Horimiya

Hori-san to Miyamura-kun is a very sweet romantic comedy manga that has a unique charm to it that makes it different from the rest. The story manages to steer clear from the regular clichés that plague most romance manga. It is a great read that thoroughly entertained me with it’s perfect mix of humor and genuinely sweet moments. The story itself is light on the drama (unlike other works of this genre), but that only adds to the appeal of it. It is a grounded and very interesting story. The characters go through a lot of growth as they struggle with their own sense of self-worth, overcoming bullies and social exclusion to become people you truly want to root for.

Out of these struggles, the romance grows in a very organic and natural way. After all, a lot of the focus is on them simply being teens learning how to be teens. They’re just trying to express who they truly are, after a period where their self-expression was pretty much overshadowed by societal pressures. A huge part of their growth is simply learning to overcome these things and tell people how they truly feel. Hori and Miyamura have different struggles, but they are fundamentally similar. I enjoyed the way their personal relationship came about and developed almost in a domestic scenario. Sometimes they act more like a married couple than a pair of high-schoolers. To Hori and Miyamura, an enclosed world is built where they work to preserve their non-public-persona moments together, reserving a side of themselves only for each other. In the end, it becomes a story of loving without judgement.