Their schoolmates would say Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura are total opposites: Hori is cheerful, pretty, and popular, while Miyamura is a gloomy, loner otaku. But Hori’s really a total homebody, and Miyamura (who does admit he’s pretty gloomy) isn’t an otaku at all — and he dresses that way to hide all his piercings and tattoos. Horimiya is a comedy of people who hide their true selves while
Having already established the bond between Hori and Miyamura, Volume Two moves more into the development of each of the two individually. They’re a year and a half away from graduation, and while Miyamura plans to work for and eventually take over the family bakery, Hori struggles with determining where her path should take her. Miyamura, on the other hand, is unsure of his place in the newly-formed group of friends he’s suddenly found himself occupying.
While I enjoyed Volume One quite a bit, Volume Two really brings Horimiya into a much more engaging direction than the first volume did. More of Miyamura’s backstory is revealed, and his friendship with Ishikawa also becomes better-developed. The two even have their first physical fight, which has pretty hilarious implications.
Volume Two maintains the fun, light style that made the first such a joy to read. As with Volume One, the best part of the manga has to be the expressions the characters make. (Some of Miyamura’s are totally priceless.)
While some slice-of-life manga start to peter out after the first volume, Horimiya is a series that’s actually starting to improve dramatically as it progresses, moving from a basic comedy of misunderstandings to a more in-depth exploration that feels satisfying in more ways than one.
This is one series I would definitely advise continuing, and I’m excitedly anticipating the upcoming volumes. I’d recommend the Horimiya series to slice-of-life fans who enjoy a healthy dose of comedy.
Story: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Art: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Feliza Casano edits and writes for all sections of the site. In her approximate 2.3 hours of free time each month, she loves watching anime, reading science fiction, and working on her novels-in-progress. Keep up with her antics at felizacasano.com and follow her on Twitter @FelizaCasano.
