Horimiya | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Horimiya

RomCom anime are all the rage as of late. Fans love it, no matter which age group or strict genre preferences. These are fun to watch and lightweight. Underlying it all is a heart-touching romance. Most fans enjoy these adorable, sweet, and comical romances above all else, as they also explore friendships and beautiful memories.

Overall, one of the most beloved anime genres is that it’s difficult to be disappointed after experiencing one of these. There are the good ones, the intermediate ones, and the bad ones under RomCom, but most of the time, a title won’t get popular unless it's good.

Horimiya is the epitome of a great RomCom anime. The title “Hori-san and Miyamura-Kun,” is a currently airing anime series based on the manga of the same title, Story by HERO and Art by Hagiwara Daisuke. An alternative version is the “Hori-san to Miyamura-Kun” 6 episode OVA series, also based on a short manga of the same title.

The main series has released 13 episodes so far, which started on the 10th of January, 2021, as a Winter 2021 Anime. Many producers, including Aniplex, Square Enix, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Movic, Kanetsu Investment, My Theater D.D., Global Solutions, and Mirai-Kojo, collectively work on this series.

It is licensed by Funimation and a work by the acclaimed Studio CloverWorks. Director Masashi Ishihama, Scriptwriter and Screen composer Takao Yoshioka, Sound director Jin Aketagawa and Music composer Masaru Yokoyama bring this series to life in full swing. It features genres like Slice of Life, Comedy, Romance, School, and Shounen, with a rating of PG-13 for teens 13 years or older.

The story of Horimiya revolves mainly around the two titular characters: Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. Typically, these two are the last people one would expect to see getting along. Hori Kyouko is a seemingly perfect girl, admired at school for her amiability and academic prowess; with both beauty and brains, one would consider her a model student.

On the other hand, Miyamura Izumi has the outlook of a brooding, glasses-wearing otaku who is both backward and distant from everyone else. But they both have a hidden side to them, significant ones at that. With her parents often being away from home due to their busy work schedules, Hori bears the burden of looking after her younger brother and doing all the housework.

This leaves her no room to socialize with anyone away from school. Miyamura is a very gentle person, quite inept at studying, contrary to the vibes he gives off. He also has nine piercings hidden behind his long hair and a tattoo along his back and left shoulder, which he gives priority to keeping secret.

But one fateful meeting between the two changes everything for the duo. By sheer chance, their paths cross outside of school, and both their hidden selves are revealed to the other. Taken aback by seeing the opposite of what they were expecting to see, the two develop an unusual friendship despite seeming to be opposites of each other.

They start to share the sides of themselves they hid from everyone else with each other. Hori’s inability to socialize due to the helload of housework and Miyamura’s life restrained under the noses of his peers, making him look like a gentle delinquent, bring the two together in a way no one thought possible. The two share many odd similarities and end up spending a lot of time together at Hori’s home. As time passes, they both start emerging from their shells and open up to each other in a way they haven’t to anyone else.

Horimiya is a series that plays its part as a RomCom anime well. This is not done well in most RomCom animes nowadays. It maintains the fun vibe of a great RomCom while also keeping viewers entertained by the drama, the character interactions, and the development of their relationships.

"It's not about the destination; it’s about the journey,” Horimiya emphasizes this really well because it's pretty obvious who will end up with who, especially for the leading pair. So it makes the journey of getting to that conclusion all the better, igniting every little moment along the way leading towards the expected but appreciated end.

The story begins simply with the fateful connection forged between Hori and Miyamura. The two are classmates who didn't notice each other much before; thus, their relationship starts as mere friends. Horimiya does not, in any way, belittle the drama, decisive moments, and complex interrelationships between characters.

The series does an excellent job of introducing all the characters within the early episodes and also manages to build a level of relatability and understanding between the characters and viewers. The flirting does not drag on until it becomes annoying; in contrast, the character relationships develop steadily, not too fast, not too slow.

The somewhat overused “cat and mouse” trope used in other anime of this genre does not follow suit in Horimiya as per the pairings. The story itself is terrific; just make sure not to delve into it with expectations way too high. Watch it level-headed, and it will not disappoint.

The characters are, of course, a pivotal aspect of the series. Hori and Miyamura’s relationship is nothing short of adorable, and it does not cringe at all. Miyamura is realistic, and his looks each time are very creative, ranging from a typical otaku to a real bad boy.

His character is lovable and is a fresh new type of cute. Hori is a Tsundere, but not the overused kind of typical annoying tsundere. She, too, is more realistic and gives off alluring vibes of an actual girl in love.

The animation and artwork of Horimiya are brilliant as well. The color palette is bright and smooth, which brings out the wholesome light-hearted vibes of the series. The characters' designs are really well-drawn and animated. There is almost nothing left to be desired in this regard.

The Opening theme is "Iro Kousui" by You Kamiyama, and the Ending is "Yakusoku" by Friends. Both of them are memorable and match very well with the show’s themes. The soundtracks are nothing exceptional, but they are good.

They bring out the RomCom feel of the anime and blend in nicely into each scene, neither overwriting them nor disrupting them. Instead, they emphasize and bring out even the most subtle moods of the events.

The Horimiya manga is soon set to end, and it is undoubtedly one of the best RomComs out there. One might even call it the ideal RomCom, well balanced and enjoyable. Viewers will find themselves attached to the show and the characters, with each episode making the characters easier to sympathize with and relate to.

The experience will no doubt be enjoyable, entertaining, and fun overall. It is a great anime that can take a viewer’s worries away and get them to smile for the whole runtime. Horimiya is a near-perfect masterpiece and will go down in history as one of the best RomCom anime ever spawned.