This is when the series finally ties down it's themes with each of the characters:
Takemoto: the poor, average-skilled artist accepting a love that never existed and cherishing it, letting it push him to follow another passion. The wheel of his bicycle is the wheel of the memory of him and his friends searching for a four leaf clover. This memory is the vehicle that pushes him forward.
Mayama: Finally consummates his love with Rika and she accepts him. He finds his place with her, her protector, friend, occasional lover, but is still left in that gray area. He's ok with that.
Ayu (Yamada): She learns to accept that she loves Mayama, but he doesn't love her. Eventually she opens herself up to letting another love her, someone she grows to love.
Hagu: The boxes, waiting to be opened...this analogy really spoke to me. As a creative person myself, I feel a similar way. I only have so much energy and time on Earth to open these ideas and see them through. She chooses Sensei, not out of love for him in a romantic level, but as someone she knows will help push and help her open as many boxes as possible. She loves Morita, but she knows that the best possible combination is her and Sensei which lets Morita to pursue his dream working for Peter Lucas.
Morita: the talented artist with no work ethic finally ends his mysterious arc with his brother and recapturing their father's company. But to him it's more about being there for his brother. Morita reminds me of the artist that wants to love but lacks the practical skills to sustain such a relationship with one such as Hagu. Although they're both incredibly talented, they would make a bad match since what they excel in artistry, they lack in practical, day to day matters. He's super rich but that doesn't change his character. In a way he reminds me of the artist David Choe, who knowing this disadvantage, surrounds himself with nuts and bolts people (for Morita it's his brother).
Sensei Hanamoto: this character has the arc with Rika and Harada and I get why Rika cries when he finally gets out of school - he was stuck in the past. The other sensei tells him: by saving Hagu, he is saving himself. It's true. It's just troubling to me that the older Sensei would fall in love with his cousin who he's known as a baby and looks like an adolescent. I appreciated that the animators made Hagu look more mature in this season.
Other thoughts: I'm glad that Takemoto and Morita, polar opposites of each other, are able to find their own path and still respect each other at the end.
Issues:
- Sensei sacrificing everything for Hagu is a common anime trope. This idea that one must give up everything to save another is troubling and can be damaging. I did appreciate how they tempered this towards the end with the Sensei saying he can take care of himself, that this is his choice. Maybe its a cultural concept I have yet to grasp fully, though I understand in part due to being an Asian-American.
Overall:
Thank you for reading thus far. As you can tell, this series gave me a lot of feelings and thoughts. Having just graduated myself, I'm in a similar boat and feel disenchanted with going back into the work force. Series like these remind me to cherish the friendships and memories I have made and give me hope that things will work out. Takemoto is my spirit animal and Morita my creative demon and I'm so glad that an online date told me about this series.
"Honey and Clover" is about how even if things don't work out with the fairy tale ending (guy gets the dream girl, vice versa), it's ok. All one can do is do their best and time will flow in the direction that it will. Though things may not turn out the way you wanted, the memories and relationships you've created make you who you are and as you learn to cherish them, you learn to cherish yourself.
