Hori-san to Miyamura-kun

"Better art does not mean better anime" that's what I thought after finishing Horimiya.
This is a very short Slice of life, but even if 3 episodes is too short to develop characters, it has a great story, it made me smile because it's pleasant to watch, it's the perfect combo with comedy + romance + friendship !

I don't think there's much to say about this anime, but if you want to take a break and chill in your couch, watch this !

This will be my first review, so go easy on me.

Hori-san to Miyamura-kun, an easygoing great anime.
This anime only has 3 episodes, but you will probably enjoy each and every one of them.
The little romance between the two main characters is great.
The story itself is very simple and easy to understand, great if you just want to relax a bit.

If you want a short little break, try this anime.

Doesn't have fancy animation.
Doesn't have filler scenes.
Doesn't have a grand plot.
Doesn't have epic music.
Doesn't have anything interesting.

It's just a story of a guy slowly gaining friends through one incident.
Only the essential parts of the story were told through this anime.
Even if it was short, I felt satisfied. One episode and you're done.
This is a slice-of-life anime that you should casually watch whenever you feel down. Or just watch it when you have time.

I get excited when I come across a story that's perfect enough on its own that it doesn't need extravagant animation, mindblowing music, complicated human relationships, or cryptic plots.
This kind of thing to me is like the work of magic. When you strip away all the modern extravagance, most of the time the leftovers will leave you pretty much appalled.
But for a good story, even if you animate it with stick figures, you'll be able to savor it for a long time.
That's what kind of story horimiya tells. I enjoyed the 20 minutes of it more than I enjoyed the hours I ... spent on most other series.

I recommend you to read manga, because it's quite nicely done. Because of that my expectations were high and I was rather disappointed in adaptation. Story itself is full with subtle moments that help to gradually build up feeling between characters. Without them you can't understand why they suddenly like each other in ova. While most of the jokes and comedy in manga depends on facial expressions, in adaptation art is more simple and less expressive. My review is mainly warning for fans. For those who are not acquainted with manga, you can treat it like a good commercial.

Was the art not great? Yes... Did it completely represent the manga? NO, in fact animes hardly ever do... Yet, most people who watched this can come to a conclusion that they enjoyed it. Why is that? Because unlike a lot of those slow fanservice animes that lack a story, this one, although using a simple idea, proved that simplicity can sometimes be the better path to take. The simplicity of the story alone arguably carries this anime. Give it a watch if u have some time. A good anime if you're into romance. When I finish an anime, I tend to ask myself if ... that anime made me feel good...and this one did. I like how unlike a lot of the other romance animes out there, this one had the boy in a much different scenario; it felt different, it's nice to have different.

At initial glance the not a great deal of money was spent on the graphics but I figured to carry on watching for they would not have bothered animating a weak plot. From just watching the first OVA I was intrigued for the originality of Miyamura’s rebelling streak; an angle of rebelliousness and otaku – where they may take it I thought.

STORYLINE: 8.5/10
They secret relationship makes it awkward to watch but understandable to a person like me who ain’t so great with people face to face. A simple story that lets you in on both main characters thoughts in regards of their relationship/ friendship with ... one another without the bombardment of the clichéd high school anime or prolonged series.

More in line with the original webcomic than the manga, as shown by the art, which I actually really like. It’s more romance focused than Horimiya, however it only has half the runtime. It still has the same vibes as Horimiya, but I think they’re actually more potent here, mostly due to the art design. Anyways it’s the same story as the first four episodes of Horimiya with slight adjustments, but with less of the feeling of high school. Once again this show is no longer about what it means to be a high schooler like Horimiya, but more about the romance story of Hori ... and Miyamura. Which is fine, I still think, even with that focus, that it’s one of the better romance stories out there. It still has that maturity and believability, still those immaculate vibes, I just wish we had time to explore the side characters. The student council, which is such a delight in Horimiya, only has the bad first impression from the first interaction. We don’t have time to see them as people because they are presented like antagonists. Ishikawa and Yuuki don’t really contribute much either and a lot of characters don’t even show up because they came after, like Sawada and Yanagi. I mean I love the romance story and I love the art, but I prefer the original by a mile. Still worth the watch though and I hope I can read the full webcomic in english someday, it’s really weird with what we do have.

Not gonna lie the Cloverworks series is definitely better, but this has its place too. 4 out of 6 episodes were released before Cloverworks picked it up, so these OVAs are overshadowed by them. It compliments this series well tho, it's a nice addition after watching both Horimiya and Horimiya: Piece.

The direction is different and the animation is obviously not as nice as the Cloverworks series, but it tells the story of Hori and Miyamure quite well, these 6 episodes also focus on them almost exclusively. It's not that consistent but it's expected considering the way the episodes were released years apart, by different ... studios too.

It's a nice, charming OVA, feels a bit nostalgic after finishing Horimiya. Definitely recommend it after watching Horimiya, but don't start with this.

The story resides around two high school students Miyamura and Hori and their two friends. Hori is a student girl who likes to spend her school time around her friends. Miyamura is student boy who has been treated as an outcast since childhood, while likes having friends, everyone is staying away from fearing his appearance before knowing him better. One day, he finds Hori's little brother crying in the park before walking him home and meet hori (the story of friendship and affection starts from here).

Now, I have just watched the first episode of the anime, and from what I have seen it is a ... simple (in terms of art and events) but enjoyable work with no complications or deep diving into many aspects which might not have any direct relation to the story.

"Hori-san to Miyamura-kun" is a light anime which have some values on friendship, love and the effects of society discrimination towards every person who has been ill treated or casted away for just being different.

Even though it's different, if you liked "Kimi ni Todoke" you might as well like the simplicity of "Hori-san to Miyamura-kun".

It's an OVA, so it's going to be short, so read the manga if you want more. I don't really no if the OVA did it justice, everything was straight out of the anime, they cut a bit though. I think it just went over ch.1-14? I don't know, but I smiled the whole time and the simple animation didn't bother me really.

Saying that, I still prefer the manga still.

The characters didn't change at all, it's just a representation of basic slice of life, school romance, which isn't bad. I would watch this on a day when I am feeling down for a ... pick me up.

A lot of people say not to watch it because of "shoddy animation" but it's not so bad and I got used to it pretty quickly. I just wish they had more and that it could be done like Ouran High School Host Club or Wolf Girl and Black Prince in terms of animation.

(i’m on a reviewing spree even tho i’ve never reviewed before heh)

Let’s get straight to it, the thing everyone’s talking about, the art. I’m giving it a 5 and cause i used to be mean when i first watched it i would’ve given it a 1 lol
The art is not very flattering but i mean from what i remember it was made on a budget and i doubt i could make an anime even look that good.

I may be biased towards horimiya because i love the manga, but how they show the plot in this anime is amazing too. I love the characters, ... fell in love with miyamura cause...well...he’s hot.

This is one anime you can just sit down and chill with because there are only a few episodes, but that was enough to convince me to read the manga (it’s still ongoing as of now!!)

I'm a big fan of the serialized Horimiya manga by Square Enix. This anime is adapted from the original webcomic though, and it seems not much thought has been given to actually *adapt* it from a medium such as that to a TV format.

Obviously, three episodes are not enough to cover the whole storyline, and so we're left with a bit of a bittersweet/cliffhanger-y ending. The whole adaptation probably doesn't make that much sense without at least some knowledge of the source material (the way the Sengoku-Remi-blame-game against Hori goes down, for example).

Don't get me wrong, it's still the same story, and it's still sweet ... in its own way. The characters are their usual, lovable self, but a total of about one hour of screen time is not enough to properly flesh out the main four, and certainly none of the minor supporting roles.

The art is very true to the source material, but the actual animation is mediocre at best -- and certainly not out of stylistic necessity.

If you're truly starved for some Miyamura, give it a go, but if you're up to date on the manga, you probably shouldn't bother. Reread the manga instead.

I don't often rewatch anime, but this is one of those few anime that I have rewatched. The anime is a short OVA, with only three episodes, so it's a good 'quick' anime to watch in-between other longer series, or just if a break is needed. The story is a simple concept, but I find that to be best, considering the length of the series. However, despite its simplicity, it is still very sweet and quite 'chill' in my opinion (the content doesn't get you hyped up or anxious). The art style of the animation is also very simple, but rather than take away from ... the overall enjoyment, it adds to it. The music in the series is very calm, and the characters are not especially complex. However, despite the lack of 'action' in the series, there is more of a focus on the characters themselves and their development and growth, and this is something that I hope for in any series I watch. For this series to achieve this in only three episodes is admirable.
Overall, what I've found is that the series as a whole encapsulates and owns a simple and relaxed atmosphere. It doesn't aim to send you on a rollercoaster of emotion, make you stressed or make you laugh. It's just a short and sweet anime you could watch in one sitting and just enjoy.

I just got caught up with the manga in preparation for the show's release in January. I only really got into the manga because I heard CloverWorks was producing the show, which also produced Promised Neverland, a show I really enjoyed, and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai, one of my favorite shows. I ended loving the manga and I'm now even more excited to see the show. When I heard that a couple OVA's had been made for the manga, I decided to give them a watch when I found them on Youtube.

My initial impression after the first OVA was ... that it wasn't bad, but it was a bit rough around the edges and didn't quite grasp the fun atmosphere of the manga. In the first OVA you could especially tell that the team was working with a tight budget. That said, the following episodes do get progressively better and more interesting to watch. The artwork and character designs are very simple, but the don't detract from the story. The voice acting is pretty solid and was able to make me laugh a couple of time throughout each episode.

Overall, it's not really something you need to watch, but if you're a fan of the manga it might help tide you over before the show comes out. I'm really excited for it to come out.

Now all I need is a full series, including the big haircut, and in the new manga style (rather than webcomic style) and the anime of my favourite manga shall be in business!

For people who haven't read the manga though, this OVA(?) is a great introduction to the series and covers a lot of the introduction to Horimiya (I believe this OVA covers the first volume, maybe some of the second volume too). I also loved to see that it included some of the classic lines of the manga and also truly showed off their personalities such as Miyamura's dopey-ness. It also kept to the ... manga's style of shoujo that includes some of the typical tropes (miscommunication, etc) without being too much like just any other shoujo you've seen before.

True, it isn't a story that is overall exciting but it's a perfect character study and the characters become more like friends than just people in a story. It's lovely to get to know them and to, pretty much, stay forever in the high shoujo school setting which is why I highly recommend it if shoujo slice of life is your type of genre!

So the strengths yet the same time weaknesses of OVAs are there short run time and pacing. A lot of OVAs due to having limited screen time are really good at trimming the fatty filler that some anime tend to be inflicted with, centralizing the main points and constantly focusing on them, which also can be a hindrance if the things you want to focus on doesn't interest the watcher or what you congest in these short runs didn't feel big enough to feel whole.

Hori-San to Miyamura-Kun is an anime that focuses on the romance of two high school students, a standard affair of ... anime, but one where the entire anime is really only about that. There are no other subplots, world-building, or moments of reprieve, just the sweet and lovely tale of the two. Something definitely a lot of romance junkies wanted, but also an anime that does show what setbacks this could have,

STORY:

So the story is incredibly simple. Two young highschoolers who at first glance don't seem compatible at all, Hori being a social butterfly and Miyamura as a loner. Of course there more then meets the eye between the two, as both of them actually have sides of them that are complete opposites of each other, which they soon learn about each other and became the catalyst of this romantic story. Spending more time together, at first because Miyamura was a good brother figure to Hori's younger brother, the two develop a romantic interest between each other which isn't so easily attainable due to their public personas.

The story is all about the struggle they face in their journey of love, from friends to public perception, to misunderstandings and even realizing their own feelings, we see the two have a full conflict on their incoming romance as they tackle each issue one at a time for each episode. Because each conflict has a full episode dedicated to them, they are really fleshed out and feel whole, with some of these being quite relatable to real life, such as opening up yourself to others. I also love seeing how the couple develops in character from each story beat. Sadly for everything good the couple did, other parts end up suffering, such as the subplots of other characters with some being drop like the potential romantic interest of Hori's best friend to Miyamura, others feeling out of nowhere, like Hori's enemy suddenly becoming her friend, with the only good one being about Miyamure's new best friend and Hori's unsuccessful suitor. Overall the anime does what it did set, but due to lack of time, the things beside it with a few exceptions are not well executed. It even has a cliffhanger of an ending which we'll never see, which is saddening since it seemed interesting.

ART:

Now, this is where the anime shines. Relying on a simple palette of pastel color, the animation looks like a color book coming to life. Easy on the eyes, yet relaxing, it's clear the animation wanted to be simple and easy but do it in a way that still looks good to see. The animations are great as well, being very fluid to the point the movements feel genuine yet expressive enough to show character. I also have to praise the background, because everything looks so relaxing like a warm blanket snuggling you. And lastly the wardrobe, there seems effort in visual storytelling with clothing reflecting each character, like Miyamura appearing quite geeky at school but a bad boy in public with his piercings and tattoo or Hori's conservative appearance at her house. I also like how the characters pop from the background to further give focus on them. However for all the praise, the biggest weakness has is faces, the facial expressions are good if typical, but the faces are all the same which isn't unusual, but it really looks like some of the artists just copied a single body frame and just some details to make different characters and it so hard to see when you actually notice.

SOUND:

Now here's the interesting part, the sound isn't always present. What I mean is that there's a number of scenes which have no music, only some sound effects and the dialogue of the characters. These moments are really well-done, the atmosphere strong since the silence can give us a feeling of awkwardness and discomfort which fit a lot of the scenes involving Hori and Miyamura. There's also moments of silence where it's just the two doing the mundane thing, which I like since it does show the couple being normal, something not a lot of romance do since they keep the characters acting lovey-dovey. And the moment there is music, it's quite excellent. It helps emphasize the scenes there with simple guitar riffs and gentle sounding music, which again compliments the simplistic narrative. I also have to give props to the voice actors for conveying emotion to these characters, but in a way, it feels like something you can see in everyday life.

CHARACTER:

Now, this is where some of my gripes start to show up. The duo of Hori and Miyamura are wonderful and full of depth. Miyamura is an introvert with the hobbies of an extrovert like having a tattoo and doing rebellious acts like jumping fences or even having a fistfight, but the introvert side isn't completely fake since he also does a number of personal activities like cooking and housework. His struggle and confusion of his feelings are actually quite relatable due to his own past, and how he overcomes feels realistic. I'll admit his confusion can be funny when he thought he might've had feelings for Tooru though it can be equally frustrating when he denies his feelings for Hori. Hori herself is also a great character, someone who cares about outer appearance but is really a genuine sweetheart who is insecure about her housewife like lifestyle. I also like how quiet and close she can be, being monotonic in some of her talk with Miyamura and sharing her issues with her friends. This works since it enhances her main flaw, her fear of her public image and attaching herself too close to someone with the danger of them leaving her, which explains some of the conflicts she faces, and her past as a bully which can back to haunt her.

But aside from that, their the only good characters in this anime besides Tooru and Kouchi with Tooru having his own development and Kouchi just being a delight to watch. The rest though are just so underdeveloped and bland, who only serve as background dressing which would be fine if there wasn't so much focus on them. I also have to admit while I like the dual nature of the two main characters, I admit some times there feels a little too much on them, like Hori being a former bully, but also quiet, then emotional, then responsible which jumbles around. Ultimately the main cast are good but with the exception of a few, the cast isn't really that strong.

ENJOYMENT:

I'll admit that the enjoyment factor is a little mixed. What I love to see was the dynamic relationship between the two leads and their emotional turmoil and relatable issues. I also enjoyed some of the regular things they do as high schoolers like play games or even pranking each other. However, I cannot deny that some of the scenes outside these feel too typical and goes by the number. I also think there's a lack of drama or subplots that were set-up that didn't go anywhere which would've made the anime more interesting like the council member who tried to frame Hori for messing up paperwork. And the big romance between the two can sometimes lose its luster especially at the final episode where it felt dragged on. It was a show I enjoyed at the start of being simple yet enjoyable, but as time goes on it started to feel kinda boring lowering my enjoyment factor.

OVERALL:

This is ultimately a good short anime to watch, especially for a sucker for romance. That said it doesn't have the same weight as other better OVAs and especially since while the focus on the show did seem too kinda drag on and the things they could've done to have the show feel fresh were just dropped. It will take only less than 2 hours to finish this, but sometimes it will feel like it lasted longer. Overall I do think the show is worth watching, but it's just a simple fix instead of a brand new experience that will change you. So just warm snack to sate your craving for a romantic story, especially one that feels down to earth.

Good things come in small packages

I remember I started reading the manga quite some time ago and got to the point where I was up to date. I completely forgot about it until my friend reminded me of it and somehow I found this little anime adaptation.

Now, this isn't something grand.
It doesn't have overly complicated art.
It doesn't have a striking soundtrack.
It doesn't really have a plot.
But it's absolutely adorable.
It's a slice of life in it's entirety.
... Its short, only three episodes, but those three episodes tell a lot, really.
We still see some character progression, and still find out some things about each character.

I have to say, at first I was a bit disappointed, because surely they could have made more, given by how much of the manga there is at this point (I can't remember everything that happened in the manga, but there must surely be something), but really, when it comes down to it, this like an interval anime. If you're watching something dark and heavy, emotional or striking, this is like the anime you would watch to take a break, and after one episode, it would still make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and just be like "SO CUTE"

Overall, I enjoyed this greatly.

Hori-san to Miyamura-kun is just beautiful. Yes the art may be seen as simplistic or bad at first glance (I know I thought so), but it really grew on me over the 1 hour length of the anime. In a short span of three episodes, it managed to actually do some things very well. I'll skip to the Break Down, but only do scores for all, bar the Overall, just due to the shortness of this anime (you don't wanna read a long review for a short anime).

Story: 9/10.

Art: 7/10.

Sound: 7/10.

Character: 10/10.

... Enjoyment: 10/10.

Overall: The story of this anime is done quite well, and revealed slowly in an interesting manner, always keeping you engaged, although it may be seen as a little slow to pick up (it's a slice of life, don't expect immediate action or shenanigans), but speeding up would ruin the calming pacing of the show. The art is consistent and kept to a good level, it appeals, but is fairly minimalistic with extras and some of the character animation at times. Backgrounds are usually done to high-quality. The score for this anime did not disappoint, but was never really given any chances to shine. The characters were portrayed very well and consistently and I felt myself grow attached to and really got to know the two main characters by the end of it (Hori is basically best girl across all of anime, fight me). Enjoyment speaks for itself. Overall, I would give this anime an 8.4/10, rounding down to an 8, it was wonderful and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to you if you enjoy the slice of life genre, or romance that is just about romance (not some weird other plot events or devices), and not at all sappy. Really loved this one, and its hands.

I really do not care whether it is publicly bad or not, I read the manga and it was euphoric. I would've rather had a complete anime series but even if these episodes are OVA's I still loved it. The art was not as good as the manga however it is an insightful view of what the anime would/could look like.

Currently, I wish for an anime adaptation, the OVA's are a way to satiate the desire for one which really helped me and it's pretty much my method of getting over depression from waiting for the anime for so long. Overall I love the ... characters and the relationship-plots and the humor put into this.