Among the multitudes of things that Tadakoi did correctly, I think their biggest win lies in the characters. They did such a good job getting you to care about them and learn their quirky personalities, each of which was hiding some deeper insecurity that was, unfortunately, not touched on for some of the less important characters due to lack of time. By episodes five, I felt that I had a pretty good connection with all of the characters on the screen and, if not for the lack of episodes, I feel like each could have gone through extremely satisfying arcs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the few episodes, in the end it didn't matter that much, the show was always about Mitsuyoshi and Theresa. I feel like too much of a focus on the supporting cast would have taken away from the impact of the main love story, which dominates the remaining episodes and doesn't disappoint with its twists and turns. In fact, I felt as if I was right there with Mitsuyoshi, getting slowly drawn in by this strange, quirky foreign girl. Yes, I got so invested that I even teared up when Mitsuyoshi's version of the ending came on in episode eleven and I think that speaks volumes as to my feelings on the show.
The other thing that really stands out when I look at Tadakoi, are the general expectations laid upon it. Everyone, including me, thought that it was going to be completely generic after three or so episodes. And from that outlook, it definitely seemed like it would be. But it did such a great job at subverting those expectations. I, like so many others, thought we'd get that classic "everyone's ship sails, except for that one asshole who gets in the way of the main couple". But everything about that sentence was wrong when you compare that to Tadakoi. Only one ship really sails, and the others are somewhat hinted, but never confirmed. Probably best of all, the romantic rival isn't the classic jerk who doesn't really love the girl, hates the protagonist, etc. Charles was legitimately a great guy, and it made him an even better character in the grand scheme of things. That was such a refreshing take on the trope, that I just had to find time to mention it here.
Those are just a couple of things that I love about Tadakoi and there's so much more to rave about, but that would take up far too much time. Before I conclude, I just have to comment on my favorite part of the show, which is the ending song. I love that song. It's among one of my favorite endings of all time, though it's personally in tight competition with Alternative GGO's ending song for ED of the season.
If I had to come up with any complaints with Tadakoi, I'd have to say that my biggest gripe is the fact that they opened so many story lines with no intention of ever finishing them. Maybe I'm incorrect with that and we'll get a spinoff or OVA that ties up many of the loose ends regarding the supporting cast, who kind of get the shaft for the latter half of the show. Not a bad thing, in my opinion, but I can see why it'd be a negative for some. There may be a little too much melodrama for my liking too, but I sort of feel like it was all necessary, to drive Mitsuyoshi forward.
Despite those little gripes, I adore this little love story. It was self-contained and did enough to set it apart from other romances for me. I won't be knee jerk and say that it's my favorite romance of all time, or even rom-com, but it comes damn close in certain aspects. Dare I even say that I liked it more than Wotakoi overall? My score certainly reflects that. And, while I may have scored it a little higher than many would say is deserving, I have to say that it does deserve it for all the enjoyment it gave me for thirteen weeks. In fact, Tadakoi may just be my anime of the season.