Horimiya Review

Date started: 12/13/2021 ------- Date finished: 12/14/2021SUMMARY Horimiya is a slice-of-life/rom-com style show centered around a delightful quiet kid and an equally delightful very-not-quiet girl, and the budding romance that they experience together. The show is filled with comedy, hope, and great vibes all around, not to mention the kick-ass cast of characters. Very much an enjoyable experience that, while I would not watch it again from start to finish, I definitely wouldn’t mind if my future girlfriend asked me to watch an episode or two (or three) with her. The show didn’t present anything ground-breaking… yet I find myself loving it anyway. SCORE: 9.1/10STORY Horimiya is a slice-of-life or romantic-comedy show, centered around Hori Kyouko, Miyamura Izumi, and their group of friends (which grows to be quite large by the end). A typical awkward emo nerd meets outgoing smart girl story, though I actually quite enjoyed this one! There isn’t really an overarching story across the 13 episodes, so I’m treating each episode as its own self-contained story. I would have enjoyed an overarching story that connected the entire show, but at least each of the 13 episodes was good. I think if you’ve watched any slice-of-life or romantic-comedy show centered around highschool students you can already guess the types of stories and events that take place in this show. Typically I would take off points for unoriginality, but the stories were good and the writing was so good that I was too busy laughing my butt off to focus on the fact that I was experiencing a recycled story. Therefore, I’m only taking off one point because I would have liked to see something original or an overarching story to tie each episode together. All things considered, I really like each episode because they all explore different parts of a budding relationship, and they were all very sweet! Nothing too crazy happened, and that’s ok. SCORE: 9/10CHARACTERS Characterization is really where Horimiya entered top-tier for me. The cast is so well-developed and well-rounded, and each character has a very expressive quality to them that, when brought together, makes for a delightful viewing experience. Watching each of the characters made me think of the friends I made in highschool and at University, and each character felt like they were a real, well-rounded person. I was actually surprised because there are so many characters introduced in such a short 13-episode lifespan, but the show really managed them all very well and I have no complaints! The characters make this show amazing! My favourite character was absolutely Hori Kyousuke, Hori-san’s father. He was out-of-this-world hilarious and reminded me of my late father. Definitely an amazing character and I wish they utilized him even more (though there is plenty of him in the show!). SCORE: 10/10VISUALS The visuals of this show definitely aligned with my taste, in that the animation was simple and didn’t use too many 3d-models. It didn’t feel lazy at all, which I appreciated. Not to mention, there were so many points where the visual style switched to fit the vibe of the situation, for example when someone got angry or when jokes were being made, and they all fit really well. I loved the visuals. The actual design of the characters and the background sets are well done, though they aren’t on par with anything crazy like Violet Evergarden (but really, what is??). SCORE: 9.5/10MUSIC The intro song is great and I let it play each episode. It feels like a very light-hearted but low-key pop song. I could imagine myself adding it to my spotify playlist and studying with it in the background. Definitely fits the vibe of the show and I have no complaints about it, which is especially cool because I don’t like that kind of music, typically. The outro song is just okay. I skipped it basically every episode. SCORE: 8/10ENJOYMENT In terms of enjoyment, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. On one hand, there wasn’t really anything special about this show aside from gut-busting comedy and a stellar cast of characters. Then again, I think that is the entire point. The show feels very realistic to me, and for the short time that I watched the show (I literally started it last night and finished it this afternoon), I felt like I was a part of the cast. I have a weird magnetic attraction to the show which I find strange because, again, it really doesn’t add anything new to the genre, yet I still really enjoyed it… I wouldn’t watch through the entire story from start to finish again, but I would definitely, wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the less chaotic, more realistic slice-of-life and romantic-comedy style shows (which I do!) Very great show, very great cast of characters. Greatness all around. SCORE: 9/10MAIN CHARACTER CRINGE There are certain points where both main characters display some….quirky qualities (such as asking to be abused and yelled at), but other than the slight cringe induced during these types of moments, both main characters are extremely pleasant and definitely made for a good viewing experience. The one complaint I have is that whoever designed edgy Miyamura from episode 1 really deserves a raise, and the directors completely wasted an awesome design (woohoo piercings and tattoos with the tied-back hair!). I would have loved to see the more-edgy Miyamura make another few appearances as I was really digging this design, but oh well. SCORE: 9/10 NOT VERY CRINGE.