Hachimitsu to Clover feels, to me, like a slice-of-life in its purest form. No aggressive action scenes, exaggerated body shapes and too many unrealistic situations, but a story about live, its happy moments and its drawbacks presented in a realistic way. I like how the main characters each have a theme of life, while at the same time these times are also interwoven into their interactions and events in life, and also in the overlaying themes. It makes the series feel coherent.
The strongest point in the series is the recognition of the story. Events in life like unrequited love, heartbreak, and the eventual break up of the group of friends after school life is over are events of daily life and very recognizable for me personally. Not only the sad aspects speak to me, but the happy moments also make me feel good. It is inevitable in anime that some aspects are kind of exaggerated, but I think Hachimitsu to Clover is the anime which portrayed life and its events in a way so realistically.
I especially recognize myself in the main character and narrator, Takemoto. To expand on this a little more, with minor spoilers ahead, especially his main theme is recognizable. He is not sure what path he wants to take in life and what he wants to become. For me, being in a similar situation in this part of life, it is, in a way, comforting to see this theme come back in media like this. It reassures me that I am not the only one with the problem, and that taking major choices in life is difficult. A fictional character in a fictional work does not solve your problems, but it is soothing to watch this very fictional character struggle and taking one step at a time, slowly solving his struggles in his own way.
One thing I also like is the lack of technology. This is probably more romanticism than really wanting to live in a similar situation, but to me, the lack of the media and its social responsibilities of today is a development I do not really like, although it has it advantages and I am a user of it myself. Since this series, published just over a decade ago, is already from a different era in terms of media, there is clearly a difference in technology in comparison to today's situation. I like to look at that. Spending face-to-face time with your friends, not look on your phone constantly, having time to rest, think and learn quietly, it is a warm situation to look at. Of course, living in a similar situation would be impossible to me, as child of the current era. Nevertheless, I look at it in a romantic way.
One aspect I also find quite strong in this series is the music. I like how, one time per episode, a song slowly comes in from the background and perfectly fits the scene. These songs mainly seem to be from the band Spitz, and this series surely has made me a fan of their work. While I try to avoid spoilers, I want to give one example. I still remember that in the first episode, the song "Hachimitsu" sang by Spitz popped up, while, after one of the main characters was introduced, another main character made her do some crazy stuff and others were arguing and later watching the event. A simple event but in combination with the music, a happy sight to look at.
Does that mean that this series is perfect? No, of course not. This type of anime is not for everyone. It is slow, without much action and without much exaggeration, Furthermore, the art style is also not one that everyone likes. For me, it is also a series I could not watch at a fast pace. It took me months to finish the first season, and over a month to finish the second. That is partly because I recognized the series as a masterpiece. I wanted to be in the mood for an episode of this realistic series before I watched an episode. Otherwise, one episode, with its slowness and lack of exaggeration is really long.
All in all, for me personally. Hachimitsu to Clover is one of the series I have seen. It speaks to me in a way no series ever has. It was like looking to life from the perspective of a giant telescope. Seeing moments of joy, seeing moments of sadness, seeing how live works, it is a series which made me think. For me, this embodies the pinnacle of anime. Next to series I just enjoy, a I really enjoy series which make me think. There is so much more to say about this series, but there are just some points I really liked about the series. Together with other, unmentioned points, led to an extraordinary story.
I hope this will not be my last review of this series, and with that I mean that I hope for a (short) epilogue. That is just for my own satisfaction, but in reality, the ending of this series, both of the first and the second season, fit the nature of the series perfectly. In that sense, I should be happy that I had the privilege to enjoy this second season, as the first season also had a - for this series - satisfying ending. That is it for this review. Thanks for bearing with me.
