Honey and Clover (Anime, 2005-2006)IMDB LinkI wish I saw this anime just a few years earlier, when I was still in college. Following the lives of five young students at an art college, “Honey and Clover” is funny, touching, identifiable, and just extremely likable. I would have certainly liked it much more if I was watching it at college and it took a long time for me to fully get into it. I did find it entertaining and funny from the start, but there came a moment through the show where something clicked, and the characters felt more real.
The themes presented in the show are simple themes that happen in most people’s lives. A student is confused about his future, another is in love with someone who doesn’t love them back, and so on. But it is the charm of the anime that elevates it from a simple coming of age show. Also, it is the medium itself which helps a lot. Unlike a TV show, anime can allow a lot of flexibility for a story. Magic realism can be inserted in the show without it feeling strange, because it feels very neatly into the style. Also, anime allows characters to appear more race neutral (even if they are claimed not to be) and this allows us to feel more attached to them. Oh yeah, also, an anime like this if done well is able to present a realistic story in a dream manner. This is not life as it exists, but life as can be imagined to exist.
It is this essential part of anime that appeals to me the most. The feel of an anime world, if done correctly, feels just much more magical and lively than actual reality. It feels…nicer. And I don’t mean to say nothing bad happens (a lot of bad things happen in the anime), but just, no sure how to articulate this, life still feels nicer.
4/5
