5/5 An anime series faithful to the manga release! A fantastic release!
  by Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
Charming, beautiful, realistic and enjoyable... There are definitely a lot of positive things you can say about the anime adaptation of the Kodansha Award winning manga series by Chika Umino.

Having spawned a live Japanese drama and film, "Honey and Clover" has been a popular series that attracts both guys and girls as the story focuses on life and love from the perspective of both sides of the sexes. I was hooked by the manga series from volume 1 and enjoyed the film despite its different interpretation. But I have always been curious about the anime adaptation and now the first box set consisting of the first 12 episodes + a bonus episode is now available in the US courtesy of Viz Media. In Japan, a total of two seasons (48 episodes) have aired.

In 2005, "honey and clover" was turned into an anime series courtesy of Director Kenichi Kasai ("Nodame Cantabile", "Gokudo", "His and Her Circumstances") and a screenplay by Yousuke Kuroda ("Big Windup!", "Excel Saga", "Gungrave", "Infinite Ryvius"). The series features music by Yuzo Hayashi ("Sailor Moon" series), character designs by Shuichi Shimamura ("Saber Marionette", "Yu-Gi-Oh!", "Green Legend Ran") and anime production by J.C. Staff.

"honey and clover" focuses on five students who attend an art college and the focuses on their persona lives, their friendships within several years and how they evolve in school to eventually planning a career.

The following 13-episodes are featured on three DVD's. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode of "honey and clover box 1:

DISC 1:

* EPISODE 1 - "I Saw Someone Fall in Love for the First Time" - The guys meet a new transfer student named Hagumi who will be living with Professor Hanamoto and one of the guys starts taking a liking to her immediately.
* EPISODE 2 - "I Felt Left Out When I Saw Hagu's Work" - Morita-san thinks Hagumi is a Koropokkur and tries to make money of her.
* EPISODE 3 - "Why Is this Happening to Me?" - Mayama feels affection for someone. Who can it be? A Mayama driven storyline.
* EPISODE 4 "I Don't Like Christmas All That Much" - It's the first Christmas together as friends but why doesn't Takamoto like Christmas?

DISC 2:

* EPISODE 5 - "I Came Home to See You" - Takemoto hasn't gone home to visit his mother in a long time. A Takemoto-driven storyline.
* EPISODE 6 - "Why Did You Fall In Love With a Guy Like Me?" - Mayama learns the truth of what happened to Rika and her past. Meanwhile, Ayumi reveals something big to Mayama.
* EPISODE 7 - "Hagu, Let's Go Together" - Professor Hanamoto is offered to travel on a sabbatical for a year. But that means leaving Hagu alone.
* EPISODE 8 - "Feeling the Distance" - Hagu goes into depression while being away from Professor Hanamoto.

DISC 3:

* EPISODE 9 - "Why Can't I Tell Her" - It's the second Christmas together and Hagu decides to work with Ayumi and her family during the holidays.
* EPISODE 10 - "You Just Can't Cast Your Feelings Aside" - The group of friends go on a trip and write a waterbus and to a theme park where they must deal with their own personal emotions towards others.
* EPISODE 11 - "That Was No Fun At All" - Professor Hanamoto returns from his work-related sabbatical and the gang realizes that his time away from Hagu was as bad or much worse than Hagu being away from him.
* EPISODE 12 - "Foolish Thinking" - Hagu must deal with her personal emotions. Meanwhile, Morita disappears once again and Takemoto goes to find out why.
* BONUS EPISODE L - "Face to Face with a Legend" - The first "honey and clover" special featuring the friends talking about their appreciation towards a guy named Lohmeyer in two different storylines.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"honey and clover" is featured in 16×9 widescreen and although the show is a television series, the artistic backgrounds, surround buildings are very well-painted and detailed. The character designs are true to Chica Umino's manga character designs and for the most part, character designer Shuichi Shimamura stayed true to her designs. Animation is fun and colorful and for those who are familiar with the manga series can definitely appreciation the overall presentation of the anime series. Very well-done.

Audio is presented in Stereo and featured in English and Japanese. Both the Japanese and English voice dub are both are very well-done. In terms of audio quality, the series is front channel driven but I chose to set my receiver with stereo on all channels. But dialogue is clear and understandable.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"honey and clover" comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

* Cultural Terms References - Similar to the manga series, a reference to terms used on the anime series.

DISC 2:

* Cultural Terms References - Similar to the manga series, a reference to terms used on the anime series.

DISC 3:

* Making the Animated Opening - (10:59) A featurette about the still motion food from the opening sequence and how it was created and how the food was prepared. How 20 staff members worked for days on the opening and why they chose to make an opening so different from other anime series.
* Cultural Terms References - Similar to the manga series, a reference to terms used on the anime series.
* Production Art - Using your remote, you can view the various production art of each character.
* Clean Opening and Ending
* English Language Production Credits
* Original Japanese Production Credits
* Manga - Information on manga releases.
* Viz Pictures - Trailers for Viz Pictures

JUDGMENT CALL:

I really enjoyed this first box set of "Honey and Clover". I figured with so many situations from the manga series, how were they going to capture the essence of Chica Umino's characters and storyline in an anime. But for the most part, the staff succeeded in covering the most essential parts of the series. The jokes, the the angst, the emotions....everything hilarious and dramatic was caught and those integral scenes were featured on the anime series.

Similar to popular Japanese dramas such as "Asunaro Hakusho", "Wakamono no Subete" or "Hakusen Nagashi", I really enjoy stories that cover young adult life. From the parties to just hanging out with friends, meeting new people, career choices to finding love (or not finding love), "honey and clover" is one of those series that is realistic in the sense that many people can related to these characters. So, you really take an interest towards the characters and I really liked the overall development of the characters through the course of the nine chapters.

Umino's artwork and her storytelling is enjoyable, beautiful and has a good balance of entertainment through humor and that occasional love triangle drama that pulls you in. So, I was curious to see how much character designer Shuichi Shimamura can keep that quality and remain faithful to Umino's work. Sure enough, he and the crew succeeded. Artwork is absolutely beautiful as the painted backgrounds capture the detail of the wooden home where the guys live in. Buildings, lush scenery, colorful skies, you name it..."honey and clover" is just beautiful to look at and as mentioned earlier, voice acting in Japanese and in English are quite solid.

This is one of those anime series that will appeal appeals to both men and women courtesy of the main characters and we get to see things in each of their perspective throughout the series. If anything, the episodes are dramatic but the series doesn't take itself too seriously as you have the weird Morita, Hagu's overall young look and Ayumi's short temper helping to calm down storylines that can easily get too emotional and thus keeping the overall series lighthearted and fun.

Overall, being a big fan of the manga series, "honey and clover Box 1 is a magnificent anime release thus far. For those looking for an anime series focusing on young adult drama, real-life situations in relationships and college and more, give "honey and clover" a try. You'll definitely enjoy this anime series. Highly recommended!

5/5 Delightful.
  by J. Pi
This is not just another anime where romantic cliches litter the storyline. If you know artist Umino Chica, she's that one artist whose style creates a lasting imprint in your memories. Not only are her characters unique in their own way (i.e. Morita and his insane notions and humor, for example), each has his or her own story to tell. Each character's relationship with the others develop through a complicated storyline, some developing from friendships into something more. In the end, you're left with wondering about how each of them will live their lives in the future.

Honey and Clover is probably one of the most realistic, down-to-earth animes out there. Unlike other shoujo comics such as Nana or Fruits Basket, Honey and Clover shines with a deeply moving, pure and innocent plot. The viewer themselves can relate to the characters easily, allowing them to fully enjoy this series. After watching the anime, it is only right to pick up a copy of the manga in order to relive those carefree college days.

Perhaps some may say that the flaw of this anime is that the interacting environment seems too perfect. College life, as we know it, really IS perfect in the sense that there is no true society to deal with. College is, in and of itself, a mini-society. This anime portrays the relationships between several friends as they live their lives through the few years in post-secondary school and, in the end, fly beyond the classrooms.

A must-watch and a must-read, Honey and Clover deserves to be watched (and rewatched) over and over again.

4/5 A snapshot of college life.
  by Kellyannl (Bronx, NY USA)
Most anime is aimed at either a teenage or preteen audience. Honey and Clover is a rare anime targeted at adult women that guys should also enjoy - indeed, it will be appreciated most by those who have completed at least a year of college.

Our narrator is Yuta Takemoto, a sensitive young man slogging his way through his second year at a visual arts college as the series begins. Under the guidance of his favorite professor at the school, Shuji Hanamoto, Yuta makes his way along with his friends: his fellow architectural student Takumi Mayama, who's fallen in love with the young widow of Shuji's best friend; potter Ayumi Yamada, who in turn is in unrequieted love with Takumi; very eccentric computer graphics designer Shinobu Morita and, finally, Shuji's little cousin Hagumi "Hagu" Hanamoto - a painter/sculptor who will have a profound effect on both Yuta and Shinobu.

There are a few problems with the two female leads - Ayumi often becomes the dispenser of traditional anime slapstick humor, and more importantly a great chance to realistically depict life for short people is lost on Hagu, who has a disturbing lack of self-reliance with a somewhat shaky explanation. But for the most part, Honey and Clover brilliantly covers almost all aspects of college life, from freshmen experiencing their first bouts of homesickness to seniors stressing over finding their first jobs and everything in between - like learning how to handle alcohol without adult supervision and the dejection of often living on ramen and working your tail off to pay your dues without any financial reward yet. There are also some very humorous moments - especially a notorious game of Twister that will probably leap to the top 10 funniest list of many.

There are precious few josei anime in the North American market. Honey and Clover is generally considered one of the best, and if josei is your demographic, it belongs in your collection.

5/5 I love Honey and Clover!
  by K. McClung (Texas)
Honey and Clover is very special. It's one of those series that doesn't come around very often and when it does it fills you with warmth and nostalgia. First off the characters are loveable and realistic, my favorite being Morita haha. I just love everything about this show, it takes me back to my early college years when life on your own was new and mysterious. This is just a great heart-warming shoujo anime that I would recommend to all girl anime fans! Also the soundtrack is amazing~

5/5 A Unique Anime Gem
  by Kimberly (Philadelphia, PA United States)
Honey & Clover follows the lives of five students studying at an art college in Tokyo. The series follows their lives through their college years as they fall in love, find their first jobs, and question their purpose in life. I guess you can say that Honey and Clover is extraordinarily ordinary. Although in many ways that is what makes this series so special. If you were ever a college student (art college or otherwise) you will find it very easy to relate to the story Honey & Clover is telling.

The characters in Honey & Clover can be a bit quirky and eccentric yet they still all seem very real. It is especially easy to relate to the main protagonist Takemoto who is probably the most ordinary of the bunch and a perfect representation of an average college student.

Honey & Clover also boasts a great soundtrack with insert songs from Spitz & Suga Shikao used throughout the series. The art & character designs have a dreamlike and water color effect. Special notice should also be given to the opening sequence which uses stop motion animation & food for a very unique and memorable effect.

To conclude Honey and Clover is sometimes hilarious, sometimes it is sad. In that way it reflects the ups and downs of real life. If you are looking for an anime series that is intelligent, thoughtful & sincere I cannot recommend this one enough.