Horimiya broke the record for the biggest rom com premiere on MAL, and for a reason.
Winter 2021 was arguably the most hyped anime season we have ever gotten. Whether it was sequels to grand shows, or fresh anime adaptations with a lot of buzz, winter 2021 had it all, and Horimiya was one in that massive collection.
Introduction And Plot
The show's name being derived from adjoining it's main characters names, Horimiya is a rom com anime following the lives of Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura both having very contrasting lives in and outside of high school and forming an unexpected bond around it. The plot in itself doesn't sound much compelling, and the way its synopsis is written doesn't help it either
" On the surface, the thought of Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura getting along would be the last thing in people's minds. After all, Hori has a perfect combination of beauty and brains, while Miyamura appears meek and distant to his fellow classmates"
Look, you've already got a very cliched storyline going on which would be hard to sell nevertheless. But this synopsis while not being incorrect is the worst way you could pitch the show to someone who has no idea of the context of the story. The only thing that helped generating buzz for this series according to me would be the reputation of the manga and word of mouth of the manga readers.
Despite of the vague storyline, what makes Horimiya works is its light hearted, wholesome moments and well written characters. Miyamura is described as meek and distant but that's not what defines him (as shown in series) similarly being smart and beautiful isn't Hori's only defining trait. Infact, these characteristics have nothing to do with Hori for the most of the series and have no major affects on the plot. It just goes to show that these characters are their own persons and not just the traits they are defined by (which apparently is not a very common thing)
Characters : Izumi Miyamura
Shown as the gloomy quiet kid in episode 1 as promised by the synopsis, we see many more layers of Miyamura as he meets Hori and make more acquaintances in high school through her. We get to know that once he gets to know someone and is familiar with them, he is a very sweet and caring towards them. The reason for him being gloomy is shown as a result of the solitude he had to go through in middle school.
While he treats all his newly made friends with respect throughout the series, we see a contrasting behavior with his one of the only middle school friend, Shindou.We see Miyamura gets all brashy and violent (not in a bad way) around him. This made me wonder which one of these personalities was truly that of Miyamura? Maybe he can be fully himself in front of Shindou as he is the only one who has been with him since when he was alone. Being afraid of losing all his high school friends, maybe Miyamura puts up a front to make sure he doesn't end up alone again, maybe these people are too important for him to lose. Or maybe Miyamura has just matured into a more gentle and caring person but seeing Shindou brings out all those quirks he had in middle school. Anyways, all of this is just speculations as nothing about it is mentioned in the anime or manga so it is up for interpretation.
Characters : Kyoko Hori
While making the main cast work well in the beginning, Hori shows us that she too has a story to tell. We are shown how she developed a separation anxiety at a young age due to both of her parents working overtime frequently which eventually forced her to be independent and at the same time responsible of her little brother Souta.
While this is a big part of Hori's character, it is shown in the most subtle way in show. Hori's vulnerabilities are shown only in front of Miyamura which shows the sense of belonging Hori feels towards him.
"Hori san, by asking where are you going, do you instead wanna say please don't go?"
Hori gets mad and emotional at things which may seem to be really small to the viewers, and in a sense they are but isn't that the way we humans work? When we are fond of someone, the smallest of things regarding them can trouble us in ways we know they shouldn't. All of these things are shown in a quite remarkable way through her behavior while not being stretched for too long. Unfortunately for Miyamura, he has to figure out what he has done wrong every time Hori is in a bad mood which is quite funny as well
Characters : Toru Ishikawa
Toru Ishikawa has a crush on Hori, and a big one at that. Now it is never a good sign when a character's definitive feature is that they are into someone, but that's how we are introduced to Toru. Other than that yes he seems a pretty chill guy but that's about it. It is after quite a few episodes that the series begins to explore his character and before you know it, you already start to empathize with him. The seamless way in which the series handle that is admirable.
Going back to the first few episodes, Ishikawa is naturally jealous of Miyamura due to his sudden close interactions with Hori, but as his jealousy fades away we begin to see a friendship between the two. The understanding and chemistry between the two is so immaculate that after a point of time, even Hori starts getting insecure about their friendship! Ishikawa starts to care for Miyamura and expresses how the clueless Miyamura would be lost if he isn't there to help him which is quite sweet if you ask me. And before you know it, Miyamura who was used to solitude found himself in a group with a bunch of friends, and Toru was a big reason for it.
So after all this when Miyamura tells Toru about how he and Hori have started dating, you truly feel for Toru even though we as viewers were the only one who were rooting for the couple just a few scenes ago. This is what a well written dynamic does. While you are happy for the joy of the couple, it comes at the price of Toru hurting and you sincerely hope for him to have a win. The way this scene is displayed is also genius. There is no over the top drama and end of friendships. Horimiya does what is does best. Subtleness.
While Ishikawa gets hurt for quite some time after the call, he always respects his friends feelings and tells Miyamura upfront to not let things get awkward between them. It is obvious to the people around him that Ishikawa is not doing that great even though he doesn't whine or complain about it (which is neither good, nor bad. I mean whatever gets you through man) He knows that what he needs is time to process the things happening around him. All of this made me respect him all the more
Characters : Yuki Yoshikawa
"Yoshikawa never says what she wants, and smiles the hardest when she wants to avoid being asked about it"
This is the quote through which we are told about Yoshikawa when the series focuses on her. When Ishikawa was struggling, Yuki was the one who never left him alone and always tried to cheer him up. Now why would Yoshikawa do that? Here are your options :
A) She is a good friend of Ishikawa and that's what friend's do when someone is having a hard time!
B) She has a big ol crush on him
and the answer to that is........yes.
Yoshikawa never really takes the spotlight in the series, but she is an important character for the group. She and Ishikawa are very comfortable around each other and you can see how much both care for each other. Yoshikawa is the only person who Ishikawa can completely find solace with.
Just like Toru, we are shown Yoshikawa's struggle with having feelings for one her best friend as well, with all these hormones flying around, this concept can seem repulsive to a lot of people but Horimiya actually manages to portray all this really well. As already said, there is no over the top drama. The only struggles they have is within themselves and what they feel.
The Student Council
The student council, consisting of Sengoku, Sakura and Remi did not have a very good first impression on me considering how they are introduced to us by giving Hori extra work and creating a ruckus in the hallways when some of the papers are misplaced (which was the fault of one of their own members) but as the series went on, it became clear that a good chunk of charm of Horimiya would be lost if it wasn't for the student council
The Student Council : Kakeru Sengoku
While being the president and having to be strict and authoritative towards the other students, we are told how Sengoku is "weak" and how he doesn't like to be the party pooper whenever someone is having fun while breaking the rules. I mean man's gotta do what he gott do, no judgement. He and Remi are in a relationship.
The Student Council : Remi
Remi, while being a part of the student council.....doesn't really like to do that stuff. But do not let this make you believe that she doesn't do anything, she opens the window of the student council room to make sure everyone can enjoy the cool breeze!
Remi is a clumsy, a bit careless but sweet addition to our cast. It is due to her fault that Hori got accused messing up the student council work. While Remi is shown as somewhat naive and dumb (even dumber than Miyamura I might say) no one understands people like her. She can tell what the other person feels even when that person is confused about it themselves. This makes Remi one of the most compassionate people in the series. While her playful 'boyfriend stealing' jokes can be a little far fetched, she means no harm to anyone.
The story of Remi and Sengoku is one of the sweetest things the show has to offer. Even though they are not the main couple, when the series focuses on them, you don't get bored for a second or miss the primary couple. The way Remi describes Sengoku shows her sincerity towards him for anyone who has any doubts about her.
Also, the way the anime tells us their story in a more structured and skillfully when compared to the manga. While the contents are the same, the manga presents it in a more scattered way
Student Council : Kouno Sakura
Kouno Sakura is the most precious character in Horimiya and should be protected at all costs. This is not an opinion but a well established fact thnk you very much.
Sakura is the person who picks up Remi's slack in the student council. She is sweet, hardworking and faces her problems head on. While she is a little insecure about herself, Remi always helps her lift her spirits by giving her positive affirmations whenever she needs it. A not so bad trade I would say considering the extra work she does. And she is great at baking! What is their to not like? She gives us the quote that seems to be the central point of the series.
"It is unfair because no one's at fault"
Don't ask me what it means, I am not ready to talk about it yet.
The Hori Household :
Hori's family is peculiar while exceptionally wholesome to say the least. All of them are so fond of Miyamura that it almost feels strange yet in a good way. There is a even a scene where Hori's mother tells Miyamura to say "I'll be back" instead of "Thanks for having me" implying that he is already a part of their family which just warms my heart.
While we go on talking about all the characters, let's not forget about the person who started it all, Souta. It was because of Hori's little brother Souta that Miyamura and Hori met each other outside of school. Due to Souta taking a liking of 'that cool onii san' the three started hanging out. Souta is adorable and there is no one who wouldn't like him when he is on the screen.
But the most interesting person in the Hori household would be undoubtedly Kyosuke, Hori's father.
Kyosuke is a carefree person who is often left at the mercy of her daughter's violence which seems to be her form of affection towards him. It is always really fun to see the back and forth between him and Hori. Kyosuke loves to make Miyamura's hair and bonds with him pretty quickly which leaves Miyamura even more clueless than he generally is. In fact it was because Kyosuke threw the question at Hori whether she and Miyamura were dating that they properly confirmed their feelings for each other. And it is always fun to see Hori bully him!
Weaknesses :
While I do love Horimiya, the fact remains the anime is a really summarized version of the manga. Some 120 chapters were reduced to a 13 episode series which led them to filter out a lot of stuff. It seems as if the anime is just the highlights version of the manga.
Due to this a some of the stuff in the series do not really fit well. The one episode where they focused on Iura just did not connect, considering how little we've seen him in the anime. He has low screen time in the manga as well, but his presence is atleast known there.
While Sawada's character was really fun to see, I can't help but think that it was a little unexplored. While a brother sister complex was formed between her and Miyamura which was the objective, you can't help but ignore the stuff that was excluded.
Final Thoughts :
Horimiya is very wholesome and I would definitely recommend you to watch it! If you liked it go read the manga. There is just so much more stuff and all of that is as interesting and funny as each of the anime episode, and the art is great as well!
Comments
Post a Comment