Horimiya - Episode 1 Thoughts

"What you see is not what you get."

So basically, the pilot episode laid-out the school-home setting and the current situation of the main characters. We got Hori who seems the popular, A+ girl of the class while being a big sister & household taskmaster. Sounds perfect for a wife material. Meanwhile , we got Miyamori who has this gloomy, loner, otaku image in school, yet a cool-looking dude with the piercings and tattoo when outside the four corners of the classroom. And if interacted with, he is actually a quite nice and chill guy though he still acts like a loner and awkward to sense how social interactions flow. Due to fated circumstances turned to frequent personal meetings, they realized, that they felt comfortable to show their true selves only to each other.

This story could be about breaking the stereotypes. What we see is just the surface of something we might not even expect yet we already settled with our first impressions. I'm totally into this premise. Now, I'm curious if the story will progress to "You know what? I do not care anymore what people think of me. I just want to be free and show the world who I really am." - type of resolution or probably status quo but with realizations and character developments of the cast. Aside from that, romance is definitely starting to sprout just from the first episode. Let's see how will things turn out. So far, only few characters were introduced. Hoping to see more that will stir the main characters current situation.

Production-wise, Cloverworks did a great job. The artwork and visuals are very refreshing and has this youthful vibe to it. I guess, I am a fan of Cloverworks now. OP and ED are creative in their own ways. We have the OP in their moving panels - collages of different scenes. I'm not sure if I have already seen that type of sequence but it is catchy for me. OP music used a laidback - upbeat song, if that made sense. Song is "Iro Kousui (色香水)" by You Kamiyama".

For the ED, that 3D animation caught me off-guard (in a good way). "Yakusoku (約束)" by Friends (フレンズ)" as the music used, compliments very well with the animation. Both songs will probably grow more into me if listened repeatedly especially with the sequences they are accompanying. The OSTs so far are not that prominent yet but still sets the atmosphere of the scenes.

If you have read my preview thoughts for Horimiya, it seems like I'm very much off the mark in thinking about 4-koma format of the series. I think the series format will be very much different from the original webcomic and I guess, this is what the manga format of retelling the story. So far, the light comedy is decent and with the premise potential, it could go further even with the drama elements present in the story. Definitely enjoyed this first episode. How about you? What do you think of Horimiya's pilot episode?

Please share your thoughts as well.

Thanks for the visit and keep safe!

P.S. No manga spoilers please.