Also seen both, and completely agree. Our opinions are definitely in the minority though.
But I can still see why people like shows like Toradora. Earlier I said what ruined the show for me was that MC girl was a bit too much for me, people usually argue that the reason she turned out that way due to her family situation, which I can understand (even though thst really shouldn’t be an excuse for her actions). I can also understand how she would fall for the male MC as hes constantly helping her throughout the series, but I don’t get the reversal of that. He never really gets to see her as anything but an abrasive, violent girl throughout the series…
And the plot in Golden Time may have been a bit cheap at times, with its use of romcom cliches (childhood friend, love triangle the whole amnesia thing ect.), but guess I’m just a sucker for shows like that.
What I really liked about both shows is that they actually ended up together in the end, really gives them a sense of completion. Its something that rarely happens in anime.