For this edition of the Manga Series, I’m talking about Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey & Clover), one of my favorite animes/manga so far.

Like Hidamari Sketch though, I’ll also have to say something about the anime version, which is what got me hooked in the first place…

With unique artstyle by Chika Umino, Honey & Clover tells the everyday life story of five friends studying in an art college in Tokyo.

The story starts from Takemoto’s point of view, but the episodes goes around the individual story of each character.
Sounds kinda similar to Hidamari Sketch, but it’s less of a comedy 4koma style (though it still has lots of comedy with Morita antics), and more everyday life in the sense that it has a believable story, filled with dramatic moments, reflections on life, and those sweet and sour moments people will identify with.

The centerpoint of the plot is the development of the relationships between the main characters.
Falling in love, having your heart broke, not knowing how to deal with certain situations, insecurity, doubts about the future… those are all subjects on Honey & Clover.
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If you choose to watch/read it (I’m hoping you do, because it’s really good), be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.
And lots of scenes where you’ll reflect about your own life, maybe think about the past or things that are happening to you right now.

The manga was an absolute success when released in Japan, won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award, received a 2 season anime TV series, a live action film, a japanese TV drama (read series with live actors) and a taiwanese TV drama.
Yes, it was this sucessful.

Here, watch the first anime episode (at least ’till it gets pulled off).
Oh yeah, funny bit: At first I found the opening music very irritating, but it kinda grew on me and now I love it!
I’ll eventually post it on the Permanent Playlist series…

part 1:

part 2:

part 3:

All my english mangas were bought at Amazon, so here’s a glimpse of the stuff I’ll be posting on the next reviews: