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As you can see, I have ultimately mixed feelings for this rendition. Some aspects are just... hit or miss, but I'm not really that disappointed when I leave the cinema.

TL;DR The direction was a bit of a mess. Though it stayed to true to the manga, but it made changes that caused the plot to lose its essence/context.

- SPOILER ALERT -

Let me begin my full review with a question I asked myself when I left the cinema; what in the actual world that the director was thinking? It could've been a good finale because in the manga, the arcs were great despite the ending was ... mediocre (I'm not complaining about who won in the end because... I'll explain later). Although the direction was staying true to the manga, but I just feel disappointed with how they decided the pacing of the movie and to chop and move some parts to elsewhere in the story.

Firstly, the pacing wasn't quite right. Some parts felt rushed, some others are jumpy. Unlike in the manga, the flow doesn't feel natural enough. The build up to Fuutaro's decision was subpar because of how jumpy and rushed the plot was, so it doesn't feel rewarding and/or reasonable enough. An example of this is the build up to each sisters' last day of the festival, they're not giving any lasting impression since the director failed to spice them up by rushing the storytelling, while in the manga it actually really helped with the decision-making of the MC and give more highlights on how Fuutaro made his own impression to the quints, and how the quints see themselves in the end.

Secondly, the chopping and the moving of some parts of the manga in the movie were my biggest issues. Some parts of the prep to/the days of the summer festival didn't make the final cut, and the one I'm disappointed with is how they treated the flashback arc. A massive chunk of it didn't make the movie, and it made the justification of the choice and the depth of a certain characterisation to be lacking in some aspects.

Particularly, as Team Yotsuba, I was underwhelmed by how they cut the flashback arc. It's the part where it gives the context and the reasonings behind Yotsuba's personalities (or as you can say, an 'origin story' of how she becomes the way she is, and the part where I fall more in love with her character), the answer to who's the girl Fuutaro met in the past, and the choice that the author intended (as per my interpretation, Fuutaro's choice is to reward what Yotsuba is long for and as an expression of gratitude towards her). It makes the choice and the ending to be less rewarding compared to the manga counterpart. Because of this, I bet the anime-only audiences will go "what the hell?", as they are confused because of some plot holes.

Even though my favourite waifu has emerged as the true bride, I'm still disappointed with how things played out in the movie.

Lastly, the visual wasn't that fantastic. I thought because it's a movie, the visual would be phenomenal, but in reality it wasn't. Some scenes are rougher or less defined than others. Some important scenes were not that pleasing. It looks like the season 2's visual quality was better than the whole movie. Despite those, I think it's not that big of an issue.

Though disappointing, I still praise the filmmakers who tried to stayed true to Haruba-sensei's work. The voice acting is also something to look forward to, the talents were incredible in potraying their characters.

After a long wait (at least in my country) to watch the quints, this is entertaining enough. However, for a finale of the series, I don't think it's good enough. The direction could do better.

People are complaining, underestimating or unconvinced about the visual quality. To me, visual is what makes Ousama Ranking unique.

Don't judge from that aspect if you're used to some shows with eye-pleasing visuals like Kimetsu no Yaiba or some Makoto Shinkai films, because Ousama Ranking offers something more; it's the story.

I can tell you that the writing for each character in this series is stunning. Bojji's kindness is formed from a tragic childhood and his disabilities, but his perseverance and mental strength is what makes him special and will definitely grow as your favourite character. Kage's upbringing is tragic too, and these two are the figures ... that you should definitely pay attention closely throughout the series, as they would make the story even better.

Other characters are unexpectedly written solidly, too. Even side characters like Bebin, Apeas, Dorshe, Despa, Desha, and Ouken have such deep characterisations. They colour the story even more, make Bojji and Kage stand out more, and even highlight the other side of Daida, King Bosse (who was thought to be the hero of everything but as the story goes by, you would find out that he was the cause of many atrocities) and Miranjo.

You will enjoy how the story unfolds even from the 1st episode. Don't mind the visuals, because what Ousama Ranking sells is how Bojji can prove the world around him wrong.

The only minus side of the series is the ending. I was a bit like "huh?" but it doesn't make the series less amazing. Overall, this series is a masterpiece, something that you shouldn't miss, and just because of the looks, doesn't mean it has no other quality to offer.

If you want a great combination of fluff, drama, sisterly love, and guessing game, this anime is the right one for you.

Actually, this 2nd season did a lot of justice to the manga (although some parts are cut off for better or for worse) and a massive step forward from the 1st season. Particularly in terms of art style, the 1st season was kind of appalling, while in this one I should say has improved drastically and the characters appear more vibrant.

As for the story, it continued where it left off; Fuutarou trying hard to get the sisters intact in order to graduate while also ... getting tangled in their sisterly problems. Some sisters finally acknowledge their feelings, from hostility to distrust into true love. Some characters got more highlights in the story, if we previously see how Itsuki buried the hatchet with Fuutarou and Ichika helped him out in the 1st season, in this one we will not only get one sister, but three sisters racing towards him, which includes Ichika, Nino, and Miku. The drama is well-seasoned all along the story and you wouldn't want to miss Fuutarou's struggle to keep them intact while those three sisters declaring war to each other.

With all the drama, there is still room for wholesomeness. We get to see how Itsuki tried to fill the mother figure for all her sisters and Yotsuba prioritising them over herself. As for the lovey dovey aspect, you won't see that much but you can see Fuutarou as the ideal and realistic "knight in shining armour" (in a metaphorical sense) with his perseverance to hold on to his commitment that made some of the sisters fall for him.

The downsides are probably from the characters, and it's purely subjective. I don't like how certain sisters act but it's normal, you can like and dislike whatever you want. The other aspect that I don't actually like is how some characters have less screen time compared to the manga or the 1st season.

This is one of my favourite romcoms of all time. If you enjoy the first 4 episodes, you'll enjoy the whole series. Try have a watch.

I'm the type of person who particularly don't like romance animes. My dropped animes recently belong to the romance category, and they disappointed me big time. But, when I tried to give Horimiya a watch, this anime is unlike other romcoms.

The show didn't try to be sweet or have some fluffs or even lewd. It was just being pure and had quite realistic relationship between characters, the right amount of goofiness, and not causing any cringe like any other shows. This show legitimately gave you the excitement to not only explore Hori and Miyamura's attempts to build their chemistry, but also gave highlight to other ... characters with no poor writings such as Yuki, Tooru, Sengoku, Sakura, and Remi. Like the story, every character in here is polished and refined, even the silliest Kyosuke is a great addition to the show.

The fluff is still there though, like any other romcoms. Hori and Miyamura are sweet, they value each other for their simplicity, their flaws, and weirdness. That's what other romcom animes don't have, often times the MC or the main love interest is way too perfect, but Hori has flaws that Miyamura can accept, and Miyamura has weaknesses that Hori can cover. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is quite realistic (though some aspects are not, but this is a fictional work anyway).

So yeah, Horimiya is my personal favourite when it comes to romcom. Totally recommended.

As my rating shows, this is (completely subjective) a masterpiece.

It has everything that an anime (particularly 90s anime) should have. The right pacing, the right story, the right characterisations, the right visuals, the right soundtracks, and of course the right coda (ending) of the show.

The anime has 26 episodes and that's enough. It does not need seasons to complete or lengthy episodes to solidify its status as a legendary show. It only needs 26 episodes to show the anime that it means business, with the delicate characters like Spike and Faye, strong and mature Jet, with the addition of goofy but intelligent Ed and Ein. ... 26 episodes to explore about humans and their lives; discovering the past, making peace with the past, and even escaping the past.

The anime also gives lessons like 'things happen for some reasons', 'make your own stride because no one's gonna run your life for you', and 'people are walking on different paths', or at least that's what I saw from the show. Those things add more value to this piece of art.

The only downsides are some episodes could be bland, not as exciting or action-packed as the others, but you will have some favourite moments from this. My favourite episodes are 'Pierrot le Fou', because it crept me out, and the final 2 episodes. Witness them yourself.