Horimiya by Hero & Isuke Hagiwara

The manga series, Horimiya, written by Hero & Isuke Hagiwara is for anyone who just can’t get enough of romance, comedy, and is looking for a light-hearted story with diverse characters. Horimiya is about your typical, smart, kind, popular girl, Hori Kyoko, coming into contact with the school’s loner, Miyamura Izumi. But, here’s the twist: Hori isn’t all that she appears to be during school hours. She’s busy taking care of her younger brother, Hori Souta, while her mom is off at work as her dad rarely comes home, staying on top of her studies to maintain her reputation and her status in the student council. Hori Kyoko is a busy girl who never has time to hang out with her friends after class. However, one day, Miyamura brings Souta over to her house and both of their lives change.

Horimiya is a sweet, romantic story that has you squealing on the floor as you continue to venture out their growth as a pair and how their friend group has stretched. It’s a heart-warming story that will have you in awe for weeks. I personally loved this series and it is my go-to comfort, however, regardless of the main purpose being romance, the storyline does go into a rabbit hole and focus on a more slice-of-life genre. Regardless, it’s a well-drawn and well-written manga series and you should at least pick up the first book and see how the story turns out. A lot of the characters portray what regular high schoolers struggle with and how they see the positive in those hardships, so who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two. The story between the characters is so sweet and there are some rough patches here and there, but that’s to be expected. Yes, there is an anime adaptation to it, but they skip a lot of the original storyline, so I strongly recommend that you start with the manga then move onto the anime if you wish. In conclusion, it’s a cute short manga series that definitely should be on your “must-read” list.