After only two years, Horimiya is back with more content. Originally adapted into a 6-OVA series, Hori and Miyamura’s love story was finally made into a full-length anime series in 2021, when it was picked up by CloverWorks. Still, the creative team had to leave out details, side stories, and even secondary characters, which makes Horimiya’s world so complex, nuanced and compelling.
To ensure Horimiya’s magic is saved, CloverWorks is adapting these ‘missing pieces’ into a second season, aptly titled Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (with the original Japanese title being Horimiya: Piece). The series will premiere in Japan and on Crunchyroll on July, 1. Before the series airs, a rewatch of Season 1 might be in order.
What Happened So Far: What’s Hori/Miya?
Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura are classmates, but they don’t really talk. Hori is a top student with plenty of friends, while Miyamura is a shy, solitary character who barely speaks. One day, after school, Miyamura turns up at Hori’s door with her little brother in tow, whom he helped after he fell while going back home. Hori doesn’t even recognize Miyamura at first. Hori never socializes outside of school because he needs to look after the house and her little brother. Miyamura, on the other hand, is a lot wilder than he may appear.
They bond over their secret lives and the masks they unwillingly wear at school. Their bond grows quickly and unrelentingly, and soon they are hanging out constantly. They help each other out, watch films together, and appreciate the quiet comfort of each other's presence more than anything else. In what seems like the blink of an eye, they fall in love.
Getting together takes a little longer, but not as much as one might expect from a romance anime. In fact, part of Horimiya’s appeal is the unstoppable speed of Hori and Miyamura’s relationship. Miyamura confesses in summer and Hori accepts him as her boyfriend. They live through a week apart suffering through longing and heartache, they have their first sexual experience, and they even explore their kinks – especially Hori’s infatuation with Miyamura’s bossy side. At the end of the series, they promise to get married and make each other happy. It’s straightforward, moving and surprisingly real.
Romance Aside: The Other Characters
Yet, what sets Horimiya apart from your typical high school romance anime is the care put into developing the circle of friends and their relationship with one another. Toru Ishikawa and Yuki Yoshikawa are a prime example of this – being Miyamura and Hori’s closest friends respectively, they act as wingman and wingwoman, confidants, supporters, and rivals. Toru in particular gets over his crush on Hori also thanks to his blossoming friendship with Miyamura, who becomes a steady presence in his life. His volatile feelings for Hori slowly disappear and he gets into a sort of unofficial relationship with Yoshikawa. Both insecure about where they stand and lacking in self-confidence, they keep their bond label-free and spontaneous.
On the other hand, Sengoku and Remi are already a couple when the show starts. Both members of the student council, they got together after bonding over literature, despite being extremely different. Sengoku is weak and frightful, but being with Remi inspires him to grow out of his shell. Remi is the strong one who acts a little weaker – though no one is fooled – to enjoy his care and affection. Sakura, the third member of the student council, is Remi’s best friend. She falls for Ishikawa suddenly and completely but is rejected when he realizes his feelings for Yoshikawa. Her confession, however, helps her gain strength and confidence.
Other characters pop up throughout the series: from Iura, the bright and cheerful classmate who is actually a serious and caring older brother to Shindo, to Miyamura’s first friend, who got close to him when everyone else hated him. Hori’s family is also present in the story, their acceptance of Miyamura helps him realize that he is finally, really loved.
Horimiya: The Missing Pieces will certainly provide even more nuance and insight into these beloved characters’ lives and relationships. After all, it’s the delicate balance between romance, growth and conflict that makes Horimiya so special and so popular among anime fans.