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ローゼンメイデン 
Opening Theme: 「ふがいないや」- Fugainaiya by Yuki (11.6MB for PSP/Quicktime)
After watching it the second time through, this episode does not feel as bad for some reason. I still don't like that the writers used the majority of the first episode to recap the first season. However, I'm happy to see that they went through the trouble of giving us new animation at the start and the end of the episode. And while I'm still not impressed with the opening song, the ending theme is actually quite good upon repeats. I am also glad to see the trailer for the live action movie included with the episode. Anyway, the insert song of the week is by Spitz and titled 「仲良し」- Nakayashi (close friend). As a side note, the official site reports that the official animation guide for the series are on sale now for 740 Yen.
The episode opens with Takemoto telling himself that surely neither of them will forget of the time that they spent together, referring to the point where the group was looking for the four-leaf clover. Unknown to them, there is actually a four-leaf clover across the river, giving the impression that the thing that they were looking for was actually so close yet far away. Cut to the opening, which features a statue of a duck standing on a poodle, which is standing on top of a lion, which stands on top of a Unicorn. The statue then morphs from one form to another until it eventually melts into a honey syrup on top of a pancake, which is served on a plate. This turns out to be an exhibit titled "Honey and Clover". I have to say that this a really clever opening. It's unfortunate that the opening doesn't feel as powerful as the first one. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually but at the moment it feels a bit dry and makes Yuki's voice sounds a bit more grating than usual.
After the credit, there is actually a trailer for the live action movie. However, it appears that most raw providers edit out this from their copy. So unless someone bothered to tape it, I'm afraid we'll have to wait a bit longer for a better version of the copy. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the one I provided below. Anyway, moving along, Takemoto narrates how everything started at that old apartment, cut to a scene of Takemoto studying as Mayama entered the room inviting Takemoto to eat the bento that he bought from the combini. All of a sudden, however, Morita appeared from the closet and proceeds to attack Mayama with the intention of obtaining the food for himself. Mayama did his best to fend for himself and thankfully for him, Takemoto joined in the fight and managed to hold Morita back. Takemoto then continues to narrate the story and tells himself that it was back then that he met Hagumi and started falling in love with her.
Takemoto also mentions how Morita is also interested with Hagu while Yamada and Mayama got into their own problem. Cut to a flashback where Yamada attacked Mayama because she thought he was playing with her friends' heart. This is then followed by a scene of Mayama rejecting Yamada and telling her to find other guys. Meanwhile, Mayama had a problem of his own due to his obsession with Rika. Because of this, Shuuji tells him about . This is then followed by the scene where Mayama tells Yamada as to why he can't be with her and one wher e Yamada ends up declaring her love for Mayama while crying on his back. At the same time, Morita seemed to gain a momentum with Hagu while Takemoto can only look at them with a sad look on his face. What Takemoto didn't know was that Hagu's lack of self-confidence made it difficult for her to get close to anyone else apart from Shuuji.
The awkward relationship between Hagu and Morita eventually culminated in a kiss between the two. However, because Morita was freaked out by his own attempt, he ended up fleeing to America, leaving Hagu with no choice but to wish him the best. Morita's action frustrated Takemoto because he wished that he has the same kind of luck that Morita has had with Hagu. At the same time, Mayama's colleague, Nomiya, started to show signs of interest towards Yamada. Mayama has problem with Nomiya's interest in Yamada because he does care for her as a friend and does not want Yamada to get hurt by Nomiya, who's known to be unfaithful to girls. Nomiya's interference, however, made Yamada realised that if she really does love Mayama, she should be able to wish him happiness regardless of whom he's with. However, she finds herself acting the other way around and hoping that Mayama will somehow break up with Rika.
Mayama made a decision to work again for Rika despite her objection and warning that she may emotionally hurt him in the process. At the same time, Takemoto is riddled with self-doubt and uncertain future. This eventually took its tool on him and he decided to go on a self-discovery journey using his bike. Through this journey he found out that he's always afraid of the uncertain future. As Takemoto goes through his journey, Spitz' Nakayoshi plays in the background. Takemoto's journey eventually took him back home to Hagu and he realised that the reason why he went away was to find out how much the thing he left behind meant to him. Takemoto then told Hagu about his feeling. In the present day, Takemoto obtains a driver's license which he then proudly shows to his friends. To Takemoto, the wheels have finally started to turn again. The episode then ends with SuneoHair's new song, Split, which on a second hear, turns out to be a good song.
Ending Theme: 「スプリット」- Split by SuneoHair (17.8MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Impression:
The episode actually is a lot better the second time I watched it. There are many hints of upcoming storyline featured here. One of them is Hagu's tendency to depend on Shuuji, which will eventually become a major arc later on in the story. I also like the two additional scenes, especially the one where Morita suddenly appeared from the closet and immediately began to attack Mayama in order to grab the bento boxes the other guy bought. Voice-acting wise, everyone who provided voice in this episode, which is limited to Takemoto, Mayama, and Morita are very solid. Despite his brief stint as Shinji in Fate/stay night, Kamiya Hiroshi manages to ensure that his voice as Takemoto is calm and kind instead of harsh and cruel like Shinji's. I was afraid that Sugita Tomokazu will make Mayama sound too much like Kyon given the fact that he's been doing Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu lately but that paranoia seems to be baseless much to my relief.
The opening sequence remains as creative as the first season although this time around I have no idea what it could possibly mean. The song is rather hard to get used to this time around though. On the other hand, I am starting to like the mellow sound of the Ending theme, which is sung by SuneoHair. Nakayoshi is not a bad insert song either although it wasn't as interesting as Spica. The thing that I like the best about the episode, however, is the shot of the four-leaf clover at the start of the episode. I think the scene implied that the thing that Takemoto and the others were looking for is close and yet far away. Anyone who has a dream and hope for the future can easily identify with this. There are times when you wish you can see the future laid out in your mind but to find a way to get there is entirely different matter. Anyway, overall I still like the episode despite being not liking the recap route that writers took.
Preview
Next week's episode suggests that the triangle between Yamada, Mayama, and Rika will resurface once more. This should be interesting to watch now that the three work in the same building.
Live Action Movie trailer
Download the trailer (Quicktime Format, 1.5MB)
The live action trailer was actually inserted after the opening theme. I personally think it doesn't look bad at all. I am probably one of the few who actually like the actor they chose to play Morita. Yes, he looks older than everyone else but he is supposed to be older than everyone else. Mayama varies on occassions. At times he looks like the animated counterpart at other times he looks too thin. Live action Takemoto upsets me in terms of look. He just looks too different but let's hope that his acting is a lot better. The best live action characters have to be Yamada and Hagu, who actually look similar or in Hagu's case, better. Hagu actually looks a lot more confident in the live action version to the point that I'm not sure how her story will work in this version.
Recap?! What is this crap! And I was so excited, too. At least next week will be a proper episode. But, srsly.
Recap ep? I guess they're thinking it more important to get new viewers into the last season, rather than starting fresh and beginning a new story... and with only 12 eps left too. Bummer.
At least Kurogane or others can't say they won't be watching H&C 2 since they never saw the first season...
Oh can you put a link to see the live action movie trailer please.
i hate when they do that~
i think they did it just for the heck of it in my opinion~ but i'm glad the recap finished in one episode! if not we would be stuck with recaps for a while
*sigh*
i guess we have to wait until next week for the new stuff..
awesome tho'! thanks as always!! =)
>>At least Kurogane or others can't say they won't be watching H&C 2 since they never saw the first season...
Shitsurei na..... I did follow the 1st season of Hachikuro. Heck, i'm actually eager to watch.... just being distracted lately by Sid Meier.
Shame it isn't much more than a recap, but that opening sequence as the look of greatness about it... but will it top the soiled marzipan panties of season one? Had so much fun showing that to uninformed friends. :3
Kurogane: Gomen. I thought it was you who blogged in their Summer 2006 thoughts that they weren't following H&C II due to not having caught the first series - maybe that was one of the guys at Wakaranai.
Here's hoping Ep 2 brings back the crazy Morita.
....recap? omg... I cannot believe they did a recap episode.
Does Morita really have a stub under his lip?? I must know! (It looks like it from the magazine shots and that screencap there.)
Has the date for the premiere of the live action movie been announced yet? I do have to wait until a torrent is available but it looks good.
(thanks for your reviews as always)
Well I guess this gives the people the who never saw the 1st season an quick redown. Or even for the people who are seeing the movie.
aww, i won't complain that this episode is a recap because I love the series so much! but I wanted some nomiya-yamada moments! :) Thanks for the screencaps! the movie looks fun!
Although the first episode of the second season may come as a bit of disappointment to loyal fans hoping for a "new" episode, I think we should cut them a little slack. Let's be glad it was only one. I think things can just get better from here, so let's not throw in the towel just yet. They did manage to keep the musical talents of the first season :)
The next episode will be the real episode no.1. The only thing that really bothers me is that there are only 13 eps and one has already been used for something other than character or plot development. Hopefully they remain faithful the rest of the series. No matter what happens, I'll continue to watch vigilantly till the very end. :D
I'm treating a recap episode as if it was a new episode: with lots of love and self pleasure. errr.... I'm not changing it. I cant wait.
Awww ... sh*t.
I think we are too spoiled to expect Honey and Clover II to be a great series. I mean look at the intro and ending. It's the same pattern as the first series in terms of creativity. I know the opening and ending was amazing for the first series...but maybe we are raising the bar too high for this second series. As for the ep itself, maybe they are trying to promote the movie more or just give a summary to people who may have forgotten about the series. Either way, I think we should give it a chance. Yes, I am rather disappointed that it is a recap...but at least the animation quality didn't drop like crazy. Think about other sequels you may have watched...usually the animation and quality drops down drastically because another studio may have taken over the project. Like I said, I think we're spoiled...and we should wait patiently for another week. I just hope they manage to cover vol 8-9 of the manga well in 12 eps.
Recap ep? Aw man, and next week I'll be gone to my uni already D: Curses!
by the way, does anyone know where i could download the insert song from episode 19 "Suga Shikao - Ougon no Tsuki"? Thank you! :):):)
Does Morita really have a stub under his lip?? I must know! (It looks like it from the magazine shots and that screencap there.)
Yes, live action Morita has a piercing underneath his lip. I am probably the only person who's not as bothered by his live action version as I am by Takemoto.
Has the date for the premiere of the live action movie been announced yet?
It it currently scheduled to be released on the 22nd of July this year.
I'm actually happy, i never got the chance to see H&C , so...i feel kinda guilty :P
but you know, this might draw other people into the story, those that need to catch up along with you guys ;)
Hey guys, what's so wrong about recap? I know most of us have watched the entire Hachikuro for more than once, but hey, there are a couple of new scenes and the trailer for the live-action movie too! Think of it as a promotion and if they got plenty of money from the live action movie, they might consider to make the third season too!
to the poster who wanted to download Ougon no Tsuki: Well, try to look for honey and clover in mininova and you will see there is a torrent for all the insert songs in Hachikuro.
Lalita, try gendou.com. You'll have to register, though.
Also, I have uploaded a zip of all the 14 insert songs in the first season of Honey & Clover on Sendspace (http://www.sendspace.com/file/qru3mi) for anyone who wants it.
~ Noodlehead
Thanh you Noddlehead , I've been finding those insert songs too.
Calm down you guys , I'll have to agree with Taishi that we're raising the bar too high for H&C II . Well and not " we only have 12 more eps " but rather " we still have 12 more eps " for development , and not too disappointed with the recaps , they're for the new TV viewers . Then , we'll have sthing really interesting in ep 2 with the Yamada-Mayama-Rika relationship .
Well , we should get back on track in right time :) , don't be hasty .
I'm rather disappointed by this as well; the plain colors of the opening; the dullness...
Why in the world would they produce recaps? Wouldn't the producer think that since we are watching H&C II, we've already SEEN and KNOWN what happened in H&C? Common sense is not so common, is it?
About the recaps, as disappointed as I am, I understand that the producer probably wants to draw more audience especially with the live action movie coming soon.
To cheer you up, I have the Live Action trailer. Sorry for the crappy quality. I've tried to look for a better one online but haven't been able to find any. So you'll have to be content with my screengrab, which is not that great.
Honey and Clover live action trailer
Well, the first episode wasn't really that bad. Hey, it could be recaps, but it probably there to refresh of minds on the relationship/love love thingy that's revolving the characters.
The OP theme wasn't as exciting as the first one, but hey, it's still rather nice. ED was good though.
We should look at this season as something new, instead of 'comparing' it with the previous one. :)
Ahh, thank you so much Noodlehead! You're the best! I have looked for this song for ages! :)
Hey , I've just watched ep 1 . It wasn't that bad y'know .
BGM is excellent as ever , the insert song - Nakayoshi is nice too [ if anyone wants it , go to Toshokan ] . The animation quality didn't drop down one bit , which i feared the most for any sequel . Actually I like the ED clip featured the characters'outline[ Mayama - Rika , Yamada - Nomiya may make 2 couples for us :) ] And I saw some scenes of the next ep too. Kyaaa , can't wait for more Mayama-Rika ....
If u guys wanna know, there is not even enough manga chapters for 13 episode currently. This is supposed to be the final installment as in, it's the ending. Only 1 chapter is released every month.
Which one would u like? 26 episodes with half of it completely fillers or 13 original episode? Seeming that they don't have enough material, i'm more interested in seeing how they fill in the spaces. 13 episode is more than enough, unless u want to see fillers like the butchered Naruto n Bleach.
Actually I did not got hooked on the first ed or op until..the middle of the series. So I expect it to be the same in the second season. As for the recap episode I don't mind as long as it shows the animation quality is the same (so used to see recap episode on tv that it became normal). :D
I watched the raw earlier today.
Even though it was a recap, that was a pretty well done recap. It wasn't just clips of the past series randomly cut and put together; there was some new material too and Takemoto's narration over the scenes. It gives you some more insight into what he was feeling at the time, and it also helps refresh your memory of the first season.
Actually, I really love both the opening and ending theme. I hadn't really liked Dramatic that much to be honest. Anyway, about the new ending theme -- the first time I heard it, it seemed so nostalgic. I was immediately attached its mellow style. It gives me the feeling of their story picking up right where it left off. Just like Takemoto said: "mawari hajimeru."
~ Noodlehead
>>The awkward relationship between Hagu and Takemoto eventually culminated in a kiss between the two.
You mean Hagu and Morita, right?
Even though I haven't seen the debut episode for this season of H&C, I must say I still feel a bit disappointed. Well, any H&C episode is still nice to me.
Now waiting for the sub to come out, any idea how long they will finish subbing one episode after when it originally broadcasts? Btw, if you go check the Hachikuro official website, there's a promotion for Lohmeyer meat products. ^^
Wow...I have no idea Lohmeyer is a real brand for fine quality meat. I'm not sure about this, but I do think they are using H&C to promote their products, and vice-versa the live-action movie. And which spokeperson better to do so than Romaiya-sempai? Check this out: www.lohmeyer.co.jp. And there's a special poster drawn by Umino Chika advertising Lohmeyer meat and the live-action movie: http://www.lohmeyer.co.jp/topics/topix_06gift_summre.html. Should make a nice wallpaper...^^
You mean Hagu and Morita, right?
LOL. I can't believe I somehow wrote Hagu and Takemoto and I don't even like the pairing. XD Yes, it's Hagu and Morita.
Hey Weils, thanks for the link.. The picture was just soo lovely
Oh, the pix u captured are so cute that I can't help shouting out like a child "Ah...." Thank u very much for capturing ^^
Besides, the LA is not as cute as the anime, hix :(
You know you're already obsessed with certain songs when you listened to the song for the 20th time continuously when you have class in 10 minutes. Yeah, i'm addicted to Fugainaiya and Split already.
Aaaaa~ Just finished re-waching the first season last month, and now I'm expecting some more good episodes from this season. Aaaaa~ It'd be better if they can focus more on Takemoto-Hagu relationship.
Though I'm quite dissapointed that the first episode is just a recap, but that's nicely done though.
But... only 13 episodes? As H4RRY said, there're not enough manga chapters to fill-in that remaining 12 episodes, is that so? I'm curious up to which chapter was covered in the first season (uh I'm crawling reading through the RAW manga and I haven't yet reached that part...)? And the recent Hachikuro is chapter 63 right? Is it still not enough to make anime episodes out of that manga chapters?
Well... more [strike]Hachikuro[/strike] Hagu for this season \(^o^)/
Hello Garten,
I am currently in Japan, Hokkaido right now and was very delighted to see the trailer of H&C running on a small TV in a bookstore. You must`ve have talked about this before, but I was wondering when the movie comes out? I want to catch it before I come back. Computer access isn`t as convenient as I had hoped so apologies for not digging around on my own first.
The film will be released in Tokyo on the 22nd of July although I think several cinemas will start screening it on the 21st. I just went to see Death Note live action and in front of that film, there is a full trailer for the live action Hachikuro. It's interesting to say the least. Some of the story is changed a bit while others, including the dialogues, remain the same. It seems that the film will cover up to the end of the first season. The scenes that I saw have Takemoto running away on his self-discovery journey. Speaking of Takemoto, I dislike the guy who plays him. I think he's completely wrong for the role. He doesn't have Takemoto's innocent look on life.
I hope the 2nd season will include chapter 63 , it'll make a nice-temporary ending . But I don't think this season will be as funny as the first since the manga chapters are so sad .
Ah , Hachikuro ep.1 fansubbed was released by Solar , grab it while it's still hot !
I was dissapointed the subbed version and the RAW I got didn't have the Live Action trailer, but that was about the only dissapointment I felt. Recap or not, I enjoyed that episode immensely. I guess I've reached a point where I like it so much, I just cant say that it's bad.
Even for a recap episode I enjoyed this ep immensely. And I really hope M'sia is gonna release the live action movie =3 Aih why do I have to be in uni while all these good things are happening? (You know it's bad when you're considering to take the whole week off just because Hachikuro movie is premierring.)
i agree with naddie. the recap brought me back on why i enjoyed h&c so much. boy, it was refreshing, i cannot wait for the next episode. i still foolishly smile when takemoto confesses his love for hagu.
Could you possibly upload the opening song again? It seems to have expited. D:
'kay, I finally figured out what the opening represents. Maybe everyone has already figured this out, but I had to share my moment of epiphany. It's the story of the cock that stood on the cat that stood on the mongerel that stood on the horse! The ones that scared away the robbers.
However, these are obviously not the old decrepit animals of the story. We have a unicorn in place of the horse, a lion in place of the cat, a poodle in place of the dog and a goose (a symbol of good luck and fortune in the East) in place of the cock.
I'm hoping that the OP is a foretelling of good things to come and that everyone reaches their most beautiful forms by the end of this season. yay.
OH, is that what the story is with the opening? Good to know, good to know. I have a question and it's about the ending.
I was just wondering if someone would be able to list out who appears in each silhouette.
This is the way I see it appear:
Hagu, Takemoto, Morita, Mayama?, Mayama & Rika, Yamada & Nomiya, then Takemoto & Shuji.
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