Warning! This review on Horimiya Chapter two contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, I recommend watching it and then going back to read the review.

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Page 2. You have more than one face

Horimiya Chapter two begins with Hori and Miyamura shopping while they talk about only knowing anisongs. In Hori’s house, her mother is enthusiastic about the conversations about Miyamura and when she realizes that she doesn’t know his first name, Hori becomes impatient. In the end, Miyamura himself tells him his first name, namely Izumi. Things go on and Hori is very busy helping the student council but a little problem arises. A document is accidentally lost and Hori is held responsible, but Miyamura stands up for her and clears up the confusion. Everything is going well, but an uncertainty is near and it is how long the current relationship between Hori and Miyamura will last. Without realizing this worry, the boy is preparing a birthday present for Hori, and it’s something she really wanted, current music.

The Hori that some know

Let’s start by talking about the main attraction of not just this episode but the series in general, the void that exists in each person. We already touched on the difference between the picture and the real character in the previous review, but it’s worth constantly reconsidering, especially in this story. Since this will be a constant theme, we can take the liberty of devoting their time and space to each character. This time we will dedicate it to Hori. The reason is simple, the void in you is the least hidden.

The one with whom Hori has the least diffuse gap is perhaps a product of his real self. Sure she’s someone with a certain image, but she’s not particularly interested in maintaining that reputation. In fact, it is invaluable to them that their real “I” is recognized and accepted. It doesn’t seem very obvious, but so far Hori has tried to live up to his own desires. She has a somewhat aggressive character and despite her passive image, she has never bothered to hide that wild side of herself. That’s not to say he isn’t worried. The fact that he has agreed to change his deal with Sengoku is evidence that he regrets his previous actions.

With that in mind, however, we can confirm that not that much has changed because it can still be involuntarily cruel. However, we continue the same way, they are inherent in his character and he does not try to hide it. Hori’s case is a case of interpretation, it’s not that she wants to be popular, it just happened that everyone formed this image of her. It is certainly a question of reputation, it is just the perception of others. And that’s why Miyamura has become special to her, as she is someone who has not stayed in one impression, but has got to know her as herself.

I will keep repeating myself, Hori is not a hypocritical person, she just lets things flow, she doesn’t feel the need to correct anyone because if necessary, she never stops being herself. We saw him worried about knowing Miyamura’s name and spying on the boys’ locker room to the max. It can be very silly and we’ll see it and of course how to take it depends on the rest of the way. Hori not only hides his personality, but also hides his family situation. It’s not really a problem, but there is no need to make it known to everyone. And that’s part of Kyoko’s personality too, she’s not particularly open to her own problems. At this point, Miyamura is the only one who could know.

The debut of the student council

Let’s get to the next point of interest, the arrival of new characters. As in almost all school series, the student council is a group that seems to pose or solve problems, here it should be caused. The first impression we could make of them may not have been the best, they almost seemed like a group of thugs intimidating Hori. The first mistake in their introduction is that we saw them delegate the work to Hori even though she is not on the council. That undoubtedly takes away enough points of sympathy, the context is also not pleasant, it is not Hori’s fault that his third member is so inefficient. The antipathy only increased when Sengoku confronted Hori in front of several students about the lost document. Even if it was really Hori’s fault, challenging someone in front of so many people is quite disgusting.

The whole situation was completely hopeless, it wasn’t Hori’s fault and he still had to apologize. In all honesty, the situation was just humiliating, and before we talk about Miyamura’s great achievement, it must be said that the picture of Hori and Sengoku’s past just isn’t enough to fully forgive him. I can understand that Hori has some dedication to the abuse he exposed the president to, but Sengoku has come a little bit far. But hey, I really can’t and really don’t want to speak badly about the student council because I actually like it too much. Just wanted to make it clear that their presentation was really really bad, they got a bad roll, but all three are baked buns (it’s my annoying way of saying they are better than bread).

Well, the time of the hero of the day, who was undoubtedly Miyamura. It did not go unnoticed that Hori put a lot of effort into the work assigned to him. In fact, part of the girl’s character is to work hard with what is entrusted to her. It’s also hermetic, so a silly mistake like losing a document doesn’t suit it. But in the face of an adversary like the President of the Student Council, there wasn’t much that others could do. Just someone as unthinkable as the Miyamura series, able to let go of their anger and clear up the situation on the go. I admit the headbutt was unnecessary, but very justified, someone had to return the favor for the anger that was causing us all. He was the hero of the day.

The time with you

The end of the chapter leaves a medium high note by planting a seed of uncertainty. It is true that everything is fine now, and both Hori and Miyamura can spend entire afternoons together, but … how long will that be? There are things that, as much as we love them, won’t last forever. We saw them in the previous episode. Miyamura thinks that as soon as Hori gets a boyfriend, she should stop visiting her house. The same could be true for him if he is the one to find a partner, it will be Hori who leaves or he would have to do it himself. It is very nice to say that they are friends, but there is no guarantee of anything in this type of relationship.

Well, let’s not be negative, because despite the uncertainty, we can confirm that the connection between the two continues to strengthen. Miyamura is thoughtless, not very smart and a bit dense, but he is very attentive to Hori. Therefore, he could give her what she wanted as a birthday present because he was sensitive to her needs. The opening scene, in which Hori regretted not being up to date on current music, wasn’t baseless, but rather an example of the attention Miyamura pays him. Both are aware of the changes they expect, but each sees it differently. While she found uncertainty, he seems a bit vague about the future. All of that is fine, as long as their desire to be together prevails, they’ll be preoccupied with what’s next.

Final comment

Horimiya Chapter two was an episode full of different emotions. We could experience fun, embarrassment, anger, amazement, and even something like nostalgia. I like the direction of this anime, but I have to give the reason that the pace of the narrative feels very sped up. It’s not uncommon for an anime chapter to cover a lot of history, but if the pacing isn’t meticulous in the details, it can feel rushed. The case of this second chapter is just that, so many things happen and everything happens so quickly that we cannot finish one thing when something else begins. I don’t think it’s because of the length of the scenes, maybe it’s the way we move from one to the other, it’s where something doesn’t fully click.

Anyway, before I finish on that, I’ll vent my fanatical heart. HERE I will put a spoiler for the MANGA! You can skip this paragraph if you don’t want to ruin this part of the story. You are warned.

I didn’t expect you to cheer Kyoko’s birthday in this chapter. When Tooru asks Miyamura for advice on the gift, they get a ring and Miyamura wears it because it is stuck. This is an important detail in all of Souta’s concerns about Miyamura’s stay at his home. It is the first time that a long-term relationship is hinted at for her, that is, marriage. Although Miyamura makes it clear that he is not going home with Kyoko, he will continue to go to her house to spend time with him. In addition, the friendship rings are born, again Tooru accidentally drives the relationship between these two. I really wanted to see it animated, I don’t know if they’ll give me the pleasure later.

© HERO QU 萩 原 ダ イ ス ス QU SQUARE ENIX ・ 「ホ リ ミ ヤ」 製作 製作

So far, I leave you the usual questions: What did you think of this chapter? Like Hori, do you know Anisongs even though you don’t know what music is fashionable? What do you think of Hori and his quirks? What impression did the student council’s debut leave on you? Should we explain Miyamura as that Kiss husband from the season to now?

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Sweety Otaku

One of the best parts of watching anime is how many times a show can surprise you. Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. But if the Otaku know one thing, it's that anything is possible.

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