Reviews

Honey, or Honey So Sweet as titled by Viz, is about a relationship that blossoms between two high school students: a boy everybody notices because they're afraid of him (Taiga) and a girl nobody notices because she's timid (Nao). The plot is as generic as it sounds. There are plot points that make themselves really obvious and the same type of characters you'd find in any other generic high school romance series, from serious characters to characters who scream a lot.

The series had a really rocky start and gets weird at times because it starts off with Nao having a crush on her uncle. The writer plays it off as her having mistaken familial love with attraction (still weird) and, thankfully, doesn't remind the reader about it ever again. Honey So Sweet is steeped in some traditional ideology, like the whole creepy shindig about men promising off their sisters and daughters to each other. There are also small consent issues—like kissing while one person is asleep—and it's acknowledged that there was a consent issue but it gets swept under the rug pretty fast. Just...don't...write it? Especially if it's an issue to begin with. It's not integral to the plot so it's not a necessary addition.

Overall, Honey So Sweet doesn't introduce anything new to the genre. The ending yonkoma were cute additions, especially after the abrupt ending and the lackluster bonus comic of the original concept. While not groundbreaking, this series is entertaining enough to keep the reader occupied for a couple of days.