Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 13, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 11. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Just like Hori and Miyamura themselves, their friends are multifaceted too, with a variety of faces for their outside lives and home lives. And lovable pest Iura is no different! As it turns out, at home, he's a stern but kind big brother to his kid sister! Will Hori and Miyamura get to experience this surprising side to their friend?!

Review:

Despite how utterly I love this series, I must admit that the cast is getting a bit too forgettably big. The beginning of this volume focuses on one character that we don't see too often, and who sometimes I confuse with another. And then another portion of the volume focuses on a minor character whom I do like. But mainly I just wanted more fun stuff between Hori and Morimiya. Is that too much to ask?

We do get some cutesy stuff, of course. And some fun classroom antics; I do like all the friendship dynamics, so these are fun as well. I like all of the side characters, but I think I love the main romantic couple so much, that I just want all of the focus on them sometimes. But still, a fun volume nonetheless.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 11, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Not everyone is as quick on the draw as Hori and Miyamura when it comes to love. Ever the trustworthy friend, Ishikawa has seen the couple through thick and thin, but his own heart seems to be taking a more meandering road to romance. Having realized that he and Yoshikawa might be more than "just friends," Ishikawa is now stuck attempting to navigate the murky waters between friendship and love. But one thing he does know is that the time he spends with Yoshikawa, however mystifying, is special in its own right...

Review:

The final chapter of this volume sums up Hori and Miyamura's relationship really well, I think. They have rather different perspectives, and wants at times, but they go along with it. They accept what the other wants rather easily, and they work together really well. Hori is odd, can be demanding, and Miyamura does what he can for her, just as she does for him.

Tooru and Yoshikawa are taking slow steps closer, while still in the friend stage. But most of this volume focuses on the odd relationship between the group. They're welcoming Yanagi in, and I like him. He's a sweet underclassman. And the guys are still too close for Hori's comfort. And Shuu has a younger sister, who he's rather protective of.

Aside from that, there's a lot of cuteness between Hori and Miyamura. I just love them so much.

I almost wish this were a more mature series, just so we could see more of their romance. They're just perfect.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 10, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hori and Miyamura decide to ring in the New Year at the local shrine...but with it also comes the beginning of their last term in high school. As the pair and their friends return to their everyday lives and the usual hijinks, both the special days and the humdrum ones prove irreplaceable. But these precious days can't last forever...

Review:

Winter vacation is ending, and it's coming on New Years. Hori and Miyamura visit the shrine for New Years, but among that, they're all studying and finishing homework. A lot of them are quite bad students, really...

Once school starts back up, there's some easy episodic fun. We discover that Sengoku's dad doesn't know he has a girlfriend, and Miyamura attempts discussing how often he stays over at Hori's house. Miyamura also helps Sawada from some school bullying. And Kyousuke freaks out Ishikawa by making him think Miyamura hates his father.

This series is a delight, and I love it to pieces. I need more.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 9, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sweet "aww"-inspiring tale of school life continues!!

Winter's here, and with it comes scarves and coats, snow, Christmas...and year-end blues? Love (and heartbreak) is still in the air, but Hori's thoughts turn to the future and what it holds for her and Miyamura. Will Hori's anxiety prove contagious, or will Miyamura be able to put her at ease?

Review:

I just re-read this volume when I started to skim to refresh my memory. It's just too good.

Winter is here, and Christmas is on the way as this volume starts. Hori's family already has the kotatsu out, and it starts quite a bit of hilarity. There are some funny, and some sweet, scenes around it. Aside from that, we get to see Yuki struggling with her natural reaction of stepping aside when she wants Yoshikawa. There's some light drama between that triangle, but it seems to be hinting toward progress for Yuki.

We get some fun regarding Sengoku, both his relationship with Remi, and then for his childhood friendship with Hori. Hori also questions Miyamura's close friendship with the guys, in a lot of hilarity.

And then Christmas arrives in the last chapter, and everyone in Hori's house wants to see Miyamura. Miyramura is everyone's. And then we end on an adorable declaration between the two. It seems like two kids oblivious, impulsive decision, but it also seems like it'll work, to me. I love it, honestly.

I just need more of this series. These volumes need to come faster.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 8, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 18, 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sweet "aww"-inspiring tale of school life continues!!

The Kiri High crew dives into the sports festival...and thanks to some fighting words from Hori, even phys ed-phobic Miyamura is fired up and raring to go?! As Sengoku's apathy, Sakura's lack of rhythm, and Hori's manly cheerleading take center stage, his fellow third-years might get some great last memories out of their final sports fest, but for Miyamura, they'll be his first!

Review:

We get to see how the sports festival plays out in the first half of this volume. It's started, and Hori and Miyamura are on opposite teams. It's super cute seeing them cheering each other on and competing, same as all their friends. I also quite love seeing how much Sengoku hates partaking in this. I love all of the little moments of hilarity throughout it.

After that, we get to see the rivalry between Miyamura and Mizouchi come to fruition. And I absolutely love it. Miyamura shows a bit of their sado-masochistic fetish, and I just... I just love it. I love both that such a thing is included, but also that they're so open about it and there's no shame, even when Miyamura mentions it and then does it at school. There's also the fact that he's clearly doing it more because she loves it, than because he wants to. And I appreciate that.

We get a bit more insight into Miyamura's old rival as well, the guy who bullied him. This series is full of comedy, with some sweet moments, but it also shows the delicate moments of growing and overcoming past hurts. We see that both from Miyamura's side having grown past it, and from Tanihara having done it and trying to be better.

I love this series, unabashed and irrationally, even. I need more of this in my life.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 7, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5-5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 18, 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The unbelievably attractive Akane Yanagi takes the stage...and maybe the lead from Miyamura?! The high school lives of the usual Kiri High suspects grow even livelier, as Hori abruptly starts demanding violence from Miyamura, the student council trio gets unusually flustered, and the sports festival arrives!

Review:

I don't think I could love this series any more than I do.

There's still the ongoing drama between the triangle—Yuki, Tooru, and Kouno. Tooru is still rather oblivious, even though Miyamura has hinted. Kouno starts worrying about giving Tooru baked goods. Yuki, on the other, has ended up with her own admirer in the form of a super cute classmate. It looks like the new guy might be sticking around, and he's super sweet and clutzy; I'm a fan.

Then the school sports festival is coming up, and there are two main teams. It starts getting a little competitive, and everyone is working hard to do their best, even in sports they don't like.

Of course, I love all of the humorous moments amongst all of this. This series is hilarious. The sweet moments between Hori and Miyamura, though, get me just as good. There's a cute moment of jealousy between them. In a surprising development, we find out that Hori likes seeing Miyamura get angry, and she wants him to yell at her. This is funny from an outsider perspective, and Miyamura is trying to do it for her, because Hori loves it and begs for it. Miyamura feels bad and weird, though. It's also comedic given that Hori is significantly more scary than Miyamura is; he's also always been very careful around her. I really appreciate the casual introduction of a consensual kink, especially with a couple that hasn't gotten too intimate, and with no shame or worry involved.

I absolutely love this series, and cannot get enough.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 6, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: Very light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Connect, come together, and the world will change for the better one day at a time.

Seeing Miyamura and Hori together every day feels natural. They play around, long for each other, and even get into fights on occasion. What will happen as their bitter, sweet, and acidic school life continues?

Review:

There's a lot of side-character interactions in this volume. We get to see the romantic drama around Tooru, as there are two girls who like him and neither will tell him. I really liked seeing Yuki's reactions, the way she stayed quiet even when she didn't like it. I understand her, in a sad way.

We also got to see a bit of Sengoku and Remi, and we see that they have quite an interesting relationship—they work in an odd way, taking care of each other.

Then there are all of the Hori and Miyamura moments. We see Hori reacting to Miyamura's hair growing longer again, and we see her attempting to act girly because he hates horror movies even though she loves them. We get a fun scene where Souta's friends mistake them for his parents.

The best moments, though, are when they have a quiet, sexy little scene together. And when Miyamura is confronted by his school bullies, and Hori gets supremely protective and violent. That's fantastic. I do kind of wish we got to see more of those scenes, though, instead of just the before and the aftermath.

Pretty much, I am obsessed with this series. I love it and can not get enough.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 5, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 3. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hori and Miyamura are now officially a couple, and everyone knows it. But not everything's coming up roses for Miyamura, who's worried that people are talking about Hori behind her back. When his anxiety about being Hori's boyfriend reaches fever pitch, Miyamura drastically changes his look, which changes everyone's opinion of him all at once...

Review:

We meet a new character in this volume who poses as a challenge for Miyamura. It's an underclassmen, and she's in love with Hori. This causes quite a lot of frustration and competition for Hori's attention. Miyamura and the girl end up forming a neat understanding, though, something to bond over.

I do appreciate the non-hetero relationship involved, as well as the side-characters' enjoyment.

Aside from that, there are several cute scenes between Hori and Miyamura. They're still getting their bounds when it comes to their romantic relationship, though they're getting closer and more comfortable together slowly. It's nice to see how fiercely protective they can get, as well.

This series is both adorable and super sweet and very hilarious. I love every bit of it, and am always excited for the next volume. I can't wait.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 3, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2016

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The "aww"-inspiring tale of school life continues!

The longer Hori and Miyamura keep each other's secrets, the closer they get. When Hori blurts out an inadvertent "I like you," will Miyamura respond in kind? Or could the slipup spell the end of their friendship...?

Review:

I’m addicted. That’s all there is to it. It’s ridiculous how excited I get for each volume of this series.

The chemistry and the tension between these two characters is intense right now. There’s a little awkwardness before they go back to normal, but it’s still obvious. They’re just too afraid to change anything right now. And it’s understandable, but so frustrating. All of their friends are somewhat confused but know that there’s something between them, and are mostly understanding. Even Hori’s little brother is trying to give them space.

There’s a lot of hilarity in this volume. It’s just hilarious at all times, pretty much. But we also get a chapter of when Miyamura was in middle school, and the one friend he made when everyone else avoided him. That friend shows up and freaks Miyamura out, terrorizing him and telling secrets of his past to his new friends. Hori gets sick at the end of the volume, and Miyamura comes over to take care of her, and this results in a super sweet scenes between them, and another romantic cliffhanger.

I love everything about this series. I just want more.

Manga Review: Horimiya, Volume 2, by Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Youth, ultra-lightly carbonated!!
At first glance, the ultra-popular Hori-san seems like a flashy high school girl, but in reality, she's plain, practical, and domestic. On the other hand, the bespectacled Miyamura-kun comes across as an average, gloomy fanboy, but he's actually liberally pierced and tattooed and downright gorgeous. Now that Hori and Miyamura are keeping each other's secrets after their little run-in outside of class, the distance between them is shrinking bit by bit...

This bubbly, sweet, "aww"-inspiring tale of school life continues!

Review:

I can’t believe how instantaneous my obsession with this series is, but I love it. I can’t get enough. Why isn’t there more already? Seriously?

Miyamura is still getting used to having friends. There’s a really sweet scene between him and Ishikawa in this volume, as Miyamura realizes that he does have friends now. He’s not seen as the lone weirdo anymore. And it’s just so goshdarn sweet. Their bromance is the best. This is then contrasted when they have a fight over Hori—a fight that’s not really out of anger as it is instinct, which is hilarious.

Hori is being used by the student council, her kindness being taken advantage of to do their extra work. This leads up to Hori having an argument over Miyamura, in a fantastic scene where she fights for her place over him, without him knowing. It just makes me extremely happy.

Miyamura is still learning how to have friends, so having actual feelings for Hori, and her returning them, hasn’t really processed as a possibility. So the scene where their hands touch, and tangle, is incredibly sweet and important and I love it.

I want more of this series. It’s ridiculous how in love with this series, with these characters, that I am. The humor, the sweetness, the emotions… I love everything about it and I want a dozen more books right now please.