Review of Horimiya

This could have been so good were it not romanticizing public play (bdsm), fear of abandonment and rejection, and biphobia. Hori's character becomes uncomfortably degenerated in the second half of this series, using those latter two elements as comedic punchlines (i.e. Hori's fear of abandonment or rejection by Miyamura is treated as a cute or funny character trait, and Hori taking increased offense by the idea of Miyamura being wooed by another guy opposed to by another girl). The latent potential of the show is illustrated by its ability to strike a great balance in displaying the relationships and character development of its entire cast, whileremaining sufficiently focused on its two protagonists. That said, Miyamura's character development seems to be given higher regard than Hori's, ultimately spiraling their romance uncomfortably close to the manic pixie dream girl trope.

I am rather torn on my final judgement of "Horimiya", for as much as I enjoyed its highs, I found its lows thus off-putting that it ruined my enjoyment of the later half of the show. I cannot negate these disturbing features or justify them in any way whatsoever. Not 'this was written in the early 2010s!', nor 'it is just comedy!' are valid justifications of bastardizing your main female character to the point where she becomes a neurotic manic pixie dream girl, nor does it justify the blatant disregard for consent when choosing to publicly practice one's kink.