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10 Anime Series Like Horimiya You Should Start Watching


Credit: CloverWorks

Horimiya has been topping the charts of anime by bringing in the nostalgic high school romance of Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura where two polar opposites meet and fall in love. CloverWorks, indeed, found a gem in this anime series based on the shōnen manga series of Hiroki Adachi as it is consistently bringing in more viewers and fans loving the show.

The manga-based anime series has been taking the relationship of Hori and Miyamura to the next level in the previous episodes and this is causing many viewers to wait for what's in store for their love story. Airing weekly in Funimation, Horimiya lined up 13 episodes for this season and the hopes are high for it to have a second season renewal.

If you love the story of Horimiya, here are some animes like Horimiya that you should look out for and start watching:

Kimi ni Todoke

Kimi Ni Todoke
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Credit: Production I.G

Kimi ni Todoke may seem to have been ages ago but the story still brings in the feels of love and excitement of a relationship. It aired from October 2009 to its second season until 2011. The anime series even had a live-action film in 2010.

Kimi ni Todoke follows the story of a 15-year-old high school freshman in Hokkaido, Sawako Kuronuma, who has been teased by her classmates as Sadako as she bears resemblance to The Ring character. Sawako has always been misunderstood because of her ominous appearance.

Everything in her life changed when the popular guy in school, Kazehaya, started talking to her. This turned into a love story later on as the polar opposites fell in love with each other overcoming many obstacles and challenges on their way.

Maid Sama!

Maid Sama
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Credit: JC Staff

Maid Sama! is another story of falling in love that aired between April and September of 2010. The story follows Seika High's once-all-boys school being converted into a co-ed school. Misaki Ayuzawa strives to make the school one that will be better for girls putting her efforts into various activities in school, even being the first-ever female student council president.

Misaki Ayuzawa, despite her high reputation in school, secretly works part-time in a maid café to support her debt-ridden family and ill mother. Takumi Usui, a popular guy in school, discovered Misaki's secret. Usui kept this secret and became a regular customer at the café and slowly took a liking to Misaki.

Misaki also fell in love with Usui, however, there is a problem: Usui belongs to a wealthy English family which means that he cannot just enter into any relationship, not within their family's social standing. In the end, the two managed to keep their love afloat as they eventually marry a decade after high school ended.

My Little Monster

My little monster
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Credit: Brain's Base

My Little Monster, aired in 2012, revolves around Shizuku Mizutani who is interested in nothing but studying, and her seatmate, Haru Yoshida, who is usually absent in classes. Shizuku, being the studious student that she is, was tasked to deliver the handouts to Haru's home because he sits next to her.

Shizuku is known in school as "dry ice" being emotionless, cold, and knowing to have her focus only on studying but when she met Haru, her life changed as Haru's innocence and lack of knowledge on relationships became known to her. Behind Haru's strong monstrous façade are a kind and gentleman.

Haru then falls in love with Shizuku but it took her a long time to realize that she is falling for him, too.

My Little Monster seems to be the closest to Horimiya with a studious girl and a loner boy falling in love with each other, very much like Hori and Miyamura.

Special A

Special A
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Credit: Gonzo

Special A seems to be ages old as it was aired in 2008 with the story of Hikari Hanazono and Kei Takishima and their friends in S.A. Hikari Hanazono and Kei Takishima has been rivals ever since they were children as Hikari always comes in second to Kei. Their pro-wrestling loving fathers brought them together where Hikari challenged Kei to wrestle only to be defeated by him.

Since then, Hikari has been pushing herself to beat Kei in almost everything under the sun and is completely unaware that Kei has been in love with her ever since. As she was building up her rivalry with him, he was just falling deeper into her. Slowly, Hikari realizes she found love in their rivalry.

Wotakoi

Wotakoi
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Credit: A-1 Pictures

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku is relatively newer and is in a different environment being in the office rather than in school. It follows the story of Nakami, who has been hiding her fujoshi lifestyle, and Hirotaka, who is a game otaku. It may seem easy for the two to fall in love but love sure is difficult for otaku.

In their different interests, one in anime otaku and one in-game otaku, the two found love in each other, and Nakami never even thought she would fall in love with someone like Hirotaka.

Toradora!

Toradora
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Credit: JC Staff

Toradora! has been a popular anime between 2008-2009 and it goes around Ryuji Takasu who has been trying to look his best upon entering his second year in high school making him look like an intimidating delinquent.

He is classmates with his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, and his crush Minori Kushieda. However, he ran into the best friend of Minori, Taiga Aisaka, who is considered as "the school's most dangerous animal of the highest risk level."

Taiga instantly dislikes Ryuji and apparently, she lives across Ryuji's house. When Ryuji discovered that Taiga has a crush on his best friend, Yusaku, and Taiga learned about the attraction of Ryuji to Minori, they agreed, for once, that they will be setting up each other to their best friends.

What they didn't know is that while they are setting up each other for their best friends, rumors began spreading that they are becoming a couple. Indeed, they enjoy each other's company. As the story progressed, love blossomed among the friends.

Fruits Basket

Fruits basket
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Credit: TMS/8PAN

Twice animated, Fruits Basket first appeared in 2001 from Studio Deen and later on adopted the second time by TMS Entertainment from 2019 to the present. The series tackles the story of Tohru Honda, who lived with his grandfather after her mother died but was ejected by an unkind family member, making her support herself and live in a tent.

During a landslide, her tent was destroyed, and found shelter in a nearby popular classmate's home, Kyo and Yuki. Kyo and Yuki, however, have a secret. Kyo turns into a cat, while Yuki turns into a rat when hugged by the opposite gender. It is a curse on their family where twelve members of their family are possessed by the spirits of the zodiac where they turn into their animal form when hugged by the opposite gender.

In an agreement to have a roof sheltering her, Tohru promised never to tell anyone the secret of the Soma family, and though facing some adversities along the way, Tohru and Kyo build a relationship of their own.

Masamune-kun no Revenge

Revenge
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Credit: Silver Link

Aired in 2017, Masamune-kun's Revenge follows the story of a chubby boy, Masamune Makabe, who has been close to a beautiful wealthy girl who calls him "Pig's foot," Aki Adagaki. Tormented by the nickname and seeking revenge, Masamune began his diet and workout to be handsome and fit.

Upon encountering Aki, she did not recognize that the guy in front of her is who she called "pig's feet" before. Masamune committed to making her fall in love with him then reject her for revenge. As the story progresses, Masamune finds it harder to enact his revenge on the girl he claims he "hates."

Wolf Girl and Black Prince

Wolf Girl Black Prince
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Credit: TYO Animations

Wolf Girl and Black Prince appeared in 2015 with Erika Shinohara who is desperate to belong in high school so as not to be a loner. All her friends have boyfriends and to fit in, Erika lies to them that she has one, too. To make it look more believable, she took a photo of some random guy in the street who just happened to be Kyoya Sata, the most popular guy in school.

To make her friends believe, even more, Erika asked him to be her pretend boyfriend but he would only agree on one condition: she would be like a pet to him and be his "Wolf Girl." To Erika's dismay, Kyoya has a cynical view of the world and is a dark-hearted person.

Despite all these, Erika slowly fell in love with him and in turn, Kyoya softened as well when he found out he has begun to have feelings for her, too. When Erika calls off the agreement and quits being his "wolf girl," he promoted Erika to become his actual girlfriend.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

Bottom Tier Character
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Credit: Project No. 9

The most recent of all, Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-Kun, also known as Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki follows the story of a loner, Fumiya Tomozaki, who prefers his own company despite being one of the best gamers in the country viewing life as a horrible game.

Fumiya chanced upon Aoi Hinami who has been regarded as excelling in everything she is doing and cheerful demeanor, Aoi gives Fumiya the guidance remarking he should be taking life seriously and gave him a life strategy called the bottom-tier character strategy by a high school student.

In all these stories, it just goes to show that sometimes, the cliché of opposites attract really happens, and works well in stories. Just like Hori and Miyamura, the titles mentioned above features a clash of personalities but eventually attracts and fall in love.

Horimiya airs every Sunday via Funimation at 10:30 PM EST/ 12:30 PM JST.

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