Honey and Clover
Title: Honey and Clover aka Hachimitsu
to Clover aka HachiKuro
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Company: GENCO/J.C.
Staff
Format: 24
episodes
Dates: 14
Apr 2005 – 26 Sep 2005
Synopsis: An art major with a passive view of
life, Yuuta Takemoto spends his college days aimlessly looking for his true
calling. Together with a mature Senior, Takumi Mayama, and a greedy, hyper ball
of energy, Shinobu Morita, they go through the toils and small pleasures of
their impoverished student lives. Yet, nothing truly manages to break through
Takemoto’s barrier until he meets a talented 18 year old girl. Upon seeing
Hagumi Hanamoto, the young Yuuta begins to see the world in the lonely but
bright colors of love.
The Highlights
Characters: Emotionally
rich, complex and believable.
Romance: Beautifully
painted with a brush of authenticity.
Animation: Soft
and visually pleasing.
Ending: Unsatisfactory
but complete nonetheless.
Very few
producers can turn a generic college romance anime into a lovable series full
of quirky and unforgettable characters. One thing is for certain: the casting
for the project is definitely a major factor. From scriptwriters to the voice
actors, Honey and Clover is a titanic marriage of skills. Everything from the
direction to the voice acting is finely tuned, and the final product is nothing
short of a genuine labor of love.
While the
overall quality is subjective, the aesthetics are a real treat to the senses.
The voice acting is believable, and never requires a suspension of disbelief.
The light piano based music contrasts well with the realistic drama, and the
various J-pop pieces give the series a firm push in the right direction. The
animation is very pastel in nature and when played out in tandem with the
delicate music comes across in an ephemeral, dreamlike manner. Ironically, the
soft character designs mute the visceral emotions that these people contain.
Hands
down, the greatest attribute of Honey and Clover is its intricate character
chemistry. While there is no distinct plot, the cast carries the full weight of
the series and runs with it. Unlike many other anime, not a single major
character is wasted as an obtrusive cliché. Everyone is intelligent,
calculating and fettered by their emotions. The dark loneliness, the irrational
fears, the heart-wrenching longing, they all are vividly painted through the
character’s silent screams towards their unrequited loves.
Honey and
Clover isn’t as much about romance as it is about dealing with rejection, and
the fear of rejection. The cast have real personalities, affected and often
hindered by real emotions. To keep this show from being an angst-filled
melodrama, the series keeps the raging emotions suppressed and maintains a
cheerful atmosphere lightly layered with melancholic brooding. Despite
strenuous circumstances, the characters maintain their sense of humor and
refuse to relinquish their bright smiles. The memories created from the small
interactions with true friends and the flickering ray of hope that accompanies
each new day are what drives these characters to chase after their seemingly
hopeless love.
Honey and
Clover does a brilliant job depicting daily life without making it boring.
However, since the series is essentially just a prolonged stay with a group of
friends, the audience does not get to see the fruition of all of the conflicts.
Much like real life, very few things are cast in stone. With a relatively open
ending, the audience is left insatiably wanting more. By the end of the series,
it is hard not to relate with at least one character. It wouldn’t be surprising
if you relate with all of them; they are just that human.
