Horimiya: A Christian Review & Parent Guide on the Popular Romance Anime

In this Horimiya Christian review, we will explore the popular anime from a Christian perspective. We also include a Horimiya Christian content/parent guide.

Synopsis of Horimiya: Season 1

When Izumi Miyamura shows up at Kyoko Hori’s doorstep covered in piercings, Hori doesn’t even recognize him. He’s completely different from the classmate she knows—a quiet, brooding student with no friends.

Miyamura also discovers that Hori, one of the most popular girls at school, is different from the classmate he knows. She is homely and serves as the main babysitter for her little brother, Sota.

Hori and Miyamura quickly become friends. As their relationship grows, so do their feelings.

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Horimiya Christian Perspective: Season 1 Anime Review

Horimiya, also known as Hori-san to Miyamura-kun, is a romantic comedy anime adapted from a shonen manga. It explores themes of love, acceptance, honesty, and responsibility.

As this is a Horimiya Christian review, mild spoilers will appear throughout; however, we will note any major ones.

A Note on the Character Names

Hori’s first name is Kyoko, not Hori, which means she goes by her last name. In Japan, the last name goes before the first name (so my name would be Ehrenwood, Myne), and it’s common to use a person’s last name instead of their first name (here’s an article explaining this).

Miyamura’s first name is Izumi, but he rarely goes by this name.

Horimiya English Dub Cast

The English dub cast does a fabulous job. Marisa Duran (Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement) stars as Kyoko Hori and Alejandro Saab (Link Click), voices Izumi Miyamura. Both do an excellent job embodying their characters.

Other notable voice actors include Johnny Yong Bosch (Gabriel and the Guardians, Tower of god), Celeste Perez (Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent), and Zeno Robinson (Link Click).

Other voice actors listed include Jordan Dash Cruz, Caitlin Glass, and Erica Mendez.

A full list of Horimiya’s English dub cast is available on Fandom.

*Please note that when I highlight certain voice actors, I do not follow a fixed selection process. Choosing to highlight—or not highlight—any particular actor should not be taken as a reflection on the quality of their performance. My choices are sporadic and can vary from post to post.

Horimiya‘s Animation Style

The animation style captures the mundaneness of high school life in a simplistic way. The bright hair colors and scenic backgrounds contrast the neutral colors of the character’s outfits, further encompassing the simplicity of school and home life. Nothing overly melodramatic happens in the story, and the animation style fits that perfectly. The characters don’t have over-exaggerated features, which makes it easier to visualize them as normal high school students.

Horimiya‘s Storyline

The well-developed storyline ensures the relationship between Hori and Miyamura is both natural and believable. Hori’s little brother’s involvement in their meeting and ultimate friendship gives a familial vibe to their relationship immediately. Though Miyamura and Hori stumble across each other’s “out of school” personalities by mistake, they truly get along and understand each other outside of school, which leads to their connection at school, too. 

Horimiya’s Focus on Family

Hori is a very maternal character. She takes care of the house and her brother, Sota, while her mother works. Miyamura often joins Hori in this task. He spends a lot of time with Sota, and even provides snacks.

*Spoiler* The Hori family loves Miyamura. When we first meet Miyamura, he looks more like a “bad boy” than someone who would help babysit—he has long hair, lots of tattoos, and countless piercings. Yet, his caring nature results in him instantaneously becoming a part of the Hori family (honorary member, at least).

Miyamura is there for Hori no matter what, even through sickness.

Horimiya Christian Review: Welcoming the Outsider

Although Hori is extremely popular, she welcomes Miyamura into her friend group. Hori’s friend Tooru (who has a major crush on Hori at the beginning) accepts Miyamura and becomes close friends with him.

Miyamura may have started out friendless, but very quickly he has many friends and has become more comfortable around others. Hori and her friends are kind to him, reflecting Ephesians 4:32. Miyamura is not the only person welcomed, either; over time, their group continues to gain members as they show kindness and forgiveness to each other. 

Kakeru and Remi: A Relationship Built on A Solid Foundation

Kakeru falls for Remi because of who she is—not because of her popularity (which turned him off at first) or her looks. They bond over a mutual love of books, and Kakeru is welcoming to Remi’s best friend Kono, whom many people ostracize for her simple looks. 

*Spoiler* In the webcomic, Kakeru and Remi marry and have a daughter (source).

Miyamura’s Growth in Horimiya *Spoiler*

Miyamura goes through so much growth in the story. His piercings and tattoos once filled the lonely void in his heart due to considerable bullying and loneliness in middle school. His long hair was his way of covering his piercings for school, making the moment he takes his piercings out and cut his hair much more significant.

The first time I watched the show, I missed this huge moment of growth—I only saw Miyamura as someone who was changing himself for a girl. Upon my second watch, however, I saw a man who was finally comfortable with being himself and showing his true personality to his friends. He no longer hides his tattoos or feels like he needs his piercings or his long hair because he finds acceptance in his friend group and feels comfortable sharing himself with them.

Hori’s Growth in Horimiya *Spoiler*

Hori’s growth, on the other hand, feels more limited. She doesn’t share her home-oriented personality with her classmates. Although Miyamura fills a void in her heart from parental neglect, she doesn’t share his drastic growth. She still dresses the same and acts the same by the end of the story.

I’m not saying that she doesn’t change at all; she does, but her change is less obvious than Miyamura’s. Near the end, she admits that she’s selfish, but she really doesn’t do much to change that. The difference in the protagonists’ levels of growth makes for a very interesting dynamic. 

Yuki’s Fake Relationship in Horimiya *Spoiler*

When Akane asks out Yuki, Hori’s best friend, Yuki creates a fake relationship instead of saying “I’m not interested.”

The boyfriend in this fake relationship is Tooru, who agrees to the farce. Though this doesn’t hurt Akane’s feelings, it hurts Kono, fueling her insecurity (she is very interested in Tooru). By doing this, Yuki is deceitful–something the Lord hates (Proverbs 12:22). Thankfully, she feels guilty and confesses that it was a farce (although not to Kono or Akane, the two people she hurt the most with her lies). 

Shu and Motoko’s Sibling Dynamic *Spoiler*

Additionally, Shu and Motoko (brother and sister) initially struggle in their relationship, but as the story progresses, it reveals their mutual care for one another. Shu ensures Motoko has tutoring help she needs to get into her dream high school.

He also buys her a lucky charm to ensure her success in her studies (see this article to learn what the Bible says about lucky charms).

At the end of the anime, Motoko picks up Shu from his graduation. The tenderness in her expression suggested (to me, at least) that she’s starting to understand her brother just a little bit more. She even seems to hold her lucky charm in her hands (at least in my personal interpretation).

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Horimiya Christian Perspective: Potential Concerns

Though the show is filled with positive themes, close friendships, and character growth, there are some things that Christians need to be aware of when considering the show. 

Hori’s Abusive Tendencies in Horimiya

It would be a travesty not to mention Hori’s abusive behavior in our Horimiya Christian review.

Hori tends to be violent and abusive through her words and actions. She yells at others and hits Miyamura. She even encourages Miyamura to “pretend” to be abusive. It’s a clear fetish for her—she encourages him to yell and be overly dominant towards her, even in front of classmates.

This makes the show uncomfortable to watch.

Sexual Intimacy in Horimiya: Christian Perspective

Miyamura and Hori have intimacy off screen at the end of Episode 7. It’s heavily implied, and Hori even bit Miyamura, leaving him with a bite mark. Of course, the biting is not shown, but it’s highly concerning from a Christian perspective.

Horimiya leans toward implying sex instead of showing it explicitly, and I appreciate that. However, the concept of premarital intimacy is still an uncomfortable topic for Christians. Hori and Miyamura are not treating each other with respect, or upholding Biblical values for marriage (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). Skipping this scene is a wise idea.

Manipulation in Horimiya

The student council president (Kakeru) manipulates Hori into helping him and then falsely accuses her of wrongdoing in front of her friends and classmates instead of privately discussing concerns with her first (Matthew 18:15). 

Bullying in Horimiya: Christian Perspective

Hori bullied Kakeru in middle school, and Miyamura was bullied as a child. Ultimately, Miyamura leaves the trauma from bullying behind. Hori doesn’t bully Kakeru in high school, but he uses their past to blackmail her (hence why she gets into the situation where she is falsely blamed), and Hori has anger issues (Proverbs 14:29). Proverbs 16:24 and Ephesians 4:29 talk about using uplifting words, which Hori does not always do.

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FAQs about Horimiya

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Conclusion: Horimiya Christian Review

Ultimately, it’s up to each Christian to follow the Lord’s guidance when choosing what to watch.

Personally, I find Horimiya a great example of how kindness and hospitality can impact the outsider for good, and it reminds me how important it is to seek out those who don’t have friends and don’t have Christ, and share love and Christ with them. 

However, there are still content concerns, particularly in the sexuality and language categories, that can make viewing the show uncomfortable for Christians.

When viewing any form of media, always use discernment, and remember to listen to the Holy Spirit. When choosing whether or not to watch something, I recommend reflecting on the concepts discussed in Romans 14:1-23.

I really hope you found our Horimiya Christian review helpful in your decision making.

Please comment below if you think we missed anything, and let us know what you think of Horimiya!

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Horimiya Christian Content and Parent Guide

Nudity/Sexuality in Horimiya

• As a romance anime, there are many innuendos in the show. The show implies and uses innuendo and suggestive dialogue to portray inappropriate things without becoming explicit.
• Hori has a dominance fetish. This can make the show uncomfortable.
• In the opening scene of Episode 1, a teacher discusses the chest of one of his female students, which is highly inappropriate.
• Throughout the show, male characters are shirtless.
• Miyamura and Hori’s dad take a bath together, and this is mentioned throughout the show. Communal baths are a part of Japanese culture, and bathing together with those of your same gender is culturally acceptable (see this article for more details).
• Miyamura and Hori get drinks and accidentally drop one of them. Their explanation is suggestive, making it sound as though the two of them were messing around intimately. It’s clarified that it’s not the case, but the word choice in that scene is a bit uncomfortable. 
• There are many homosexual jokes, especially concerning Tooru’s and Miyamura’s friendship (in reality, they are both interested in women). There is also a girl who is absolutely obsessed with Hori romantically.
• Hori becomes obsessed with finding out what Miyamura’s real name is, so she looks at the guys while they are changing into their gym uniforms and is accused of peeping; Hori is not doing it in a sexual way.

Horimiya Episode 7: The Sex Scene

• At the end of Episode 7, there is an implied sex scene. Miyamura and Hori fall on each other in the bedroom & listen to each others heartbeats. Hori mentions that there “was a fire within me” and that she “wanted Miyamura to feel it, too. Miyamura (clothed) is shown over her on the bed before they cut the scene. The sex scene takes place offscreen. After the credits, Hori is seen shirtless; however, there is no cleavage and you only see above her chest area. Miyamura is also shirtless. Miyamura has a bite on his neck; Hori bit him.

Language in Horimiya

• Almost every episode contains multiple uses of foul language. 
• Language includes frequent use of words like d*mn and related, holy sh**/sh*t, and *sshole/*ass. Less frequent use of words such as b*tch, p*ss and related, and h*ll.
• Other language includes G**z, frick/friggin, crap/holy crap, dummy, and other insults/unkind phrases.

Violence/Gore & Frightening and Intense Scenes in Horimiya

• Horimiya is a high school romance anime, so any examples of violence/gore are from squabbles between friends and family, or someone hurting themselves—whether intentionally or not. 
• Hori can be a bit scary when she’s upset.
• Hori loves horror films.

Spiritual/Other Concerns in Horimiya

• Characters visit a shrine.
• Concept of fate is mentioned.
• Characters celebrate Christmas in a secular way.
• Shu gives his sister a lucky charm.
• Listening to the heart.

Photo Credit: Horimiya promotional poster from IMDB. Under fair use for review/commentary/education/criticism. All rights retained by owners.