Honey and Clover Drama ep.03

January 30, 2008 | 22 Comments

At this point, I am really disappointed with this drama. It's not terribly bad but that's the reason why it hurts more just as Mayama's kind words hurt Yamada more. By looking at the show, one can see there are some potential for this adaptation to be better. However, it's ruined by messy screenplay, miscast actors, and changed characterization. There are times when this adaptation feels similar to the original story but most of the time, it feels pale in comparison to the anime adaptation, for example. There is actually a Taiwanese version of the series being made at the moment. Unfortunately I don't have any kind of proficiency in the language so even if I watch it, I probably can't understand the story. Judging from the pictures that have been released, however, that adaptation looks more faithful to the original story. Unfortunately, the casting is not as spot-on as the Japanese drama. I really think Ikuta Toma was a good choice for Takemoto while the actors who play Mayama and Yamada are not that bad either.

Since he's a student without any money, Takemoto has no choice but to spend his summer holiday at his apartment. And since Takemoto doesn't have any money, he can't go back to his parents' home either. Takemoto, however, cheers up when Hagu gives him a call. It turns out she has just come back to Tokyo after returning to her hometown for holiday. Unfortunately, Takemoto suddenly lose his ability to speak after a simple "Welcome Home". If that's not bad enough, he repeats saying "Welcome Home" again due to his nervousness. Thankfully for him, he's saved by Hagumi inviting him to eat with her since she brings Soba (buckwheat noodle) as Omiyage (souvenir/present) for everyone. After finding out that Hagu will go to the university, Takemoto rush out to meet her there as well. When Hagu arrives at the university, she hears some noise coming from the open area and when she investigates the source, it turns out to be Morita sculpting his latest creation. Hagu tries to leave but unfortunately she trips over and falls flat on the floor.

Morita who hears the noise comes over and grabs the flier before she can do so. He points out that if she wants to see fireworks, the open space in front of them is a good place to do so. Hagu, however, is not responsive and instead grabs the flier and runs out of the area. Meanwhile, Yamada is still relieving the embarrassment of her drunken confession to Mayama when she suddenly gets a phone call. A few minutes later, a panic Takemoto arrives in front of Shuuji's office. Much to his disappointment, he finds Yamada already waiting inside. It seems Hagu has invited her as well. Unfortunately for Takemoto, Mayama and Morita also arrive a few seconds later. Because Hagu didn't expect 5 people to come, she only bought 4 Kakiage. Morita suggests that they play a game involving stopwatch. Those who can stop the time before 10 seconds win. Takemoto is excited because he's a master at this game, which prompts his friends to wonder why he makes this claim. It turns out he always do this during his free time, which elicits pity looks from his friends.

Upon hearing this, Morita tells Takemoto that as the champion, he should do it first. Takemoto foolishly closes his eyes and stops the watch after a few seconds. Much to his delight, it's precisely 9.99 seconds. Unfortunately for him, his friends couldn't care less because they already devour the 4 Kakiage while Takemoto was busy counting. Because she feels sorry for Takemoto, Hagu offers him half of her Kakiage. Anyway, Mayama points out that the last time they're together was when they went to the sea. Morita who notices Hagu looking deep in thought tells her that if she spaced-out, she'll get kissed (chuu) again. This causes everyone to demand details. Takemoto, however, tries to cover things up by claiming that Morita was saying "Massachusetts". Anyway, Morita takes advantage of the argument by eating half of the Kakiage belonging to Hagu, inciting Takemoto's anger. Their fight is disrupted when the kettle makes a noise. In her attempt to pick it up, Hagu accidentally pulls the tablecloth and causes the plates to fall into the floor.

Hagu runs out of the room in embarrassment, leaving the others to deal with the mess. After a quiet moment, Morita suddenly blabs out his big mouth, saying that he now understands that Takemoto has a crush on Hagumi. Jerk. Because Morita won't shut up about this, Takemoto has no choice but to tackle the guy. A few days later, Takemoto hears footsteps on his apartment. When he opens the door to check it out, however, Miwako steps on his hand. Much to his surprise, Miwako knows his name and tells him that if things continues as it is now, his love for Hagumi won't turn out well. As it turns out, there's a banner on top of his room, stating that "I, Takemoto Yuuta, in love with Hanamoto Hagumi". The banner comes complete with the most stupid photo of Takemoto and Hagu, obviously put up by Morita. Anyway, Miwako suggests that Takemoto cleans up the room and places a pink curtain on his window. When Takemoto complains that pink curtain is disgusting, however, he realizes that Miwako is no longer there.

Miwako has come to look for Mayama so Mayama asks Takemoto if he has any tea. Takemoto is surprised when he finds out that his mother has sent him a tea pack along with a pot to make it. At first Takemoto becomes temporarily emo because he feels that his mother always provides for him yet he can't even go back to his hometown. He, however, becomes deliriously excited when he finds a pink curtain included in his boxed goods. Meanwhile, Miwako tries to convince Mayama that since he hasn't find any job, he should be working at her company (Fujiwara Design) instead of pointlessly spacing-out like this. She points out that once he has experience from working at her company, he'd be able to get the job that he wants. All of a sudden Morita asks her if his Mayama would be good. Miwako wonders about Morita but Mayama tells her to ignore the loser. Mayama turns out to be a loser as well because he refuses Miwako's job offer. This version is such a mess. Mayama in anime was really happy when he received job offer from Fujiwara design.

Takemoto is upset with Mayama's decision as well but he's quickly distracted when he receives a phone call from Hagu. Takemoto quickly runs to his room and after a brief amount of awkward silent, decides to ask her if she'd like to meet next Saturday. Much to his shock, the person who responds is Shuuji, who proceeds to ask him to do part-time job for him. Before Takemoto can speak to Hagu, Shuuji disconnects the phone. Meanwhile, Miwako returns to Fujiwara design to inform Nomiya that she's been rejected. This prompts Nomiya to ask her why she wants Mayama to work for them so Miwako shows him Mayama's portfolio, which apparently reminds her of Nomiya's work. At the same time, Yamada is looking at a plant which has snapped halfway but not completely broken. Her father suggests that she snaps the broken part completely but Yamada hesitates since it has not withered yet so she feels sorry for it. Her father, however, scolds her, claiming that if she doesn't break the wounded part, new parts can't grow from it.

This causes Yamada to remember her own relationship with Mayama and how he asked her to forget all about him. The next day, Yamada finds Mayama staring at a bunch of students crowding the employment announcement board. She comes closer and tells him that if he's not diligent, he won't be able to find employment. Mayama tells Yamada that he wishes he could be as decisive as her. In response she tells him that if she knows something is impossible, she usually decides not to go after it. Liar. She also claims that if one is hesitant, one will lose one's next chance. Yamada then leaves the awkward convo after wishing him the best. Back inside the uni, Hagu is startled when Morita suddenly appears, asking her if she has any food. Hagu immediately rushes out to go to an art supply store but Morita follows her around. Outside, Takemoto puts a bunch of chairs into a small wagon while Shuuji just sits around in the driver seat.

Eventually the two set off to deliver the chair. As the car start to move, however, Takemoto notices Morita walking hand in hand with Hagu and becomes jealous. Despite this, they arrive at Rika's house so Takemoto unloads all of the chairs and open all of the bubblewrapper. After completing the task, he overhears Shuuji persuading Rika to let Mayama go back working for her. He informs her that Mayama hasn't been looking for a new job and he thinks it's a good idea for her to depend on Mayama just a little bit longer. Rika, however, tells Shuuji that she has no right to depend on anyone like that. Meanwhile, Morita and Hagu are sitting together eating a Takoyaki. Morita bitches about the Takoyaki, claiming that it tastes bad. The seller immediately scolds Morita for being rude, especially since he actually asked Hagu to pay for the Takoyaki. Hagu, who can no longer hide her disappointment, returns to the university on her own.

She ends up seeing Yamada in the middle of swinging baseball bat in the middle of the field. Yamada, who sees Hagu's unhappy look, explains that she felt irritated before but as she swings the bat, she feels better. Yikes. Upon hearing this, Hagu asks Yamada to teach her so they beat up Morita for being an annoying, arrogant jerk. Oh wait, that last part didn't really happen. Anyway, Shouda-sensei comes and wants to swing the bat too. Apparently his wife didn't come home last night. 0_0;; Later on that night, Morita begs Mayama to lend him 1000 Yen but Mayama refuses. Takemoto then joins in the fun by asking Morita if he did anything weird to Hagu. He also tells Mayama that today he met Rika, causing Mayama to become animated. In the end, the three have some kind of circle jerk, I mean wrestle, wanting to get something from one of the other guys. Their threesome, however, is interrupted by the arrival of Lohmeyer-senpai.

Lohmeyer-senpai brings with him some watermelon, so they decide to play watermelon pinata. Of course, to minimize damage, they choose Takemoto's room. And since Takemoto is a doormat in this version, he accepts it. He even believes Morita when the later tells him that a guy who can't cut watermelon won't have a good chance at love. Lohmeyer-senpai chirps in, claiming that cutting melon and love are similar. The big guy tells Takemoto that one relies only on one's intuition and surrounding voice to strike the melon with the stick. Therefore, striking a melon is akin to a love rehearsal. It is up to the person whether to believe, or not to believe, the surrounding voice. Takemoto decides to give it a try but end up almost splitting Lohmeyer's thick head. Lohmeyer manages to catch the stick so he tells Takemoto that if one is afraid of failure, one can't succeed in love. One must do one's best at the spur of the moment.

As soon as Lohmeyer finishes his sentence, Morita precisely strikes every single watermelon in the room with his eyes closed. Of course, this means that he makes a mess of Takemoto's room in the process. But who cares about Takemoto, right? Meanwhile, Hagu is being treated to a Yakiniku dinner by Yamada, her father, and fellow Hamadayama shopping district shop owners. Upon finding out about Hagu's feeling for Morita, the guys laugh at Hagu, telling her that what she feels is love. This is an idea that Yamada and Hagu deny. Back at the apartment, Takemoto is still angry at Morita until the later advises that he takes Hagumi to see fireworks. Mayama, however, thinks that maybe Takemoto needs to worry about the weather since it might rain tomorrow. The next day, Takemoto is excited when he finds out that the day is clear. Obviously going overboard with Teru-teru bouzu (stuffed doll which is believed to be bringer of good weather) does the trick.

Back at the uni, Mayama asks Shuuji why he brought Takemoto with him to Rika's house. Shuuji claims that because Mayama is looking for new job but Mayama claims that doesn't matter. He claims that when it comes to Rika, he's always available. In response Shuuji asks Mayama if he thinks he can support Rika if he's always by her side. Shuuji also asks Mayama if he knows why Rika doesn't want to get close to him. A flashback shows that Rika burned herself when she knocked over a kettle full of hot water. As a result, Harada postponed his business flight to make sure that Rika is okay before taking off on the next flight to LA. That night, however, Rika found out from the news that Harada died in a plane accident. Rika blames herself for Harada's death ever since then. Because of this, Shuuji believes what Rika needs is not someone who's standing intently by her side. If Mayama continues to be in his current state, he can't possibly support Rika.

On the other side of the city, Takemoto buys a cheap (well, it's expensive for Takemoto's budget) Yukata only to be disappointed when he finds out that Shouda-sensei wears the exact same Yukata himself. At the same time, Mayama becomes emo when he passes Harada design, especially when he remembers what Shuuji said earlier. Mayama runs back to Fujiwara design only to find everyone having a meeting. He starts begging to be allowed to work there but Nomiya being an ass as usual. Miwako, however, is more straight-forward, telling him that he can start from next week but he'll get fired if he's not good. That night, Takemoto wanders around the firework festival, telling himself that when he was young, he didn't understand why so many people would gather just for the sake of watching fireworks which vanish in an instance. The truth is, he rarely remembers which fireworks were beautiful and memorable.

Inside her house, Yamada (and Hagu) are praised for looking nice in their Yukata so no oversized Yukata for Hagu here. Takemoto continues his narration by saying that although he did not remember the color or form of fireworks, he still remembers with whom he had a great time during fireworks day. There is no substitute for the memory of the time that one shares with an important person during the day of the fireworks. Takemoto admits there is someone that he wants to see fireworks with this year. Someone with whom he'd like standing next to while watching the fireworks. Because of this, Takemoto walks away from the crowd, trying to find Hagu, unaware that she and Yamada are now in the middle of the festival, buying Takoyaki from Lohmeyer. Lohmeyer claims that cool Takoyaki will dampen one's love so he advises that they eat them while it's still hot. One thing is obvious from this: Lohmeyer needs to shut his big mouth.

Anyway, the stupid poem causes Hagu to remember how Morita said that he was going to make her a delicious Takoyaki. She then remembers Yamada's father asking her with whom she'd like to see the fireworks with. Hagu immediately runs back to the university carrying her Takoyaki, leaving Yamada alone. After she left, Mayama arrives at the festival, wondering if she's going to eat all of the Takoyaki she carries. Yamada denies this but Mayama claims that something is stuck near her mouth, which turns out to be a lie. He, however, also tells her that she looks good in Yukata, which seems to hit Yamada hard. Meanwhile, Hagu has arrived at the rooftop of the uni, hoping to see Morita. Morita appears and tells her that she finally arrives even though she's late. Much to her disappointment, however, Morita calls after Takemoto, letting the later knows that Hagu has arrived. Upon seeing Takemoto, Hagu quickly hides the Takoyaki behind her and looks disappointed when Morita wishes Takemoto well and leaves the area.

After seeing Hagu looking disappointed at the now missing Morita, Takemoto reflected that the person Hagu wanted to see fireworks with wasn't him. At the same time, Yamada has returned to her house and is now seen crying. It seems that the praise Mayama gave her back in the festival actually made her even more miserable than if he had said something bad about her. As she sobs her way through, she asks herself why she can't give up. Cut to a shot of the broken plant showing a bigger gash than it used to be, mirroring the pain in Yamada's heart. Takemoto continues his narration by saying that the sound of the fireworks and the sound of his voice coud not reach Hagumi. Because of this, Takemoto thinks that it'd have been better if this fireworks continue forever. Until the pain in his heart disappears, until the day where he can laugh when he recalls this. He thinks that it'd have been good if the current night sky continues to illuminate forever.

Impression:

Let's start with the good parts first. The ending was absolutely beautiful, the way the ending song sync up with Yamada asking herself why she can't give up was perfect. It really highlights Yamada's desperation especially as the song reaches the "kono mama ja, irarenakute mo" part of the lyric while Yamada was sobbing her way through. Takemoto's narration also continues to be heartfelt and always delivered with the kind of emotion required from the character. I wish I can say that I'm happy with the rest of the episode but I can't. Takemoto's character took a nosedive in this episode since he was shown in a rather pathetic manner. I don't really blame the actor but rather the direction and the script of the story. Takemoto in the original story also love Hagu but he's not obsessed about it as if he'd die if she doesn't love him back. I just hate to see him looking so desperate when it comes to Hagu when it's clear that she's not romantically interested in him. In fact, that part should be reserved until later on in the story unlike Yamada's intense love for Mayama.

Another thing that annoys me is Morita. I wish they'd just kill him with fire already, which makes me a bit sad since I actually like his character in the manga/anime version. In this version, however, he's annoying and extremely arrogant. I'm also sick of the over-exposure of Lohmeyer-senpai character. I wish he'd just shut his mouth for once. The guy is not even that funny and his wise words end up sounding preachy instead of useful. Story-wise, I can't believe they altered Harada's death. The beauty of the original story is that Rika and Harada drive their car in the middle of winter night after they went to a party. It's possible that they're under the influence of alcohol or were tired or that the street was slippery that day. That's why the accident left emotional scar in Rika because she is plagued with the "If only" possibilities. "If only we had stayed for a night", "If only we had taken a taxi back home", etc. In other words, Harada and Rika did something that they shouldn't have done (driving when they knew it was dangerous) and ended up having to pay for their mistake.

In this one, however, she got scalded by hot water and therefore Harada missed his first plane to make sure she's okay. There's no reason for her to feel that guilty since she wasn't directly responsible for his death. After all, she wasn't the one flying the plane he was in. On the other hand, she was the one who drove the car in the original story. This one is more like a bad luck/fate instead of irresponsible decision which cost her dearly. It doesn't help that Harada is no longer that charming, confident guy that he was in the original. To top it off, Shuuji delivers their tragic story like he couldn't care less about them. There's no sense of sadness or loss in his voice unlike the anime's VA, who did a great job in conveying the fact that Rika and Harada were more than friends for him. Comedic-wise, however, he fares a bit better in this episode. At least he starts behaving in a more mischievous way like the original character. Last but not least, what the hell is that preview about? Hagu actually confesses her love for Morita.

© memento 2003