It's that time of year again when people reflect on their favorite anime from the past year, and 2021 was full of great ones. One standout in particular made a name for itself: Horimiya. It took viewers by storm with its endearing romance, fantastic comedic elements and charming characters. One thing that set it apart from other anime, especially this year, was the surprising lack of drama. For a slice-of-life anime, Horimiya really didn't have much in the way of antagonistic conflict or drama between the characters or as part of the plot at all.
Like any good shounen anime, Horimiya captures the heart of what makes day-to-day life and romance so exciting and captivating. It does this without using the normal stereotypes that are often employed in such a genre, such as pitting characters against one another or creating a clear antagonist. It simply tells the story of what happens when two people, Miyamura and Hori, get to finally reveal their true selves in front of another person with no facades or fronts.
Izumi Miyamura seems to be the gloomy, weird student at school while Kyoko Hori seems to be the beautiful, popular, fun-loving girl that everyone likes. However, as they get to know one another outside of school, they see one another for their true personality, and their feelings for one another blossom. In a situation like this, most other anime would have clear competition for Hori's heart, and Horimiya does do this with the character Ishikawa. He ultimately confesses to Hori, only to be turned down.
However, what Horimiya does differently is that Ishikawa's rejection doesn't fuel a fiercer competition or cause a rift between himself and Hori. In fact, he actually grows closer to both Hori and Miyamura as friends, and even confides in Miyamura regarding his feelings for Hori. Similarly, Hori's friend Yoshikawa had feelings for Miyamura, but this didn't cause any real problems in their friendship. As with Miyamura and Ishikawa, they end up becoming better friends because of it.
Because Horimiya doesn't focus on the drama like similar anime in the romance genre, it gets to spend more time focusing on character development, building relationships and seeing a love story unfold piece by piece. In a high school slice-of-life piece, there's normally a "bad guy" character, but Horimiya doesn't seem to have one of these. While at times characters show slightly darker sides of themselves, no character is ever revealed to be truly bad -- they're all multi-faceted and have depth, just like real people.
Indeed, every character in Horimiya seems to be a genuinely good person. They learn from their mistakes and focus on what's most important: their friends. Even when romances seem to take priority in their lives as high-schoolers, they all deeply care about one another as friends to the point where that seems to matter more to them than their love lives.
For this reason, among others, Horimiya is a standout in 2021's line-up of newly released anime. It left viewers happy and wanting more out of Hori and Miyamura's blossoming relationship. More than that, it made sure to create an entirely wholesome experience for the viewer, with nothing but good vibes and positive energy to pass on. While no second season has yet to be confirmed, Horimiya will likely become a cult favorite anime for many viewers to come.