English Dub Review: Horimiya: The Missing Pieces “Hori Kotatsu”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Some people get closer around a table, some get all tangled up, some have awkward moments, some reminisce… Welcome to the Kotatsu at the Hori household!

Our Take:
There are some occasions when high school isn’t the only place where the laughs and drama happen. It can even occur in the comfort of our home, or in this case, Hori’s warm Kotatsu. Like the first episode, this week’s episode moves away from the high school misadventures to display the characters outside their classes. However, instead of portraying the plot as a single story, “Hori Kotatsu” represents an anthology of interconnected mini-stories centering on different humorous scenarios around the wooden table frame with a futon.
One includes Miyamura’s legs getting tied up with Hori’s and his father’s, resulting in them freaking out on how to get unstuck. The other example involves Miyamura’s father, Kyousuke, kidnapping Sengoku and bringing him to Hori’s place to rest in the Kotatsu. This eventually leads to a confrontation with Kakeru Sengoku’s father, Takeru, who Hori and Miyamura meet at the shop. Afterward, Kyousuke meets Takeru and Kakeru by the Kotatsu and reignites their high school feud, while Hori and Miyamura pressure Kakeru into telling his father he has a girlfriend. It’s an amusing confrontation in which neither battle will end with a clear winner. The only exception to this anthology is the mini-story involving Miyamura and the others discovering old photos at school, where they find out the surprising secret that Hori and Kakeru used to take baths together when they were young.
“Hori Kotatsu” continues to display the show’s irresistible charm and teen comedy by showcasing the characters in awkward scenarios outside of school. But, of course, it isn’t without a few cute moments between Hori and Miyamura, mainly the two sharing mandarins. It may not be as hilarious as the previous two episodes, but it shows that even Hori’s household isn’t safe from teen awkwardness.