Horimiya is making a return to anime to finish the job that started back in 2020. While it was hailed as a favorite for that season by Your Friend in Japan, that anime didn’t adapt the entire series. This forthcoming series seeks to rectify that oversight.
This follow-up series is titled Horimiya -piece-, as seen in this concept trailer dubbed the “Shuwa-kyun ver.” We’ll be able to enjoy the rest of Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura’s story in July 2023.
The staff who adapted the original series is making a full return with CloverWorks, such as the director Masashi Ishihama, the writer Takao Yoshioka, and the music composer Masaru Yokoyama, so fans of the original series should have much to look forward to. They have maintained the promotional home page, and the official Twitter page, as before. A new key visual was also provided.
Seeing Your True Self
For those new to Horimiya, which is also titled Horimiya: Hori-san to Miyamura-kun, the series follows the two title characters, Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. Kyoko is a bright and cheerful girl, known for her beauty and academic skills. She’s the personification of a school idol. At home, however, she is the complete opposite. Gone are her fancy and stylish clothes, replaced by clothes worn by a housekeeping mother. No makeup, and hair tied neatly, she’s determined to look after her younger brother.
Izumi is the complete opposite of Kyoko: he’s dull in school. Dressing in ways that blend him into the background, with no hint of any remarkable personality, given his gloomy, otaku attitude. Outside, however, he’s stylish and cool, complete with piercings and tattoos.
The two meet out of her ideal location when Izumi brings Kyoko’s brother Souta home with a nosebleed. Their fateful encounter leads them to agree to keep their true personas a secret at school. This shared secret and newfound perspective leads to a bond growing between them.
Horimiya -piece- Origins
Horimiya first saw opposites attract as a four-panel web manga written and illustrated by Hiroki Adachi, under the pseudonym Hero. It was posted regularly to his home page Dokkai Ahen from February 2007 to December 2011. Square Enix picked up the publishing rights and attached Daisuke Hagiwara as the new artist. The series was published as part of Square Enix’s GFantasy Comics imprint from October 18th, 2011 to March 18th, 2021, in a total of sixteen volumes.
Besides this anime adaptation, Horimiya saw a spin-off and a live-action adaptation, proving the popularity of the series such that it warranted multiple formats to present its cute story.
For those seeking even more cute school girls, the J-List shop has you cultured fellows more than covered. The Ao High School Swimming Club Anthology is a fine fit for any otaku’s special library.
Are you excited to see the rest of Horimiya adapted to anime? Did you watch the original run, or are you planning to watch it before the new run’s July premiere? Do you think Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura make a cute couple? Let us know in the comments below.
