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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane I remember watching the Honey and Clover anime* for the first time a couple of years ago and not understanding at first why some of my friends loved it so much. But I liked it well enough, so I kept watching, and then at some point I found myself loving it intensely. "At some point" isn't a deliberate attempt at vagueness; I really can't remember a specific moment in the story where it happened. But wherever that point was, the manga has now definitely passed it: Umino's knack for making me believe in these characters and their feelings as they grope their way towards their futures has really kicked up another notch or two. I want to single out the fact that there are several moments in this volume where I love Morita. To say that doesn't happen very often would be a bit of an understatement--his frenetic energy doesn't really work for me--so that makes it all the more impressive to me that Umino integrates him and his madly over-the-top subplots so well with the main story and the rest of the cast. He has a truly wonderful scene with Yamada towards the beginning of this volume, which reminds me of how much I enjoy their friendship. On a surface level they have so little in common, but from time to time Morita seems to be connected with her in a way he isn't with anyone else. Yamada gets a lot of focus in the first half of this book, as she continues to spend time with Nomiya and deal with her feelings for Mayama. It hasn't been that long since Mayama was forced to confront some unpleasant realities about his part in their relationship after Yamada confessed her feelings to him, and now it's her turn. All this attention on the three of them also means we spend more time with Nomiya's officemates, which amuses me more every volume. (I particularly love Miwako.) The second half of volume 6 brings us to the beginning of what is probably Honey and Clover's most iconic storyline. Takemoto, ostensibly our viewpoint character and the eternal Everyman of the series, is having no luck finding a job and is beginning to feel desperate about it. Surrounded by geniuses and people who've begun carving out their own niches, he feels increasingly adrift...and unwittingly sets out on a journey to discover himself. The beginnings of that journey capture both the poignancy and the comedy of the series, as he and the other characters realize what he's done. It's a striking image and plays out beautifully, but some of the immediate fallout is extremely funny. This volume includes a short behind-the-scenes comic from the creator and two pages of cultural notes. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. *VIZ announced a release date for the first anime boxset at AX, which is very exciting. It feels like I've been waiting to own this show for a long time. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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