Review of Horimiya

I think a lot of my disappointment with this show comes from the very large excitement I had from the manga finally being adapted once more. A year ago I watched the 4 episode ova they had previously made and wanted a higher quality, full length version, and low and behold, we got it. As an anime, the ending fails in so many ways. It skips so many chapters in the manga that flesh out some of the other characters and in the end, it makes it difficult to care for them and where they go. Characters like Tanihara, Shindou, and Sawada aren't used to theirfullest extent and it's upsetting to think how much stronger the ending could be with a second season, or a couple more characters.

The anime manages to muddle up the timeline in a way that is baffling. The anime manages to condense 2 years of high school in the span of 13 episodes, and it doesn't seem like any of the characters have grown other than Miyamura. This is because once again, there wasn't any time and so they had to go at breakneck speed.

On the main characters, while Miyamura does have some development, Hori remains roughly the same, if not a little worse. As the story progresses, Hori continues to make most situations about her, not really regarding anyone else's feelings. This has sprung up some discussion in regards to her comments towards the "homophobic" comments she has made towards Miyamura in the series. The relationship the two have never feels like it's only level playing field, Hori has the upper hand roughly 80% of the time and it gets kind of exhausting.

Overall, this anime has soured on me the more I think about it - especially, after the ending we got. I would say if you do like the anime, the manga is worth checking out.