Warning: The following contains spoilers for Horimiya: The Missing Pieces, Episode 1, "Class Trip", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Horimiya as a slice-of-life anime is interesting and wholesome in all regards, and that's not for lack of trying or too much effort. For the most part, the series followed to main characters who each individually have their own issues as individuals that lead to them growing with each other as much as they do want each other in their lives. Izumi Miyamura's previous past life in middle-school, and his slow growth from being the odd one out to being an important friend of Kyouko Hori shows the growth that is individual to not just the main characters, but also the other side characters. And with season 2 on the horizon, it's no surprise many are excited to learn more about what happens after the conclusion of the first season. To many's surprise, and yet pleasant ones at that, this doesn't follow a sequel, but rather a collection of events that happened in the Manga but didn't fit into the first season of Horimiya.
Horimiya started off as a story between two individuals with hidden sides, that being of Izumi and Kyouko as individuals before the two were paired up for a school project in the beginning. Slowly of course, the two developed a friendship with each other that reveals each other's sides beyond what they show to most ordinary people which leads the first season to be a mostly romantic-comedy-focused adaptation of the Manga. While the side characters are given enough time to develop and endear to the audience, there are many hidden chapters and sides to the Manga that weren't applied to the first season due to run-time constraints. However, with the first episode of season 2 coming out, it's likely we will get a return to simpler times for many fans of the show. What happens is not just a matter of events, but what we get to see in the beginning of the second season.
Class Trip To Kyoto
For the majority of the first few minutes of the episode, the episode starts off with a brief exposition about the class trip to Kyoto that Izumi and Kyouko both participate with their friends. However, the clear understanding of time shows when Izumi still has his 'gloomy' appearance along with his glasses, and the apparent anxiety over trying to keep the secret of his past. Specifically his tattoos, which considering his position in High School might be a personal secret he isn't ready to share. Thankfully, Izumi manages to pass by without his secret being revealed, and the class trip goes off without a hitch for the remainder of the episode.
While a few small conversations happen in this episode, most of them being lighthearted and not as heavy on character development as before, the brief look into the past events that weren't shown in the first season provides a closer insight into the dynamics of Izumi and Kyouko along with their friends, showing a familiar sight of friendship to many fans of the show that missed these cast of characters. Optimistically of looking at it, the fans get to look at new situations in Horimiya which they missed out on if they didn't read the Manga, and in a chronological order that doesn't exclusively follow the romantic subplot between Izumi and Kyouko. Overall, the episode provides a different look into certain scenes in one episode at varying times of the chronological story. Thankfully, the comedy allows the story to have some great punchlines.
A Return To Normality
Despite Horimiya being a normal slice-of-life anime, it doesn't fail to provide the audience a majority of excitement and lighthearted banter between characters. However, the more important part is that this anime marks a return to lighthearted slice-of-life anime with deep, but simple lessons that allows for the audience to take a break from the constant Shōnen anime and combat, since it is meant to be a comfort anime for many people. Why exactly this feels different despite not being a sequel, is because it allows a return to the story of Izumi and Kyouko, all the way back to the beginning and filling in on the few scenes the anime fans may have missed at the beginning. Thankfully, this seems to be a success for many people who watched Horimiya.
The story may be simple, and more lighthearted compared to the hype that other anime may have, but it also has its own form of comfort and hype considering the characters are the main highlight of the story. To fans, Horimiya is that anime that allows for a return to the normality and turbulent comfort of real life, mixed with understanding the characters and their stories as well as inner feelings for others. After all, even after the story has reached its conclusion in the Manga and the first season, its second season allows many fans to have a bittersweet reunion with normality mixed into it. Learning more details about the characters that make up Horimiya is what allows many to enjoy the story after all.