Honey and Clover

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Honey and Clover


caption = A promotional image for the "Honey and Clover" anime series, featuring the main characters
ja_name = ハチミツとクローバー
ja_name_trans = Hachimitsu to Kurōbā
genre = Comedy-drama, RomanceInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Chika Umino
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shueisha
publisher_en = flagicon|Canada flagicon|United States Viz Media ("Shojo Beat")
publisher_other = flagicon|France Kana flagicon|Germany Tokyopop
magazine = CUTiEcomic "(2000–2001)" Young YOU "(2001–2005)" Chorus "(2005–2006)"
demographic = Josei
first = June 2000
last = 28 July, 2006
volumes = 10Infobox animanga/Anime
title =
director = Ken'ichi Kasai
writer = Yōsuke Kuroda
studio = J.C.Staff
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji TV ("Noitamina"), Animax
network_other = flagicon|Malaysia flagicon|Singapore flagicon|Thailand flagicon|Indonesia flagicon|South Korea flagicon|Philippines flagicon|Hong Kong flagicon|India flagicon|Taiwan Animax Asia
licensor = flagicon|USA VIZ Media
first = 14 April, 2005
last = 26 September, 2005
episodes = 26Infobox animanga/Anime
title = Honey and Clover II
director = Tatsuyuki Nagai
writer = Yōsuke Kuroda
studio = J.C.Staff
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji TV ("Noitamina"), Animax
network_other = flagicon|Malaysia flagicon|Singapore flagicon|Thailand flagicon|Indonesia flagicon|South Korea flagicon|Philippines flagicon|Hong Kong flagicon|India flagicon|Taiwan Animax Asia
first = 29 June, 2006
last = 14 September, 2006
episodes = 12Infobox animanga/Movie
live_action = yes
title =
director = Masahiro Takada
writer = Masahiro Takada
Masahiko Kawahara
studio = Asmik Ace Entertainment
released = July 22, 2006
runtime = 116 minutesInfobox animanga/Drama
title =
director = Masaki Tanamura
Hiroaki Matsuyama
writer = Shigeki Kaneko
studio = Fuji TV Drama Seisaku Centre
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji TV
first = January 8, 2008
last = March 18, 2008
slot = Tuesdays 21:00
episodes = 11Infobox animanga/Drama
title =
director =
writer =
studio =
network = flagicon|Taiwan CTS
first = May 25, 2008
last =
slot =
episodes =

nihongo|"Honey and Clover"|ハチミツとクローバー|Hachimitsu to Kurōbā is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chika Umino. It is also known as nihongo|"HachiKuro"|ハチクロ and "H&C". It is published by Shueisha, initially serialized from June 2000 to July 2006 in the magazines "CUTiEcomic", "Young YOU", and "Chorus", and collected in ten bound volumes. The series depicts the lives and relationships of a group of art school students who live in the same apartment building. In 2003, the manga won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award for best shōjo manga.

The series was adapted as an animated television series by J.C.Staff, initially broadcast on Fuji TV in two seasons from April to September 2005 and June to September 2006. The series was also adapted as a live action movie, which was released in theaters in Japan on July 22, 2006, and two separate live-action television dramas in 2008, one broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from January 8, 2008 to March 18, 2008 and the other broadcast in Taiwan on CTS beginning on May 25, 2008.

Plot

Yūta Takemoto, Takumi Mayama and Shinobu Morita are three young men who live in the same apartment complex and are students at an art college in Tokyo.

One day, one of the art professors, Shūji Hanamoto, introduces his cousin's daughter, Hagumi Hanamoto, who has come to live with him and is a first year at the art school. Upon introduction, Takemoto and Morita fall in love with her. Morita expresses his love for Hagu in ways that scare her, especially calling Hagu 'mousey' and constantly photographing her, while Takemoto hides his feelings and tries to be a friend to Hagu. Hagu herself, though initially timid and afraid of company, gradually warms up to the three.

The group also includes another female: Ayumi Yamada. She is a master of pottery, and is well known by her name "Tetsujin" (Iron Lady). When not at school or hanging out with friends from the college, she helps run the family liquor store. She is very popular with all the guys, whether they are from the shopping district the liquor store is in or the other male pottery students, but Mayama is the only man she is in love with.

Unfortunately, although Mayama considers Yamada a friend, he does not return Yamada's love and is busy chasing an older woman, Rika Harada. Rika runs an architecture studio which she used to run with her husband, Harada before he died in a car accident which also left Rika disabled. Rika Harada and Shūji were very close friends and roommates in college. Mayama is sent by Shūji to help Rika, who has a hard time taking care of herself and running her business.

The story follows these five characters in their love triangles, unrequited love, graduating from college, finding jobs, and learning more about themselves.

Main characters

; nihongo|Hagumi Hanamoto|花本 はぐみ|Hanamoto Hagumi: Usually called "Hagu" by her friends, she is an 18-year-old first-year art student at the start of the series. She is depicted as appearing and acting several years younger than her true age. Despite her appearance, she is a gifted artist and her work is highly praised by art professionals. She is shy and very nervous when interacting with people, to the point of becomnig physically ill from stress, with the result that other art students think she is strange. She was raised by her grandmother in a sheltered environment, where she learned to draw sketching the never-changing view from her porch. When Morita and Takemoto first meet Hagu, they both fall in love with her, although they express it in different ways. Hagu spends most of the series unaware of their feelings for her, seeing them as friends. After Takemoto confesses his feelings for her, she begins avoiding him, and at the end of the series she admits she likes Morita but would rather be with Shūji because she knows that he can take care of her. "Portrayed by:" Haruka Kudō (anime), Yū Aoi (movie), Riko Narumi (Japanese TV drama)

; nihongo|Yūta Takemoto|竹本 祐太|Takemoto Yūta: A second-year art student, age 19 at the start of the series, living in the same apartment complex as Mayama and Morita. Takemoto is the primary point-of-view of the series, and often acts as narrator of episodes. He is depicted as the most mellow of the main characters. He falls in love with Hagu immediately after being introduced by his professor but keeps his feelings to himself through most of the series. Because of his inability to act upon his feelings as freely as Morita, Takemoto decides to act as a brother-figure to Hagu, giving her friendly support when needed, for example, building her sophisticated dollhouses at her request. Later in the series, as a result of his conflicted emotions, Takemoto develops a stomach ulcer, forcing him to repeat a year of school. Early in the series, he questions his vocation as an artist, but over the series he becomes comfortable with himself. After a bicycle trip to Cape Sōya, the northernmost point in Japan, Takemoto gains the confidence to tell Hagu how he really feels. Although Hagu does not accept him, Takemoto admits that just meeting her and the time they spend together has influenced him. "Portrayed by:" Hiroshi Kamiya (anime), Shō Sakurai (movie), Toma Ikuta (Japanese TV drama)

; nihongo|Shinobu Morita|森田 忍|Morita Shinobu: A sixth-year art student, age 24 at the start of the series, in the same apartment complex as Takemoto and Mayama. Morita is depicted as a perpetual student, unable to graduate because of persistant absenteeism. This is mainly due to his work, which forces him to go missing for several days, after which he sleeps for at least 48 hours. Morita is considered mysterious by the other students, prone to bizarre behavior such as creating a version of Twister with a too many colors. He is a perceptive person who cares for his friends Takemoto and Mayama but often expressing himself tactlessly, and who is generous with his money and food. He also expresses his desire for Hagu in quirky ways, such as forcing her to dress up as a mouse because he likes cute things. Later in the series, he departs for a year in America, and eventually the others learn he has been moonlighting as an award-winning CGI artist. "Portrayed by:" Yūji Ueda (anime), Yūsuke Iseya (movie), Hiroki Narimiya (Japanese TV drama)

; nihongo|Takumi Mayama|真山 巧|Mayama Takumi: A fourth-year art student, age 22 at the start of the series, in the same apartment complex as Takemoto and Morita. He acts as a "senpai" (senior) to Takemoto and tries to help Morita get up for early morning classes. Early in the series, Mayama helps Rika Harada out with various errands at her design firm, Harada Design, during which time he develops feelings for Rika. The series initially leaves unclear whether Mayama takes advantage of Rika's disability to fulfill his desires, but it is later shown that Rika reciprocates his feelings. At her urging, Mayama begins working for a different design firm, but after it breaks up, near the end of the series, he returns to work for Rika. Despite Yamada's throwing herself at him, Mayama considers her only as his close friend, but he becomes protective of her when a colleague with a reputation for playing girls develops an interest in her. "Portrayed by:" Tomokazu Sugita (anime), Ryō Kase (movie), Osamu Mukai (Japanese TV drama)

; nihongo|Ayumi Yamada|山田 あゆみ|Yamada Ayumi: A third-year art student, age 21 at the start of the series, specializing in ceramic arts. She is well-known by other students for her pottery and her nickname "Tetsujin" "Iron-lady" for running 6 km to school every morning to help her dog lose weight. She is depicts as a beautiful young woman, who catches the attention of her male friends and coworkers. Yamada is deeply in love with Mayama, but he does not return her feelings and repeatedly encourages her to find someone else. Later in the series, she is angered by Mayama's sudden protectiveness when he tries to shield her from his former boss, Nomiya. Yamada is close friends with Hagu, who addresses her by first name. At the end of the series, Yamada continues as a graduate student in art, while making pottery for Harada Design, and it is suggested that she and Nomiya will get together. "Portrayed by:" Mikako Takahashi (anime), Megumi Seki (movie), Natsuki Harada (Japanese TV drama)

Reception

In 2003, the manga of "Honey and Clover" won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award for best shōjo manga.cite web|url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/kodansha.shtml|title=Kodansha Manga Award|accessdate=2007-05-21]

Media

Manga

The "Honey and Clover" manga was written and illustrated by Chika Umino and published by Shueisha.cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=5669|title=Honey and Clover (manga)|publisher=Anime News Network|accessdate=2007-06-22] The first fourteen chapters were serialized in the josei (aimed at younger adult women) manga magazine "CUTiEcomic" from June 2000 to July 2001, when serialization moved to "Young YOU". With the demise of "Young YOU" in 2005, it moved to "Chorus", where it ran until July 2006. The 64 chapters were collected in ten bound volumes. The series was also issued in a ten-volume box set in May 2007.cite web | url=http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-865901-5&mode=1 | title=ハチミツとクローバー　10巻セット| publisher=Shueisha | language=Japanese | accessdate=2008-09-25]

The manga is licensed in North America by Viz Media, which began serializing it in "Shojo Beat" magazine in August 2007.cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-06-01/viz's-shonen-jump-shojo-beat-shake-up-manga-lineup | title=Viz's Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat Shake Up Manga Lineup | publisher=Anime News Network | accessdate=2008-09-25] It is also licensed in France by Kana, and in Germany by Tokyopop.

Graphic novel list/header
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Anime

The anime television series was produced by J.C. Staff and consists of 38 episodes in bradcast in two seasons on Fuji TV in the "Noitamina" programming block.cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4975 | title=Honey and Clover (TV) | publisher=Anime News Network | accessdate=2008-09-26] The first season was directed by Ken'ichi Kasai, and consisted of 24 episodes that aired from 14 April, 2005 and 29 September, 2005 plus two DVD-only episodes. The second season was directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai, and consisted of 12 episodes that aired between June 29, 2006 and September 14, 2006.cite web | url=http://www.hachikuro.net | title=ハチミツとクローバー | language=Japanese | accessdate=2008-09-26]

Both seasons were rebroadcast in Japan by the anime CS television network Animax, which also later broadcast the series across its respective networks in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and other regions. The series was first broadcast in English on Amimax's Southeast Asia network starting August 1, 2006. [cite web | url=http://www.animax-asia.com | title=Animax Asia | accessdate=2006-08-01] [cite web | url=http://www.animax-asia.com/cp.aspx?p=N8gla201alz1uAapi2GEE815L4QnURJs2KJ8t1Jhm/KN8R9539qFdA= | title=Animax Rave, July 2006 Issue | publisher=Animax Asia | accessdate=2006-07-31]

The anime, especially in its second season, often showed [http://www.weider-jp.com/ Weider in Jelly] , as it was one of the sponsors.

Live-action film

The series was adapted as a live-action feature film produced by Asmik Ace Entertainment. It was directed by Masahiro Takada from a screenplay by Masahiko Kawahara and Masahiro Takada, and starred Shō Sakurai as Takemoto, Yū Aoi as Hagu, Yūsuke Iseya as Morita, Ryō Kase as Mayama, and Megumi Seki as Ayumi.cite web | url=http://www.hachikuro.jp/site.html | title=映画『ハチミツとクローバー』公式サイト | language=Japanese | accessdate=2008-09-26] It was released in Japanese theaters on July 22, 2006. The DVD for the film was released on January 12, 2007.cite web | url=http://www.hachikuro.jp/dvd.html | title=映画「ハチミツとクローバー」DVD情報 | language=Japanese | accessdate=2008-09-26]

TV dramas

A Japanese television drama adaptation premiered on January 8, 2008. It aired every Tuesday at 21:00 JST on Fuji TV until March 18, 2008.

A Taiwanese adaptation was also made, premiering on May 25, 2008 on CTS.

References

External links

* [http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/zen_list.cgi?siries_isbn=X-08-865079-4&siries_kanren_isbn=&mode=2 "Honey and Clover" official Shueisha manga site] ja icon
* [http://www.hachikuro.net/ "Honey and Clover" official anime site] ja icon
* [http://www.hachikuro.jp/ "Honey and Clover" live-action movie official site] ja icon
* [http://www13.plala.or.jp/umino/ Chika Umino official site] ja icon
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