Honey and Clover : Series Info

As you can see from my email address, I'm a big fan of "Honey and Clover" anime. I thought I might as well re-organise all of the informations about this series from various websites since I have the time. Plus, since Anime Festival is coming soon, why not blog about anime for the next couple of weeks?

Honey and Clover does a brilliant job depicting daily life without making it boring. The anime isn’t as much about romance as it is about dealing with rejection, and the fear of rejection. The cast have real personalities, affected and often hindered by real emotions. To keep this show from being an angst-filled melodrama, the series keeps the raging emotions suppressed and maintains a cheerful atmosphere lightly layered with melancholic brooding. Despite strenuous circumstances, the characters maintain their sense of humor and refuse to relinquish their bright smiles. By the end of the series, it is hard not to relate with at least one character. It wouldn’t be surprising if you relate with all of them; they are just that human.

Hachikuro has received a lot of coverage from various anime magazines. Newtype seems to be very keen about the series. So far it has given its reader 2 two-page spread of the series in the past two months. Animage and Animedia seems to be interested as well although so far neither magazine has bothered to give a 2 page spread. That seems to be reserved for series such as Tsubasa, Eureka 7 and Sousei no Aquarion.

Promo Trailer

Original Manga
Original Title: 「ハチミツとクローバー」 (Hachimitsu to Clover)
Authored by: Umino Chika
Serialised in: Young You magazine

Broadcast information
Starting date: 14 April 2005
Station: Fuji TV
Animation Studio: J.C.Staff

Opening Theme
「ドラマチック」 (Dramatic)clip 1 clip 2
Performed by Yuki

Ending Theme
「ワルツ」 (Waltz)clip
Performed by SuneoHair

2nd Ending Theme
Mistake clip
Performed by The Band has No Name

Episodic Insert Songs
Episode 1 - 「ハチミツ」 (Hachimitsu)
Performed by Spitz
Episode 2 - 「８月のセレナーデ」 (Hachigatsu no Serenade)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 3 - 「月とナイフ」 (Tsuki to Naifu)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 4 - 「波光」 (Nami Hikari)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 7 - 「多摩川」 (Tamagawa)
Performed by Spitz
Episode 10 - 「魚」 (Sakana)
Performed by Spitz
Episode 13 - 「そろそろいかなくちゃ」 (Sorosoro Ikanakucha)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 14 - Y
Performed by Spitz
Episode 15 - 「夜を駆ける」 (Yoru wo Kakeru)
Performed by Spitz
Episode 18 - 「ユビキリ」 (Yubikiri)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 19 - 「黄金の月」 (Ougon no Tsuki)
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 22 - 「月に帰る」 (Tsuki no Kaeru)
Performed by Spitz
Episode 23 - Room 201
Performed by Suga Shikao
Episode 24 - 「スピカ」 (Spica)
Performed by Spitz

Cast Lists
Takemoto Yuuta: Kamiya Hiroshi
Hanamoto Hagumi: Kudou Haruka
Morita Shinobu: Ueda Yuji
Yamada Ayumi: Takahashi Mikako
Mayama Takumi: Sugita Tomokazu
Hanamoto Shuuji: Fujiwara Keiji
Harada Rika: Oohara Sayaka
Morita Kaoru: Takewaka Takuma
Nomiya Takumi: Hamada Kenji
Yamazaki Kazushi: Tsuchida Hiroshi
Teshigawara Miwako: Neya Michiko

About the series
Takemoto Yuuta is a poor art college student sharing an apartment complex with other equally poor students, Mayama Takumi and Morita Shinobu. Because of their poverty, the guys often find it hard to get a decent meal on a day to day basis. Of all the three, Shinobu seems to be the only person who actually has a job. The thing is, no one in the apartment actually knows the kind of job that he does. An eventual meeting with a talented art prodigy called Hanamoto Hagumi makes the guys realise that they have no idea what kind of career they want after graduation. The series basically then follows these characters' ups and downs as well as their love life.

Literally translated as Honey and Clover, Hachimitsu to Clover was a winner of the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award. One of the things that makes the series good apart from its humour is the real life problems that the characters face on a day to day basis. It is fair to say that the problem of being a college student is pretty universal and applicable to almost everyone.

Gallery