Horimiya

Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Comedy, School

Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (mild suggestive subjects, profanity, mild violence)

Platforms: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation

Episodes: 13

TheAwersome Rating: 8.2 / 10 (Refreshingly mature)

Premise: 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. However, a fateful meeting between the two lays both of their hidden selves bare. Even though she is popular at school, Hori has little time to socialize with her friends due to housework. On the other hand, Miyamura lives under the noses of his peers, his body bearing secret tattoos and piercings that make him look like a gentle delinquent.

Having opposite personalities yet sharing odd similarities, the two quickly become friends and often spend time together in Hori’s home. As they both emerge from their shells, they share with each other a side of themselves concealed from the outside world.

TheAwersome’s Thoughts: This hit a lot of my “things I like in romance stories” boxes so yee to the haw! The climax isn’t “And now they start dating!” and what drama does happen isn’t due to mere misunderstandings, but legitimate concerns, insecurities, and other struggles that come to light when getting accustomed to another person’s life viewpoint. Seriously, western romcoms need to take note. The comedy is on point and subdued, (doesn’t rely on “oopsie ecchi” scenarios and yelling) which was quite pleasant to this old man who wants you kids to turn down your obnoxious cartoons glares at Bokuben.

We also have a very wide cast of characters and get pretty good dives into each of them, so it keeps things fresh.

TLDR: A refreshingly mature high school romcom with some solid substance and characters.

In further breaking from tropehood, Hori herself is somewhat atypical as a female protagonist. She isn’t bubbly and naïve, but she isn’t jaded or brooding either. Just a solid girl with a few quirky interests.  While mostly unaffected by social pressures of “who’s okay to hang out with,” she does struggle with some anger issues.

Also, all the characters are quite pretty, so it’s easy and enjoyable to look at.

You’ll Likely Enjoy This if You Enjoyed:

• Good, honest relationships of Bunny Girl Senpai, Monogatari, MY Love STORY!!
• Honest Teenager portrayal of ToraDora!