Webcomic author HERO's popular series Hori-San to Miyamura-Kun has been adapted into a mainstream manga series by Daisuke Hagiwara, but this high school rom-com. is only now getting an anime, set to premiere in January 2021. While Horimiya has a lot of competition in terms of high school stories, it may have gone underappreciated, so here's an overview of the manga and why the anime is worth looking forward to.
Meet The Gang
Horimiya is centered around an ever-expanding pack of friends. The two main stars are Izumi Miyamura and Kyoko Hori, who at first think they have nothing in common. Neither is what they seem to be: Miyamura is a quiet, long-haired boy with glasses and a glum expression, content to be invisible to everyone around him. By contrast, Hori is outgoing, popular and wears her heart on her sleeve, and she has no trouble attracting a gaggle of friends to chat with once class is over. One day, their lives intersect out of nowhere, planting the seeds of an equally unexpected but loving friendship.
They aren't alone, either. Toru Ishikawa is a fairly straight-laced boy who notices Miyamura and Hori's budding friendship and joins in, and he is like a foil to the excitable Yuki Yoshikawa, a longtime friend of Hori's. For a time, Yuki didn't think much of Miyamura, but now he's a trusted friend, even if she likes Toru and Hori a little better. On top of all that, the growing group of friends adds the student council president to their ranks, Kakeru Sengoku. He seems uptight at first, but once he joins the squad, he turns out to be laid-back, warm-hearted and easily flustered when things get personal. Sakura Kono is a lot like Miyamura, a quiet and unassuming wallflower who blossoms into her true self when she's welcomed to the group of friends.
Two Sides To Every Person
Even in a short span of time, the Horimiya trailers make the series' central theme clear through a handful of images: the simple fact that people aren't always what they seem to be. Horimiya has a positive and optimistic central message, encouraging others to give other people a chance to show their true best selves before hasty judgment or assumptions can be made. The quiet, awkward kid in the corner might actually have a heart of gold, and the popular jock might actually have self-image issues and need a friend for help. There is more to everyone than meets the eye, and taking the time to listen to and understand a classmate or co-worker can yield remarkable insights, and foster unexpected friendships. Everyone deserves a chance.
Izumi Miyamura is the main example of this. He's dismissed as the shy, nerdy otaku type at school, and he's content to let everyone think that way. In reality, he's a stylish and outgoing boy who fits like a puzzle piece in the Hori household once he visits them. Kyoko Hori has a much younger brother named Souta, and one day, Miyamura escorted Souta home when he needed help, and Kyoko could hardly believe her eyes. How could the awkward wallflower otaku boy be stylish, warm and good with kids? She never would have guessed, but now the truth is out. Miyamura comes to realize that the ultra-popular queen bee Kyoko Hori is actually a slightly frazzled homemaker sort, wearing simple and practical clothes while rushing from one chore or errand to another. She's both a big sister and motherly figure to her much younger brother, and she butts heads with her goofy father Kyosuke.
As the story progresses, Miyamura and Hori get used to each other's unexpected hidden sides, then learn to love them, and each other. And along the way, they welcome new friends into their circle and give them a chance to be their true selves as well, from Sakura's hidden feelings for Toru to Sengoku's desire to have friends who truly understand him, not just student council aides who help him with paperwork. In this way, everyone can grow together and show their true selves without fear of rejection.
The Horimiya anime is scheduled to air in January 2021.
