[puretsundere]

When I first heard the riddle, I thought the "it" was a lot more general than love or friendship. To me the "it" is "true happiness", of which love and friendship are definitely components.

There's something in this world that no one has ever seen.
It's something kind and very sweet.
If people could see it, they would probably want it.
To me, it is impossible to "see" true happiness, especially other people's true happiness. Everyone has different masks and personas, so what we perceive as true happiness might not be so. Also, I believe true happiness is different dependent of the individual. So, you can't just "see" a single entity of "true happiness." It doesn't exist. I think more importantly we don't "see" true happiness as much as "feel" it. If Taiga, Ryuuji, or anyone could have seen "true happiness", then of course they would want to "feel" the same thing.

That's why the world hid it;
So that it wouldn't be so easy to find.
Of course, true happiness is not easy to find no matter hard we try. We work jobs, build relationships, live our lives in the "pursuit of happiness". But life is really hard. Really hard. Ryuuji didn't have a father, Taiga had family issues, Kitamura has love problems, Ami had honesty and stalker issues, Minorin and Taiga had their conflicting feelings for Ryuuji against their feeling of friendship towards each other.

But someday, someone will definitely find it.
The one who is supposed to find it, will be the one to find it.
That's just how it is.
Although we live our lives in the "pursuit of happiness", we don't specifically look for true happiness. We try to surround ourselves in an environment where I feel "true happiness" can blossom. We overcome the obstacles that lead us away from happiness. We have our friends, family, hobbies, interests, and many other positive aspects of our lives. But in the end, only we ourselves can determine how happy we really are. I remember one of Minorin's lines in Episode 23, "My happiness can only be... can only be made with my own hands." Taiga couldn't "see" Minorin's true happiness, because only Minorin could feel her "true happiness." Only YOU are supposed to find OUR OWN "true happiness." If you are supposed to find it, you will.


I think in the end everyone found their own degree of "true happiness." Taiga and Ryuuji. Ryuuji and Yasuko. Taiga and her family presumably. Kihara and Noto. Haruta and his girlfriend. Ami and Minorin. Kitamura going overseas. Each individual is making their own true happiness. Taiga herself grows so much from separating herself from family and not even thinking of love to finding out she is able to love and presumably reconnecting with her mother. Although she had a lot of help, she herself made her own "true happiness."

So for me, the "it" is "true happiness."