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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
 Dreamer
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[series:1368#2279] |
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Having enjoyed the first series, I had high expectations for this sequel. I wasn't let down. Art, Animation and Character Design The art and animation was the same unusual style as found in the first series. Again, it's not that it's oddly drawn or what not, but rather done in a pastel-like style. The whole art and animation gave the sense of a "dreamy" atmosphere. Very artistic and really good. The character designs seemed to have improved. Especially Hagu... much more refined in appearance and even more kawaii looking. Music The OP was nothing interesting... much like the first series. However, like the first series, I found the mix of music throughout the anime interesting and appealing. The j-pop I can do without, but it seemed like it fit in certain scenes, which brought the scene "alive" with emotions. Series and Episode Story This series more or less continues on with the lives of our college students found in the first episode. Even more, we find our love triangles being resolved and more in-depth coverage of Morita...... as well as other characters. Morita was "somewhat" of a mystery in the first season, but here, we learn more of his background and what he actually does when he disappears for days on end. The ending nicely concludes our various triangles and relationships amongst characters and leaves you with a smile. This is another feel-good anime that leaves you feeling content with life after watching through to the end of the last episode. Overall, this one is another worthy buy. If you haven't already, do watch the first series and then come back to this one. The Honey & Clover set is nothing short of what one would call a really good anime. Last updated Friday, February 20 2009. Created Friday, February 20 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:1368#1552] |
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With this sequel to Honey and Clover, the series focuses on the beginning of new lives for each of the main cast members. As such, there is more focus on the drama of character relationships in this series than the humor it was mixed with in the first season. All the character love triangles get resolved in this series and there are some surprising developments that come along with some of the characters. A good thing about this season is that you finally get inside the heads of Hagu and Morita. With Morita, we finally get to know about his past and why he has been getting so much money with his brother. In the case of Hagu, we get to know her inner doubts with her future in art and Shuuji. Hagu's problems become the core focus of the final third of this series as a problem occurs with her that tests the bonds with her friends, especially in the case of Morita and Takemoto, her two admirers. Even with all this seriousness, the series still devotes some time to add in humor with the personality quirks of the characters. The humor was added in at just the right moments to ease the tension from the dramatic situations that just occured. And for those worrying about having to play catch up with events to this series, the first episode features a recap of all the events that took place in the first series thus you won't feel you were left behind on events from the last season. Artwork for Honey and Clover II uses the same soft watercolors from the first season, though there's more defined detail in the character designs. The same generic J-pop music is here in this season, which still includes insert music that I find kills the mood of certain scenes in the anime, especially with the developments in Hagu's character. Honey and Clover II makes for a great sequel to the first season. It wraps up all of the character relationships and brings along plot developments that test the bonds between the main characters of the series. If you liked the first season, then you will definitely enjoy Honey and Clover II. Last updated Sunday, August 31 2008. Created Sunday, August 31 2008. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
 Devil Doll
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[series:1368#752] |
[Score: 89% = Buy. Other recommended non-Fantasy Romance Drama animes: Koi Kaze, Lamune, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora, Suzuka, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien]
I'm usually not too sensitive to visual details such as Art but the change of faces for the girls during their important decisions is something that I like very much about this sequel: The faces are very individual and expressive, thus improving the drama elements of the show and overcompensating the blurry watercolor effects. Upgrade for Music as well due to a better OP song than in the first series (I still don't like YUKI's voice but it's far less annoying this time) and a lot of beautiful piano themes during the depressing scenes, plus one additional insert song for every single episode (which is quite rare for an anime). Contentwise, a downgrade for Episode Story due to episode 1 being all recap; then again, this allows to watch the sequel without having seen the first 24 episodes. On the plus side, less Morita weirdness and even a decent serious story about him and his brother - none of the Characters is mere laughing stock now, each of them has matured a lot. And finally some progress in both the Yamada/Mayama issue and the Hagu competition... which is essential for this show's Series Story: Every single character being unhappy because of their unrequited love (as in the prequel) would become quite boring in the long run. It may sound strange but the occasional slapstick elements are more appropriate this time, providing some relief to the audience that might otherwise be crushed by certain parts of this serious story. Last updated Friday, June 06 2008. Created Sunday, April 27 2008. | ||||||||
| Buy | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:1368#436] |
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The themes of Honey and Clover were friendship and unrequited love. Those themes are still present in Honey and Clover II, only the new primary theme becomes life moving on. As such, while this sequel still retains a lot of good humor, it is also more depressing in some ways. Because the new theme is about life moving on, the fun of the friendship of the group fades because the group is split up. The writers do a good job of keeping very funny moments in most episodes, but unlike the first series, this one is much sadder to me. I felt bad for Yamada as she tried to win Mayama's heart. I was happy for Mayama when he made progress with Rika-san, knowing where he stood with her. I hated Nomiya trying to win Yamada's heart. I hoped that Takemoto would win Hagu-chan's heart over Morita. It was like a roller coaster at times to be sure. One thing this series did was finally give Morita some character depth. We finally learn why he was earning so much money (though not what he did exactly). That was a very touching story and seemed so out of character for the weird, wacky person he normally is, especially around Hagu-chan. Since this involved their dad and something that happened when they were kids, I was disappointed that the anime writers never did say what happened to their dad. I guess that's up to our imaginations. Despite this character development, I still didn't want him hooking up with Hagu-chan. The series also had something happen to Hagu-chan, which resulted in some interesting revelations from Hanamoto-sensei, as well as some fights. But through these, characters get some resolution about Hagu-chan (namely, Hanamoto-sensei, Morita, and Takemoto) and life goes on. As I said, this anime is about life's journey. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. Sometimes you have friends for life but sometimes life separates you and old, close, dear friends become mere memories. The anime leaves some things unresolved. In the final credits, we see Mayama still working with Rika-san in Spain. We see Morita working in the U.S. for Peter Lucas (ie: George Lucas). We see Yamada still doing her pottery and being pursued by Nomiya. We see Hanamoto-sensei with Hagu-chan, helping her. And we see Takemoto working on temple restoration. I guess it is up to us to decide on how Mayama and Rika-san proceed, or if Yamada and Nomiya become a couple. From a story perspective, there could be more to tell, but since the theme was what drove this series, I doubt we'll see another one without another theme to drive it. Bottom line: somewhat different than the first Honey and Clover, but no less good. Very funny at times, but also very depressing at times. All and all, I would deem this a "buy" title.Last updated Monday, March 26 2007. Created Wednesday, February 28 2007. | ||||||||
| Unevaluated |
 Stretch
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[series:1368#628] | ||||||
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(five episodes watched): The first episode is basically a summary of the events of the original series, which I found to be a useful way of refreshing my memory. Takemoto has become more self-confident and assertive, and now has a career goal that he is working towards (first of all, by getting a driver's license). Mayama realizes something very disturbing about Rika's plans for the future. Morita is as weird as ever, still raking in great quantities of cash from some mysterious job(s), coordinated by his brother. Yamada finds herself torn between her longtime unrequited love for Mayama, and Nomiya, who she met recently, and is becoming attracted to. Maybe it's my imagination, but Hagu-chan seems to both act and look more mature. I think Miwako is my favorite character for some reason--perhaps because she's played by Neya Michiko. In short, this sequel series picks the story up just where the original series dropped it off. I must admit, I lost interest in this series some months ago and it has been in hiatus ever since. The revelation of what Morita's secret career is, and it's purpose, seemed disappointing. Also, Hagu-chan's accident seemed rather convenient and unconvincing. However, having been reminded of this series by AstroNerdBoy, feeling nostalgic, and (perhaps most importantly) noticing that it is only half as long as the original, I've been rumaging through my stacks of old home-burned DVDs to start rewatchng from the start. Again, the recap episode comes in handy! Last updated Friday, March 23 2007. Created Thursday, August 03 2006. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official Japanese Series Web Site | http://www.hachikuro.net/ |
