Warning! This review on Horimiya Chapter three contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the episode yet, I recommend watching it and then going back to read the review.
Page 3. So it's okay
Horimiya Chapter three begins with memories of Miyamura's past. Of course, after hanging out with Hori, he became part of his group of friends, but it's still hard for him to deal with. The person with whom he takes this integration best is with Ishikawa who, despite everything, cannot leave him alone. Meanwhile, Hori's feelings continue to emerge, especially when Remi threatens to take Izumi from him. With a disguised confession, the two continue to spend their afternoons together. Tooru's jealousy reappears, but this time he and Miyamura get into a fistfight. Neither of them is really guilty and their friendship is not disturbed.
Miyamura's place
A week ago we talked about how natural the characters' presentation was and how organic it felt to give each one their own space. Well, this week we're going to dedicate it to Miyamura. As you will remember, the beginning of this episode is a little melancholy. We are faced with memories of a dark period in Izumi's life. Even before we noticed the boy's constant uncertainty about his image in front of his companions. It is this return to the past that enables us to see the roots of this complex. Everything points to child cruelty and Izumi's own inability to adjust. Because he was such an unsociable kid, he was set aside and eventually branded "weird", which led him to isolate himself even more.
After he left the social circle, a constant vicious circle ensued that increased his insecurity. Although we have previously seen him as a pensive little boy who got tattoos and piercings because he could, this vision of the past reveals something else. In fact, the first piercing was done in high school every day after it was again neglected by its peers. Now we know that she wasn't thoughtless, it was a desperate act of her inner self, it was her way of revealing herself against her image. Not only that, Izumi was also looking for pain, not stabbing pain in her chest, but a tangible physical pain that would push the other away. His grief is real, he is human and completely empathetic to those of us who see him.
Because of all of this, we can understand their disbelief in their new circumstances. Finding friends, being part of a group, these are things he couldn't do on his own. All of this came to him through Hori. His uncertainty about belonging to this group is natural. He has a history of rejections that works against him and that he repeats over and over again: "Are you sure they want to be with someone like you?". His self-image is so distorted that he is not sure if he is the person supposed to be with them. His insecurities had already made him struggle with Hori and remember the first episode before.
For this reason, he continues to seek confirmation in the place he occupies with them. And that's exactly why Tooru's words are so special. He doesn't gloss over her and he doesn't lie to her, Miyamura is weird, but that's not something that takes points away from him. This is a moment of revelation for Izumi. For the first time, he is serious about himself, so much so that he feels the need to comfort his past self. The message is clear and concise: "Okay, there will be those who accept you for who you are. It will be fine. "
It is not a mistake to have feelings
Leave the uncertainties behind and let's move on to the uncertainties and statements. Again Remi seems to stir the water a little, this time by provoking Hori with his relationship with Miyamura. Surely Remi was only joking by challenging Hori, but when he sensed the threat, Kyoko could not divert her anger. Not that she was really upset, but that it was a feeling of frustration. Reality hit her suddenly, she is only friends with Miyamura and if he gets close to someone else there is nothing he can do about it. But that doesn't mean that he likes it, because he is increasingly aware of his feelings, he doesn't want anyone to be closer to him than she is. And the reason for that is easier than anything, but it's also problematic.
Let's not do things by halves, Hori fell in love with Miyamura and the slightest provocation was explained, although in the end he of course clumsily disguised his statement. Here comes the problematic part, she's got used to the current relationship with Izumi and fears things will get worse. Basically, she is afraid of rejection, she currently has a pleasant relationship with him, both can share the room and be themselves together. However, it could go wrong if the feelings between the two change. That's why she runs away from her own confession, even though she laid the foundation for Miyamura to be special because he can hold her hand.
But Kyoko isn't the only one who continues to run away from her feelings. Miyamura does the same. A little for the same reasons as her and the same for her own feelings about her friendship with Ishikawa. But things have already reached a point where they can and should no longer be avoided. Tooru's fight with Miyamura was just the last bridge they both had to cross to face their own feelings. In the end, the answer is simple, no matter what, the two of you will remain friends. Because ultimately nobody is guilty of feeling what they feel, everyone has expressed themselves and the heart cannot be ruled. There is no mistake in having feelings and following them.
Final comment
Horimiya Chapter three was an episode with a melancholy beginning, but that put us on a hopeful path. Again it falls back on how fast the pace can feel, but I think I understood why. It's not that it's an absolute answer, but it's my interpretation of that rhythm that is so inappropriate. I think it's a representation of a teenager's time. They know how to say that life is lived in moments Horimiya it is told in the same way. The whole story is commonplace, but it is self-reflective and not so sequential. Almost like our own memories, everyday, special and sometimes banal moments.
There is no doubt that this series is very well suited to stimulate reflection on personal identity and our place in society, or without going too far, in our group of friends. It is something that has preoccupied us all and although it is not that easy to depict Horimiya It does an excellent job of portraying that fear in our own image. They say that we only know who we are through the eyes of others, it is true, no matter how much they try to hide it, we are not islands, we need others and their perception of us to build our image, our self. Appreciation and our identity. I do not mean that we are completely dependent on third parties, there are also jobs that only depend on ourselves, but the perception of others helps us to build ourselves up. It's amazing this series shows it so well.
Before we close on this review, let's talk about how fun it is to watch Miyamura aggressive. We saw it in the previous chapter, Izumi is someone who is not afraid of violence and being angry is the only justification he needs to use it. Tooru's beating will stay in our memory. Granted, after the image of a weakling he gives, we all believed that Tooru could easily beat him.
So far, I leave you the usual questions: What did you think of this chapter? What is your take on Miyamura's past? Do you think it's possible to build a personal image without being dependent on third parties? Do you like the friendship that Tooru and Izumi have formed? When can we see Kyoko's true confession?
