Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

Episodes 1-3

Horimiya was a solid romance that I enjoyed back when it aired in 2021. Considering that the anime covered most of the manga's original run, I didn't think we were going to get anything more outside of an OVA or two, but it looks like CloverWorks decided to go the extra mile and adapt the rest of the material in the manga that was skipped over. I mentioned in the preview guide that I was hesitant to accept this because the first episode tries to include stories from vastly different points in the show's timeline. I haven't fully re-watched the show in a while, so it is jarring to have skits focused on one type of romantic tension, only to shift into a different type of romantic tension. Thankfully, after the first episode, that no longer seems to be the case.

Episodes two and three feels slightly more polished-looking episodes of season one, with the staff going the extra mile to adapt a whole arc instead of a random assortment of skits. Episodes two and three mostly focused on field day, and I liked how this setting gave us a glimpse into all of the characters from Sakura's insecurity with performing to Izumi learning to enjoy the events. One of the most interesting aspects of the first season of Horimiya was that Izumi is a character who very much feels like he doesn't deserve a lot or doesn't think that a lot of good things are coming his way, and his relationship with Kyouko is supposed to be the catalyst to show that he is allowed to be happy. I don't think the original series succeeded in communicating that message all of the time because I do think the relationship between our two leads has some snags in it, particularly from Kyouko's end. One of the skits in these two episodes highlights her jealousy and possessiveness over Izumi and how it's sort of exaggerated for comedic effect without really being addressed or dealt with.

I don't expect this season to address any of those issues, since I'm assuming that all of the major character development was handled in season one. So you could argue that this season runs the risk of being repetitive because it's probably not going to hit any major emotional or narrative beats that haven't already been hit before. I will keep an eye on that but, so far, this is a solid slice-of-life series to sit back and enjoy with some above-average production values. I'm not expecting a lot, but what I am expecting should still be enjoyable.

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Horimiya: The Missing Pieces is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.