One of the best romantic comedy animes, “Horimiya,” has given audiences a sense of nostalgia that takes them back to their high school years.

The story, directed by Masashi Ishihama, follows Kyoko Hori, a popular and beautiful high school girl, and Izumi Miyamura, a timid and lonely high schoolboy. 

Although the two of them are in the same class, they are a part of totally different worlds. So, when Hori begins to interact with Miyamura, both of them unknowingly influence each other in the best of ways. 

The relationship between Hori and Miyamura resembles the typical first high school love. Although they seem stereotypical to the audience, they express their own individuality extensively. While Miyamura has rebellious features on his body such as piercings and tattoos, Hori has a motherly, caring and vicious side when she is with her family.

“I kinda don’t want anyone else to see you like this, Miyamura,” Hori said, referring to their secret relationship apart from school. 

To which Miyamura replied, “Hori-san when I get to see you like this… It kinda feels like this moment belongs to me and only me.”

The one thing that truly makes an anime great is its exploration of side characters. In addition to the main character’s love story, characters like Toru, Yuki, Sakura, and many more have their own high school experiences. 

For example, Toru, Yuki and Sakura are in a love triangle that centers around the fact that no one explicitly asks their crush out, making the audience wonder if any of them will ever truly get together.

Besides the main storyline and comedy of the show, the love triangle is both genuine and heartfelt. Yuki is a girl who hides behind her smile, and when she desires something, she often does not ask for it. 

However, Sakura is a nerdy girl who finally became brave enough to go after her crush, but ended up getting her heart crushed instead. This particular event provides growth for both of these characters. 

There are also interesting meanings behind their names. Sakura in Japanese means cherry blossom and resembles spring. Yuki in Japanese means snow, which resembles winter. 

“After winter, snow always melts away, making ways for sakura to blossom in the spring,” Yuki said. 

“So, you think the snow melts because the sakura blossom asks it to? No one ever told it to melt,” Toru replied. “It melts on its own.”

In terms of character designs, every character — including those in supporting roles — is well designed. Each one has a unique and distinguishable color palette for their hair, clothes and outfits, which resonate with their personalities.

The writing and directing of this series is top-notch in every way. All the jokes and humor hit every mark. Whenever there are scenes that reflect a super realistic moment that happened in real life, everything around the characters pauses. This is a fascinating execution for the creative side in terms of connecting with the audiences through these sorts of scenes.

Audiences can definitely relate to the storytelling in one way or another. Some people might choose their best friend over a cute guy. Some people might be friendly and talk to the weird kid in the class, and other people might even get jealous of their significant other’s bromances.

The intro and outro sequences also have great music. The opening theme song is “Color Perfume,” performed by Yoh Kamiyama, while the ending theme song is “Promise,” performed by Friends. While the first has the vibes of looking back in the past, the second gives the feeling of looking forward to the future. There is definitely some tingling in the stomach when listening to these tunes.

The series, animated by CloverWorks, is rumored to run for one season only. But hopefully, they will continue to explore these characters as they navigate life during college and adulthood. 

The show began in September and recently ended on March 28. In the U.S., viewers can catch the full show on Funimation, and Hulu. And viewers in Japan can watch on Netflix.