Hachimitsu to Kuroba II

• Drama: Med/High (more serious issues and less childish attitudes this time)
• Comedy: Low (fewer smiles, few LOLs despite Morita still being slapstick at times)
• Action: None/Low (not much but it's there in crucial scenes)
• SciFi: None (plain old earth, normal people)
• Ecchi: None (nothing beyond a hug)

The themes of Honey and Clover were friendship and unrequited love. Those themes are still present in Honey and Clover II, only the new primary theme becomes life moving on. As such, while this sequel still retains a lot of good humor, it is also more depressing in some ways.

Because the new theme is about life moving on, the fun of the friendship of the group fades because the group is split up. The writers do a good job of keeping very funny moments in most episodes, but unlike the first series, this one is much sadder to me. I felt bad for Yamada as she tried to win Mayama's heart. I was happy for Mayama when he made progress with Rika-san, knowing where he stood with her. I hated Nomiya trying to win Yamada's heart. I hoped that Takemoto would win Hagu-chan's heart over Morita. It was like a roller coaster at times to be sure.

One thing this series did was finally give Morita some character depth. We finally learn why he was earning so much money (though not what he did exactly). That was a very touching story and seemed so out of character for the weird, wacky person he normally is, especially around Hagu-chan. Since this involved their dad and something that happened when they were kids, I was disappointed that the anime writers never did say what happened to their dad. I guess that's up to our imaginations. Despite this character development, I still didn't want him hooking up with Hagu-chan.

The series also had something happen to Hagu-chan, which resulted in some interesting revelations from Hanamoto-sensei, as well as some fights. But through these, characters get some resolution about Hagu-chan (namely, Hanamoto-sensei, Morita, and Takemoto) and life goes on.

As I said, this anime is about life's journey. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. Sometimes you have friends for life but sometimes life separates you and old, close, dear friends become mere memories.

The anime leaves some things unresolved. In the final credits, we see Mayama still working with Rika-san in Spain. We see Morita working in the U.S. for Peter Lucas (ie: George Lucas). We see Yamada still doing her pottery and being pursued by Nomiya. We see Hanamoto-sensei with Hagu-chan, helping her. And we see Takemoto working on temple restoration. I guess it is up to us to decide on how Mayama and Rika-san proceed, or if Yamada and Nomiya become a couple. From a story perspective, there could be more to tell, but since the theme was what drove this series, I doubt we'll see another one without another theme to drive it.

Bottom line: somewhat different than the first Honey and Clover, but no less good. Very funny at times, but also very depressing at times. All and all, I would deem this a "buy" title.

Last updated Monday, March 26 2007.

(five episodes watched):

The first episode is basically a summary of the events of the original series, which I found to be a useful way of refreshing my memory. Takemoto has become more self-confident and assertive, and now has a career goal that he is working towards (first of all, by getting a driver's license). Mayama realizes something very disturbing about Rika's plans for the future. Morita is as weird as ever, still raking in great quantities of cash from some mysterious job(s), coordinated by his brother. Yamada finds herself torn between her longtime unrequited love for Mayama, and Nomiya, who she met recently, and is becoming attracted to. Maybe it's my imagination, but Hagu-chan seems to both act and look more mature. I think Miwako is my favorite character for some reason--perhaps because she's played by Neya Michiko. In short, this sequel series picks the story up just where the original series dropped it off.

I must admit, I lost interest in this series some months ago and it has been in hiatus ever since. The revelation of what Morita's secret career is, and it's purpose, seemed disappointing. Also, Hagu-chan's accident seemed rather convenient and unconvincing. However, having been reminded of this series by AstroNerdBoy, feeling nostalgic, and (perhaps most importantly) noticing that it is only half as long as the original, I've been rumaging through my stacks of old home-burned DVDs to start rewatchng from the start. Again, the recap episode comes in handy!