{[Minor Spoilers!]}



Horimiya, or as its webcomic is known, Hori-san to Miyamura-Kun, is one of those series that opens up the conversation for its respective genre, in this case, its romance. The story follows the two main characters, Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura as their unlikely friendship expands into a humorous romance; one of the main appeals I found in the show was the side characters, Horimiya is a series with strong protagonists and a strong cast of supporting characters helping advance the story both in romance and in the humor. In the thirteen episodes produced, Horimiya found a quick yet enjoyable formula to condense a romantic story spanning dozens of chapters into concise 23-minute episodes. The plot is one seen many times before, a boy considered an outcast and a loner finds a strange connection to the popular girl in class, in this case, Miyamura is a dark stoic figure whose classmates cannot figure out, he finds his connection to Hori through her little brother, Souta, who had fallen and gotten injured, Miyamura brings him to his house where he reunites Souta to his elder sister, Hori. After talking for a while, Hori and Miyamura realize who they are talking to, fast forward to the next day at school, Hori still cannot believe what happened the previous day, after approaching Miyamura, Hori successfully invites him over to her house once more; after these events, the two would develop an unexpected friendship, gaining attention from friends and family, after a while. the two characters start developing a romantic attraction towards each other, eventually entering a relationship together.

Overall the story of Horimiya seems like it takes a side seat leaving the main appeal of the series to the humor and the cast, however, this is not an entirely bad thing, the cast which comprises of characters such as Yuki Yoshikawa, a socially awkward yet outgoing girl who has a tendency of copying Hori´s homework and Tooru Ishikawa, a close friend to Miyamura, although he originally disliked Miyamura due to his crush on Hori.

After I finished the series I looked back on this amazing series that takes tried and tested ideas and expands upon them and I realized something, Horimiya is not merely another seasonal romance anime that will come and go over time, Horimiya is a fresh look into what untapped potential the romance genre has and will eventually be used, whether this series will be remembered a year or two down the line is unknown, as only time will tell, however, one thing I can say for certain is that Horimya will undoubtedly be in my top ten anime and manga to experience.

So, my verdict on this series scoring from 1 to 10 is:
Story:6, a most basic story with some good elements
Art:7, astounding art with colors playing a significant role signifying emotion
Sound:8, the sound quality is dashing and helps amplify key story moments
Character:8. the characters in Horimiya, both Main and Supporting, have unique personalities and backgrounds making it hard to have a favorite
Overall:7, the series is an above-average show that will keep you intrigued when watching and reflecting on it