Honey & Clover

The premise of Honey & Clover is admittedly common. It’s a tale of young love full of confusion, angst and inconvenient love triangles. Characters that have the potential to be a great couple never seem to have feelings for each other at the same time, and emotions are on overload constantly. Since these factors are such a fundamental theme for most romantic comedies, it could be very easy for Honey & Clover to fall in line with some other dull, predictable tales of the heart. But it doesn’t.

Author and artist Chica Umino instilled variety in each of her characters, most of whom are students at an art school in Tokyo, Japan. The story’s ingénue Hagumi Hanamoto is childlike and shy without causing annoyance, and makes a suitable love interest for protagonist Takamoto, an insecure sophomore who instantly falls in love with her but respects her shyness and settles for a relationship that is similar to a big brother or good friend. The rest of the group in the story hold various qualities but they’re all provided with their own plotline and, in my opinion, are all strong enough to be considered main characters.

The manga of Honey & Clover became such a sensation in Japan that it was made into an anime series in 2005, and later into a live action film in 2006, according to VIZ. While the DVDs of the series are not yet available on the American market, I’m highly interested in checking it out when I see it on the shelves.

As far as the movie goes, I’ve heard mixed reviews, which is the case for most films. Looking at it from my perspective, which is someone who read only the first volume of the manga but instantly loved it, I have faith in the fact that I wouldn’t really have any issues with the film. The same characters are there with what appears to be a well-chosen cast, and the plot is pretty much the same one that is carried out in the print version. However, a source from www.lovehkfilm.com states that the way in which the characters meet each other is different. In the film they are all introduced to one another at a party, rather than the three male characters living together in a campus apartment with the female characters melding into the group from the sidelines.

Another big factor about Honey & Clover is that even though Hagumi, Takamoto and the others are in their late teens or early twenties and are often struggling with problematic emotions, they’re not the whiny, spoiled brats that are often depicted in the American media. It’s because of this that I found myself caring about them. Their lives aren’t perfect and they’re not always getting exactly what they hope for, but they don’t have tantrums or engage in meaningless sexual contact to temporarily rectify a situation. They’re moody, sure, but they don’t go overboard. Instead, they deal with their problems in a logical and sometimes even creative manner, try to solve the issues and learn from them. I find this message to be much more useful to the impressionable minds of our society’s youth then what our media has to offer them.

Honey & Clover has supposedly become so popular not only because it’s just another great romantic comedy. It has been said to have touched many people and even changed the lives of some. It’s also a coming-of-age story, and questions how far you’re willing to go to pursue love and success in life. My reasons for enjoying this story so much are probably similar to the reasons of others, but they are clear. I can relate to it. The characters in Honey & Clover are slowly progressing into young adulthood and will eventually have to move on from the familiar and pleasant world of college that is their security blanket and be thrust into the real world, which is not always so familiar and not always so pleasant. And all the while, they are trying to be accepted by someone of the opposite gender who they hope will like what they see. I would definitely give the manga a chance if you haven’t already, and make sure you set aside some time for the movie when it makes its way to our side of the globe.