May 22, 2017
I was drawn to this manga by the stellar reviews it had. Seriously, very few ratings below 7 ("Good") here. And, well, after reading 78 chapters within 24 hours, I feel like this manga needs a candid response to it.
Story: 4/10
Typical "opposites attract" storyline. The girl's popular af and the guy is basically an outcast. The twist? They are completely different people outside school, who start interacting through a chance encounter and thus starts their story. There's less "will they/won't they" moments here, and well, they actually get together and the manga goes on.
Now this could have been very good, BUT. But.
...
There is basically no plot!? After Hori and Miyamura get together there is like almost zero progress. What is the manga going for? Where is the story going? Nowhere! I don't see an endgame in sight. They already got together a long time ago but now what? Are the further chapters going to, I don't know, make actual progress between them or are they going to continue being like little balls of fluff, with no substantial content? Are there identifiable "arcs" here? Who knows! I felt kind of betrayed.
Art:5/10
All I have to say about the art style is that it is very mediocre. There's nothing really that attractive about it. Sure, it's neat. The characters look good. But sometimes I felt like the artist wasn't even trying with the backgrounds. You can find a plethora of scenes in which the characters just stand in front of a white or grey background. That was definitely annoying.
Characters: 6/10
I came here for Miyamura and Hori's story, but all I keep reading about is Hori's dad and brother, and their friends Ishikawa, Yoshioka, Sengoku plus a dozen more characters. The main characters, after getting together, just take a step back and let the side characters run the show. Annoying!
Honestly, they had so much potential. Especially Miyamura. His character was so intriguing - parents run a bakeshop, but here he is with tattoos and too many piercings and long hair. Seems like an otaku at school, but actually is a decent yet slightly depressed guy. Oh, and his little quirks, how he is kinky without even meaning to be - very sexy and adorable at the same time. Hori's character was a less interesting character though. Good looking, popular, good grades - but at home she does housework, cooks, and takes care of her little brother. I really don't see the big deal of doing housework and cooking, it's not like she's a maid or anything. She doesn't want her friends to see her without makeup either, and is relatively ambition-less. Get's jealous easily and secretly likes domestic abuse?! And that's... basically all that there is to them. Very stagnant progress between them. 78 chapters in and Hori still doesn't know the actual reason for Miyamura's piercings and depressing past - the question isn't even brought up. Miyamura didn't even introduce Hori to his mom yet; although he is always staying over at her place. Kind of unfair? And the fact that Hori doesn't know Miyamura properly has been brought up in the manga, but it hasn't been explored one bit. I really want the author to further elaborate on Miyamura's past, or just elaborate on their existing relationship and just tell us about THEM! FOR HORI AND MIYAMURA TO ACTUALLY KNOW EACH OTHER! But still can't see that happening. Sighs
Enjoyment: 7/10
To be honest, it was a decent read when I was binge-reading it, although as an overall story it is kind of a let-down. Horimiya is 7/10 Slice of Life, 2/10 Romance and 1/10 Comedy, if I were to dissect it. I particularly enjoyed Miyamura's kinky side with Hori, and the mild sexual implications the manga made. Will I continue reading this after it gets updated? May be. Will I recommend it to anyone I know? Nah, not really
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
