Ranked #150

Honey and Clover

For many of us who watch anime, the medium can become something more than simply animated entertainment. Sometimes, we will find ourselves connecting on a deep emotional level with a character or characters in a show. Sometimes, the story will seem less like a fanciful escape and more like a reflection upon society or our individual lives. These are the kind of shows stick with us. They'll make us laugh, they'll make us cry, and sometimes they'll make us realize something new about ourselves. Honey and Clover is one of those kind of anime.

Based on the manga by Chika Umino, Honey and Clover follows the lives of five fledgling artists and their journey through the exciting and simultaneously terrifying world that we know as college. Through the eyes of these five students and observe them them growing, affected by the years of challenging experiences through which they have gained many cherished friendships and also come to know the agonies of unrequited love.

One of the most noticeable aspects of the series is the animation. The bold, hard lined style you see in most anime will not be found here. Instead, animation studio J.C. Staff takes a wholly different approach by using a faded watercolor palette and soft sketched character designs. The style may not appeal to everyone, but it best reflects the true nature of the characters and their setting. Aside from the color palette, the animation goes through various perspective changes so subtly that it can even make the simple shot of a single character interesting. In essence, it is like art in motion.

Naturally, the audio needs to work hand in hand with the visuals and Honey and Clover has quite a robust soundtrack. Many of the insert selections worked well to heighten and sharpen the on-screen emotions. However, not all of the songs fit each scene like a glove and at times it felt like maybe there might even be too many songs they had tried to fit in. Despite that complaint, the songs themselves were all very good, even the instrumental tracks, and “Waltz” may hands-down be one of the best ending themes of any anime ever.

One aspect that may be universally agreed upon about this series is that the characters definitely make the show. Honey and Clover, like many other slice-of-life series, falls back on the characters to help carry the series and all five of the main characters do so phenomenally. Throughout the series, the perspective changes so that we see, hear, think, and occasionally feel what any given character is going through at that time. Depending on a viewer’s past experiences in college or even just life in general, certain characters will become more appealing and easier to relate to than others. Someone who has never been torn between someone they love and a close friend who loves them will have a hard time relating to a character like Mayama. Also, while a character like Takemoto may be more accessible to the male audience, Ayumi may be a better focal point for women.

The most important thing to realize is that just about anyone who watches this show will find a character who they can directly relate to in some way or another. From Takemoto’s indecisiveness about his own life, Morita’s slacker appeal and almost unfair success, Hagumi’s torn desire between being a success she’s not proud of or a failure she can live with. These are not just character struggles, these are struggles we all go through and we begin to see these characters as our friends and companions as we make our way through our own ordeals.

As said already, Honey and Clover is a slice-of-life series, which means it could take place anywhere at anytime with anyone inside the world as already is. It is a balanced and yet lively blend of romance, drama, and comedy without going too overboard on any single element, much like life itself. The story moves forward very quickly, skipping weeks, even months at a time between episodes. This could be viewed as slightly unrealistic as viewers may believe the characters should change faster than they do. Regardless, the character development is there, and does proceed at a realistic pace relative to the length of the series. Though the ending is inconclusive, those who enjoyed it to the end can take solace in knowing a conclusive second season awaits them to tie up all the loose ends.

Much like how Azumanga Daioh is called “the anime you should watch if you’ve been through high school”, Honey and Clover is the anime to watch if you’ve been through college. Graduates who watch this will probably feel a good amount of nostalgia. At the same time, those of us who haven’t been through college or are still going through it will enjoy a realistic simulation of where we might be going and how we might deal with it. By empathizing with the characters and relating to them, you’ll come to see Honey and Clover as more than an anime; It's a life experience.



This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were:

Katsup - Contributed to and edited the review
Splitter - Wrote the review

Here are their individual scorings for the show:
Category - Katsup, Splitter

Story - 9, 9
Art - 10, 9
Sound - 9, 8
Character - 10, 10
Enjoyment - 10, 9
Overall - 10, 9

In the club wide poll held for Honey and Clover it received an average overall rating of 9.00 read more

Note: This review pertains to both Honey and Clover and Honey and Clover II, since II is a direct continuation of the first series.

What do you want to do with your life? Where do you want to go? How will you get there? What brought you here in the first place? Honey and Clover, a slice of life josei anime, addresses these types of questions. It tells the story of five friends in an art college and their lives and relationships throughout college (and some of them beyond that) as they face various obstacles. The show does a masterful job at exploring the lives and personalities of these five students and the people around them.

Although I used to prefer shows with super captivating plots where there are distinguishable heroes and villains, Honey and Clover changed my views on that. There isn’t a grand overlaying plot to this series, and yet somehow, I was just as enamored with it as those other shows, if not more. The characters are just regular college students trying to make the most out of those precious years while searching for direction in their lives. They don’t have incredibly bleak pasts, though they’re not without their troubles. Each character has various predicaments that most people would face in that stage of their lives. Takemoto, the protagonist and narrator, is surrounded by highly capable, successful peers, while he seems to be the most “average” of his friends. He is the most directionless of the group, unsure of how to proceed after college. He quickly falls in love with Hagumi, an extremely talented painter who has body of a child. Despite her abilities, she is shy and suffers from childlike social anxiety. Then there’s Morita, the most eccentric one. Though he appears to be manipulative, greedy, lazy, and just plain odd, he is surprisingly one of the wiser ones of the friends. His life outside of school is mysterious, and he often has long periods of absences where he inexplicably wanders off and comes back with only a large wad of money and extreme fatigue. We also have Mayama, the first to graduate and get a job, who harbors feelings for a disabled woman who’s had a dark past in regards to relationships. Finally, there’s Yamada, who is in love with Mayama. Even though he constantly rejects her, for some reason, she continues to try.

Like in real life, these aren’t static characters. They’re dynamic. They learn through experience and their mindsets slowly change, for better or for worse. It’s interesting to see them develop this way, as we learn about their pasts and their predicaments.

As you can tell, although the plot may seem simple enough, this isn’t a straightforward anime. Through its storytelling, it poses several questions and concepts for the viewers to mull over. It teaches us to reflect on our lives and see what brought us to where we currently are. We must cherish the memories with our friends, but eventually, we will have to move on to the next phases of our lives, in which, often times, we will have to depart from our comfortable lifestyles. This is depicted by the constant image of a wheel turning, symbolizing that we must continue forward and adapt. Time is continuous, and thus so is life, and while we should definitely reminisce, we have to live in the ever-changing present instead of in the past.

Even if you’re not into shows that really examine human emotions and relationships, don’t be turned off by Honey and Clover. The show does an excellent job of mixing comedy and drama. On a mere superficial level, this show is hilarious, filled with memorable scenes, most of them brought upon by Morita. You don’t have to indulge in the deeper scenes to enjoy the show. Even if you don’t like the drama, the comedy is more than satisfying enough to be a reason to watch it.

As for the art and animation, it has a softer feel to it than most other animes due to its watercolor palette. It’s very soothing and natural, and definitely an enjoyable departure from modern conventional animation styles. The music fits the moments well, and while I don’t usually pay attention to OP’s and ED’s, I’ll admit there were a few ED’s I liked that really added to the ending scenes of various episodes.

This anime is a realistic depiction of life. It tells a story of unrequited love, overcoming obstacles, acceptance, and ultimately moving forward. We’re able to connect emotionally with the characters, empathizing with them, because most of us have been in situations similar to theirs. It’s not quite tear jerking, but there are definitely many touching scenes that will make your heart feel heavy. Honey and Clover truly is one of the most beautiful and introspective series I’ve seen. It is a simple, yet profound, story about life. read more