wish you had more Toradora! to enjoy.