Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Honey & Clover II – episode 1

I realised that, while I was really into Honey & Clover during its initial run, I never really thought about it afterwards. Even when the Chapters L and F came out, I reflected only on their comedic nature and didn’t even attempt to consider them in relation to the series at large.

With this first episode of the second season we are forced to revisit that which we began a year ago. As I watched, I was struck by just how trendy the whole project was: people running through streets; Japanese men singing songs of friendship and love. Still, it was something special.

So, revisiting the love triangles of a year gone past, loves complicated by everyone being aware of everyone else’s emotions and choosing to ignore them in favour of their own. Am I honestly going to be able to watch a series that consists of Yamada and Mayama being desperately unhappy by their own hands? I’m not sure I’ll be able to cope.

Yet Takemoto’s bike has evolved into a car: perhaps that evolution will be symbolic of the characters this time around.

Honey and Clover – Special Chapter F

Hurrah for Honey & Clover! The F stands for Fashion, and this episode is set in a no man’s land of a time before Mayama joined Fujiwara design, and then soon after he began. It’s a parade of hilarity and just the slightest bit of profundity. Just the slightest.

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Honey and Clover – Chapter L

“I face a legend”

I thought it would be weird to see more Honey & Clover outside of the context of the series, and damn if I wasn’t right. Chapter L is a certifiably insane story of kindness and ham that exists as episode “11.5” of Honey & Clover (judging by its placement on the DVDs).
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Honey and Clover – episode 24

“… I’m here”

I’m not sure that I could have been more satisfied with this ending. So much was so right; this series was an excellent way to spend six months. This episode featured many profound images and a purely fitting conclusion; that’s right, conclusion.

If you’ve made any head way into Honey & Clover, don’t come here …
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Honey and Clover – episode twenty-three

“And once again, I begin to run.”

Why do I bother writing up this program? Every episode I say “beautiful composition, I love this, the characters … blah blah blah”. Series that are so uniformly excellent as Honey & Clover has proven to be are very difficult indeed.
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Honey and Clover – episode twenty-two

“When I got out of the tunnel, the view was beautiful.”

After a week of watching some of Japan’s less inspired material, I’m reminded how truly great Honey & Clover is. With only one shot of Morita and Mayama presented as an abstract concept, this episode belongs to the spheres of Takemoto, Yamada and Hagu.
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Honey and Clover – episode twenty-one

“… It’s empty …”

“When I was younger, I used to ride my blue bicycle and wonder how far I could ride without turning back …”

Takemoto goes riding and doesn’t look back.
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Honey and Clover – episode twenty

“I pray to the moon hovering in the night sky”

I don’t normally include personal experiences in my reviews, but this episode of Honey and Clover almost made me fail a university test. Somehow, it was worth it.
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Honey and Clover – episode nineteen

“Time Begins to Move Again”

Booooo Nomiya. Down with everyone who is actively trying to make Yamada feel bad!

This episode is another angsty Yamada Mayama effort, but the Nomiya/Yamada/Mayama triangle is not a convincingly effective one. The problem is that Nomiya is a bastard, and Mayama is also a bastard – but one with feelings. At the end of the episode one might get the idea that Nomiya has some feelings.

On the other side of affairs, Takemoto is glad to have Morita back.
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Honey and Clover – episode eighteen

“He’s back”

I would say that this was the best episode yet but for two reasons: it’s likely to be surpassed and I didn’t really like the ending.
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