Horimiya can obviously already be considered one of the best romcom (romantic comedy) shows of Winter 2021, but let’s explore a bit what it means as well as its competitors for the ‘title’. For start, wikipedia describes the genre:
Romantic comedy is a subgenre of comedy and slice-of-life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is “a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily. Another definition suggests that its “primary distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled.“
This seemed kind of complicated to figure out by myself, so I decided to use MyAnimeList and AniList instead. I crosschecked which shows had both the romance + comedy genre and having them on one of the sites qualified a show. Let’s meet the competitors, starting with the presumed winner:
Horimiya
Story:
Kyouko and Izumi are two classmates who each lead a double life: the popular and talented Kyouko cares for her little brother by herself while her parents are away, and the quiet, bespectacled Izumi hides his many piercings and tattoos at school. After accidentally discovering each other’s secrets the pair becomes fast friends, and together, they begin to navigate their new relationship together amongst unknowing peers and love rivals alike.
Episodes: 1. New episode releases later today, and it will have a total of 11 episodes.
Horimiya’s debut really stood out with the direction and pretty artstyle/animation, starting with the opening and all the way throughout the episode. It introduced the main two characters and had some adorable moments, not surprising to the source readers. Huge potential, but obviously still just one episode and we’ve yet to see the best parts.
The Quintessential Quintuplets Season 2
Moving on, this is a sequel so might be viewed differently. Nevertheless, the appearance has changed from the first season, but it still remains the romcom it was.
Story:
One day, a poor high school second-year named Futaro Uesugi comes across a private tutoring gig with good pay. But his pupils are his classmates!! And they’re quintuplets!! A-and they’re all gorgeous girls, but they’re also troublemakers who hate to study and are on the verge of flunking out! And his first task is simply gaining the sisters’ trust?! Every day is a party! The curtain is rising on the Nakano quintuplets’ quirky romantic comedy with five times the cute!!
Episodes: 2. Will have a total of 12 episodes.
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Another new anime, and it’s obviously also listed as a romcom. The story:
Expert gamer Tomozaki Fumiya doesn’t exactly fit in, but he wishes he did. With no written rules for success and gameplay that doesn’t work in his favor, the real world seems impossible for someone like him. But, like any noob, all he really needs are some strategies and a seasoned player like Aoi Hinami to help him. Hopefully with her guidance, Tomozaki will gain the experience he needs.
The first episodes have already shown some character development for our shut-in MC. I liked the 2nd one more, but it’s overall an enjoyable light-hearted show.
Episodes 2. Will have a total of 12 episodes.
Conclusion: It doesn’t matter
Unless I missed some show, there aren’t any more romcoms this season. Saying Horimiya is the best romcom of Winter 2021 sounds nice and it certainly COULD be, but is it even worth bragging about if there are only 2 other romcoms in the season? I’d rather say it’s one of the best shows overall (it ranked #2 on our poll for Week 2) or find some more meaningful comparison. And since there seem to be only 3 romcoms, any fan of the genre should watch all 3 anyway (I’m not even particularly fond of romcoms but am watching those). Meanwhile, I’d like to highly recommend watching Mushoku Tensei and Wonder Egg Priority from the new shows this season.
Also feel free to vote for your favorite anime episodes on our weekly poll!
Horimiya
Official Website: horimiya-anime.com
©HERO・萩原ダイスケ／SQUARE ENIX・「ホリミヤ」製作委員会
The Quintessential Quintuplets
Official Website: tbs.co.jp/anime/5hanayome
©春場ねぎ・講談社／「五等分の花嫁∬」製作委員会
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Official Website: tomozaki-koushiki.com
©屋久ユウキ・小学館／「弱キャラ友崎くん」製作委員会
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