Sunday, June 25, 2006

the two of us, so dissimilar, are connected by a slender thread
I planned to post this yesterday, but I was waaaay to busy to do so. So, I guess I'll end up wrapping up these featurettes tomorrow instead of today.

Today's Anime: Honey and Clover

I cheat on this in two ways. First, I actually finished watching this series about four months ago, but since the second season begins airing in Japan this Thursday, I figure I may as well. Second, ANN published a review of this series a while back, and since that review is what got me interested in the series in the first place, and since it describes H&C better than I can, I'm going to let it speak on my behalf:

"Honey and Clover began life as the debut series for Fuji TV's "Noitamina" (read it backwards) lineup, a new anime block aimed at older female audiences... But even viewers outside the target demographic attest to its greatness, pointing out its heartfelt storytelling and unique visual style. It was supposed to be just good enough for sophisticated female viewers—and it ended up being good enough for everyone."

"...The mood of the show switches effortlessly from madcap comedy to utter heartbreak and everything in between, yet nothing feels out of place. Within a single episode, a game of Art School Twister takes humor to new heights, and yet minutes later, Takemoto muses upon the meaning of friendship."

"...Like all good shoujo, Honey and Clover succeeds because of its characters' complex personalities... Ayumi openly reveals everything we hate about themselves: weakness, insecurity, and the tendency to do really stupid things in the name of love. She is the most human character in a cast of incredibly human characters."

"...Despite this realism on the emotional level, however, the artwork in the show is decidedly surreal and dreamlike. The character designs match the manga almost perfectly with big, expressive eyes, ultrathin lines, and characteristic hatch marks."

"...If music is the language of emotion, then few shows speak it as eloquently as this one... The most effective emotional tools, however, are the insert songs by singer-songwriter Suga Shikao and rock group SPITZ. Playing a poignant song over internal monologue is hardly a new thing, especially in angsty teen dramas, but to hear it used in an anime makes the technique fresh once more."

"...Whether in school or not, who hasn't asked themselves at some point: "What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?" Honey and Clover may not have the answers, but it's all about trying to find them."

Click to read the full version.


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