Reviews

DVD Review: Honey and Clover – Box Set 3

March 17, 2010

You could see the light, couldn't you, Shinobu? I couldn't. I didn't see anything. I couldn't even see which direction the light was shining from. Impossible for me; easy for you. You're the one with the talent. I'm not. I don't have anything….. Sometimes, sometimes I wondered what it was like to be you… – Kaoru Morita

The anime Honey and Clover comes to an end with Box Set 3. While this volume concludes the series, it continues to add new twists and brings Shinobu's brother, Kaoru Morita, from a minor character to an important secondary character central to Shinobu's character development and vice versa. The situation with Takumi Mayama, Rika and Ayumi is finally settled thanks in part to the pursuit of a fourth character, Takumi Nomiya, late in Box Set 2. Meanwhile, much of the rest of the plot focuses around Hagumi and those around her as they vie for her affection and a life-long commitment.

The first episode is a recap episode of the first two seasons with the remaining 11 advancing the plot. Unlike the previous box sets, Box Set 3 does not contain an OVA side-story episode. Given these two items, this box set feels rather short by comparison.

Overview:

Honey and Clover – Box Set 3 on the whole seems to wrap up quite nicely. I do believe they laid the foreshadowing of Hagumi's tragic accident on a bit too thick, having several episodes – including part of the episode it happened in – talk about it. I realize, because it was a major turning point, that the creators did not want to shock the audience with its sudden occurrence; however, most of those watching would have been familiar with the series from the manga. For those who weren't, they would likely have been a more sophisticated audience given the nature of the anime and more subtle hints would have been fine. Linking Hagumi's tragedy with Rika's through commentary by the various characters would have been a much better and more subtle, but still effective foreshadowing technique rather than using Yuta as a narrator looking as though he were reflecting upon the past.

The problem with Yuta narrating is not only is it a poor choice for a foreshadowing technique given the more sophisticated mentality of the series, but the rest of the narrative is being set in present time through Yuta's prespective. This causes confusion and undermines the setting of the anime: does it take place in Yuta's past or is it in Yuta's present? Before this, I would have had to say it was sent in Yuta's present given the constant flashbacks to his childhood and riding a bike in addition to the way the rest of the narrative uses the future tense when he talks about the memorable incidents that occur around him.

I was also disappointed in the first episode being a recap episode with only a few seconds of new animation considering there are only 12 episodes in the set. That makes it only really 11 new epiosodes, a very short season. That said, I believe those 11 episodes did a good job at bringing the series to its conclusion and, having never read the manga, I was kind of shocked with whom Hagumi ended up with in the end, although after reflecting upon it, it only seemed natural.

While many themes reappear in Honey and Clover Box Set 3, such as the bicycle, most of them are secondary themes. However, there are two major themes with this box set, one of them which encompasses the entire Honey and Clover storyline, that are emphasized. First, wind as a force of change is used here. It becomes central with Hagumi's accident. That day had a strong gust of wind and as a result Hagumi's life was altered forever. Even if she fully recovers, she has now committed herself to someone and they to her. Shortly after the accident, the wind dies down as a representation of the change that has occurred. However, the flow of the wind is used outside that incident as well, such as when Yuta lies on some grass as wind calmly blows by. Here the wind is calm, but present and Yuta's thoughts slowly, but noticably change as he thinks about the incidents around him.

The other major theme centers around romance; specifically Honey and Clover's message is that it is not love alone that ultimately rules who one picks to spend their life with, but rather it is the determination and those who can make them the happiest. In this series, the men who are pursuant with the women, who give up their lives to take great gambles, are those that win, even though none of them are the girl's first pick as far as whom they might normally chose. Rika ultimately gives in to Takumi's demands while Ayumi finds another suitor. Yuta gives up on Hagumi because he realizes he cannot make her happy; Shinobu gives in because he knows he cannot, at least in this stage of his life, be there day after day for someone he cares about; and Ayumi finally realizes that Takumi is willing to devote his entire existence for Rika's happiness while Nomiya's presence acts as a mirror on how she must look to him.

The animation for the series was great for its genre. There aren't any major fast-paced action scenes or anything; instead Takahiko Yoshida focuses more on higher quality detail for what they do have, unless the scene is supposed to be comical, in which cased the characters deform and simplify the artstyle to get the point across, something that is nearly impossible to do in live-action.

Jin Aketagawa chose a great score for the series, especially the opening and final closing credits. Tatsuyuki Nagai's and Yousuke Kuroda's work together helped bring about a great end to a great series. While it is ultimately a happy-ending type scenario, it feels as though they did not force it to flow toward that kind of ending, but rather it naturally progressed there. Perhaps it is because not everyone ended up completely happy, but at least content.

Honey and Clover Box Set 3 is a great ending to a great series. The recap episode will help those not familiar with the series get caught up, though at the expense of making the season rather short. Honey and Clover is a great series for those who want to see some of the higher forms of narrative that anime can bring.