Horimiya <3

I don’t know if this was ever supposed to become a blog. I was simply continuing my rewatch of Horimiya, and somewhere along the way I started thinking about why this show connects with me so much.

The character I resonate with the most is still Miyamura. I’m quiet and introverted like him, I was bullied once in school, and I understand some of the darker thoughts and isolation he carries early in the story. But watching Horimiya again made me realize that I don’t just see myself in Miyamura. There are small pieces of me scattered throughout almost the entire cast.

Sometimes I can be jealous and a little bossy like Hori. I relate to Toru’s kindness and the way he genuinely cares about the people around him, even when things don’t necessarily work out in his favor. And then there is Yuki, probably one of the characters I understand more than I would like to admit. She has this tendency to sacrifice what she really wants, avoid being completely honest with herself, and then quietly feel bad about it afterward. I have definitely done that before.

Sengoku is interesting to me for a different reason. I like the relationship he has with Remi and the way she encourages him, understands his insecurities, and somehow makes him feel more confident. There is something really nice about having someone in your life who can see your weaker side without making you feel weak because of it.

Then there is Sakura. Her story hits differently because I know what it feels like to have feelings that are never reciprocated. One of the lines around Episode 10 has always stuck with me: “The saddest part is that it’s nobody’s fault. And that’s why it hurts even more.” Sometimes relationships simply do not work out the way you want them to, and there does not always have to be someone to blame.

I think that is one of the reasons Horimiya works so well for me. None of its characters feel completely one dimensional. They can be kind, jealous, insecure, selfish, supportive, scared, and confident depending on the situation. Watching them reminds me that people can be complicated while still being relatively simple to understand if someone actually takes the time to know them.

I suppose that is how I see myself too. I can overthink things, get jealous, hide what I actually want, care deeply about people, and occasionally contradict myself. That probably makes me somewhat complicated, but I don’t think I’m impossible to understand.

The biggest difference between Miyamura and me is probably that I’m nowhere near as pretty as him. I’m also fat, so the mysterious pretty-boy Miyamura look is definitely not happening anytime soon.

And I still haven’t found my Hori. Maybe one day.

But I also like that Miyamura’s story is not only about Hori. As the series continues, he slowly realizes how many people have entered his life and how much those connections have changed him. Friends, classmates, random conversations, and people he probably never expected to become important to him.

That part feels increasingly relatable.

Over time, I have also met people unexpectedly, made friendships I never planned for, and had moments that made my world feel a little bigger. Some people stay, some drift away, and some appear completely out of nowhere.

Maybe that is what I appreciate most about Horimiya. Beneath all the romance, comedy, and high school drama, it is really a story about people finding connections and slowly becoming more comfortable with themselves.

And maybe that is enough of a reason for it to keep pulling at my heartstrings every time I watch it.