Dec 31, 2013
If the high ranking and overall rating doesn't convince u to take a peak at this manga then i don't know what will. It's hard to convince you that this is an extremely good manga without spoiling it but i will do my best.
First off, the manga is completely average in almost every aspect. How come its so good if it's average? The main aspect of this manga are the characters and the reader's enjoyment.
-Story-
Horimiya is a romantic comedy. Romantic comedies are similar and easily predictable. What's unique about Horimiya as a romcom is that the story doesn't focus on the romantic part that much
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and the comedy isn't focused around the romance either. Personally i can't stand in romcoms where something that isn't that embarrassing at all, is made into a huge deal. Rest assured, Horimiya isn't a manga where a character would be flustered if he/she is asked if the other person is their bf/gf. There aren't any big romantic scenes like the "dramatic first kiss." Like i said, Horimiya isn't focused on the romcom that much. In fact, it's more of a slice of life genre. The couple and their friends go through their last year in high school, having fun and hanging with a bunch of comedy. You also get the see the couple being together early on and enjoy how their relationship last. It's hard to describe the story any more without spoilers but i think you got the gist of it.
-Art-
Romcoms typically have similar styles of art and they are generally all pretty well done. Horimiya has nothing special in particular about the art but the expressions portrayed by the characters are priceless. The comedic scenes feel natural and not so forced if ya know what i mean. I don't see any flaws either.
-Characters-
The characters are what makes this manga above average. Especially Miyamura Izumi. In school, he is seen as a shady guy with glasses and a possible otaku. Looks can be deceiving though. Miyamura is in fact, not a otaku and looks like a a punk rock kind of guy with 9 piercings and a bunch of tattoos. In reality, he is actually an airhead that only excels in physical education and health despite his looks in school. Hori Kyokou is the MC (you read most of it in her perspective) of the manga. In school, she is cute, smart, and popular. After school though, she goes straight home and becomes similar to a housewife. She is also a sadist (but this is a realistic manga so it's more of the usual sadistic nature of some people in real life which i prefer). The overview of this manga makes a big deal about their split personalities but honestly they're more like just part of their life. They have different personalities and backgrounds but they're just normal people. They don't go into extreme ways of hiding their secret nor do any situation arise that could cost them their secret. Like i said, this is more of a slice of life manga and everything is realistic. Each character experiences a well developed character development including all the supporting characters.
-Enjoyment-
Who can't enjoy this? It's a nice, refreshing, slice of life/romcom manga without all the annoying bits in a typical romcom. For me, reading it was actually fun. I laughed my ass off so many times. I don't ever remember laughing so much in each chapter or each episode of an anime. Although i just finished reading all the way to the last chapter out (chapter 29), i want to go back and reread it again. This is a manga where you can reread multiple times and still enjoy it and get the same feelings as if you're reading it for the first time.
-Overall-
Overall i am rating this a 9 although i rated it as a 10 on my list. There isn't really a particular reason why im rating it a 9 instead of a 10. Honestly i can't think of any ways for this manga to improve. It is perfect the way it is. Even if they dragged it on, it would still be really good and consistent with the overall ratings. The one flaw might be the fact that there's no set goal. Unlike romcoms, Horimiya doesn't focus many chapters on getting the two to be together. They got together quite subtly and early on. Personally i prefer this. It's fine with no specific goal cause this manga is more of a slice of life genre. It's just their typical, pretty happy, life in school.
I hope you all like this review and i hope lots of manga readers read this and enjoy it as much as i do.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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