Honey and Clover 8
Posted: January 30, 2010 Filed under: Honey and Clover 3 Comments »Chica Umino – Viz – 2009 – 10 volumes
Oooh! How aggravating! This volume was entirely focused on Ayu and Mayama. It takes a look at all aspects of both of their unrequieted love affairs, and shows lights at the end of the tunnel for both of them. It also reminds us of how much time has passed in-story. This is especially effective in Ayu’s case, who suddenly realizes she’d been smitten with no return for her feelings for years, and to give it up even knowing she had no chance would make it seem that somehow her feelings were less all that time. I can really, really sympathize with Ayu here. That struck some uncomfortable chords with me. Having easy-to-relate to characters is one of the strengths of the series, of course, and one of the reasons why this is the best, but it’s always a little uncomfortable when they hit too close to home. Uncomfortable, but even more the mark of a good series, I suppose.
The series is winding down, and has two volumes left. As of the end of this volume, there is very little left to resolve between Ayu and Mayama, and both are well on their way. The bigger question, and one left almost entirely unaddressed in this volume, is what happens between Morita, Hagu, and Takemoto. There are some peeks, but in addition to finding out how things will fall between them, we also are led to believe there is a method to the madness of the Morita brothers. I’m looking forward to that.
One thing I noticed is that the volumes have been very character-centric lately, whereas the earlier ones were more focused on the group of friends hanging out and helping each other. With the passage of time in this series, and following the characters after they’ve left school and moved on to their careers, I thought it might be an interesting commentary about how you may also grow out of your school friends as you move on in life. They all still seem pretty tight, and Mayama and Takemoto even still live in the same building, but they all have their own individual problems and lives now. They still intersect, but… you know. You never really have friends like you have them in college, I suppose. More points to Honey and Clover for that, too.
[...] High School Student Council (Manga Jouhou) Andre on vol. 1 of Hero Tales (Kuriousity) Connie on vol. 8 of Honey and Clover (Slightly Biased Manga) Julie on Jack and the Princess (Manga Maniac Cafe) Sophie Stevens on vol. 2 [...]
Very insightful review, as always. Thank you. :)
The love triangle and the Morita brothers; two more volumes to go . . . The agony!
I also find myself still getting a real kick out of Mayama’s former co-workers.
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you enjoy my reviews!
Mayama’s former coworkers really are a riot. I loved the short story about the ugly shirts a volume or two back, and I loved how they were trying to help Yamada get over Mayama. They’re just as goofy a bunch as the main cast, and I’m glad they’ve been featured so regularly.
The mystery of the Mayama brother’s true mission really is going to kill me. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.