Why is love so bittersweet?
Love, friendship, and jealousy: a simple love story that focuses on the growth and development of an individual from adolescence to adulthood. That is Honey and Clover in a nutshell. Honey and Clover revolves around the daily lives of five college students whose lives are changed when love gets in the way of their affairs. The story starts off, rather slow, with spontaneous comedic outbursts and a nonexistent plot. It is at this point where I wanted to drop it; however, once the fourth episode come around, the themes of this show become much more apparent, and toward the thirteenth episode of the first season, the comedy aspect of the show starts to fade, eventually taking a backseat in season two.
Honey and Clover truly is a slice of life show. It depicts the many hardships every person goes through as they grow up--lighthearted, funny, sentimental moments we want to treasure in our hearts forever, and the bitterness of unrequited love, jealousy, and betrayal, that we try so hard to forget. These conflicts give a sharp, yet pragmatic tone that resonates deep in the viewers' hearts.
In today's industry, shows usually rely on useless plot devices to move along the story. This is not the case in Honey and Clover. During each episode, the writer effortlessly tells a tale that is loosely held together by the romance each character wants in their lives. We see each character grapple with love, dreams, and friendship. We see their internal struggles presented to us through raw emotion, which in turn invokes nostalgic memories from the viewer of their childhood days when things were considered brighter and more colorful. The characters in Honey and Clover in one word can be best described as diverse. Honey and Clover decided to do away with the common character archetypes and instead deliver a cast that is realistically simple and relatable.
The music and animation productions in this show is top notch, which is to be expected for a show that revolves around the arts. My favorite soundtracks from this show included a few of the insert songs found through the course of the show, Yamanai Ame, and the opening and ending tracks from both seasons.
If you are looking for a down-to-earth slice of life show, look no further. Honey and Clover is one of the best shows in its genre. It is a show that brilliantly captures human emotion and adversity. It is, without a doubt, one of the best you will ever find.
