Anime Japan this year saw a slew of new announcements, ranging from video games and figurines to new anime seasons. One announcement stood out in particular: a second anime adaptation of the popular 2021 romantic comedy Horimiya.
The new series will be called Horimiya -Piece-, and it has been announced that CloverWorks will produce it once again. Given the finality of the first season's conclusion, what could this new iteration possibly cover? Here are the solutions.
Unused Manga Chapters Will Be Adapted for the Upcoming Horimiya Anime
Unlike most new seasons that typically pick off where the previous season ended, the newest iteration of Horimiya will be adapting all the previously skipped chapters of the manga, some of which go all the way back to before Hori and Miyamura got together. These range from character-focused chapters to pure fluff, but while some fans would argue that they aren't wholly necessary, many others would argue that the series simply wouldn't feel complete without them.
The first season of the anime didn't just skip out on some chapters but some characters as well. Most of these particular characters gave more development to the supporting cast rather than Hori and Miyamura themselves, like the other teachers at Hori and Miyamura's school or Souta's best friend Yuna (who makes a very brief appearance in Episode 12, albeit with no proper introduction). As these characters don't really directly affect Hori and Miyamura's relationship, again, some could argue that they aren't necessary to the overall plot. Nonetheless, they certainly add more life and depth to the story, as they do a good job of fleshing out those characters with which they do have a strong connection.
Why In The World Were These Horimiya Manga Chapters Ever Skipped?
Masashi Ishihama, the director of the series, said in an AMA that the chapters that were regarded to be the most crucial to the story were picked to be adapted, which would probably allow for a more definite ending to the series. This meant that chapters that were less concerned with advancing Hori and Miyamura's romance were more likely to be cut, leaving out all the gag-heavy chapters and the majority of chapters that were primarily concerned with the supporting cast.
This decision, of course, meant that not only would the anime adaptation be much shorter than the source material, but that it would also make it difficult to produce a second season should the anime prove to be popular enough to warrant one. In this case, it would seem that's exactly what happened. With no new chapters to work with, CloverWorks has no choice but to go back to the chapters that were skipped and give fans a complete anime adaptation of the beloved romantic comedy, even if it isn't released in the correct order.
Is Horimiya -Piece- Still Valuable for Lovers of Both Manga and Anime?
The quick response is an unequivocal "yes." Horimiya's debut season is expertly drawn and directed, with gorgeous visuals and a stellar voice cast to match. It is safe to assume that all the missing chapters will be painstakingly animated in the same manner as the previous season's episodes because the original staff is returning for this new series.
This delightful group of goofballs returns to get into funny sleepover antics, endure cooking classes, and try to persuade their teacher to let them skip swimming lessons. Anime-only fans who are longing for any kind of new content are sure to be happy with what's in store.
