Reviews

Oct 25, 2014
Preliminary (43/139 chp)
It's very rare to see a series getting stripped of its excesses with its essence remaining intact. Hell, I don't even remember the last time I have read something that used simplicity rather than dramacity working on its favor - that is, before I got around to reading Horimiya.

What really makes Horimiya stand out among several other shoujo romance stories is the way they use the natural flow of events rather than misunderstandings and excessive drama to make the story move foward. It's slow paced, light-hearted and feels more slice-of-life focused, which gives off a very refreshing feeling. Even though the plot is nothing new (high school boy meets high school girl), it feels different since it's so natural.

"Natural" may be in fact the keyword as to why Horimiya works so well, along with something else that's really important: "Intimacy". It's very rare to see a shoujo where you can feel the characters growing closer and intimate and actually getting to know each other well instead of that sort of love/crush that blooms when the characters have barely interacted at all. Hori and Miyamura don't just see each other under a cherry blossom tree and fall in love because he was nice to her once, or because she seems different from the other girls in school; Seeing their friendship gradually growing into a different kind of relationship is rewarding and makes for an extremely heartwarming romance.

Speaking about the characters, the author really did hit the nail on the head with them. Our protagonist, Hori, for once isn't a clueless shoujo girl who acts like a lost sheep once she falls in love. She's kind-hearted and family-oriented, and also irritable and borderline violent at times (without falling victim to the tsundere trope, thank god), but overall very bright, outgoing and friendly. She's a good-natured girl with a palpable personality, and she's easy to relate to. Miyamura is almost her polar opposite: gloomy to the point his classmates suspect him of being a creepy otaku (or so he appears), reserved and timid. He's somewhat of a scatterbrain and a really easy-going person, and kind to a fault. They mash really well together in their interactions while still exist outside of their romance as unique characters with their own personalities, hobbies and goals.

The supporting cast is full of colorful and likeable characters. Hori's father is probably my favorite out all of them, seeing as he's always made me laugh whenever he appeared. The rival characters like Ishikawa and Sawa are also refreshing in their own ways, being sensible and easy to like, rather than causing over the top drama and fitting sexist tropes. The side cast is not as developed as the main two, but they make for a solid group of characters who stand well on their own.

The only thing that unfortunately falls a bit short are the subplots involving the side characters. That's not to say they're bad, but it's very clear how inferior they are to the main romance, and feel more shoujo-ish in comparison, almost like one-shot specials. There are also a couple of moments in the main story where there's a break of flow, but fortunately the manga picks itself back up fast enough so that these cracks won't interfere too much in the quality and enjoyment as a whole. There's a scene in particular in the latter chapters involving Miyamura and Hori's brother that felt a bit unnecessarily nerve-wracking. But thankfully it's not a long scene, and soon enough things are back to their tracks. The art is also something one could complain about since it doesn't really have anything to stand out, but it certainly doesn't look bad, and it fits the mood of the story well.

All in all, Horimiya is a shoujo romance that does a lot of things right, escaping the usual feeling of frustration that comes with the genre and giving off a light, natural and fluffy feeling instead. It's definitely worth checking out, whether or not you're a fan of shoujo manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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