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Honey & Clover, episodes 1-4
Aug. 28th, 2007 04:23 pmSo far, a sweet and enjoyable series. It's one of those interesting anime shows where I feel the constant presence of Japanese culture, underlying the familiar culture of university life. The day to day life of being Japanese is evident here... the pace of things, the importance of politeness, the type of food they eat and the way they converse in public vs. private. I've seen enough anime that I'm comfortable watching this sort of thing and I catch on to most major culture customs that hold any significance to the storyline, but there would be some oddness to it if you're very new to anime or manga. Fruits Basket had a similar impression to me, as far as cultural details: I get the gist even if I don't understand the meaning behind every gesture.
Yet, in many ways I recognize the life of these students: you wake up, you mess around, you go to class, you do whatever suits you, you go to more class, you do some part-time work for pocket money, you take a test, and then you sleep again. Rinse, wash, repeat. You eat when you're hungry, shower when you feel gross, and are obsessed with the dual goals of passing your classes and keeping yourself entertained...in which order depends on how seriously you take your college experience.
The characters discuss a feeling of unsettling confusion... is what they're doing the right path; do they know what they want; when they find what they want, are they good enough to achieve it; how long will the process of figuring this out take; how can you be sure about anything? Mixed with romance and mild social drama, these themes hold pretty strongly and make me sympathize with the characters as a group, though at the moment I'm not particularly interested in watching any one of them on their own. Nevertheless, the show is interesting enough and if I am not distracted by other more shiny things, like Last Exile or Romeo X Juliet, I might pursue more episodes.
My vieiwng experience has not been completely pleasant and cute, though. I have one major hang-up with this series, and given that I'm pretty sure the thing I have a problem with isn't going to change any time soon, it puts me off of watching more:
The main character is in love with a female character who is supposed to be in college, but who looks about 10 years old. And acts 10 years old. And is treated like she's 10 years old, by all of the other characters. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, swims like duck, and everyone treats it like a duck, then I'm not going to call it a bald eagle. Furthermore, it bothers me that, even if I am meant to believe that she's 18-20, it still makes me uncomfortable to try and sympathize with an adult protagonist who claims to be in love with someone who looks, talks, behaves, and is treated like a child. Is he in love with her childlike qualities? Since those are the only qualities we see, the answer must be yes... and that's just creepy.
But I like the other characters, particularly the red-haired student who's in love with an older woman, so I might watch more of it out of that. I haven't decided yet. I've only seen about 5 episodes.
Yet, in many ways I recognize the life of these students: you wake up, you mess around, you go to class, you do whatever suits you, you go to more class, you do some part-time work for pocket money, you take a test, and then you sleep again. Rinse, wash, repeat. You eat when you're hungry, shower when you feel gross, and are obsessed with the dual goals of passing your classes and keeping yourself entertained...in which order depends on how seriously you take your college experience.
The characters discuss a feeling of unsettling confusion... is what they're doing the right path; do they know what they want; when they find what they want, are they good enough to achieve it; how long will the process of figuring this out take; how can you be sure about anything? Mixed with romance and mild social drama, these themes hold pretty strongly and make me sympathize with the characters as a group, though at the moment I'm not particularly interested in watching any one of them on their own. Nevertheless, the show is interesting enough and if I am not distracted by other more shiny things, like Last Exile or Romeo X Juliet, I might pursue more episodes.
My vieiwng experience has not been completely pleasant and cute, though. I have one major hang-up with this series, and given that I'm pretty sure the thing I have a problem with isn't going to change any time soon, it puts me off of watching more:
The main character is in love with a female character who is supposed to be in college, but who looks about 10 years old. And acts 10 years old. And is treated like she's 10 years old, by all of the other characters. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, swims like duck, and everyone treats it like a duck, then I'm not going to call it a bald eagle. Furthermore, it bothers me that, even if I am meant to believe that she's 18-20, it still makes me uncomfortable to try and sympathize with an adult protagonist who claims to be in love with someone who looks, talks, behaves, and is treated like a child. Is he in love with her childlike qualities? Since those are the only qualities we see, the answer must be yes... and that's just creepy.
But I like the other characters, particularly the red-haired student who's in love with an older woman, so I might watch more of it out of that. I haven't decided yet. I've only seen about 5 episodes.
