Editorial
Life Goes On… with Honey and Clover
Props to otou-san for writing this awesome H&C post. Eternal, too, though that’s one monster of a post I vowed not to read until I’ve actually rewatched H&C and truly appreciate it for what it’s worth.
The first time I watched Honey and Clover was August 2006, as I remember it, basking in 2-3 eps a day in my hotel room in Cebu after work during my first business trip, glued to the screen of my laptop whilst my roommates are busy playing DoTA; not exactly understanding what was going on through the lives of Takemoto, Morita, Mayama, Yamada, Hagu, Morita, Shuu, and Rika, but knowing enough to realize that there’s so much more to the show than how I was seeing it back then.
On September 2006 came H&C II, but I knew well I wasn’t ready for it, so I stopped halfway through my viewing. Now it’s August 2009, exactly 3 years after my first H&C encounter, and suffice so say, a lot has happened since then — from meeting Seleria and starting out blogging, growing in and out of it, both within the confines of the blog and beyond it, as an anime fan, as a woman, as a person; juggling with work and life, not knowing who I am and what I really want, then eventually, discovering how vast this world is, realizing how one little emotion can bring the best and worst in you, make you feel you’re on top of the world at one point, devastated on the other. Err– apologies for my emo rambling.
The main reason why otou-san’s post resonated with me so much is because it dealt about ‘letting go’, something that hits really close to home considering what I’ve been through and what I’m still going through at this point. There’s a chapter in my life that I thought was over, like THE HELL I’M OVER AND DONE WITH THIS, but no… it’s a slow and steady process, the healing. It’s not something that would happen overnight, no matter how much conviction you put into that decision. Time and again you’d look back, and for sure, beyond the bitter memories are those of fond ones that you’d cherish for the rest of your life, and as much as you’d hate to admit it, shaped you as you are now.
One reason why it’s so hard to let go is because of our selfish ego-centric nature; we can be so used to having things our way, we want things to happen the way we want, then go Q_Q BAWWW when it doesn’t. We want to hold on to “What Ifs” — What If I’m THE ONE, What If he’s THE ONE, What If THIS is the Best Route for me, etc. But life doesn’t work that way. You can’t be selfish and narrow-minded and expect to get the Best Ending to life. “[The characters'] ability to ‘let go’ is directly proportional to how much they grow as people”, as otou-san has keenly observed. In letting go, we realize that it’s in this act of ’selflessness’ that we grow and become fulfilled as people, realizing that love is not about how much a person receives but by how much one gives, and most of all, realizing that it’s in letting go that we come to discover how vast the world is, compared to that puny little thing we’ve been holding on to. “It’s in dying that we learn how to live” kind of thing. A sweet surrender, letting go of things beyond your control.
We used to believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-after stories back when we were little, but once we grow up and experience stumbling blocks, we come to realize just how seemingly impossible a “happy ending” is, and we become jaded. And at times, even “hell” becomes a “viable” option — we become short-sighted, we hold on to things despite despite knowing how much it’s going to hurt us, we hold on to “temporal” things. But the thing is, there is that heaven at the end of the road, and we’ll only come to see it once we learn how to “let go”.
At the end of his post, otou-san asks, “might H&C help you move on from something?”. There’s only one way to found out, isn’t it? 
Shall we say, let a ‘new generation’ of Honey and Clover circle-jerk begin?
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16 comments for “Life Goes On… with Honey and Clover”
The Rotating Blogroll
Hmph. IT’S NEVER OVER. Don’t be fooled.
Show ▼
It’s only over when you’re dead.
we become jaded
No! We find the highest place around, stand on it, proud, and cry into the sky. Eventually we move on, by ourselves or with the help of others. Thinking never helps, reason is an illusion masking emotion, and the only truth, is being.
We can fly, our bodies can not!
In any case, I think mmo H+C rewatch could work, but needs the right timing
Literally changed my life, and made me reconfirm what I wanted to do with my life when I watched it. Was, and probably always will be, the anime (or visual story in general) that has had the biggest impact on me.
H&C 4EVA
I still think you do the best personal reflections in the ’sphere, H&C related or not. But either way, I fully support the notion of a circle-jerk for my favourite anime of all time
@ghostlightning: so that means I’m going to carry *this* with me forever? TT__TT
@Ryan: I stand corrected, and gain wisdom in the process
the urge to rewatch H&C should come from deep within for this to work, since it’ll be quite a personal journey
@Celestial: omg it’s a totali! *glomp* You’re quite the ninja now, eh?
and yes H&C is <3! Even more so after I get to rewatch it! wooh!
@ETERNAL: ‘the best’ might be a little too much, but I am deeply flattered nonetheless
Rewatching this has long been in my plans, and I guess there’s no better time than now
…You’re gonna carry that weight
Pretty much. The only real difference is how ‘light’ it feels because of how much stronger you’ve become ^_~
that is, in a way, a bit scary, but comforting nonetheless
I AM MORE GAR THAN EVER NOW YEAH 
So happy that I could put together something that resonated, thanks for the linkage. There are so many (very good) themes to H&C that I’m glad that someone was able to feel the same one that I identified with very strongly.
These, to me, are Real Deal truths that few stories of any medium deal with as well as H&C. In drama there is always a moment where things turn around, and we tend to be unfair to ourselves when we don’t have those moments, but it’s an unreasonable expectation. In truth, it’s only time. And maybe it’s true, that quote that time doesn’t heal but rather just makes the memory weaker as it gets farther away (another Takemoto concept), but either way there is no moment where the rainclouds clear up and the sunshine appears.
Anyway… I love that H&C inspires such personal, insightful posts, and I love that you wrote this one. Whatever it is, you will never exactly close the book on it, but as it gets further it becomes a part of your life rather than something that continues to hurt so strongly. I guess that’s what makes us grow, right?
Uhh… I promised at the end of my post I’d stop this. Can we get a fart joke in here?
I don’t remember actively noting this theme when I read Honey and Clover, but it’s probably something I accepted as part of the over-all ‘growing up’/'becoming an adult’ idea.
Actually, I feel ‘letting go’ is – to me personally, at least – a small and less significant part of a greater message. That message is that growing up is not only about letting go, but also about learning from those painful and bitter experiences so that you can become a better person. Ayumi and Rika had to learn to let go, but I feel in contrast Hanamoto-sensei, Takemoto and, to a lesser extent, Nomiya, Morita and Kaoru, who internalised and learnt from those experiences, treasuring them and letting them become their strength, are much better and more positive characters.
Long, rambling and badly structured sentence is long, rambling and badly structured.
Speaking of moving on and letting go, watch Disney-Pixar’s Up. My second most favourite animated movie of all time.
@otou-san: Your post certainly awakened the sleeping ‘H&C rewatch urge’ within me! Your personal thoughts on this is much appreciated! *hugs*
You and ghostlightning certainly made me rethink the concept that “Time heals”. Won’t be the whole process of ‘fading of painful memories’ be healing in itself? Or I’m just being nitpicky lol.
But yeah, as you’ve said, once something happens, it will forever be part of you, memories they might be or what, but instead of being emotional baggages, they should be there as ‘checkpoints’ (breadcrumbs?) of our lives, something to look back to and see how things have changed, how far we’ve changed, since then
@Lupus: well ‘letting go’ is pretty much the first step to ‘growing up’. I guess it’s got something to do with the inherent difficulty of doing this seemingly simple task, that by the time you have ‘let go’, it comes with a whole lot of insights and enlightenment, making you a better person in the process
Up!! Have to wait a few more weeks before it gets shown here, you’ve made me even more excited for it now ^_^
Time. Letting Things Go requires time. If you ever feel bad, close your eyes and wait a year, and then things won’t feel so bad anymore.
The memories don’t fade, but the emotions do. And when they do, I think back with a smile and say, “well, that was a fucking cool ride.” When most people say “insight” or “enlightenment” what they mean is “perspective.” Time passes and what was important then becomes less important now.
@lupus: I believe you and usagijen are both right. Hmm… I don’t want to call it “a matter of interpretation”, because it can go so much deeper than that. It’s just we all have our own personal walk, and so have our own weaknesses and memories to face.
For usagijen, letting go is what strikes close to her heart… you do get a certain strength and freedom from letting go that’s hard to describe, and it’s greatly inspiring. =) For you Lupus, your feelings lean more towards seeing the positive aspects of mistakes than the negative. Good for you.
Just keep moving forward and growing with each trial is what you’re focused on and inspired by, because whatever plucks your heart is a different subject than letting go. Not that one’s better or worse than the other, your walk and struggles are just different. 
I guess I’m trying to say this: People and anime are interesting.
Kudos to the brilliant writing of the Honey & Clover series for telling so many heart-touching truths in one story.
Amen! is all I can say
Viva la H&C!
This is the best anime I’ve watched… no.. it’s the best multimedia show that I know. As “Celestial”, it had an enourmous impact on me, I changed a lot since then.. And it’s OST is excellent, one of a few I can compare with Saint Seiya soundtrack.
H&C -> EL MEJOR ANIME QUE EXISTE; y la mejor banda de sonido.