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ファイト／ステイナイト 
February 3, 2007 | 
24 Comments
During the original airing of Honey and Clover II, Kamiya Hiroshi, the original voice actor for Takemoto had a horrible accident which caused him to be hospitalised. Thankfully he survived the accident and the subsequent coma. However, his hospitalisation meant that Takemoto had to be voiced by someone else in the last episode of the series. The replacement ended up being a very capable Nojima Kenji. However, despite Nojima Kenji's good acting, I can't help but feeling that it's not Takemoto who's talking during episode 12. This is particularly bothersome during the monologue because Nojima Kenji used a mature, deep voice while Kamiya Hiroshi's version of Takemoto has lighter, youthful voice. There was a rumour (or wishful thinking) to some fans that Kamiya Hiroshi will redub Takemoto's voice for the DVD. Well, that is no longer a rumour or wishful thinking because volume 4 of Honey and Clover II features Kamiya Hiroshi as Takemoto.
September 15, 2006 | 78 Comments
Prior to watching this episode, I suddenly realised that the writers will probably have to cut down a few things in order to fit the remaining two chapters into one episode. Not surprisingly, this turns out to be true. If you want to see the difference, you can check the last chapter of the manga. I suspect a few people will lament this fact but apart from this, I think this is a perfect end for the series. Nojima Kenji did a good job as Takemoto's new seiyuu although his raspy voice was kind of hard to get used to. The final insert song for the series is 「田舎の生活」- Inaka no Seikatsu by Spitz. It comes from their album, Aurora ni Narenakatta Hito no tame ni. Anyway, I went a bit overboard with the screencaps this time around but it's the last episode of the series so it's fully justified. :)
September 8, 2006 | 43 Comments
The end is coming. By the end of this episode, I'm pretty sure that if the writers want to , they can cram the remaining stories into the last episode. I do hope that nothing gets cut though, especially Takemoto's scene towards the end of the series. I think that scene and Takemoto's monologue encapsulates everything about the series in a perfect manner. Speaking of Takemoto, the VA who gets to replace Kamiya Hiroshi is Nojima Kenji. Here's hoping he'll do a good job voicing Takemoto's monologue. In other note, the insert song of the week is 「二人の影」- Futari no Kage (8.7MB, 320kbps) by Suga Shikao. It comes from his album, Sweet. I really like the infusion of Jazz contained within the song. Speaking of Suga Shikao, I just received my copy of Parade, the album that was released to commemorate Suga Shikao's 10th anniversary in the music industry. I'll scan the cover and a few other goodies once I have the chance to do so.
September 1, 2006 | 32 Comments
This week's episode feels a lot more lighter than the ones that preceed it. It's especially nice to see the return of Yamada's unedible food. It's unfortunate that the series will end in 2 more episodes but I think it's better for the series to end now while it's still at the top of its game. As a side note, this week's insert song is Spitz' 「涙」- Namida (3.8MB, 128kbps). It comes from their mini album 「オーロラになれなかった人のために」- Aurora ni narenakatta hito no tame ni. This is probably one of the few insert songs from the series that I don't like. The music is nice but the singing part is kind of flat. Come to think of it, I generally prefer Spitz's more upbeat song like Hachimitsu and Spica.
I'm sorry for the late entry but I had difficulty looking for a raw copy of this episode. When I went to look for the episode, the provider that I normally use to find this series did not have a copy. Because of this I decided to go with the only provider who had it. But getting raw from this provider is almost impossible since there's always disconnection every few minutes. Thankfully my normal provider eventually comes up with a copy albeit a lot later than ususal. Anyway, moving on to the actual episode, the insert song of the week is 「風なぎ」- Kazenagi by Suga Shikao. It comes from his 8th album, Time. By the end of this episode, I get the impression that the writers can easily wrap this series up in 3 more episodes. Because of this, I think the rumour that this series will end in episode 12 is probably true after all. Anyway, I'll be back later on with summary but I need to get some sleep first.
Suneohair - Split | Mirror (30.9MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Suneohair - Split (3.6MB, MP3)
Suneohair's Split is the ending theme for Honey and Clover II. The song is a really good representation of the 2nd season storyline and has a bittersweet note to it just like the series. The PV itself looks unique, to say the least. It features Suneohair performing the song while a ripped black screen covers a quarter of the scene. The result is similar to the album cover for the single, which also shows the lead singer behind a ripped grey screen. And don't worry about the timer, it is meant to be there. If you see it closer, you'll notice that in some instances, the timer is behind the black screen. I also like the way the singer jumps around energetically from one area to another. It makes me feel like I'm watching a live concert. As a sidenote, the MP3 above are just a rip from the PV, so unfortunately it's not that high in quality.
I supposed the question that most people have in mind is what actually happened to Hagu. This episode begins with a flashback to the event that caused it. During the scene, an insert song called 「リンゴジュース」- Ringo Juice (Apple Juice) by Suga Shikao is played on the background. I feel that the insert song is unappropriately upbeat for a shocking scene. The start of this arc also means that the end of the series is nigh. I'm starting to wonder now if the series will actually end in episode 12 or 13. I think 13 episodes is a bit too much considering the amount of stories the writers have covered thus far. On a related news, I stumbled upon another promotional trailer for the live action movie. If you remember, in the review I talked about Mayama and his ziplock bags. Well, I actually spotted said scene on the trailer so I screencaped it for your viewing pleasure. The trailer mentioned is also listed below.
Mayama and his ziplock bags
Honey and Clover movie trailer
Hashihime and many other people already mentioned it on animesuki forum. But in case you didn't know, Kamiya Hiroshi, the VA who voices Takemoto is now hospitalised due to a car accident that happened back around the 7th this month. I am shocked and upset to hear this and hopes that the actor will pull through. I am not sure what is going to happen to Honey and Clover anime now but if production has not wrapped up yet, I hope they will wait until the actor recovers. I realise that this is not a realistic expectation but I personally don't think other actor can voice Takemoto that well. But right now there's nothing else that we can do but wish the best for the actor. This week's episode seems to mirror this sad news with Kaoru's sad background story and a shocking conclusion at the end of the episode. As a side note, the insert song this week is 「夏陰」- Natsukage (11.4MB, 320kbps MP3) by Suga Shikao. It's from his single, Kiseki/Natsukage/Sanagi.
Well, I finally am back from my trip to Japan. I am going to try to catch up with other posts as soon as possible but I decide to post this first since I already typed it during the plane trip back home. Overall, I am very satisfied with the ending of the series. It may not feel conclusive to some but by reading this, I get the impression that Umino Chika didn't want the ending of this series to be conclusive. In addition to this, a spin-off is coming soon this autumn so maybe some of the characters from this series will make it to the spin-off. Anyway, sorry for not scanning all of the pages but I'm still a bit tired and don't feel like scanning every single one of them. And since this is the last chapter, obviously this will spoil your entire experience of the second season anime.
I think of all the second season episodes, I like this one the best mostly because it focuses on three characters that I like: Takemoto, Morita, and Kaoru. I especially feel a lot of sympathy for Kaoru here. The insert song of the week is Happy Birthday by Suga Shikao and was used during the Morita Brothers' story. On a related note, most of you probably already know that the manga series which serves as a base for this anime has recently ended its serialisation. I have written my impression about the ending for those of you who want to check it out. The series ended in a bittersweet note and in my opinion, it's one of the best manga ending I've read. A spin-off of the manga is coming this autumn so maybe you'll get to see some of your favourite characters from this series making a guest appearance in the spin-off. Anyway, the large-size screencaps are now available and I'm writing the summary right now.
Arashi - Aozora Pedal (39.7MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
This is a nice song that serves as the ending theme for Honey and Clover movie. The song was composed and written by Suga Shikao so while hearing the song I can't help but wonder how it'll sound had Suga Shikao sing the song himself. Having said that, the song does sound like it has been written to fit Arashi's image as a pop group and therefore it sounds less melancholic than other Suga Shikao's composition. The PV itself is a typical romantic story PV featuring Sakurai Sho in the lead role. Unfortunately the PV doesn't show anything related to Honey and Clover so it's rather disappointing for those are expecting tie-ins to the film. Although I suppose the story in the PV does resemble the Mayama/Yamada story.
This episode basically marks the end of volume 8 of the manga and next week's episode is the beginning of volume 9. At this rate, the anime will complete the entire volume 9 by the time it reaches episode 9. I am glad that the producers decided to limit the episode count to only 12 this season because now they don't have to come up with filler materials. Story-wise, this episode marks the return of Takemoto and Morita's storylines. Now that Yamada's roller coaster ride is about to wind down, the focus will once again return to both Takemoto and Morita. As a side note, this week's insert song is 「ジュテーム」- (Je t’aime) by Spitz. The song comes from an album titled 「ハヤブサ」 (Hayabusa). And in case you're interested, included below are pictures of Honey and Clover books that I bought and the freebies that came with them.
No Movie No Girl Film Book, Manga volume 9, animation guide book
Clear plastic file and Midori-chan pin
Maybe I was just expecting too much from the film but I didn't enjoy the live action version of Honey and Clover. First of all though, judging from the audience's interest in the movie, this is clearly a very popular series in Japan. I didn't expect many people to actually come and see the film since apart from Sakurai Sho, the rest of the actors are relative unknowns. However, when my friends and I arrived at the cinema 1 hour prior to the screening, there was already a long queue in front of the theatre. I assume the popularity is due to the manga and anime version of the story. This is why I don't understand why the film writers decided to alter some of the more interesting stories and the characters' background. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact sequence of the story anymore since I watched another film after this. What I wrote below are more or less what I remember from the movie but it may not be the actual sequence.
Ticket, Program Guide, Mini Poster
I think this episode is a lot more heart-wrenching than Yamada's story last week. But then again Shuuji/Rika/Harada's story hit closer to home in my case. This is also the reason as to why I like the entire Takemoto/Hagu/Morita story. In addition to this, the animation and character design in this episode is awesome to say the least. Those DVD sales must have made some good money for the producers because the detail in this episode is simply stunning. Props must also go to Sugita Tomokazu who takes the role of Mayama in this series. Although occasionally his voice sounds slightly similar to Kyon from Suzumiya Haruhi, in most cases Mayama's voice is more mature and older and lack Kyon's sarcastic edge. The insert song this week is 「ほのほ」- Honoho by Spitz. The song comes from their Souvenir album. Anyway, high-res images are now available and if you're interested, check out the picture of a Honey and Clover train below. I thought it fits the entire train theme that this episode presents.
Honey and Clover train in Tokyo
Honey and Clover train (another angle)
Just when I was afraid that Yamada/Mayama story won't be moving anytime soon, something progressive happens to the story. I think this is the best thing that could happen to Yamada since now she won't have a choice but to let go of Mayama. The insert music of the week is Koko ni iru koto by Suga Shikao. This song comes from his Sugarless CD. There is also a rather good piano version of Fugainaiya included in the episode. I really hope that once this season is over, the official 2nd season CD will include this all piano version of the OP and ED theme. As a side note, the high-res images are now available. I also included some pictures of Hachikuro related items. The upcoming live action film has been covered by many magazines here. I am sorry for the bad photos but I don't have a scanner here in Japan.
Packaged Foods
Entertainment Magazine - Front cover
Gyao Magazine - Front cover
Gyao Magazine - Group shot
Gyao Magazine - Girls side
Gyao Magazine - Guys side
Yuki - Fugainaiya (25.1MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
I can just imagine the ad that Yuki placed to obtain the extras in this PV: Wanted - Gaijins who are willing to dress up as maid, lamp, table, and portrait while screaming 'fugainaiya-iya'. That said, the PV is actually kind of amusing and a lot better than the one that was used for Dramatic. I personally prefer to see weird PVs like this one instead of the ones that bore me to tears. It's clear that lots of money were poured into the PV. The costume itself probably eats a quarter of the budget and then there is the actual maze which looks awesome. Also, make sure you don't miss the part where Yuki goes batshit insane and starts beating that stuffed cat. It's a sight to behold!! XD Overall, this is a fun PV that does represent Honey and Clover series really well. The full lyric is now available for those who want it.
The only people who are interested in this light infomercial are probably just Honey and Clover fans. This is basically Chou-VIP (Super VIP) program featuring Kudou Haruka promoting Hachikuro Cafe. I wrote about the place in Kongetsu the last time I went to Japan. I haven't had the chance to revisit the place at the moment but I may do that just to see if there is any interesting merchandise being sold at the moment. Plus, that melon pan and mango juice look delicious. I wish I was around when the cafe still had the full menu though. I want to taste that blue cheese pizza with honey but never had the chance to do so. When I first visited the cafe, the menu consists mostly of drinks.
Anyway, Kudou Haruka looks cute especially when she says "Oishii" after she bit the melonpan. Having said that, I can't help but wonder if the bread is as delicious as she claims it is. Japanese TV personalities tend to claim that everything is delicious when they are on TV. It's really funny when you watch this food adventure program because no matter what kind of food they eat, they always say it's delicious. In addition to this, they always have different facial expression everytime they say the word. Anyway, the sudden appearances of this infomercial as well as other Honey and Clover related promo means that the film will come to the cinema soon. I am actually excited to see it after I saw the full trailer.
SPITZ - Mahou no Kotoba (15MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
This is basically the main theme for the upcoming live action version of Honey and Clover. The song is performed by Spitz and is newly written specifically for the movie itself. I personally am a bit underwhelmed by both the song and the PV itself. I think the ending song that is written by Suga Shikao and performed by Arashi, Aozora Pedal is a bit more interesting. But then again I've always gravitated more towards Suga Shikao's songs than Spitz. The only exception to this is Spica, which I thought was perfect as the song to accompany Takemoto's journey back in episode 24 of Honey and Clover. The PV itself is nothing special. You simply see a door in the middle of the street and inside the door, Spitz members can be seen living their daily life and performing/practising the song.
This episode is terrific and pretty much made up for last week's recap episode. First thing first, the animation is unbelievably good. At times, Yamada actually looks a lot like the actress who will play her in the live action adaptation of the series. I'm also glad to know that even now the series is still capable of presenting stories which is both funny and touching. I am also starting to like Split now especially since in this episode the song plays just as the camera zooms in on Yamada's face. Speaking of soundtrack, this week's insert song is SPITZ' Pool. The biggest question here though, how do you normally get rid of hiccup? In my experience, all you have to do is to hold your breath and count to 10 slowly. As a side note, the large images are now available to view.
Hachikuro CM - Aozora Pedal (1.4MB, Quicktime format)
This is the song that was written by Suga Shikao and performed by Arashi.
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.
*Please do not direct link to the pictures or reproduced them elsewhere. If you want to link, link to this article instead.
The official pictures for the live action adaptation of Honey and Clover finally emerged in Japanese fashion magazine, Non-No. Now that the official pictures are out, people will undoubtedly going to start judging whether or not the actors live up to the way they see the characters. Personally, I think the actor who plays Takemoto, Sakurai Shou, doesn't look that similar to Takemoto. But that's probably because Takemoto is my favourite character and therefore I tend to be more critical of the actor who's going to play him. On the other hand, I think both Hagumi and Harada look very similar to their character. I also feel the same way about the actors who play Morita and Mayama but I've been told that many people disagree with this assessment. Last but not least, Shuuji looks a bit older in my opinion but I suppose the actor will do fine.
This is one of those times where I wonder about my obsession with certain series. I always knew that I like Hachikuro a lot but I realised that I've become obsessed with it when I decided to buy the movie ticket for a film that will be screened in Japan. This means I will have to travel all the way back to Japan again just to see the film. My rational mind told me that this is insane because the film will probably turn out to be bad. But that didn't stop me from asking my friend to buy it for me. I supposed it helps that you get this nifty little Hachikuro coins when you buy the ticket. But I also thought it'll be nice to go back to Japan again. Well, now that the ticket has arrived, I supposed there's no turning back. The tickets look so good and it came in this transparent paper bag. The coins are even better than the wooden one that Hagu got from Morita. There are two coin types. The first one is a gold-coloured with bee motif while the other is silver-coloured 4-leaves clover motif.
In movie-related news, the official site for the movie reported that Spitz will sing the film's main theme song while Suga Shikao and Arashi will provide the ending theme for the film. For the main theme, Spitz will create an all new song titled「魔法のコトバ」- Mahou no Kotoba. On the other hand, Suga Shikao will compose and write a lyric for the ending theme,「アオゾラペダル」- Aozora Pedal, which will then be performed by Arashi. This is the first time Spitz actually writes a theme song for a film. This is also the first time that Suga Shikao offers to write a new musical piece for a movie. Hmm, I thought he wrote the music for xxxHOLiC movie but maybe I'm wrong. The site states that the artist's collaboration work should be on sale this summer. Last but not least, the last volume of Hachikuro DVD will be on sale this April the 28th and will contain episode 22, 23, and 24 of the original TV broadcast. Anyway, here are scans of the movie ticket bag/coins:
Ticket bag, Front
Ticket bag, Back
The coins
February 26, 2006 | 31 Comments
Dekita! Sorry it took longer but I had to attend a family get-together weekend, so I didn't have much time to do any kind of writing. Anyway, this episode does not disappoint and will definitely join the rank of other excellent Hachikuro episodes. The animation is actually not as good as the one from Chapter.L but beggar can't be chooser. The important thing is that the storyline and the humour are still spot on. While I wish the series can go on and on, I think it's probably a good idea if the series end on a high note. Of course I won't refuse to watch a second season if there is any but this episode seems to be a good point to end the series. For now I am just looking forward to see the live action movie and can't wait until it is released 4 months from now.
December 26, 2005 | 44 Comments
Well, here is the first of the two special episodes included in the DVD. This episode ended up being included in Disc Vol.5 while the other will actually be included in Disc Vol.7. This episode itself is hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing from start to finish when I was watching this. Having said that, I understand now why the animators decided to exclude this episode from the original broadcast. The storyline is mostly comedic and has little to no relevance to the on-going plot. But if you're a fan of the series, this is a must see. The plot itself is about Lohmeyer/Romaiya sempai, a masculine but kind guy who lives in the same apartment building as Takemoto, Morita, and Mayama. As you can see from the pictures, everyone can't help but falling in love with him because he always brings a lot of meat. ^_^
October 11, 2005 | 16 Comments
I always suspected that I have problem of letting go. But this definitely confirms it. It's been a week since the series ended and yet I still can't get over it. I keep thinking that maybe there will be another episode this week. But there is no more episode so maybe I need to go to HCA (Honey and Clover Anonymous) or something like that because I don't think this is healthy. I even start to frown now whenever an animation style for a new series looks even slightly mediocre. I keep thinking how good-looking the last episode of Honey and Clover was when it comes to style. Anyway, this is meant to be some kind of a closure, at least for now. I wish I can do more than this but my schedule is kind of tight at the moment. So here's the kanji and romaji version of the opening theme to complement the ending theme.
Unfortunately, this really is the final episode for the series. I realise that some people may not be happy with the episode's lack of resolution. But I personally think that the ending is perfect considering the fact that the manga is still on-going at the moment. At least the episode shows that the characters are heading towards a different direction from the ones that they were heading to at the start of the series. It gives me the impression that in time, they will be able to solve their current problems/entanglement. I'm also glad that the anime has followed the manga quite closely and does not create an out of nowhere ending like Fruits Basket. I just wish that Umino Chika and the anime production team will consider creating a second season once the manga is completed.
September 28, 2005 | 17 Comments
Even though I have a vague idea on how this series is going to end, I can't help but hoping that the series won't end this week. But if I think about it, there's not much that the animators can cover at this point in time without going beyond at least 5+ episodes. Besides, if the series end now, at least the story will be on the same point as the end of volume 7 manga, giving the series a nice 'life goes on' feel to it. And maybe if the DVD continues to sell well and the movie is a success, a second season may not be an impossibility. Come to think of it, by the time the last DVD volume is released, which is at the end of April, the live action movie will be close to its completion. It makes me wonder if the movie will have a stand alone plot, or if it will continue where the anime left off.
September 21, 2005 | 14 Comments
I realised that it's been a while since I wrote anything but work has been busy lately and I always end up feeling tired afterwards. So please be patient if I'm late with the recaps. Anyway, this is a rather good episode that differs slightly from the manga. The manga actually includes a comedic subplot where Morita is kidnapped and being forced to work for Peter Lucas again. But since last week's episode didn't include that particular plot, this week's episode substitutes the story with a more serious look at Hagu's career choice. I actually has no preference one-way or the other although I'd imagine that this episode will be less somber had it included Morita's subplot. In general, however, the story stays focused on Takemoto's journey as he travels around Japan. The subplot involving an encounter between Yamada and Rika also remains intact here.
September 12, 2005 | 10 Comments
This is actually one of those episodes where you are better off not knowing the story in advance. On the other hand, you'll probably get additional perspective if you re-watch episode 1 or at least the last sequence from that episode prior to watching this. Anyway, I'm glad that this episode features a top-notch animation. I think I would have been disappointed if the beginning of a major arc like this one is marred by lousy animation or character design. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case here. This episode also made me glad that the series has a talented VA for Takemoto since his internal monologue is a key element that makes this episode a stand above the rest.
