I try to explain to people what’s so spectacular about this series, but it’s hard to describe the quiet nostalgia that drenches it, the way it nails those ordinary moments or notices those incredibly important images that stay with us forever (like the first time you notice the point where the rain ends or you see someone fall in love or you realize someone knows another is in love with them and can’t return their affection and thus pretends not to notice). I like the everyday interaction of friends goofing off and living life in college, so precious and so brief.

There’s an odd tinge of Fumi Yoshinaga melancholy here, too, in the way you know things didn’t work out/aren’t going to work out/can’t end well/happily for everyone.

And then there’s Morita. I had friends like Morita; you just never knew what they were going to do, but that was all part of what made that time in your life special.

Honey & Clover just nails things perfectly, and reading it leaves you happy even if you cried.

Thanks for your excellent reviews of the series!