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Episode 24
Ami said it best. Life does, indeed, go on. You could actually debate what she meant by "or..." when Minorin finally broke down, but in the end both of them lost in the end, fully aware of it, but know that life has to go on. You have to find it for yourself in the end, and Takasu knew that as well, even if you don't agree with his plan. He knows he'd still be a kid even when he turns 18, and running away wouldn't change that.
Taiga's words at the preview hinted a bit at the twist at the final episode, but who would have thought she would actually do something like it...
Episode 25 (Final)
Being told that she raised Ryuuji well was probably more than enough vindication for Yasuko who had felt guilty all these years for not giving him the ideal life she had always wanted him to have. Just like that other series that aired alongside Toradora, the focus on family dynamics that deep bond that goes between people that we sometimes take for granted was something I had never expected out of the show and it's premise. And perhaps neither did Taiga and Ryuuji. I still think that when Yasuko told him her story, he had started to realize that he was making the same mistake her mother made in both of their attempts to find a life for their own.
The wedding practice scene started strangely awkward and cheesy, but would turn out to be really endearing and heartwarming. Likewise, love or hate Taiga's decision, Minorin's interpretation or the eventual ending that had divided the fanbase, it managed to put a satisfying lid on a show that started out looking like a standard Kugimiya Tsundere-based romcom, and ended up being what is perhaps the best show of its kind. That is to say, if I ever believed that a modern Tsundere high school romcom could ever be any good, this is the show I would point to.
And with that, my Toradora rewatch has ended. Time to look for another show to rewatch!
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