On taking a step forward: A trick to blow the audience off their seats, Miyamura…
DISCLAIMER: Might contain some tease from the manga. Your call!
Quick Recap: Everybody loves somebody
A shower of paper! Tooru and Sakura shared a moment when he picked up the scattered documents blown out the window of the student council’s room.
Cooling-off. Summertime is ice cream time! Just the boys enjoying frozen delights under the scorching heat. An invitation from Sengoku to drop by the council room to feel “refresh” - the whole gang was invited! Don’t leave the cola accident! Gomenasai, Ishikawa-kun!
Miyamura and Shindou. An acquaintance closing in! Miyamura remembered Shindou way back middle school and how he’d opened up and interacted with him when the rest outcasted him. He and Tooru bumped into Kouichi when he approached Kyoko. An awkward situation!
CONFESSION! It’s the colds! Miyamura nursed Hori when she caught a cold, confessing to her along the way. Hori was puzzled.
Manga Spiel! This episode covered chapters 16 to 20 of the manga. Humor and romance-wise, the manga effectively captured these feels. The animation has not faltered and has beautifully imbibed life into the frames. Though the animation might have escalated the pacing (a fast track on some chapters in between), still the plot is intact, development on-point with magnanimous flow of emotions.
Author’s Corner: On taking a step forward
From an indirect confession to a straightforward utter of feelings, Horimiya has swept the audience off their feet as Miyamura took a major step forward - both in growing out of being haunted by childhood memories and sorting out his feelings for Hori. As far as his character is on check, mustering up courage to overcome the trauma and scars of his past and the will to open up with people requires a great deal of resolve. Being shackled by the chains of yesterday is a lingering feeling everyone’s been bound to. Izumi broke free of his bondage and took a giant leap outside his box. Rooting for you, Miya-cutie! (*winks*)
Random thoughts: to ponder and anticipate
A start of something new! A tease on of Sakura’s “fondness” to Tooru. Horimiya breaking the cliché of focusing on the hero and/or heroine of the series makes it a breath of fresh air. It’s time to see more characters level up, steal the moment and create a room for the leads to gain a stronger foothold. This play makes it more interesting and appealing. More characters to relate with and root for!
Sota and his adorable side. Sota took measures to drag down his sister by pinning her to bed and making sure she does not die on him (on colds rather). Attaboy!
Another (cute) side of Miyamura. Gloomy. Wild. Badass. Mad and flustered? You bet! See how his slaps seemed to have taken out his middle school friend. Guess those gestures make a friendship deeper and more natural, eh?
“I’m in love with you, Hori-san.” - Miyamura
Totally forgot to breathe there! How he said it in between his random reminders for Hori might be a downplay in terms of sincerity, still a confession is a confession! The setting further added confusion, especially to Hori. Yet, his actions proved his real intentions. Bet the audience had totally grasped the situation. Sending heart emojis everywhere!
A missed chance for a more exciting feel!
“So you like stew, right?” Hori fact check: She hates stews! Learning how Miyamura likes such, she went all the way as to learning how to make one to satisfy his palette! They say, “the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Well-played, Hori! (*thumbs-up*)
On taking a step forward. Miyamura manning up on his feeling of affection to Hori speaks a thousand words. To him, she touched a delicate part of him which no one ever did, she ignited a “change” in him. Having that someone makes one keep going ahead, despite the adversaries, amidst the dark past and through the tangled webs of the future.
Now that Miyamura had said his piece, how will Hori respond to the impending changes brought about by this bold move? How will it affect their “relationship”?
What do you think of Miyamura's "big step"? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Horimiya new episode release on Sunday at 12:30am JST.
Official Anime Website: Horimiya
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