Horimiya (2021)

[ホリミヤ]

Director: Masashi Ishihama
Studio: CloverWorks
Starring: Haruka Tomatsu, Koki Uchiyama, Yuka Terasaki
Episodes: 13

Synopsis:
Two classmates grow close after learning about the sides of each other's personalities they do not show other people.

Impressions:
I was a bit late to the party, but all the positive word of mouth prompted me to check this series out and I'm very glad I did. The dynamics remind me of His and Her Circumstances (KareKano) and, best of all, it doesn't completely fall apart in the second half. I've heard people say a lot of material was cut from the original manga and you can feel there are some gaps, but the narrative is overall fairly cohesive. The core idea of the tension that is born of the public and private faces of a person is particularly resonant with the Japanese audience, but anyone can relate to it. There are also Rousseauan themes where pretty much there are no bad people, and no matter how bad the first impression of a character is, they invariably turn around. The eponymous Hori and Miyamura are a fun couple and it's enjoyable watching their relationship development. The supporting cast is also great. It's a very enjoyable watch and I can easily recommend adding it to your collection.

Rating:
Own It