Review of Horimiya

I just came to say that Horimiya is one of the most wholesome and positive high school romance anime series I've ever watched. It kind of reminded me of classics such as Toradora, even though the romance is handled quite differently. This won't be a long review, I'll just touch on a few key points. First, the characters are extremely believable, albeit over-the-top hysterical moments are sprinkled here and there throughout the series. It's a high-school romance, after all. What makes the series different is that Hori punches way above the standard anime tropes for a heroine. She's fleshed out amazingly well, even down toher little kink toward the end (which I though would bother me but in the end I was okay with it).

The animation, music and graphics are all good, not your Shinkai type of amazing, or ufotable type of fluid but the camera angles, close ups and overall cinematography is very coherent with the story. And it all falls in place quite nicely. Again, the relationships between the characters are portrait astonishingly well, to the point you wonder if this has some "based on a true story" elements to it.

In the end, it's a "coming of age" romance just like thousands you already watched. What makes it special is that you feel how real it is, and you genuinely feel happy for the characters. It reminds you that true love, compassion, friendship all exist in the real world. It's a warm and positive slice of life story that you will keep in your heart and use it to warm yourself during cold and dark periods. I'm glad such anime exists.