820https://66.media.tumblr.com/074aa1da7405d95f78cf8b904991d8d3/tumblrp1u17uONDt1vj3zbeo2540.gif My mouths watering just looking at it Bentou no Gokui literally Bento Battle is an unaired episode of Toradora. Its mostly a fluff episode Kitamura brings an extravagant bento box made by his grandmother. Seeing this ludicrously lavish lunch makes Ryuuji feel inferior so he retaliates by trying to best Kitamuras grandmothers cooking. I watched Toradora on via its BluRay so I naturally watched Bentou no Gokui after I had finished the series proper. And let me tell you dont skip out on Bentou no Gokui despite it being an OVA with littletono bearing on the plot. Its good stuff. Its actually better than the series as a whole. Okay okay hear me out before scrolling away. If you read my review youll know that my biggest gripe from the series came from the beginning. Without this difference in quality to bog my perception of it down Bentou no Gokui is optimal Toradora The characters were all pretty funny and Ryuuji was surprisingly deep despite this being a fun little episode about cooking. Taiga wasnt an annoying tsundere in this episode thus lifting the barrier to entry for the early episodes for me. While my favroite episodes of Toradora were the dramatic ones toward the end I loved this one as well Honestly its the perfect episode of the comedy side of the romanticcomedy Toradora The animation and facial expressions helped convey the comedy and the absurdity of Ryuujis rivalry was a riot. I consistently laughed throughout the episode. I cant recall any other episode of Toradora that had this effect on me. For this reason I consider it the funniest episode in the show. Despite this focus on comedy its still sweet too. The romance is wonderfully apparent and it made me feel warm inside. Bentou no Gokui was the perfect blend of comedy and romance. While it wasnt the most romantic episode its romantic enough to be good. The episode tonally could fit well in the middle of the series prior to the School Festival Arc.The music was superb as always. The perfect OVA if youre a fan of Toradora and cant get enough. Honestly I think its pretty good for newcomers as well. I didnt see anything too spoilery and its honestly a better exposure to the series than the first episode is in some ways. 8.5/10 B