REVIEW: ‘Horimiya: The Missing Pieces’ Episode 5 — “Iura”

After spending the first four episodes focused mainly on our primary duo, Hori and Miyamura, Horimiya: The Missing Pieces Episode 5 branches out. This week, Iura is given the spotlight as we examine his home life and, most notably, his relationship with his younger sister, Motoko. Following in the lighthearted steps of Episode 4, “Iura” lacks emotional impact but is nevertheless as hilarious as ever due to the superb ensemble. The strong group of characters makes for compelling dynamics as the pairings and groupings change from episode to episode, demonstrative of the intelligent writing that’s created such a full and complete world.

The premise is about as simple as an episode can be, with Horimiya: The Missing Pieces Episode 5 opening with Iura’s absolute chagrin at the idea of his younger sister hanging out with a boy she has a crush on. Deliberately trying to sabotage it, he aims for intimidation when the boy, Kitahara, comes over to study with Motoko. Instead, Kitahara is smitten, idolizing Iura despite the bitter tea he brings for them to drink and the way he lingers in the living room, trying to create a threatening presence.

As is to be expected, this infuriates his sister, who worries that now when Kitahara talks to her, he’s doing so because she reminds him of her brother. It captures the essence of a great hang-out comedy as her fears and concerns over not being cute enough and somehow blaming it on her brother result in an elongated discussion between him and his friends on how to solve it. Sengoku is once again thrown under the bus, with Motoko, out of anger, telling Iura he should just date the class president if he’s only going to text him rather than try and find a girlfriend.

These scenes also allow for certain character traits to pop up. From Hori finding the entire discussion to be ridiculous to the slight hypocrisy of Tooru refusing to call Iura cute, saying what guy would do that for another male friend (the hypocrisy stemming from his feelings on Miyamura’s prettiness). As Yuki and Miyamura enter the conversation late, one of the better revelations comes to be as we realize how similar the two are.

Hori had been telling Iura that his sister’s shorter haircut is cute and that she shouldn’t be worried, and both Yuki and Miyamura assume that she was talking about them. Between their sweet dispositions and avoidance of schoolwork to their penchant for sweaters, their similarities make for subtle character work. Of course, they’d both be the closest to Hori.

Despite Iura’s story taking up the majority of the episode runtime, one of the best-written and well-executed gags takes place at the midway point. An acceleration of situational comedy, we watch first as he races to school, believing to be running late, a piece of toast dangling from his teeth. He’s interrupted by Yuki who has barreled into him, also eating toast in an effort to maximize the time she’s running on. With a partner in crime, the duo slows their efforts, only to be interrupted by Tooru, running late as well and wondering why they’re moving so slowly, his own breakfast clutched in his hand. To complete the group of lovable idiots, Miyamura appears, the most egregious of laziness signs found in his clear continence store-bought breakfast.

They’ve all messed up, of course, as they realize third years only had to come to school in the back half of the day as local middle schoolers toured. But the comedy isn’t found in that “gotcha” moment but in how each additional character to the late squad causes them to adopt a more leisurely pace. It’s both true to character and reality. Being late and getting in trouble for it is a lot less daunting when you have partners in crime.

Perhaps it should no longer be shocking how smart and hilarious this show is but it continues to impress. “Iura” is, by no means, a highlight of the series. Horimiya has offered too many insightful, romantic, and comedic installments so it’s less of an indictment towards the episode and more a sign of the series’ considerable abilities. Written by Takao Yoshioka, the series only continues to establish itself as a strongly written series with hidden depths amongst all of the visual and verbal comedy gymnastics.

Bolstered by tremendous and acrobatic performances by voice actors Daiki Yamashita and Hisako Kanemoto, “Iura” delivers insight into a supporting character while further building on the established cast relationships. Horimiya: The Missing Pieces Episode 5 might be inconsequential to the main storyline but makes up for it with the abundance of charm derived from these characters.

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces is available now on Crunchyroll.