Manga Mondays (2): Horimiya

Manga Mondays "is a weekly feature exploring the world of manga"; Hosted by Alison Can Read. 

HORIMIYA

BY HERO (AUTHOR) AND HAGIWARA DAISUKE (ARTIST)

Status: Ongoing (Currently has 15 chapters) & a one-episode  Anime OVA 

THE HOOK

[✓] Romance!

[✓] A "secret life" led by the two protagonists
[✓] Beautiful glasses (a.k.a. megane) boy

THE (STORY)LINE
Hori is your average teenage girl... she has a side she wants no one else to ever find about. Then there's her classmate Miyamura, your generic glasses-wearing boy in school and a totally different person outside. When the two meet unexpectedly, they discover each others' secrets and develop an unexpected friendship. - Baka-Updates (Manga)

Hori may seem like a normal teenage girl, but she's a completely different person after school. In her workaholic parents' absence, Hori has been like a parent for her little brother since she was young herself. Between taking care of her brother, feeding them both, and housework, she doesn't have much time for a usual teenage social life. One day, she meets someone else who does not present his true self at school: a quiet, glasses-wearing boy called Miyamura. She'd assumed he was bookish, and possibly an otaku, but Hori couldn't have been more wrong. Outside of school, Miyamura is a friendly guy with many piercings, and he's not very good at academics. Now the two of them have someone with whom they can share both halves of their lives! - from Mangahelpers

SINK OR SWIM?

I am a girl who is 90%  fluff- meaning rainbows, unicorns and lots of shoujo bubbles. Shoujo mangas are my cup of joe and sometimes, my unwitting sip of poison. I rarely delve into Shounen since I have this notion wherein it's all giant fighting robots. Darn, Power Rangers! Besides, I like the my manga eyes 60% shiny and 30% bigger than life's. So when my good friend who is blissfully aware of my fluff recommended this shounen manga to me, I gave her and it the benefit of my doubt.

Horimiya starts off not far from the usual school life-centered stories. It's the lull before the school day starts and Hori is approached by a friend for last minute cramming. As Hori's friend copies her notes, she relays to Hori that a guy from another school has taken a liking to her. Hori, somehow used to these types of hook-ups, chooses to ignore it and says that men who can't "rise up to the occasion are automatically rejected". As they discuss, Hori accidentally drops her eraser. Miyamura, the shady-looking glasses-wearing classmate, picks it up and returns it to her bereft of any emotion and walks away. The two friends speculate on Miyamura, labeling him as an otaku and a addicted to moe ("precious, usually (but not always) the ideal of youthful and innocent femininity"). 

Megane vs. Piercings

After classes end, Hori reluctantly bids her friend farewell after rejecting her offer of going to karaoke. Fast forward, Hori is at home, moving like a cleaning machine and thinking of picker up her younger brother, Souta. It is explained that Hori's parents are busy at work, leaving her with the task of keeping the house and her brother presentable. Later, Souta comes back (I assume from playing outside) with a bloody nose. Hori immediately zeroes in on her brother's injury, unconsciously ignoring the person who brought him back. Once Hori notices the person, he turns to leave but is stopped by Souta. Souta askes for him to say which Hori seconds. The three proceed to the dining room where they have tea. Seated, Hori can't help but notice the numerous piercings on the guy. He recounts the story of how he found Souta and praises him for his memory (because he was able to tell him his name and address). He also praises Hori for managing the house by herself, adressing Hori by her name. This shocks Hori since she never introduced herself to him only to find out that the guy with a handful of piercings is actually Miyamura!

The double-life scenario isn't new in the manga world. In fact, I've lost count of how many mangas I've read with that as the hook. But what makes Horimiya different is that it's charms do not lie on the secret being exposed but on the calm and subtlety- which also reflects in the illustrator's art syle- it is dealt with and the relationship that blossoms from it. Far from cartoonish, it reflects what would happen if it was set in real life perfectly. 

So while Hori does at first obsess over the fact that her secret's been exposed, her worries are not founded on anything "substantial". Rather, like a normal teenager, she worries that she's been seen without her makeup on. That and her shock that Miyamura was the same guy from the day before. After getting over her surprise, Hori takes everything in stride and even invites him over again to play with her younger brother. 

This becomes a habit between them, where Miyamura visits the two siblings from time to time. Soon after she discovers the real Miyamura who is far from the person she thought he would be; the part of him that only she knows. The same goes for Miyamura who, near the end of chapter one, says:

"This time is our time and our time alone, is what I think."

A beautiful friendship (and maybe even more) sparks from this happy coincidence. Just like how life is all about luck and timing, nothing would have happened if Souta hadn't tripped that day. In addition, it shows us real life scenarios wherein parents are absent for just reasons and eldest children are forced to grow up. And how people are more of what they seem.  It mirrors our reality which makes it all the more relatable and dear to us readers.

"I won't join them. I have to take care of my family."

The same goes for the characters. Hori is a remarkable example of this. In contrast to her cool and popular reputation, Hori was forced to be a part-time mother. Though it's not something she wants, it's something she has come to accept. Rather than take pity on herself, she carries the responsibility bravely. And yet, she is still sounds and acts like a teenager. She fusses over her appearance, blushes over compliments, is prone to jealousy and even panics over her feelings. She is what you would expect from an eldest daughter. And of course, more.

"Besides, you're too kind. You always get taken advantage of, and when you take of your glasses and tie up your hair, you become even prettier than many girls. That's unreasonable!" (A friend's perspective on Miyamura.)

Miyamura on the other hand is the perfect portrait of adorable-I-want-you. Some may fondly dub him as "loser" because of his docile personality. It is apparent how deeply he admires Hori with how reliable and noble she is. Perhaps this is a factor to why he goes out of his way to protect her and make her happy. A perfect gentleman. With an offhand way of making every reader into a gooey mess.

"I don't want to be a hindrance. I don't want to be a troublemaker. So I close my eyes and seal my heart."

But don't dare think that he's soft. An airhead maybe but not soft. He's surprisingly strong. And despite his easy smiles, he carries a lonely past that no one wants to have. Reminiscent of how Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke was only a bit darker.

Other characters like Toru, Yuki and the members of the student council keep the story dynamic and fresh. All of them spicing up the everyday life of Hori and Miyamura. Truly, this manga is a character-driven story. The pacing is slow and sweet, guaranteeing a thorough look at the characters and building up the relationships of the cast, especially that of the two leads. Just when you think your heart can take on whatever happens next, the new chapter will taunt you, tease you and ultimately make your heart swell with the joy of budding love.

THE VERDICT: Swims like a dolphin. Graceful. Wonderful. Beautiful. A five out of five for its genre.