Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Horimiya
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mangaka-chan
 Posts: 283 |
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I'm not sure if I'd say that's healthy in a relationship though. spoiler[In the manga Miyamura was on the verge of tears on a few occasions when he fakes yells at Hori to satisfy her kink. IMO if a kink makes any of the two parties uncomfortable, especially on a repeated basis, it's probably not healthy for their relationship in the long run? I would almost be more okay with it if Hori acknowledges how uncomfortable it makes Miyamura and they work something out, but as far as I can recall the manga never does that, and makes it a running gag instead, which to me only serves to make Hori insensitive or even purposefully cruel. It doesn't help that the manga repeatedly stress the comedic "haha, Hori has a sadistic side" trope. If it weren't for their emotional development in earlier chapters, I would almost consider her relationship with Miyamura to be toxic to some extent.] But again, that's just my personal take. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Others can probably enjoy the comedic angle for what it is, but to me it just doesn't rub me the right way. |
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer
Posts: 605 |
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Oh yeah, that's all totally fair, and there's some stuff where maybe I'm reading it very charitably because I like these kids and their relationship, and spoiler[I like that it does have the separation as opposed to a lot of romances that indulge similar fantasies but have it baked into the relationship instead. It's definitely not perfect, since it's two kids experimenting, and I think, were it presented in the text, I would want them to start exploring aftercare. At the same time, I choose to read - and once again, this is very much me being charitable - Miyamura crying as him moving through a transition of intense emotions than him being genuinely upset. He also sets and maintains boundaries on what he considers going too far, i.e. hitting her. This isn't my kink, but when I wrote an article about it for another outlet, I ran it by someone who is in that scene and she generally agreed with my take. They're not perfect by any means, but I'll take it over, say, Fifty Shades of Grey or Hot Gimmick.] |
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Animechic420
 Posts: 1727 Location: A Cave Filled With Riches |
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Would be nice if everyone was being called by their first names.
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mangaka-chan
Posts: 283 |
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The use of last name amongst classmates or coworkers (especially if you're not well acquainted) is pretty standard in Japan culture. It shows respect, but also can be seen as putting someone at arm's length or a desire to maintain the relationship status-quo if the two people in question have known and interacted with each other a fair amount. In episode 3, Tooru addressing Miyamura as Izumi showed he felt comfortable and close enough to Miyamura to use his first name. That's why Miyamura was moved to tears (heavily implied, though not shown explicitly). The joke is that Miyamura is so used to addressing Tooru as Ishikawa, he continues to use Ishikawa even though Tooru thought they'd just gone through a relationship upgrade. I think it's also another way to showcase how dense Miyamura can be about certain things, and how he is kind of socially awkward to not have picked up on Tooru's request of using first names. 
As for the episode itself, I thought it felt a bit rushed? But again, I don't think that can be helped, given the relatively short episode count and the number of characters yet to be introduced. I disagree with the reviewer on spending more time on Miyamura's past in this episode. Having an episode that focuses solely on one character and their past would disrupt the splice-of-life flow and feel of the story, and it would be a bit too heavy to digest all at once. The approach the anime (and also the manga) takes, to reveal a little bit at a time, is perfect, IMO. It makes the story feel that much more organic. |
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CatSword
 Posts: 1489 |
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I think the third episode explored feeling like the third (or fourth) wheel in a group beautifully. Also, episode 3 being where "I love you" is said by both partners (even if not explicitly acknowledged) definitely gives Horimiya an advantage over the shows where it takes 12 episodes, or God forbid multiple seasons to make any progress.
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mangaka-chan
Posts: 283 |
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I really like the hand holding scene between Miyamura and Hori; it was very sweet and it's nice to see that we've finally passed that threshold of them affirming that they're a couple.
But Hori's jealous tendencies crop up again in episode 5, and she threw not one, but two textbooks at poor Miyamura's face. I really don't like this side of her because to me it just feels so petty, especially when she doesn't even give Miyamura the opportunity to fully explain himself. I suppose one could chalk it up to DRAMA but for me it just felt like a bit too much. |
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The Scream Man
 Posts: 152 Location: Sydney, Australia |
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"Huh a full Shakespeare quote in the review? This be one of Rebeccas..."
Yep  
Great review of a great ep. Loving this series so far!! |
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kurichan69
 Posts: 112 Location: Seattle, WA |
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How people address each other is incredibly important to Japanese culture. It tells you so much about relationships on every level of society. It would be completely inappropriate and weird for everyone to use first names in any story based in Japan. And in Horimiya, a lot of the story involves names and how the characters refer to each other. Not sure how you missed that. |
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NeedMoreCats
 Subscriber Posts: 317 Location: Westchester, NY |
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That was a great moment. I also loved all the adorable blushing over Miya’s first name, especially when he says his name doesn’t start with “Baka” 
And Miya’s expression when Chika was holding on to him was priceless—he was SO uncomfortable! Plus, I wonder if we’ll ever know what the whole deal is with Hori’s dad. I have so many questions. |
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jdnation
Posts: 1995 |
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Best couple.
I've been picking up the manga for awhile. The adaptation is great so far. I like the laid back long-running nature of this romance. It's very sit-com. Kind of like Friends where you have a large cast to play with and with complex interactions depending on who is together in the room and each one has their own unique relationship with each other that's always fun to play around with in any situation. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Maybe there are a lot of elements that are good, and I would not want to disparage Rebecca's positive comments about episode 6 and the series itself, but the episode also tipped the scales a bit for me, in at least one area. I think the show has a slight homophobia problem, it would seem that whenever guys are too close it is used as comedy in saying that it is gross, that I think comes across as a bit homophobic. And the way Sawada's character is feels a bit that one, she might have been allowed to glomp Hori without being treated as disgusting, but it is also played for comedy in a way that would not be the same if there were two genders, or if it was two guys. It is played different, like it is not serious.
Maybe that won't bother people, and lord knows there are worse examples in anime, but it is just my thought where I was thinking Miyamura could possibly be bi when an earlier statement about him possibly being into another guy was that they would not be a good fit, not stating his heterosexuality. And really it kind of seems like that whole thing was used to sort make fun of the idea, and I would say one extra joke in how Hori's father is clingy to with him. |
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aaa1e2r3
Posts: 102 |
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That's more or less one of the recurring bits in the manga, though it's been pulled back in the anime. Basically, spoiler[Hori is pretty regularly shown as uncomfortable and/or jealous of the fact that Miyamura is very close with his male friends, basically BL-teasing in the chapter. This is one of those aspects of Hori's character that does get called out however. As it is in the manga, it's framed more as insecurity on Hori's part rather than her being homophobic per se. ] |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4074 |
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I didn't ever think Sawada was looking to Kyoko as a big sister replacement for her dead older brother. If the show tried to sell me on Yoshikawa trying it out then I'd buy it, even if the two girls were the same age but sudden stranger Sawada?
No. Also, she looks like Izumi's younger sister right from her first appearance. Right, I wasn't the only one thinking it, right? And I laughed out loud at "What a twist!" I was thinking it and I'm grateful to the show for telling me my instincts there were at least on the money. So I'll still betting on... half sibling? You know what I mean and it still wouldn't be as weird as anything involving Kyoko's mother's "sperm donor". |
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The Scream Man
Posts: 152 Location: Sydney, Australia |
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Hey what was the event that Izumi was at in Episode 7? Everyone was in black suits which kind of came across like a funeral, but that didn't seem to be the case....?
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2606 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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It was probably a memorial service for a relative who died before he and Hori became close. Those don't necessarily take place right after the funeral, and this may have been the one-year anniversary of death. You'd still dress like you were going to a funeral, though. |
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