Honey and Clover ep.20

September 5, 2005 | 12 Comments

It seems the animation quality for this episode has returned to its usual high standard. Having said that, there are some black screens, which look like an attempt to either reduce the amount of frames that need to be animated, or the amount of recording that the voice actors have to do. Either way, I'm glad to know that not only the animation still maintains its exceptional quality after 20 episodes, the storyline is also still easy to relate to. If the writers and animators manage to keep this up to episode 26, then I think this could be one of the best anime released in 2005, or possibly in the last few years. I certainly don't remember the last time an anime leaving such a lasting impact on me every time I watch each episode.

This episode itself begins with Yamada and Nomiya arriving at Fujiwara design. Miwako is surprised to see the two and tells Nomiya that it's unusual for him to come for a help. She also wonders about the amount of alcohol that Yamada has consumed since she smells like a giant pickle. Nevertheless, Miwako offers to drive Yamada back to her house when she sees Nomiya looking sleepy. Thanks to Miwako's words and gift, Yamada manages to lightly sidesteps her father's wrath. Once they drop Yamada, Miwako asks Nomiya if something special happened between the two. Nomiya, however, tells her that contrary to what she thinks, he feels short charged for being a rebound guy. Meanwhile, Morita and Mayama are seen sitting near a riverside eating some Onigiri, sausages, and pickles. While Morita gluttons himself as usual, Mayama remembers the time when Nomiya rang Miwako to help him taking Yamada back home.

After worrying about Yamada the whole night, Mayama is finally at peace and believes that maybe Yamada is going to be okay despite being with Nomiya. Mayama also remembers how Nomiya has always liked a particular Ferris wheel in Yokohama and realises that maybe there's more to the guy than he originally thought and promises himself to get to know the guy better. That night, Yamada is seen inside the pottery room thinking how unlike love on TV, her experience with love is disappointing and unpleasant. Her thoughts, however, is interrupted when Morita appears in front of her. She immediately becomes angry with him for making her worried with his stupid injury trick the night before. Morita, however, tells Yamada that it is her that has made two grown men worried. Because of this, he asks her to take better care of herself so she doesn't worry him and Mayama like that again.

Yamada can't help but crying upon hearing Morita's words. She tells Morita that he can't say such things when he disappeared without saying goodbye and getting in touch with any of them for a year. Upon hearing this, Morita apologises repeatedly and promises to keep in contact with his friends the next time he leaves the country. In the end, Morita and Yamada end up walking home together as Yamada narrates how she wishes for Morita's happiness since she can't wish for her own. Fast forward a few days later, Takemoto is seen asking Shuuji the reason he became a teacher to begin with. Shuuji reveals that when he was in college, he got so used to helping both Rika and Harada with their studies that in the end he thinks that he'll get the same happiness teaching other students. Despite this, he admits that he is often uncertain about his decision because he feels he's not as talented as the students he helps on a daily basis.

Later on, Morita wanders around to Shuuji's room only to find Hagu in the middle of trying to create two mediocre projects. This upsets Morita because he feels that Hagu's talent is better off used in projects that will make her famous. Shuuji, however, asks Morita if that will make her life happy. Shuuji believes that so far he's been using Hagu to achieve the fame he never got to experienced. So now he wants Hagu to choose her own path, one that will make her happy. Meanwhile, at Fujiwara Design, Miwako tells her colleagues that Harada Design will move to the 6th floor. The conversation, however, turns into a revelation that both Mayama and Nomiya actually understand each other quite well. Back to the college, Yamada gets an advice from Shouda-sensei to focus on things that she likes instead of fixating on her problem. The episode then ends with Takemoto feeling depressed because he can't help Hagu feeling better when she faces a creative block during the creation of her artworks.

Impression:

I have to admit that I was caught off guard when I saw the friendship theme rears its head again. I really thought that the series is in the middle of exploring the romantic stories of the characters. To me the scene between Morita and Yamada in the pottery room is one of the best scenes I've seen in a drama series, whether it's animated or real-life adaptation. The scene really hits close to home that I can't help but feeling sad like Yamada. I understand what it feels like to have a good friend that one can't see or talk too often because of a real world distance. The scene also made me wonder if I'm a masochist because I rewind it so often despite knowing that it hurts me a lot just watching it. But it was nice to see Yamada realising that she has a good friend who always cares about her. Her line about praying for Morita's happiness because she can't pray for her own happiness was a perfect closure to their little scene together.

Moving on to other characters, I like how the episode shows how much Rika and Harada's presence influence many aspects of Shuuji's life and decisions. His happiness in being able to help his two friends has somehow transformed into a desire to become a teacher. Despite this, however, just like any other artist/designer, there is a part of him that wishes that he is recognised for his artistic talent. This is why the old argument of being a popular artist versus living a happy life that Shuuji brings up in this episode is interesting to me. I'm not sure how applicable this is to other professions but in the art/design field, this is probably the question that most artist/designers like Hagu face from time to time. I think at one point or another, most people in this field probably have a desire to create something that will be remembered for a long time and to be artistically acknowledged by their peers.

Of course such achievements normally comes at a high price. Many artists often got too involved in their own work to the point that they forget to spend time with their family and friends, or to take care of their own well being. Then there is the additional stress and unfulfilled expectations placed by their peers and from the artists themselves, just like what happened to Hagu at the end of this episode. I think this is why Takemoto's question at the end of the episode feels so poignant. Does it hurt more not knowing what you want, or does it hurt more knowing what you want and yet can't achieve it? I think the only thing that is certain from both of these feelings is that they can make the person feels useless. While there is no clear solution to this, I like Shouda-sensei's suggestion about how sometimes people will find the answer to their problem while working on something that they like.

Timeline:

The episode clearly begins one day after the event of the last episode. I am not sure how many days this episode actually covers. At the moment, however, I'm guessing that it covers no more than 2 to 3 days. Anyway, here's the updated graphical timeline if you're still interested in it.

© memento 2003