Hachimitsu to Clover II

Back from his journey across Japan, Yuuta Takemoto reminisces about his college life so far. He has matured significantly since his second year and is motivated to move forward.

Feeling more confident than ever before, he finally confesses to Hagumi Hanamoto, the girl he has been in love with since their first encounter. However, Hagumi has been confused by her attempts to understand the mysterious Shinobu Morita. Hiding behind a playful demeanor, Morita may be the most burdened by his own potential. Meanwhile, Takumi Mayama has become a full-fledged working adult and has landed Ayumi Yamada several pottery orders through his company in an act of friendship.

The five youths continue to face individual hardships in academics, work, love, and friendship as they push each other toward the paths that they are destined to walk.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Morita, Shinobu Main

Ueda, Yuuji Japanese

Takemoto, Yuuta Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Yamada, Ayumi Main

Takahashi, Mikako Japanese

Hanamoto, Hagumi Main

Kudou, Haruka Japanese

Mayama, Takumi Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Nomiya, Takumi Supporting

Hamada, Kenji Japanese

Hanamoto, Shuuji Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Harada, Rika Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Leader Supporting

Aono, Takeshi Japanese

Morita, Kaoru Supporting

Takewaka, Takuma Japanese

Yamamoto, Kouji Producer

Nagai, Tatsuyuki Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Aketagawa, Jin Sound Director, Sound Supervisor

Ueda, Shigeru Episode Director

Reviews

Dec 23, 2009

Lorelei

Recommended

Ah, Umino Chika's masterpiece, Honey and Clover. I first saw this more or less two years ago, initially thinking it was just some generic romance anime. Needless to say, I suddenly fell in love with it from the moment in season one, episode two, near the ending, when Takemoto was carrying Morita on his back. Cue. The piano stopped. And right after that, he said, "It hurts". From that point on, I knew I was watching a different kind of anime. I guess remembering that random scene from an episode proves that it had an impact.

Season one ended gracefully, you could accept it as "ending" ... and it can have a sequel as well. Either way, we've got a lot of questions left, like what happened to Mayama, Rika and Yamada, or is Shinobu really that much of an idiot that he couldn't fight for Hagu, as well as what would be Hagu's answer after "I'm glad you're back". I was literally jumping with joy when they decided to make another season. Everything was concluded at Honey and Clover II.

These kinds of anime is the reason why I still love the medium animation.

Color pastel-type work at its finest. They're at an art school, after all, so the art should be top-notch. JC Staff is enough said; almost anything they make delivers, and delivers well. I love how they abused the blurry, almost-dreamy look of the show. Some may find it a bit "girly", but, well, it fits the opus. It stays loyal to the manga's designs too.

One of the BEST parts of watching Honey and Clover is listening to its wonderful, wonderful music. "Dramatic" and "Waltz" got us in season one, the piano renditions of the songs were especially amazing. Now we've got "Fugainaya" and "Split", which are really blessings to the human ear. I may be wrong, but almost every episode has a different insert song with it, which was brilliantly scored to match the scene it goes with. I especially liked the song at episode nine and the song playing on the last scene. Epic.

The factor that propels Honey and Clover to its fame is its characters, and the story that they individually have, interconnected with each other. It's a story about growing up, maturity, and coming-of-age (jobs, decisions, etc) after all. Maybe it's my age, but I find its story stunningly touching and awe-inspiring. Before Honey and Clover, I thought most modern works lost the magic of storytelling. Characters were easy enough to identify with. Themes of unrequited love, talents, ties, lifelong goals, finding oneself, hardships and trials; they're all there, wonderfully packaged.

Takemoto's still the unsure, melancholic character that he was at season one but you could see he's grown up a little and learned more about how life goes. He's the banner of H&C, he represents adolescence. Morita lost most of his eccentricity and we get to see the deeper side of him, as well as the people he's closest to. Yamada, well, is Yamada, still with her unrequited love, but of course, with a twist at season two. We get to see more of Rika, Professor Hanamoto, and Mayama. But, definitely, Hagu's part on the succeeding story is probably the biggest plot point of Honey and Clover II.

What really makes this a modern gem is the way it was presented; it was music, characters, and story weaving in and out of each other in perfect harmony. At times I really find myself asking why is aging this bittersweet. Honey and Clover II is the right way to end the nostalgic series, and if you want to watch something that isn't flooded with moe, giant breasts or extreme harem, and instead want to see something of a mature slice-of-life anime, see this.

One thing's for sure. It did have meaning.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 19, 2009

lonehunter88

Mixed Feelings

okay i finished H&C2, half-forced by my friend who says it's incredible.. honestly, i had been holding it off for a while coz i kinda knew it would disappoint me coz the genre seemed so inclined towards romance(not my pref)

Art:
the art design just doesn't appeal to me. my friend says it's the most unique art design and stuff, but it looks hideous, especially when their eyes go O.O the character design isn't too bad in a way.. lots of diversity, but i honestly thought Hagu chan was the prof's daughter in the beginning.. lol.. in fact i thought so until the love square actually developed.. ... and i was like "u gotta be kidding me".. the only character i liked was Yamada. The backgrounds are honestly pretty excellent, but i can recommend so many other animes with mind-blowing backgrounds.

Story:
H&C tries to depict life, but keeps on focusing on the love triangles and squares, in which they try to make you tear up at every scene. it's also ridiculous that there are only 2 main girls(with super complicated relationships), and a ton of guys. I mean, most of u should know how many hotties u can find in the art departments. and yet, 2 students and 1 professor are fighting over a kid. #$%#$@&#$$@!!! the story about Morita was quite fresh, but it wasn't a very prominent plot in the story. i related so much to Kaoru and i liked the way they depicted the forked road. I think H&C wastes too much time depicting the love drama and never really tells u wat happened, their past and their goals. The only plot which was beautifully depicted was Morita and Kaoru's, but it was probably thought of by the author as a side-story or something.. The ending didn't feel much like an ending.. it felt like a cut in the middle.. it also didnt feel like a new beginning, which would have given room for a sequel. it's like, the couplings are decided, so we end the story here. sheesh.. I thought H&C2 would imply a real sequel, but it's the same thing all over again. but after seeing the ending, i understand why it isn't a sequel. there's just no sequel to make.

Character:
Hagu-chan is probably the worst character i've seen in a very very long time.. I just don't understand why a kid has to be the center of the biggest love confusion. what the heck is this anime trying to imply? she doesn't look 18 at all. fine, some girls really have little bodies because of some defections, but it was never mentioned in the anime, and those guys who like her just seem like lolicons and arseholes to me. the other characters are also very boring and i can't relate much to them because they seem like they dont have a past at all..

Enjoyment:
I didn't enjoy this much in part because i knew i would be disappointed, but i've watched animes which i thought at first that it would turn out bad, but actually loving them in the end. TBRH, there's just nothing much to like about H&C. It seems like one of the most overrated anime of all time to me rather than the best anime of all time as some ppl would say. i just dont see how anyone can really love H&C if they have watched other animes with similar genre. it's just not as realistic or romantic as it seems. I would probably only recommend this to ppl who would be satisfied with only great art, and very shallow plots. for example, my friend who loves this anime but can't even finish Higurashi n Monster.

Overall:
I think it's essential to compare it with other romance/slice of life animes to see how H&C doesn't live up to it's ratings. First of all is ef. There's no need to say anything about the art style. it just blows ur mind away. the storyline might seem very fantasy-like compared to H&C, but it's so much more realistic, with lots of side-characters and even a few neutral characters. in addition, the characters are so much more diverse and unique. i also personally like how they depict the monologues in ef. H&C tries to depict it in a romantic way, but it's just too boring and doesn't really show how intense the self-debate is. ef, in contrast depicts exactly how ppl spend so much time in limbo during those stages in life.
then, for the more popular genre, we have toradora. ok, it has a chibi too, but at least she doesn't look like a 10 year old. the art is obviously more popular too, and i haven't seen ppl complaining about the plot yet, just debate about couplings.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 25, 2020

cameronrb24

Not Recommended

I felt mostly the same about this season of Honey and Clover as I did the first, except it somehow worse in a couple ways. It seemed like most Yuuki's development evaporated; It's like he regressed back to early 1st season self for most of the season. The handling of Shinobu's arc was odd, the guy himself hardly seemed interested what was going on in comparison to his brother. The biggest offenders however are easily the love lives of Hagu and Ayumi. (Mostly Hagu). If you've seen Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu or have heard of what happens in Usagi Drop's timeskip, you might have an ... idea of what I'm referring to.

---(Spoiler Warning)---
It's hard to explain just bad Hagu's romance is without spoiling it. Shinobu's arc closes with the romance him and Hagu being reignited, just for to immediately rejected for Shuuji. This initially understandable considering her desire to continue through rehab and continue. Then it's switches to Shuuji's perspective, where he at the very least heavily implies that he has strong romantic feelings for Hagu. Huh? They took the one relationship I enjoyed in this anime, a supportive father-daughter or big brother/little sister dynamic and abruptly transformed it into some incest-tinged nightmare. And no one in the anime bats an eye; they support it if anything. This plot point alone dragged Honey and Clover from a painfully boring to nearly irredeemable.
---(End Spoilers)---

This leaves just the art and music, which were serviceable. No real complaints in this area, just as good as the first season.

Overall, I'd say you're enjoyment of this season would be about same as the first. It's largely dependent on how invested in Yuuki, Shinobu, and Hagu since they get most of the spotlight. I strongly disliked Honey and Clover initially, and the developments in this season left an even worse taste in my mouth.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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