Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

Episode 6

OK, this episode was downright adorable. I always find it funny when some of my favorite episodes of romantic comedies are ones that virtually have nothing to do with the main couple. Granted, Izumi was a focus for a good chunk of this episode, but he wasn't the main character. I feel bad for Kakeru sometimes because it seems like he gets the short end of the stick many times. Not only is he bullied relentlessly by Kyouko for seemingly no reason, but it also feels like he gets punished for being generally observant of his surroundings. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Izumi is hiding something with how he goes out of his way to not be involved in activities that require him to take off his shirt. We know it's because of his tattoos, but Kakeru doesn't know that, and I think he displays a reasonable amount of curiosity, even if he does overstep sometimes into creepy territory. I think the show gets away with those actions not coming off as malicious, and as I said, Kakeru does get punished for that curiosity more often than not, so the tone generally stays lighthearted enough to the point where he has to try to weasel his way out of a reasonable misunderstanding.

I wouldn't mind watching a series strictly from Kakeru's perspective, and I think I would like this season more if it did focus more on episodes from other characters' perspectives, like what we got this week and last week. When the show isn't being distracted by its timeline, it can lead to some genuinely cute moments from some of the other couples in the series. The section where Kakeru and Remi walked home together in the cold was adorable, and the minor misunderstanding about the cookies at the end was sweet. I forgot to bring this up, but I like the chemistry between Kakeru, Remi, and Sakura. I know the show will never go to his territory, but there's a part of my brain that thinks the three of them would make a pretty good poly couple since there's such a strong kinship between all of them that sometimes feels like two people trying to make sure that their girlfriend is happy. That's just my headcanon though, and I think the show excels when it leans into that simplicity. If I'm being honest, I think the characters I would like to see more development from the most would be Tooru and Yuki's relationship because if memory serves, I don't think their relationship got a lot of closure in the first season, so moving forward, I think this season would be a good opportunity to fill in the blanks for that.

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Horimiya: The Missing Pieces is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.