REVIEW: ‘Horimiya,’ Episode 11 – “It May Seem Like Hate”

The extremely energetic Iura hasn’t gotten much screen time, but true to form for the show Horimiya Episode 11 reveals he is a big brother. The gorgeous anime from CloverWorks (The Promised Neverland) adapts the popular manga by Hero, with art by Daisuke Hagiwara. Yen Press publishes the manga in English. The story follows a group of high school friends as they navigate growing up and falling in love. Main characters Hori and Miyamura get together after running into each other outside of school, and learning that their first impressions weren’t quite correct.

Horimiya Episode 11 can feel a bit jumpy, as the smaller sketches don’t necessarily have a “conflict” to be resolved in the 20 minutes. The episode cleverly transitions between them, however. It takes its signature watercolors and blends them in with a cut to snowflakes falling. It is a great way to show time is passing during the winter season, and feelings are changing. Additionally, even if each vignette is different, they all have Iura as a central figure to tie it together.

Iura is outgoing, and often overwhelming for many of the characters. Right off the bat, this is shown by Hori and Yuki’s shock when they find out he has a younger sister. They immediately tell him he needs to be a more responsible person. Of course, Horimiya is all about the sides the kids don’t show at school, and Horimiya Episode 11 is no different. While his classmates may find him immature, a glimpse into Iura’s private life with his sister shows just how attentive he can be. Known at school for not picking up on social cues, the spotlight on his relationship with his little sister is a magnificently done episode to give weight to a supporting character in such a short amount of time.

Aside from Iura, Horimiya Episode 11 also touches on the pressures kids face that often prevent them from enjoying their youth. Iura’s little sister isn’t taken seriously by her academic counselors, and because of this, she puts herself under immense stress to achieve academically. Anyone who has fretted about grades or admissions will resonate with her. As I’ve said before, Horimiya is at its best when it lets the kids be kids, and Horimiya Episode 11 does this splendidly. There is an absolutely wonderful scene early on featuring all the boys. They are realizing just how close to each other they’ve become, while also trying to encourage Yanagi to come out of his shell and not speak to them so formally. 

Even Miyamura gets a little jealous when he realizes his own friends don’t call him by his first name. Even with the stumbles, this anime has taken, it is moments like these that laugh in the face of toxic masculinity that make it worth watching. The show has such empathy for each and every character, regardless of screen time. What started as Hori and Miyamura’s romance, has since expanded into a love story among a whole group of teens. When I say “love” here, I mean many different forms of love: some have romantic affections for one another, others are like siblings. 

Horimiya Episode 11 does a masterful job of having audiences fall in love with another character that has mostly been in the background. It once again lets the kids be kids, illustrating the pressures they face from adults, but also the quirky joys of finding a group to spend time with day to day at school. This was a great episode for Horimiya.

Horimiya is streaming now on Funimation.