Horimiya, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) (Horimiya, 1)

After watching the anime on Crunchyroll a few times, I just had to pick up the Manga to see how it differed. The manga doesn’t disappoint and helps to understand the details of the anime that much more. Reading the digital manga on Kindle was great - even on my iPhone. Five Stars.

The art style is great, the connection between the two protagonists is amazing and really fun to read.Recommend to everyone.

I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading, though I was drawn in by the art and the premise.For those of us who like shoujo, we can probably acknowledge that there are a lot of shallow stereotypes. And while they make for a lighthearted read, as in the case of this story, they can feel a bit contrived at times. Most of us have probably seen the same character types rehashed many times before: the protagonist is a beautiful, popular straight-A student in public but is extremely diligent and "plain" in her home life. The other main character appears to be a "gloomy" loner and then serendipitously winds up being sweet, charming, and extremely handsome. This, while it is a set of stereotypes that HERO uses, somehow doesn’t feel boring or blasé in “Horimiya.”In addition, the characters feel surprisingly well-rounded for books in the shoujo genre. Hori, the protagonist, takes care of her little brother after school and forsakes her social life for him. It embarrasses her, so she doesn’t talk about it, but she cares a lot about the people around her and she’s a very hard worker. And besides about her “plainness” at home, she doesn’t actually seem to care about her reputation. For instance, she talks to Miyamura at school without caring how others perceive her.Miyamura is also well-rounded for this first volume. He appears stereotypically nerdy and antisocial at first glance, but not only are his grades sub-par, he’s also really sweet and appreciative of friendship. He’s boisterous and courteous, as well as generous, to the people around him – he just tends not to draw a lot of attention.And while this isn’t LGBT+ manga, I feel like it’s more LGBT+ friendly than other shoujo manga (wherein a boy and a girl can’t be platonic friends unless they’re paired with other people, the characters sometimes say things that can be perceived as homophobic, etc.). There are some “gay” jokes, but they didn’t seem disparaging. In fact, they make me question whether or not everyone in this book is 100% straight. They also flesh out relationships a bit more, so Miyamura’s relationship with a rival for Hori’s affections doesn’t stay wildly antagonistic. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I ended up liking all the characters for the most part.Overall, there was a lot I liked about this volume and little I did not. It's a light read and very cute, so for $3 on the Kindle, it's hard to go wrong.

This isn't normally the type of story I would pick up, but it's one of the best decisions I've made all year.Let me tell you a story. I was complaining to a friend about the slow-burn relationship in Noragami and she told about a great manga where there's a slow-burn relationship (but not to slow) that ends up being the cutest relationship ever. She said it was just an adorable manga that centered around a great relationship. Actually, she said less than that, just that it was a fulfilling relationship (eventually she explained a bit more). Right away, though, I ordered the first volume off of amazon.And it is absolutely the cutest thing in the world. Not into manga? This might change your mind. Within the first chapter I was completely charmed.To back up: Horimiya is a high school drama story, sort of. Basically, Hori, the female lead, is really popular at school. She never gets to spend time with friends outside of school, though, because her parents are never home and she has to take care of both the house and her brother in a very unglamorous way. One day, a pierced and tattooed (and good looking) stranger shows up at her door, guiding her little brother home after he fell and hurt himself. Turns out the stranger isn't really a stranger, but Miyamura, the male lead. At school he's a shy and strange boy who hides behind bulky clothing and long hair. On his own time, he's not so afraid to be himself. Both discover that these secrets bring them closer together and they begin to feel a budding attraction to each other.And it's super cute! Have I mentioned that before?It's a very basic plot, and very little actually happens except that they spend time together. Every second of the book, though, drips with sexual tension and you just can't wait for them to finally get together, or at least admit, our loud, that they're attracted to each other.SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't happen in this volume. My friend has promised that it does happen soon, so finger's crossed it's in the next volume. Which I have to wait until January for. END SPOILER ALERT.I really recommend picking this one up, especially if you're in the mood for a cutesy romance.

This is the first manga I’ve ever read that had me laughing out loud. It’s a beautiful romance manga about two people who hide part of them away from their classmates but only end up revealing it to each other.