Review: Horimiya.

Wow.

I know, it sounds okay: high schoolers, relationships, pretty standard, right? I saw a lot of positive buzz for this when it premiered in January 2021, so I expected I would like it, but it only took one episode for me to fall, hard.

It’s so well done: the animation, the story, the characters, the dub script, the voice actors.
What stood out to me was how the characters felt real. The joking, the teasing, the fake arguments that turned into real ones, it all felt like I was hanging out with my friends.How to explain the appeal? It’s a fantastic mix of humor and emotion. It’s not that Hori and Miyamura are trying to be people they’re not at school, it’s just that they have “public” selves and “private” selves. Hori isn’t faking any conviviality in the classroom, but she never volunteers that after school she’s the sole guardian of her kindergarten brother and takes charge of housework and mealtime. Miyamura’s presumed-gloomy demeanor is partially due to his introversion, but is also calculated to help hide his multiple piercings and tattoos that run afoul of strict school dresscodes.

So when they inadvertently let the other see them in their afterschool state, and with Hori’s younger brother enthusiastically attaching himself to Miyamura, they get friendly. And soon, that spills over into school, forging new friendships in the classroom even as they continue to keep their non-school selves apart from existing friends.

And the friends get their own time in the spotlight! The narrative circle expands, first to Hori’s two closest friends, then the student council (who, contrary to normal anime narratives, are not evil or scheming), then to Miyamura’s contacts. And each time I thought, are we finally going to run into a problem? And each time I was wrong.
Because one of the things that impressed me most about Horimiya is the lack of villain. I think it’s worth a minor spoiler: there is no big climax where both protagonists’ private selves are revealed to everyone else. No, the main point, if there is one, is along the lines of accepting one’s public/private selves, and the potential for hurt–but also potential for connection–when you let chosen others see your private self, whether that person is a lover or a friend.

That’s not to say this is a series with no drama or tension. It’s a romcom, not one of those “iyashikei/healing” shows I detest where nothing happens and everything is gentle. But the drama and tension is mostly between decent people and other decent people who are struggling with a crush, or not reacting well to someone else’s actions, or figuring out how to handle their emotions because emotions are hard.

Worth watching? Yes. My gosh, yes. Complete at 13 easily-managed episodes, this is absolutely ranking as one of my favorite things I’ve watched in years.